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Post by darkduke on Feb 19, 2014 16:02:33 GMT -6
Kyle, This fee always has been in existence, it is called a franchise fee which Mediacom pays in exchange for exclusive rights as the cable provider in the city, the same thing exists for ComEd, Nicor, Frontier, etc. As part of the negotiation, the city usually is able to secure reduced rates for utility service into city hall, fire station, etc. Typically these rights are granted for a period of 10-20 years. I remember during the last negotiations another cable provider wanted to come in, but Mediacom refused to lease their lines, which meant the new provider would have to install entirely new infrastructure: lease space on existing utility poles, run cabling to each home, etc. It just wasn't cost productive. As far as the liquor licenses, the city periodically reviews them to make sure there is enough allocation. Each class of liquor license is allocated a certain number. I think the city currently allows for a total of 58 which is divided up into classes for club (VFW, American Legion, etc), retail package (Circle K, Thornton's, Casey's, Wal Mart, Kroger), on premises consumption (Goodfella's, Omar's, Oakley Inn, etc) and then food and beverage retail (Al's Place, Chix, Teke's, etc). For example, when Chix wanted to open up, there wasn't a liquor license available for that class (food and beverage retail). So the city had to formally vote to change over one of the unused on premises consumption licenses to a food and beverage retail. How about you quit skimming facts, being paranoid and worried the city is purposely out to get you? People on here are not idiots, we all know that is not the case. We have listened to you, offered our advice and suggestions and instead of listening and engaging in productive dialogue, you continue to beat a dead horse about change in city council, aquaponics, how the Majestic didn't survive because of the city, and so forth. Fact is you are just a miserable human being who isn't happy unless they are whining and complaining, and just look for excuses to blame someone else for problems rather then taking individual accountability. 5. ORDINANCE 2013/14-____. AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING A CABLE/VIDEO SERVICE PROVIDER FEE AND ADOPTING CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARDS. This matter was discussed at the February 11th Workshop meeting of City Council. The ordinance establishes statutorily authorized ‘standards’ for the provision of cable TV services under the 2007 Cable and Video Competition Act. Why would they have to ESTABLISH this fee if it always existed? I am not just skimming facts. I didn't see you at the Feb. 11th meeting where they said that Mediacom will no longer be negotiating with the City. If you have all of the information and I am just skimming facts, then why didn't you mention that part? I know that the City changes the amount of licenses allowed in each category from time to time. For them to just change them without allowing citizens a chance to comment, would tell me that they are not even interested in what the public thinks. Who are they representing? Excuse me for believing in a government by the people and for the people. I am all for individual accountability. I hold our Mayor accountable for a requirement that does not follow our laws. I hold him accountable for not upholding our constitutional rights. You have no idea of how many of my customers came out of shows to see fights, public urinating, etc. There are only five people that citizens can hold accountable for what happens on our streets; I am all for holding them accountable. Maybe it is time that they accept the responsibilities of their positions. And here you go trying to blame someone else for your misspeaking. I did not skim or leave out facts, I merely made a comment highlighting what the fee is and that it has always been there vs. your delusional image of the evil city council trying to screw people over. You are the one who took it as leaving out facts to try and put yourself back up on a pedestal. The city has to establish a local ordinance, because the state statue that they were able to collect this charge is being repealed as of July 2015. It's still the same thing, just a modification from a state level to a local level. Again, read how you worded it and you twisted into your little world of the council out adding fees. Mediacom is the local provider as of now and your right, I don't know if Mediacom will or will not be negotiating and frankly, that is their right. Either way if it is Mediacom or any other cable provider, the company selected will have to still pay the same fee. As far as not attending council meetings, your are correct, I don't. I prefer to keep my efforts, time and resources towards school, work, and the sports league I am involved with vs. trying to twist things around about why the City Council of Streator, Illinois is evil and focused solely out get me. I still own, maintain, pay taxes on, and participate in the community when I come home to visit every few weeks, so therefore I still consider that I am part of Streator.
