cost-saving arrangement, G.M. will pay 60 percent of the plant’s 1,550 workers the going wage of about $28 an hour, and the remainder of the workers about half as much — or $14 an hour. While the U.A.W. had previously agreed to lower wages for new hires, some of the second-tier workers at the Orion plant could be among current G.M. employees called back from layoff.
Click on the following for more details: General Motors’ Wage-Cutting Deal Clears Way for Subcompact Car - NYTimes.com
This list is available on page 20-23 of the October 8, 2010 Boone County Journal, http://boonecountyjournal.com/news/2010/Boone-County-News-10-08-10.pdf#page=2 A total of 1210 parcels are considered delinquent.
N O T I C E
DELINQUENT TAX LIST
BOONE COUNTY
(NOTE: IF THROUGH SOME UNAVOIDABLE ERROR YOUR
PROPERTY IS ADVERTISED, PLEASE CONTACT THE COUNTY
TREASURER’S OFFICE IMMEDIATELY, PHONE 815-544-2666. Due
to the fact that tax payments have been received by this office after the
copy was forwarded to the newspaper on October 4, 2010 names of certain individuals who have paid will appear in this list)
STATE OF ILLINOIS) SS
COUNTY OF BOONE )
Public notice is hereby given that I, Curtis P. Newport, County Collector of Boone County, shall apply in the Circuit Court in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit on the eighteenth of October 2010, for Judgment against the lands and lots mentioned and described in the following list of delinquent lands and lots for taxes, interest and costs due for 2009 and back taxes for 1929 to 2008 and for an order to sell said lands and lots for the satisfaction thereof, on the fourth Thursday in October, A.D., 2010 to wit:on the twenty eighth (28) day of October 2010 all the lands and lots for the sale of which an order shall be made, and will be exposed at public sale at the Boone County Administration Campus, in Belvidere, Illinois, for the amount of taxes, interest, and costs due thereon and for a judgment fixing the correct amount
of any tax paid under protest. Registration for the tax sale, accompanied by payment of a $250 registration fee, must be received no later than October 14, 2010 at the Boone County Treasurer’s Office, 1212 Logan Avenue Suite 104, Belvidere, IL 61008.
Click on the following to see the complete list: http://boonecountyjournal.com/news/2010/Boone-County-News-10-08-10.pdf#page=20
By Rebecca Osterberg
Boone County Board representatives reviewed the status
of “items of substantial completion” at their roads and
capital improvements committee October meeting. County
Representative Anthony Dini (District 2) asked if responses
had been obtained from department heads regarding punch
lists or lists of projects and items due from contractor
work. County Administrator Ken Terrinoni explained that
they had not; however, county board Representative Danny
Anderson noted he thought everything is substantially
complete.
County buildings at the Boone County Administrative
Campus receive their heating and cooling via a system that
uses geothermal energy. The system was paid for in part by
grants for “green” infrastructure projects and required the
installation of numerous wells and piping underground. A
breakdown in that system over the last few months caused
a shutdown, resulting in a reduction in the AC and heating
functions.
After contractors examined the problem involving
the heat pumps in the system, they discovered that there
may have been air in the system. Particles were also
accumulating, leading to a blockage of pipes due to the
chemical composition of the glycol and how it combines
with city water which in the City of Belvidere is very
hard, according to reports by contractors. These particles
apparently migrated into the heat pumps and caused them
to shut down.
The system has now been cleaned and recharged;
however, the system may need continued monitoring, as
well as the possible consideration of using soft water, a
suggestion by Anderson.
Concerns about warranties were discussed with
reassurances offered by the contractors.
“What kind of warranty do we have on the heat pumps
that they’re contaminated now,” asked Anderson.
“All the pumps should be covered by the warranty,” said
Architect Dick Johnson of Richard L. Johnson Associates
of Rockford. “It’s not a wear problem.”
“The actual warranty will run as soon as the county
accepts that the system is running properly,” said
Terrinoni.
Johnson concurred with that statement. “That’s the way
I understand it,” he said.
Terrinoni also noted that he does not have any copies of
the warranties, to which Johnson replied that his company
has them.
Maintenance of the systems was also discussed. “What
do you recommend for the county for the future? Can our
own staff take care of that or is there somebody that we
need to hire?” asked Terrinoni.
While Johnson offered reassurances that there were
not many items that need to be done and that county
maintenance had been through a training session, Terrinoni
noted that that training did not touch on some of the things
that apparently do have to be done.
Johnson insisted that the instructions were, in his words,
“in the specs,” but Terrinoni repeated his concern. “I just
want to know what we are responsible for as the owner
beyond our obligations for warranties,” Terrinoni said.
The approval of pay requests for contractors was held
over with the committee to recess to 6 p.m. prior to the
October county board meeting.
Dini asked Terrinoni where the change-order for the
storage unit for the health department had been submitted.
As a project requiring further examination and the approval
David Worrell, the building
has not yet been signed off.
“Did you look at the
Belvidere fire code when
you built this building, or
did you just rely on the
international fire code?”
Dini asked Johnson.
“I don’t know what the
engineer did,” said Johnson.
“We didn’t go to the city at
that point. We didn’t have
numbers yet.”
“I think what Anthony
is trying to say, knowing
we had that problem here,
did the engineer look at the
Belvidere fire code?” asked
Anderson. “I would have to
say no,” Johnson replied.
