Friday, September 3, 2010

Disbarred attorney accused of practicing law

 

Timothy F. Eddy continued practicing law - despite losing his license more than eight years ago - after pretending to be another man with whom he once worked.

Ironically, a search of state records shows the other attorney whose identity was stolen also does not have a valid license as of this year because he failed to complete his continuing legal education requirements.

Click on the following for more details:  Daily Herald | Disbarred attorney accused of practicing law

Critics: Ill. lottery contract cloaked in secrecy

 

less than two weeks before Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn awards a lucrative, first-of-its-kind contract for the private management of the state's $2 billion-a-year lottery, some are criticizing the selection process as too secretive and questioning whether it favors one powerful bidder.

Illinois would be the first state to entirely privatize the management and marketing of its lottery. The move was mandated by legislators as a way to help boost revenue and attract new players

Click on the following for more details:  Pantagraph.com | News from Associated Press

Tegen leaving planning department this month

he will be moving into community development in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.

Click on the following to read the entire article in the Belvidere Daily RepublicanTegen leaving planning department this month

Illegal immigration declines sharply in California, across the country, report says

ILLEGALS_Burn 

Click on the following to read the story:  Illegal immigration declines sharply in California, across the country, report says | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times

Former egg farm workers say complaints ignored

FDA Inspectors only concerned with grading eggs not the sanitary conditions.

The USDA employees worked next to areas where roughly 7.7 million caged hens laid eggs at the two operations, but agency spokesman Caleb Weaver said their main duties are "grading" the eggs and they aren't primarily responsible for looking for health problems

Two former workers at Wright County Egg facilities, Robert and Deanna Arnold, said they reported problems such as leaking manure and dead chickens to USDA employees, but nothing was done.

Click on the following for more details:  Business & Technology | Former egg farm workers say complaints ignored | Seattle Times Newspaper

White House considers pre-midterm package of business tax breaks to spur hiring

weighing a package of business tax breaks - potentially worth hundreds of billions of dollars - to spur hiring and combat Republican charges that Democratic tax policies hurt small businesses,

a temporary payroll-tax holiday and a permanent extension of the now-expired research-and-development tax credit

Substantively, there is nothing they could do between now and Election Day that would have any measurable effect on the economy. Nothing," said the Brookings Institution's William Galston

The president could roll out additional measures as soon as next week. Senate leaders hope to begin debating the tax issue in late September.

Click on the following for all of the story:  White House considers pre-midterm package of business tax breaks to spur hiring

Daily Chronicle’s View: War’s result debatable; heroism isn’t | Daily Chronicle

Pundits across the political dial continued to debate the war’s legacy.

There’s no way we can assess, here and now, how successful we were in Iraq

Whatever the legacy of the Iraq War, at least one thing is certain – the men and women of the American military who served there performed heroically.

Click on the following for this editorial:  Our View: War’s result debatable; heroism isn’t | Daily Chronicle

How bad, will county budgets be this year?

The following is taken from the August 9, 2010 minutes (Page 3) of the Finance and Procurement Committee of Stephenson County (Freeport): http://www.co.stephenson.il.us/board/Minutes/2010/Finance/08-09-2010.pdf--

 

The County Administrator distributed the proposed budget calendar and instructions, discussed last month, for developing the 2011 budget. Chairman Blum reviewed the process the County has used in the past, to develop the annual budget. The County’s budget problems have traditionally been associated with the General Fund, rather than other funds, like the several highway funds. He explained that the budget needs to be
built from “scratch” or “zero”. Chairman Blum reviewed the discussion that took place with the department heads, earlier today. The department heads are looking for a “fair and equitable” budget. The budget worksheets will come to the Finance Committee with the usual request from the department, but now with an alternative amount from the County Administrator. Chairman Blum asked that the General Fund
expenditures for 2011 be limited to $8,000,000, including the maximum 5% contingency. He recommended using 1994 to 1999 as the base years, for allocating
funds to the various departments.

Chairman Blum noted that the County Board has the authority, under PTELL to reallocate the levy among the various County funds. Not only does this involve County departments, but includes the service organizations, under the County levy,
such as Extension Education and Veterans Assistance. On a motion by Ms. S. Hooper, seconded by Mr. Koch, the Finance Committee recommended that the County Board
suspend the codified budget process for developing the 2011 fiscal year budget. On a motion by Ms. S. Hooper, seconded by Mr. Détente, the Finance Committee established $8,000,000 as the General Fund limit on expenditures, with department
head identifying all expenditures above the zero base.

Asian carp-blocking work will close Sanitary Canal off and on | Government

 

The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal will be shut down temporarily to all traffic between Oct. 4 and 8 for construction work on the underwater electronic barriers designed to keep Asian carp from reaching Lake Michigan.

Click on the following for more details:  Asian carp-blocking work will close Sanitary Canal off and on | Government | Crain's Chicago Business

Kane County State's Attorney Barsanti appointed judge

I remember from the Logli case in Winnebago County-- this may lead to a double pension—am I right?