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Feb 19, 2014 16:36:26 GMT -6
And here you go trying to blame someone else for your misspeaking. I did not skim or leave out facts, I merely made a comment highlighting what the fee is and that it has always been there vs. your delusional image of the evil city council trying to screw people over. You are the one who took it as leaving out facts to try and put yourself back up on a pedestal. The city has to establish a local ordinance, because the state statue that they were able to collect this charge is being repealed as of July 2015. It's still the same thing, just a modification from a state level to a local level. Again, read how you worded it and you twisted into your little world of the council out adding fees. Mediacom is the local provider as of now and your right, I don't know if Mediacom will or will not be negotiating and frankly, that is their right. Either way if it is Mediacom or any other cable provider, the company selected will have to still pay the same fee. As far as not attending council meetings, your are correct, I don't. I prefer to keep my efforts, time and resources towards school, work, and the sports league I am involved with vs. trying to twist things around about why the City Council of Streator, Illinois is evil and focused solely out get me. I still own, maintain, pay taxes on, and participate in the community when I come home to visit every few weeks, so therefore I still consider that I am part of Streator. How did I misspeak? I asked how much our cable bill will be now? From the conversation I remembered from the meeting, change in law has allowed Mediacom to no longer have to negotiate with the City, and this was a kind of restructuring, not that it is the same old fee. Maybe I am wrong, we will see. Just so that we are straight, you are saying same old fee as ever, no changes? I know that you still and will probably always have some interests in Streator, that is good. My comment about what state you live in was in regards to your statement claiming to know about my life. By just seeing what I post on here you may have one opinion of me, but you can't really expect to know about my life, form what is posted on here and some visits very few weekends. Can you? I really don't think people here are idiots.
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Post by mommytoo4 on Feb 19, 2014 19:40:53 GMT -6
You really don't think people are idiots, did you really just say that. Well that sure isn't the way you present yourself, you come on here day after day after day after day telling us what we are doing wrong as a City and how we need to fix it. You have been here what, a whole 10 years, but wait you are after all the Great and Powerful Kyle who knows how to fix all that is wrong. I don't know how this town has existed for over 100 years without your guidance. How have families lived here for generations and flourished.
I could go back and forth with you with all your inconsistent over-inflated, poor illegal me BS but I don't have the intelligence to go up against you so I will gracefully bow out and convince myself that I am greatful to have someone swoop in and save my little town.
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Feb 19, 2014 19:54:08 GMT -6
You really don't think people are idiots, did you really just say that. Well that sure isn't the way you present yourself, you come on here day after day after day after day telling us what we are doing wrong as a City and how we need to fix it. You have been here what, a whole 10 years, but wait you are after all the Great and Powerful Kyle who knows how to fix all that is wrong. I don't know how this town has existed for over 100 years without your guidance. How have families lived here for generations and flourished. I could go back and forth with you with all your inconsistent over-inflated, poor illegal me BS but I don't have the intelligence to go up against you so I will gracefully bow out and convince myself that I am greatful to have someone swoop in and save my little town. Are you happy with the declining population and property values with increasing taxes. Just as I was saying that I think darkduke is smart enough to realize that he couldn't possibly know about my life, I think you are smart enough to see that those things are not good and that we should start doing something differently.
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Post by toshiko on Feb 19, 2014 20:26:26 GMT -6
did u all do your civic duty? clean out your street drains. mine is running like a scared rabbit Hubby, went out and tried, but the salt made the snow too hard, and he could not get to it. I would not have believed it, until I heard the commentators at the Olympics say the were using salt on the snow, to make it slicker/more slick.
