We all do better, when we all do better.
Hello Ottawa!
My name is Katie Troccoli and I am a candidate for Commissioner of Ottawa, IL.
I am a lifelong resident of Ottawa with three adult children and a grandson who all live in Ottawa (plus one on the way).
I have been active in real estate and community development since 1984.
I have been involved in non-profit work for veterans, the environment, consumer issues, the arts and historic preservation most of my life.
I love Ottawa and I’m running for Commissioner to represent the best interests of the citizens of Ottawa. Your interests.
I am open to your suggestions and ideas and I want to hear from you. Let’s work together to make Ottawa even better than it is today.
If you share my passion for our community, consider voting for me on April 4, 2023 (or before if you early vote).
Best Regards,
Katie Troccoli
815-228-2058
Yes, those are my feet as I was bottle feeding Feral Kittens
03-30-2023
A person asked me about the Feral Cat situation in Ottawa, IL
The picture below is a Feral Cat I bottle fed. He dropped into our life as a kitten.
Our current city officials have said it is illegal to feed Feral Cats in Ottawa, IL (Fines are $750.) per a letter a person who had my sign in their yard got.
I take a more proactive approach. I believe TNR - Trap, Neuter, Release is the humane way to deal with the Feral Cat situation.
Every year, I bottle feed kittens and find them homes. If I can’t catch them as kittens I do my best to trap spay release.
We have to educate people and give them the proper tools to deal with the situation humanely.
The 2023 Ottawa Consolidated Election Commissioners Debate was held on Friday, March 10th at Crossbridge Community Church. The livestream was active from 5:40pm to 7:40pm.
https://www.youtube.com/live/whGP9WbiKxg?feature=share
This question came up at the commissioners debate 03/10/2023
hosted by the Ottawa Area Chamber of as to candidates position on home rule:
I am opposed to Home Rule for the City of Ottawa.
So, what is Home Rule?
The Illinois Constitution allows a municipality to become a home rule unit if the voters approve it in a referendum if it has fewer than 25,000 residents. A municipality automatically becomes a home rule unit when its population reaches 25,000. The move allows a community to incur debt and loosens restrictions on implementing transfer taxes on real estate.
What are the tax implications of becoming a Home Rule community? A broad range of taxation options are available to Home Rule municipalities. Prior to 1997, Home Rule units could freely adopt a real estate transfer tax. But in 1997, a new law went into effect which put a limit on this. Home Rule units must go to a referendum to get a transfer tax adopted or increased. Except for this limitation—and a few others that are set forth in state law—home rule units are free to enact any kind of tax (except an income tax) they want. Home Rule units are even exempt from the Property Tax Caps law.
What about debt? Home Rule allows a community to undertake long-term financing of infrastructure projects. This can be good for a community and it can attract new businesses. This is a genuine benefit to being a home rule unit as economic development is important for all Illinois communities. However, the question of how the debt will be managed and financed is an important issue for citizens in existing home rule municipalities or those who are considering becoming a home rule unit.
What are the dangers associated with adopting home rule? Some home rule municipalities have abused their powers by attempting to control property transfers through point-of sale inspections and imposing regulations regarding: inspections of apartment buildings and vacant homes; landlord-tenant relationships; and crime prevention measures. Some home rule units have passed property demolition taxes, unfettered impact fees and excessive fees with the inspection programs. What’s this mean to the home buyer or seller? More costs in a state where a common complaint is that the costs of living are already too high.
Why is this such a big issue for REALTORS®? There are more than 41,000 REALTORS® in the state. Their clients are sensitive to any change in regulation and taxation, and increases in both areas could scuttle deals, make it less attractive to locate in a community or in some cases price a property owner or would-be buyer out of the market. REALTORS® want affordable, quality housing for anyone wanting to realize the American Dream of homeownership. They also want to make sure that commercial interests are served by making sure the costs that can be a barrier to job creation are as low as possible. Layering on the potential for additional taxes and regulation undercuts these missions.
What about specific examples where Home Rule status hurt municipalities? How about five examples:
In 1998, Highland Park enacted a $10,000 residential “teardown tax.” In 2005, Evanston passed a similar tax. In 2008, Highland Park considered increasing its tax to $25,000.
Several home rule municipalities have adopted what is known as a “zero-dollar transfer tax.” While there is no direct taxation cost to the seller, this is an attempt by the municipality to block a transfer in order to enforce building code regulations. (The municipality will deny issuance of the transfer stamps.)
With some pre-sale home inspection ordinances, the municipalities will require an escrow deposit from buyers of “AS IS” properties that have totaled as high as $40,000.
Impact fees in several municipalities are imposed for libraries, police cars, fire protection equipment and “public art.” No statutory authority exists for these fees but these municipalities claim their home rule status as the authorization.
Since 1988, pursuant to a home rule ordinance, a tenant in Chicago is entitled to “damages” and attorney’s fees if the landlord did not return the correct amount for interest on the security deposit.
Can’t a municipality raise my taxes now without Home Rule status? Certainly, it can. But not being a Home Rule community makes it more difficult to add costs and regulations onto property owners. It also can make sure that the community can’t take on debt, which has led to notable financial crisis in some communities.
Source: Illinois Realtors.org
Link to Real Property Alliance with more information on Home Rule
https://www.realpropertyalliance.org/home-rule/
The question was presented at the commissioner debate hosted by the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce on 03 /10/2023 if commissioner candidates liked a city manager form of government.
Definition: The council-manager form of government is the system of local government that combines the strong political leadership of elected officials in the form of a council or other governing body, with the strong managerial experience of an appointed local government manager.
The downfall of the form of government is finding a qualified candidate that actually cares what happens in the community. It sounds good in theory however in a community our size we could not attract high quality candidates.
WCMY Radium Dial Superfund Clean Up
https://1430wcmy.com/2023/02/20/activist-says-long-fight-to-get-radiation-removed-was-worth-it/
Activist says long fight to get radiation removed was worth it
By Rick KoshkoFeb 20, 2023 | 2:57 PM
Many of the people who started pressing for the cleanup of the radioactive sites in Ottawa around 35 years ago aren’t around to see the final cleanup that’s expected to start next year. Katie Troccoli has spent most of her adult life calling for it and she’s 64 now. She and others were scoffed at by local officials who said they were going to ruin the city’s reputation. But she’d do it again.
Troccoli is concerned about the radiation that remains because the EPA decided to cap it in place and prohibit digging. She says a long time from now, someone who has forgotten about the radium contamination and what it can do could unearth it.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it will put $90 million into the last of the cleanup next year. That’s at a former dump site between the Fox River and Illinois 71. It got a lot of debris from the Radium Dial and Luminous Processes glow-in-the-dark paint businesses that worked on watch dials and instrument panels.
Veterans Day event goes indoors in Ottawa
By Rick KoshkoNov 11, 2021 | 12:18 PM
LaSalle County Veterans Assistance Commission Supt. Steven Kreitzer says Veterans Day is not for those who gave all. That’s Memorial Day. He says Veterans Day is for the military members who gave some.
https://1430wcmy.com/2021/11/11/veterans-day-event-goes-indoors-in-ottawa/
The event happened inside at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post on LaSalle St. Ottawa Memorial Association President Katie Troccoli says it was safer to go inside than to have an event at Washington Park where someone could slip on wet grass after the morning rain.