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F rankfortextendswelcometoBy KAREN HAAVEFrankfort would welcome annexation of Prestwick, Village President Ken Biel said at a meeting last week of the Prestwick Homeowners Association.“At this time the village of Frankfort looks very favorably on the annexation of Prestwick,” he said at the start of the meeting. “We look very favorably on you as our neighbors ”However, he cautioned, “you have to look at it thoroughly and look atall the pros and cons.”There has been talk at various times that Prestwick might annex tothe village of Matteson, but not recently, at least in public.Later in the meeting Tuesday Biel added, “I think it’s important torecognize that Frankfort is not looking to annex Prestwick in any involuntaryway.”But at least a few of the 40 homeowners present from the unincorporated subdivision remained unconvinced of the wisdom or need for annexation, questioning whether enough information has been compiled to make anintelligent decision on the issue.Most outspoken were Ray Rossi, a Frankfort Township trustee and former PHA president, and Bob Denton, a former Frankfort Square Park Board president, now a resident of Prestwick.Rossi already had questioned the PHA’s pursuit of annexation at last month’s meeting and his persistence Tuesday clearly rankled some residents.“The point ... is not whether we annex or do not annex, but rather whether we allow the residents to make an informed decision, and whether we get the best possible deal from Frankfort for our $27 million in assessed valuation,” he said in a prepared statement.“If anything was agreed at the last Prestwick board meeting, it was that all facts would be given to the residents. The last three monthly newsletters, however, have been a hard sell for annexation by conveying only facts and fancy beneficial to annexation“The September newsletter states that the annexation committee has begun the task of investigation of annexation.’ By October, annexation was fait accompli in the eyes of the annexation committee. The November newsletter boldly proclaimed the headline PHA Board Urges Annexation,’ yet no motion was ever made or passed by the board regarding annexation,”Rossi said.“While my last memorandum admittedly was far too strong, it is also sad that this board publicly stated that the memo would be distributed, then later changed its mind through a private polling The purpose of public meetings is to voice ideas, comments and criticisms publicly; when we are , annexed, private decisions after a meeting is long over would be illegal.waryPrestwick“I said last month that we should all be trying to get the best deal we can from Frankfort rather than running scared to it. Read the 1973 and 1984 annexation studies and you will see that Frankfort will benefit by $258,000 per year through our annexation.”Moreover, Rossi challenged severa1 of the issues on which some residents base the need for annexation. More ^'ecifically, he said:• “Talk of protection from (annexation by) Frankfort Square is patently false.• “The (Will County) Sheriffs Department has three squads for Frankfort Square and Prestwick, not one, as represented in the last (PHA) newsletter. The response time is now under four minutes.• “Talk of (acquiring) Prestwick Utilities should include discussions of the cost of the bond issue to purchase the utility company and the fact that the purchase is a separate issue from annexation. The (suggestion of a) 40 percent increase in utility rates for next year is also unfounded. This week’s newspaper recites that the utility company and developers are in agreement for the $2,000 per home tap-on charge by the developers. I personally know that evey major developer in unincorporated Frankfort Township agrees to the $2,000 charge. Further, rates for utility companies in unincorporated areas are governed by the ICC, which has never allowed(Please turn to Page A-2) *►
Newspaper Details
Matteson Star
Matteson, Illinois, US
Sun, Dec 03, 1989
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
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USA 13 Oct 2022
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