If you're a Rockford tax payer, you may want to check this out. Some of all our sales tax is going to a development plan, not an actual physical improvement, but a "let's see if we can make this better" type of plan. By the way, not all city leaders are on board.

Rockford alderman voted to give a Chicago firm over $50,000 over tax payer money to come up with a plan to improve Y Boulevard and Madison Street all the way to Morgan Street.

The plan is to improve land, parking, and traffic flow. It'll also include a plan to partner with Rockford Park District on a city ice rink. It would be the areas third rink.

According to WREX, the votes were close (6-5) and didn't come without a fight. Alderman Ann Thompson-Kelly was particularly not excited about this plan.

"I think this is a bunch of crap when we start asking tax payers for the one percent sales tax and we promised we were going to fix the streets and bridges then we should fix the streets and bridges as the council see fit," says Thompson-Kelly.

One thing we can all agree on is continuing to improve Rockford, but at what cost?

 

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