McCaleb: Government as unpredictable as weather

The comment from Woodstock City Manager Tim Clifton in Friday’s newspaper was as refreshing as the day’s warm weather and blue skies.

“We are not funding that project through a tax increase.”

There must be something magical in the air.

Spring weather has arrived. A government body is refusing to raise taxes.

Could a Blackhawks Stanley Cup be drifting somewhere in the breeze?

OK, maybe not that magical.

But Clifton’s comment, and the city of Woodstock’s stance, is refreshing nonetheless.

The project to which Clifton referred to was a new public works building in Woodstock, a priority because the city has outgrown its existing structure and is having to rent space to store trucks and other items.

But construction plans for the building have been put on hold because the city’s revenues are down significantly.

Not enough money? We’ll just have to spend less.

It seems like a logical and responsible decision.

Unfortunately, logic and reason aren’t the dominant criteria used in many government decisions.

Take, for example, School District 46 in Prairie Grove. The district’s board, with three of its members being replaced in a few days, voted this week to extend Superintendent Mary Fasbender’s contract by two years despite the objections of the incoming board members.

Fasbender already had more than a year left on her contract. And incoming board members, voted into office in April by the district’s taxpaying constituents, wanted time to familiarize themselves with the superintendent and the district’s operations before making such an important decision.

But throwing logic and responsibility to the wind, the current board extended the contract anyway, and then refused to release details to the public, including salary increase information. We have filed a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain this information, which taxpayers obviously have a right to know.

When asked to comment on their vote to extend Fasbender’s contract, the three outgoing board members, Manish Shah, Sean Rathjen and Stephen Todd, all declined.

Hmmm. Thanks for your service.

At McHenry County College, board members revealed this week that the school’s former president, Walt Packard, will keep his salary and benefits package nearing $200,000 annually through June 30, 2010.

Packard resigned in February, but was immediately named to a newly created position of president emeritus, which requires no regular office hours and largely undefined “consulting services.”

Asked to elaborate on the college’s – which is it say, taxpayers’ – generous sendoff to Packard, board President George Lowe declined.

Hmmm. So much for the magic in the air.

Today’s forecast, I see, calls for rain. So does tomorrow’s.

Like the weather, government decisions largely remain unpredictable.

• Dan McCaleb is editor of Northwest Herald. He can be reached at dmccaleb@nwherald.com.