Suburban Chicago city headed for bankruptcy

[NNN0LHI]

http://southtownstar.suntimes.com/news/kadner/13876489-452/crisis-in-sauk-villagemay-be-first-of-many.html

Kadner: Crisis in Sauk Village may be first of many

Phil Kadner [e-mail] | [phone] July 19, 2012 9:12PM

Combine government mismanagement with long-term economic hardship and you have all the ingredients for a crisis.

I’m not referring to Illinois state government, which is facing a financial black hole, but a number of south suburbs that are facing an economic meltdown.

The contamination of Sauk Village’s water system is just the latest example of the sort of calamity that can befall a suburb drained of resources and beset by political turmoil.

In a March referendum, residents approved a $20 million bond issue to bring Lake Michigan water to the village. But the village may not have the financial stability to sell the bonds. snip

Ford Heights can’t afford a police department, so it uses the services of Cook County sheriff’s police. Just a little farther north, Robbins struggles to pay its bills with little in the way of tax revenue.

The home foreclosure and unemployment problems that plague the nation have hit the poorest south suburbs twice as hard. Is there any light at the end of this dark tunnel?

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This is the next town over from the factory I retired from. About half of the workers who worked at my plant used to live here because it was close. We used to have about 4800 people working there. The plant population is down to about 500 now. So with about 4300 of those good paying jobs outsourced during the past 30 years there isn't enough money to pay the police, firefighters or teachers any more. So another city bites the dust. This has been like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Very depressing. I hate even going up there any more.

Don

[xchrom]

1. There's an additional 4 cities in Cali

That look like they will go bankrupt - including LA & Oakland.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

2. Related problem with the S. burbs is the public transp system.

It's hard to work in other parts of the city if it takes a 3 hour commute and a zillion connections to get there. Public transportation sucks all over the Chicago area but the southern burbs as with most other things gets the shit end of the stick.

[madrchsod]

3. what plant did you work at?

[NNN0LHI]

4. Chicago Stamping Plant in Ford Heights

Ford Heights is mentioned in the article.

Don

[madrchsod]

5. thanks....

i used to work at northwestern steel and wire. we made nails,wire, structural H beams ,and ingots.in the 60`s there were 4000 people working and today 75% of the complex is gone and the melt shop and heavy wire mill is left. around 200 employees.