Barsanti joined the Kane County state's attorney's office 31 years ago as a prosecutor. In 2000, he went into private practice, and then became state's attorney in 2004.

Click on the following for more details:  Daily Herald | Kane County State's Attorney Barsanti appointed judge

Giannoulias, Kirk running neck and neck in Illinois Senate race, polls shows - Quad Cities Online

Democrat Alexi Giannoulias and Republican Mark Kirk are wounded rivals running neck and neck for the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois once held by President Barack Obama, a new Tribune/WGN-TV poll shows.

Click on the following for more details:  Giannoulias, Kirk running neck and neck in Illinois Senate race, polls shows - Quad Cities Online

Will Boone County Government be cutting anything in its 2011 budget

I have attended the budget hearings this Monday and this Thursday at the Locust Street Center.  The County Board is faced with a large revenue shortfall and asked for proposed budgets that will reflect  smaller budgets. A 12% cut is the proposed target so the budget expenses will match revenue projections. Yet it seems few of the  departments are following the request.  What is the problem —the county board not requiring the departments to comply or the department (many of whom are elected officials) choosing not to comply?

First off,  As shown in capital letters in photocopy #1, “DEADLINE FOR ALL BUDGETS FRIDAY, AUGUST 27, 2010, 12 PM.  The Sheriff’s budgets for the Public Safety Building, jail and sheriff’s patrol were not submitted as of August 30 and according to a statement from the Sheriff at the Public Safety Committee Meeting on August 30--they will be submitted after “month’s end”.  The Sheriff’s budgets are the largest  based upon payroll. Either the committee is asking too much or the Sheriff can do what he wishes.  At the Thursday meeting the County Administrator indicated that the Sheriff’s budgets were received however they would not be released to the board until the county administrator had an opportunity to review the budgets.  Needless to say, the report will not be available to the public until after that.

The budget request from Growth Dimensions also was not received and a “zero” was used on some finance committee documents however it is anticipated that Growth Dimensions will be making a budget request.

I will be posting the budgets from both the Monday and Thursday meetings—HOWEVER—the big news for Thursday is that the committee is changing their procedures.   The finance committee and the full county board will determine what the county’s revenue “should be”, what reserves they will spend and then begin to work out the numbers with the department heads.  See this story at:  http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2010/09/revised-boone-county-budget-process-for.html

 

Click on the photocopy to enlarge:

Budget hearings 1` Budget hearing 2 budget hearing 3

#1-- Schedule   #2—Sched   #3—Sched

STATES ATTORNEY

Nearly the entire cut is in Grant Wages—a cut in students  working in the SA office.  These wages are actually paid from grants and are effectively a pass through with no net effect on budget. These attorneys cannot be used on felony cases.

The budget is shown on photocopy #4.  a written statement concern the effects of a 12% cut is on photo #5.  Photocopy 6 shows the department employees and their wage costs.

Click on the photocopy to enlarge:

budget hearing  4budget hearing 5 budget hearing 6

#4—St At Budget       #5 St. At     #6 St At Wages

COUNTY CLERK

Expenses are nearly identical to last year’s budget.  See photocopy #7.  The reader should exclude the Revenue Stamp Expense.  The stamps can only be purchased form the state in bulk and basically are sold at nearly twice face to persons registering their property.  It really is not a controllable expense.  Photocopy #8 is a written comment on the effect of a 12% cut in budget.  One interesting item from the committee hearing regards closing the  office during lunch.  Such would  be necessary if there is a cut in personnel.  Apparently the county board would have to pass a change in ordinance to allow the office to close for lunch.  Photocopy #9 for the employee list and wages.

Click on the photocopy to enlarge:

budget hearing  7 Budget hear #8 budget hearing #9

#7--Co Clk  Budget       #8—Co Clk    #9 Co Clk Wages

CLERK TO THE CIRCUIT CLERK

Expense are up 1.5% due to unionized wage increases, a $,2251 increase in the Circuit Clerk’s salary approved by the county board in 2009 and a reclassification of a  non-union employee. The union contract expires on November 30, 2010.  A $5,596 in unionized wages due to step raises are not shown on the budget expenses.  See #10 for more details concerning the budget. 

A lengthy two page explanation of the effect of a 12.5% budget reduction is shown on page #11 &12.  According to the present union contract 3 persons would have to be laid off to reach the 12.5% reduction.  Ms. Ohlsen states:  “My office cannot sustain this reduction in staff”.  On Page 11,  Direct Result, item 2, there is a statement that “Dispositional work…would quickly be impossible to complete within 9-12 months.”  In discussion with the committee it was told that such work is currently backlogged to May 2010 (3 months).  Ms. Ohlsen was requested to check with counties of similar size (Stephenson and Ogle Counties) and report back on these counties’ backlog.

Pages 13&14 shows the wage bill for FY 2011.

Click on the photocopy to enlarge:

budget hearings 10budget hearin 11 budget hearing --12

#10 Circ Clk Budget    #11-Circ Clk   #12—Circ Clk

budget hearing 13 budget hearing #14

#13 Circ Clk—Union     #14 Cir Clk—non-union