Morton’s proposed Business District


The following was sent to the members of the Morton Village Board. The vote to establish a Business District is set for Monday night—March 15, 2010.

After actually receiving and reading the proposed ordinance to establish a Morton Business District, it is clear that the two so called public hearings were a sham and a fraud. No one who was not involved in the process would know the extent of the proposal now before the Village Board. This is not about a private business “beautification” program to improve the business district. Rather, it is a power grab of unprecedented proportions by the Village of Morton to allow it to control ⅓ to ½ of the Village through four elected representatives.

1) Who knew that ⅓ to ½ of the Village is located in a business district?

2) Who knew that ⅓ to ½ of the Village was blighted?

3) Who knew that WalMart, Culvers, and the newly constructed Heritage Bank are located in a blighted area? What kind of poor business decisions did they make? Obviously, they need help from a caring government!

4) Who knew that not only does this ordinance impose an additional ¼% sales tax on products but that it also imposes “upon all persons engaged, in the Morton Business District, in the business of making sales of service, who, as an incident to making those sales of service, transfer tangible personal property within the Morton Business District, either in the form of tangible personal property or in the form of real estate as an incident to a sale of service.” Does this mean that the commission received for selling real estate within the Business District will now be taxed? Does this mean that an attorney drawing up a legal will would collect a sales tax of ¼% from his client? What other service will be taxed because of this provision? Repair work on an automobile?

5) Who knew that the Village may also impose a hotel operators’ occupation tax within the proposed Business District?

6) Who knew that estimated costs for the proposed Business District are over 10 million dollars? And given the historical evidence that governments notoriously underestimate total costs, the final cost will, no doubt, be much higher.

7) Who knew that the estimated cost of land acquisition, site preparation, and related activities is 2 million dollars?

8) Do the residents of the Village realize that four people will have the power to confiscate residential and business property through eminent domain to achieve the “desired” results of this newly established Business District? If this proposed ordinance passes, I would recommend that no one within or near the district sell their property. A residential property will sell for less if purchased by an individual than it will if purchased by the Village. It would, however, probably sell for even more if purchased by a developer who does not have the threat of eminent domain to achieve the purchase.

9) Is it true that once the Business District is established, the size of the district can be expanded by a majority vote of the Village Board? If so, are there any restricts to that expansion? If there are, what are those restrictions? Why haven’t we been told any of this?

The news article of February 17, 2010 published in the Morton-Times specifically said that “The sales tax increase would not affect purchases, such as groceries, cars and medicine.” (2/17/10, page 3) And yet according to the proposed ordinance, “This tax is not imposed on food for human consumption that is to be consumed off the premises where it is sold (other than alcoholic beverages [Is this why the Village was so adamant about allowing alcohol to be sold at our two major grocery stores?—my addition] soft drinks, and food that has been prepared for immediate consumption), prescription medicines, drugs, medical appliances, modifications to a motor vehicle for the purposes of rending it usable by a disabled person, and insulin, urine testing materials, syringes, and needles used by diabetics, for human use.” I don’t see any mention of not imposing this tax on the purchase of cars. Why did no one correct that error if it is an error? Why don’t you want the truth about this proposed ordinance known until it is too late?

Before a vote is taken on this proposal ordinance, I would suggest that every member of the Village Board read The Best-Laid Plans, How Government Planning Harms Your Quality of Life, Your Pocketbook, and Your Future by Randal O’Toole © 2007. Specifically, read Part Two “Why Planning Fails,” Part Three “Land-Use Planning,” Part Four “Why Planners Fail,” Part Six “Why Government Fails,” and Part Seven “Instead of Planning.”

From “Why Government Fails”: “The fundamental premise behind government planning is that government can be benignly objective and even altruistic. Whereas private individuals and corporations work only in their own self-interest, only government can protect the common good. Yet this runs counter to almost every experience Americans have with their governments.” (page 279)

Government elected officials and employees tend to be intelligent. And yet none of them are wise enough to alter supply and demand principles over time. None of them! One current, glaring example is the financial difficulties and possible bankruptcy of Firefly Energy Inc. and the six million dollars loaned to the company by the City of Peoria and Peoria County. Don’t forget, the same governmental body that allows the establishment of a Morton Business District has also spent the State to the edge of bankruptcy. Do you really want to follow their lead?

If the Village Board does not either table this proposed ordinance and hold two legitimate hearings where all of the facts are know beforehand or vote to defeat this power grab of the Village Board, I predict that the following events may well occur:

1) a boycott of all businesses within the proposed business district. Since it seems that the business community is supporting this raid on our checkbook and seems to believe that they deserve to spend our money more than we do, it would only be fitting to stop giving them our money.

2) a law suit arguing that the law allowing the establishment of the Business District is unconstitutional under the Illinois Constitution.

3) a no vote on any and all referendums placed before the voters of the Village including, but not limited to, all school referendums. If the Village believes it better knows how to spend our money than we do and we can’t stop it, we can stop our money from being spent in areas where our vote is needed to approve of the expenditure.

4) contested elections again any Board member who supports the confiscation of our property through eminent domain and an increase in our tax to pay for said confiscation.

5) the ¼% sales taxes will be increased before the life of the Business District expires unless the Board members who support the District are replaced.

Why does the Village of Morton want to join the parade of governmental bodies that are trying to establish a “Nanny State?” Every one of them are failing and plunging that government deeper and deeper into debt. Let us be responsible for our own actions. Get your hand out of our pocket!

“Government is best which governs least.” Anonymous, a U.S. proverb

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Lord Acton

“You can fool some of the people all the time and all the people some of the time; but you can’t fool all the people all the time.” Abraham Lincoln

“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go astray, and leaves us naught but grief and pain for promised joy!” Robert Burns