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Feb 20, 2014 7:14:20 GMT -6
Was it up for discussion last month or at the COW meeting? If so action can be taken tonight. Action can not be taken if it wasn't previously discussed at a meeting. Is it under action items tonight or discussion items? Good thing we have you here to tell us how things are. Maybe you were thinking about how it should be if they were actually representing the people of Streator? No there was no previous discussion last month or at the COW. They didn't bother telling the public of their plans to allow for input before their vote showing that they don't care what the public wants. Three more bars for Streator, and I'm not talking about cell phone service. www.mywebtimes.com/news/local/more-tavern-licenses-available-in-streator/article_58df76c7-02eb-539c-90a6-499f5e8af6d5.html3 more tavern licenses available in Streator A redistribution in the number of liquor licenses will allow for the possibility of three more taverns in Streator. The city council voted 4-1 Wednesday in favor of the redistribution, which does not increase the amount of total liquor licenses in the city, but changes which establishments may apply for them. Councilwoman Tara Iverson Bedei offered the lone vote against the switch. There are five classifications of liquor licenses, according to the city's code. The city allows for 58 total liquor licenses and caps the amount of licenses that can be permitted to each classification. Class A liquor licenses are granted to those who serve alcohol on the premises, such as taverns. The city now will allow for 25 of these. Class B licenses are permitted to only clubs or fraternal organizations, Class C for packaged liquor sales, Class D for restaurants and Class E for temporary events. As a result of Wednesday's vote, two unissued liquor licenses designated for restaurants and one for clubs or fraternal organizations were redistributed to be issued as Class A liquor licenses. The two licenses designated for restaurants have sat idle for awhile, said Mayor Jimmie Lansford. Also a club closed, opening up a Class B license. "We've had inquiries from individuals seeking Class A licenses, and there were none available," said Lansford, who also serves as the city's liquor commissioner. The city's decision to redistribute liquor licenses has nothing to do with the state allowing video gaming in taverns, Lansford said. "It has more to do with the demand," the mayor said. "Individuals can now open a business with these available." Iverson Bedei said she prefers liquor licenses being available to restaurants or prospective restaurants, rather than taverns. The city council can vote at any time to redistribute these licenses or add to the total number of licenses issued if demand changes, Lansford said. In other items, the city council approved a resolution that will require individuals to have insurance to perform at the Plumb Pavilion, unless these are waived at City Manager Paul Nicholson's discretion. An application form will required to perform at the pavilion. This form will be free for Streator residents and $100 for non-residents. Additionally, the city council approved the sale of property at 315 S. Park St. and the demolition of the former BK Auto Sales at 215 W. Main St. The property at the edge of the Vermillion River will be turned into open greenspace, Nicholson said.
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Feb 20, 2014 8:28:23 GMT -6
I did talk to Mr. Phelan and got some explanation about the redistribution.
His explanation was that it still allows restaurants to open and makes it easier for them to survive because they don't have to worry about making sure they have 51% food sales, which an upscale perspective business was concerned with.
From reading the article, it seems that council woman Iverson Bedei disagrees. The Mayor didn't mention anything about that.
When the City was trying to push a ban on hens through at a Special early Thursday morning meeting, a council person told my son the night before that he had as much information as he needed on chickens to make his decision. He wasn't interested in what I or others might have to say.
I feel that if we are going to have a government by the people and for the people, then the people need to be given information and able to have their opinions heard before decisions are made.
Obviously our City leaders don't agree with that.
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Post by dog on Feb 20, 2014 9:10:17 GMT -6
I did talk to Mr. Phelan and got some explanation about the redistribution. His explanation was that it still allows restaurants to open and makes it easier for them to survive because they don't have to worry about making sure they have 51% food sales, which an upscale perspective business was concerned with. From reading the article, it seems that council woman Iverson Bedei disagrees. The Mayor didn't mention anything about that. When the City was trying to push a ban on hens through at a Special early Thursday morning meeting, a council person told my son the night before that he had as much information as he needed on chickens to make his decision. He wasn't interested in what I or others might have to say. I feel that if we are going to have a government by the people and for the people, then the people need to be given information and able to have their opinions heard before decisions are made. Obviously our City leaders don't agree with that. That's good news that we might have an upscale business wanting to locate here. I am not really worried about the possibility of 3 more bars opening up. There is no reason to believe they wont be like the majority of the bars in town and not cause any problems. Even if the gambling being allowed wasn't part of the decision for the city to make the changes, I could almost bet that the reason there is an interest in opening a bar is because of the gambling. I'd have one tapped barrel and about 5 gambling machines. The license is secondary to the gambling.
