Thursday, January 8, 2015

Federal Cost of Crop Insurance for Boone County

For the last seventeen years (1995-2012) the cost was $19,977,243 or which is an average of $1,175,132 per year.

 

Information below is from:  http://farm.ewg.org/cropinsurance.php?fips=17007&summpage=SUMMARY

 

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County by County Comparison

Boone County has extensive amount of row crops but is smaller in terms of square miles than many other counties.  Here is how Boone County’s nearly $20 million compares with other Illinois counties. (NOTE:  The figures for Boone County are slightly different on the comparative numbers—$19,596,910 vs. $19,977,243.  This maybe due to methodology.)

Very interesting—in the case of Knox County—last on the comparison lists—the federal government actually made money on the insurance subsidy program.. See Knox County’s individual costs at the bottom of this posting-- government costs nearly equal premiums and earned interest.

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Obama Proposes Free Community College Education for Some Students - NYTimes.com

 

WASHINGTON — President Obama will announce Friday that the federal government will work with states to waive the first two years of community college tuition for some students.

If states go along, the program would cover full-time and half-time students who maintain a 2.5 grade point average and “make steady progress toward completing a program,” the White House said in a fact sheet released Thursday night.

The federal government would cover three-quarters of the average cost of community college for those students, the White House said.

White House officials declined to reveal how much such a program would cost, although they called it “significant.” And they acknowledged in a conference call with reporters that the program was unlikely to quickly win approval in Congress.

States that choose to participate would have to contribute the remaining funds necessary to eliminate tuition for the eligible students. No price tag was included in the fact sheet, and the White House provided no estimate of the number of students who might qualify.

Mr. Obama, in the video, said that if the program was carried out, “it’s something that will train our work force so that we can compete with anybody in the world.”

The president will announce the initiative at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tenn. The trip is part of a tour in which he is previewing issues he will talk about in his State of the Union address.

About 7.7 million Americans attend community college for credit, of whom 3.1 million, or 40 percent, attend full time, according to the American Association of Community Colleges, relying on 2012 data.

Over all, the federal government provides about $9.1 billion to community colleges, or about 16 percent of the total revenue the colleges receive. Tuition from students provides $16.7 billion a year, or nearly 30 percent of revenue.

Obama Proposes Free Community College Education for Some Students - NYTimes.com

Illinois Policy Institute: “Welfare Cliff”

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For a family living in poverty, a parent’s pay hike is more than just a golden egg.
It’s hope. It’s success. It’s cause for celebration with arms stretched upward, tracing the trajectory of a future filled with better opportunities.
But thanks to poorly planned policy, many Illinois families must brace themselves for a shuddering impact: a warped welfare system can make raises hurt.
Welfare benefits are structured with intent to address the myriad struggles associated with poverty, and even more, to serve as a foundation for upward economic mobility. But a phenomenon known as the “welfare cliff” is creating a poverty trap, making pay raises detrimental because they are outweighed by an even greater, simultaneous decline in welfare benefits.
New research from the Illinois Policy Institute details the welfare cliff experienced by single-parent, two-children households and two-parent, two-children households in Cook, Lake and St. Clair counties, as well as the city of Chicago.
The research model assumed that families have been aided by refundable tax credits, such as the state and federal Earned Income Tax Credit; cash grants through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program; and assistance for food, housing, health care and child care.
Under these assumptions, a working single parent in Chicago would be foolish to take a pay raise to $18 an hour from $12 an hour. They’d fall from the top of the welfare cliff and see a drastic net reduction in benefits, leaving them with as much as one-third less in household resources. This loss would only be made up again by finding a job paying $38 an hour.

Similarly drastic effects were observed in downstate St. Clair County, as well as northern Lake County, for both single- and two-parent households.
Per the study: “This result reveals a tremendous disincentive to seek work that pays more, essentially trapping single parents between the minimum wage and $12 per hour. It is unlikely that persons in this situation would be able to triple their incomes in order to recover lost benefits from the cliff.”
Creating this cavernous earnings gap for poor families to leap across in order to make up for lost welfare benefits is nothing short of cruel.
The welfare cliff detailed in the study is created by a combination of programs that taper off too quickly or are too generous to begin with. Specifically, housing benefits, child-care assistance and health-care assistance programs taper off steeply. It is with the narrow-minded designers of these anti-poverty initiatives where one should lay blame for the associated poverty trap.
While the state of Illinois currently has little authority to reform these programs, state and local officials must fight for Illinois families by lobbying the federal government for more discretion in welfare spending. This is the first step in addressing the inexcusable inequalities built in to the welfare system as it stands.

Employment Opportunities | Boone County, Illinois

 

Boone County government offers a wide and diverse number of direct services to its residents, including law enforcement, correction and detention of law violators, support for the criminal justice system, direct health care, maintenance of essential records, highway maintenance, property assessments, courtroom operations, building and planning services, tax collection for other local governments, and election administration among others. From these many services come many opportunities for employment.

Boone County Government job application can be found here: Job Application

CURRENT OPENINGS

The Boone County Health Department is currently hiring a full-time Public Health Nurse to serve as our Family Case Management/Immunizations/WIC Coordinator.  Must possess a strong desire to work with children and families.  Excellent computer skills required.  A background in public health nursing and experience working in any of the above three programs strongly encouraged to apply.  Bilingual in English/Spanish a plus!  Must be a registered nurse licensed to practice in Illinois.  Excellent working environment and great benefit package.  12 paid holidays, weekends, and most evenings off.  Send resume to Amanda Mehl, Boone County Department of Public Health, 1204 Logan Ave., Belvidere, IL 61008 or submit electronically to info@boonehealth.org. EOE

For a detailed job description for the Public Health Nurse position, click here.

Employment Opportunities | Boone County, Illinois

Employment Opportunities | Boone County, Illinois

 

APPOINTMENT VACANCIES:

The following are volunteer Boards of the County of Boone that have vacancies:

CAPRON CEMETERY ASSOCIATION

Three (3) vacancies for a term that will expire February 1, 2021

BOONE COUNTY REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION

Two (2) vacancies for a term that will expire December 31, 2016

COMMISSIONERS OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE COUNTY OF BOONE

Two (2) vacancies for a term that will expire January, 2020

Interested parties are asked to send a letter and/or resume expressing your interest and qualifications to Boone County Board Chairman Bob Walberg, 1212 Logan Ave., Suite 102, Belvidere, IL 61008.  Please respond by January 2, 2015 to assure being considered.

Employment Opportunities | Boone County, Illinois