Tightening tax schedule helps fix Boone County budget gap -

 

erasing a shortfall that by some accounts was as high as $285,000. Instead of cutting spending, the board closed the budget gap by committing to a tighter schedule for sending out property tax bills, collecting on-time and delinquent tax payments, and funneling that money to the general fund.

some board members are disappointed that their colleagues didn’t consider meaningful spending cuts this year. They view Newport’s delinquent tax idea as a simple shuffling of money from one budget to the next.

Click on the following:  Tightening tax schedule helps fix Boone budget gap - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

DuPage water board accidentally spends $19 million

DuPage County Board Chairman with the approval of the DuPage County Board appoints the Chairman and six of the Commissioners. Six Commissioners are elected by the mayors/presidents of the municipalities within a County Board District.

The board approved a contract with an accounting firm last week to perform a forensic audit on the commission's finances after the depleted reserves were recently discovered

Currently, the commission buys water from Chicago at a rate of $1.82 per 1,000 gallons and sells it for $1.42 per 1,000 gallons.

"Some of us have asked questions for years, and no one has held staff accountable,

the group is also expected to discuss creating a position for an ethics officer or commission, hiring a new finance administrator and meet in closed session to debate litigation and personnel matters

Click on the following for more details:  Daily Herald | DuPage water board accidentally spends $19 million

Can Kane County handle more DUI arrests?

Could this also be a problem with the States Attorney for Boone County?

Many Holiday Mobilization Grants have allowed Elgin and other local police departments recently to take part in Illinois Department of Transportation programs that increase patrol and police resources 

"I do not have the ability to put more people (assistant state's attorneys) in the DUI court than I have now," Barsanti said recently. "(Police) can make more cases, but we're at a speed where we can't go faster."

Can Kane handle more DUI arrests? :: The Courier News :: Local News

Bank of America to repay TARP, raise cash

 

Bank of America Corp. said Wednesday it plans to repay its $45 billion in government bailout funds in the next few days

The bank said it has paid $2.54 billion to the government so far in dividends on the TARP money. BofA said it is not yet exercising its right to repurchase warrants that the government received in return for the bailout money. Warrants are financial instruments that allow the holder to buy stock in the future at a fixed price.

Click on the following for more details:  Business Journal | Bank of America to repay TARP, raise cash

Genoa fundraiser hoax under investigation

The Genoa residents who showed up at Genoa-Kingston High School on Tuesday evening thought they were picking up pork chop dinners they had bought to help support the school’s basketball team.
The problem was, there were no dinners.
At least nine people in the Willow Glen area of Genoa were victims of the hoax, paying $10 for bogus tickets to a pork chop dinner that didn’t exist, Genoa Police Chief Patrick Solar said.
The tickets were sold door-to-door by a white male who appeared to be between 16 and 18 years old, Solar said. The boy claimed the dinner was a fundraiser for the G-K basketball team. Some victims have said there was a second, much younger child helping him

Click on the following for more details:  Genoa fundraiser hoax under investigation | Daily Chronicle

Proposal asks for more disclosure by McHenry County Board

proposed ordinance states that it is meant to complement, not replace, the county’s existing ethics and conduct rules.

The proposed ordinance first will go before the board’s Management Services Committee. Chairwoman Ersel Schuster, R-Woodstock, who was a member of A-LAW before her 2008 election, said the ordinance would get a fair hearing.

“It looks like they’ve crossed their t’s and dotted their i’s on this thing. It looks like it’s pretty well researched,” Schuster said. “Personally, it will be whether or not [officials] want to stand up to the scrutiny.”

Northwest Herald | Proposal asks for more disclosure by County Board

Musical chairs irks some on Boone County Board

As a regular member of the audience I find Mr. Walberg’s actions very interesting.  Ms. Glass’ vote was the swing vote on the major votes of the board. 

Mr. Walberg was elected to office for the first time in November 2008. He  never served on the board until that date. He was elected Chairman on the 28th ballot when Ms. Glass departed from the block favoring Mrs. Ward as chairperson.  So Mr. Walberg has no experience as a subcommittee member—but today one year experience as chairman.

Ms. Glass’ vote passed the highly contested 2010 budget.  At literally the 11th hour  on the last meeting of the year Ms. Glass accepted three rather than two transfers of delinquent taxes as being a “balanced budget” and  gave Mr. Walberg’s faction the seventh vote to pass the budget.   Perhaps things will really be different for the FY 2010 year.

Walberg spoke to Glass about the change Sunday, and she was initially taken aback, but then “seemed cooperative with the idea,” he said. Glass, who has been a member of the committee since 2002, believes Walberg doesn’t care for her outspokenness.
“This is a slap in the face,” she said. “I have been on Administrative since I was elected. It’s not the fact that I’m being replaced. I’m a big girl, I can deal with things like that. My problem is, he’s appointing someone who has never served on this committee in any capacity as chairman of this committee

Click on the following for more details:  Musical chairs irks some on Boone County Board - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star