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Feb 20, 2014 9:29:33 GMT -6
That's good news that we might have an upscale business wanting to locate here. I agree. There is no reason to believe they wont be like the majority of the bars in town and not cause any problems. I agree that there are bars that do not cause problems. Maybe they could convince the others to stop making the collective Streator bar business look so bad? I'd have one tapped barrel and about 5 gambling machines. The license is secondary to the gambling. How many tip boards, sporting event bets, etc.? Would there be back room? or has something changed that they are not allowed now so as to not take away from the taxed legal gambling?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2014 9:40:10 GMT -6
mask m can u make me a hot fudge sundae this summer?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2014 10:11:32 GMT -6
do we really need more taverns in streator? see in paper where city council is thinking of making 3 more liquor licenses. no wonder no one wants to come to this town. do we have just drunks in this town this is crazy.
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Feb 20, 2014 10:28:56 GMT -6
LOL...hhmmm....you can make grasshoppers with ice cream. Gaming at ice cream parlors? I am seriously amazed at how many places offer gaming, but I know it is good revenue. I just wonder how many will find players long term. I am reading a book authored by a local guy about the 50's and the impact of historical events on the Illinois Valley area. One thing it mentioned was when the Feds wanted to license slot machines back in the 50's LaSalle county led all the Counties in Illinois by a wide margin. It was over twice as many applications as the next leading county. That is including Peoria, Rockford, Cook(Chicago) by at least a 2x margin. With that historical perspective Kyle, never underestimate how deep rooted it is here. Just accept that it is. It's really not my thing, but it doesn't bother me in the least if someone else wants to play. It's their money, not mine. Spend it any way they like. Those are interesting statistics. I've known people with gambling problems, it does really take some people down, friends and family members are not always left victimless. I'm sure it has drained some money from people's pockets that could have been spent in other types of business. What business owner wouldn't like untaxed income if were just allowed? With gaming being allowed and taxed, if it is allowed to go on illegally in businesses, isn't it cheating society while competing with the businesses that are following the laws? Other than that I kind of agree with your attitude. If people want to spend their money that way, fine. I never really enjoyed it, although I might waste a couple dollars on some ponies or dogs at a legal establishment while socializing. I certainly wouldn't have a problem with some buddies playing cards in a private residence. Our former police chief used to tell me that when they went into the bars, that stuff was all put away; behind the bar is private property, they can't go there without a search warrant. He never denied that it goes on. Honestly, I felt like he was just saying that the bar owners and employees were all smarter than our police department. I certainly didn't believe that any more than him saying that there was no law keeping bars from serving intoxicated people. I probably wouldn't even talk about gambling, but if there has been a look the other way attitude for that, does that same agreement, arrangement, or whatever you want to call it, carry over to allowing people to walk away from exposing themselves to a family, fighting in front of officers, drinking on our sidewalks, parking in front of fire hydrants, plowing our sidewalks, etc? Too bad our City wouldn't show that something was being done to keep these things from continuing to go on. Then maybe I could follow oldtimer's suggestion of looking at the positives when thinking of the future of downtown Streator.
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Feb 20, 2014 10:39:12 GMT -6
do we really need more taverns in streator? see in paper where city council is thinking of making 3 more liquor licenses. no wonder no one wants to come to this town. do we have just drunks in this town this is crazy. There are a lot of good people in this town that do not drink, and many that drink responsibly. I hear from people who support what I talk about often, many stop in for a show. A woman said recently that she has been sick of those that do not drink responsibly making her and others in Streator look bad for a long time. I don't feel that it should be left up to the customer to decide when they have had enough though. Alcohol suppresses many people's self control. That is why we have laws making it illegal to serve anyone who is already intoxicated.
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Post by dumdave on Feb 20, 2014 10:46:50 GMT -6
Kyle said "I never been in favor of letting people do what ever they want."
I'm glad now that you didn't run for office. Jeeze. So much for free enterprise.
You, on the other hand, my friend, don't want anyone telling you what business you can run and where you can run it.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2014 10:53:56 GMT -6
my thoughts are streator has always been known for taverns thats a shame if that is the only way streator can make there money how many do we have now?? this is a very small town and they are tearing churches down. now before someone wants to say tearing down churches has nothing to do with taverns. in my books streator needs more respect than a lot of taverns. just my thoughts. guess what i am trying to say isn't there enough taverns in town and half of them are for sale
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