“I’ve already told them I
had to say no.”
Snow removal bids for
the Administrative Campus
were also discussed and
a contractor will be
recommended to the full
board at the October
meeting.
….Exactly when will the “punch lists” be made by the county departments and completed by the contractors?
By James Middleton
From page 2 of October 8th Boone County Journal: http://boonecountyjournal.com/news/2010/Boone-County-News-10-08-10.pdf#page=2
It is easy to tell it is budget season at the Boone County
Annex on Logan Avenue; many that are employed in the
building walk around with furrowed brows. The furrows
grew deeper as yet another potential version of the new
Boone County Fiscal Year 2011 Budget was distributed
to county representatives by County Administrator Ken
Terrinoni.
For Mr. Terrinoni and Belvidere City government
Finance Manager Patricia Chamberlin, new versions of
future budgets are almost weekly events as the revenue
stream rises but most often latterly will fall.
Mr. Terrinoni told the representatives, “I have worked
on the general fund portion of the budget and I have gone
to all departments and we have found about $400,000 in
additional cuts that makes this version of the budget a
balanced budget.” He indicated that property tax collections
are expected to increase without there being a tax increase
because Boone County government functions under tax
caps that limit tax rate increases.
However, Mr. Terrinoni also cautioned, “This is not
totally a revenue-driven budget and in theory you are ahead
by $87,000 now, but there is more to deal with.”
Mr. Terrinoni has two additional forms of revenue to
improve the budget picture that are first, a one-time taxsale
transfer of $200,000 and a second option with one-time
access to funds from the Maple Crest Nursing Home that
also totals $200,000.
A brief debate arose over possible funding to CASA,
the organization that provides representation for children in
court actions at no cost to them. CASA receives funding
from the county in the form of a grant and this year it was
suggested that the group receive $3,000.
However, some of the representatives pondered if the
$3,000 could be found within such a tight budget. Mr.
Terrinoni suggested the finance committee consider granting
$1,500 in the budget but keep the remaining commitment
of $1,500 in abeyance, allowing the group to determine if
case activity warrants accessing the additional money later
in Fiscal 2011.
County Representative Cathy Ward (District 2) sustained
her support of the organization and added, “I’m OK with
the $1,500 now and $1,500 later. A motion was placed on
the floor to grant CASA $1,500 in the budget and another
$1,500 later next year and that motion was approved by a
3-2 vote, with county Representatives Marshall Newhouse
(District 1) and Karl Johnson (District 2) in opposition to
the move.
The tax-sale fund transfer was also debated with Mr.
Terrinoni saying, “The tax-sale fund transfer ($200,000)
would be for capital maintenance and would be a one-time
transfer. I need the additional $84,000 that is part of the
fund to pay for other needs in the county bond fund.”
He added that the MapleCrest-proposed transfer of
$200,000 to the general fund is also a one-time transfer.
County Representative Paul Larson (District 2)
commented, “My problem with the transfer is to bring
down the reserve and we are close to acting like the state
and borrowing money to stay in business.”
A motion to approve the transfer from the tax-sale fund
was placed on the floor and unanimously approved by voice
vote.
Mr. Terrinoni then mused, as is sometimes the case
regarding the question, what would occur if the State of
Illinois filed bankruptcy? Late in September Mr. Terrinoni
attended a meeting with other officials from across the
state and he indicated some of what was concluded by
the group regarding the municipal fiscal situation. One
conclusion suggested that meaningful growth in the state is
not expected until perhaps 2012 or 2013. State funding for
the state’s attorney and the public defender will likely not
begin to arrive until later this fall during the veto session of
the General Assembly.
Mr. Terrinoni told the county representatives, “Typically,
states do not file bankruptcies but instead the states delay
payments to municipalities and as the situation worsens,
municipalities just have to wait longer for payments. Six
months can become eight months and perhaps 11 months
before the checks arrive.”
He added, “The MapleCrest transfer is to be made only
if needed. If the fiscal erosion continues further you might
need the transfer to make payroll. This is only if needed and
we will have to wait and see.”
Other budget adjustments will come up next week for
further discussion including a request by the probation
department to hire a part-time secretary to manage clerical
work that has been handled by the probation officers for
14 months. Further, the department is also seeking a 1.0
percent salary increase for the officers.
Another budget matter that could engage debate is the
potential lay-off of one worker in the county clerk’s office.
Debate could also arise regarding the proposed reduction
in the sheriff’s budget of $200,000 that could come from
a reduction of overtime spending and perhaps a lay-off of
workers or deputies.
Another item included in the most recent version of the
Fiscal 2011 budget is the requested lay-off of one corrections
officer in the Boone County Jail. Mr. Terrinoni commented
as the matter was briefly considered, “My understanding is
if the jail is full we should have 36 officers but if the jail
is not full and we go to 35 officers that is supposed to be
OK.”
These and many other fiscal matters will be debated
in the next meeting of the Boone County Board Finance
Committee scheduled for next Tuesday. If consensus is
reached a preliminary budget could come for county board
approval in their October meeting next Wednesday. If
the county board provides their preliminary approval the
proposed Fiscal Year 2011 Budget could be set aside for
the state mandated public budget review period that must
precede final approval, which could occur in November.
