Manzullo, who is annually recognized by the group, received a 96 percent rating from the ACU (American Conservative Union) on votes he took in Congress in 2009. Manzullo maintains a 95.92 percent lifetime rating with the organization.
Top U.S. Conservative Group Honors Rep. Manzullo - Inbox - Yahoo! Mail
House voted 117-0 for Senate Bill 3695 today, which would double the fees charged in court for administrative processing and place the proceeds in the State Police Operations Assistance Fund. The measure now heads to the Senate.
Fee bill that would spare State Police cuts passes House - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star
The undesignated, unreserved fund balance is expected to be just $50,000 at the end of Fiscal Year 2011, which runs July 1 through June 30, 2011. …
It’s supposed to be at 25 percent of what’s spent on an annual basis – about $7 million of the $28.2 million budgeted.
The fund balance will be at 0.18 percent under current financial projections.
The city’s plan to cut 25-30 workers was also discussed.
Though the voluntary separations and layoffs are expected to save millions, the upfront costs – like paying out accrued vacation time and other benefits – could be more than $1 million, Espiritu said.
To cover these upfront costs, it is proposed to extend debt another 20 years, which would free up about $1.4 million the next fiscal year for the buyouts and layoffs, along with pursuing capital projects.
Click on the following for more details: 2011 presents long-term budget challenges in DeKalb | Daily Chronicle
most courthouse employees work an estimated seven hours a day, five days a week, officials say. Blum said his proposal is to reduce the schedule to four days a week, but increase the hours worked to eight hours a day. This would minimize the impact to employees, and ensure they still qualify for benefits, Blum said.
“It would only reduce the employee work week by three hours,” Blum said.
Making such a change would reduce the county’s labor costs by 9 percent, saving anywhere from $100,000 to $150,000….
County Board approved a 2009-2010 general fund budget with a roughly $400,000 deficit late last year. If you couple the existing deficit with the negative cash flow, the county may be looking at a deficit in the range of $800,000 for the fiscal year 2010-2011 budget, Blum said.
two-decade tradition of shunning open bidding for Chicago’s long-term debt, selling $2 billion in bonds through private negotiations with banks. Arranging competitive auctions instead would save taxpayers millions of dollars, according to internal documents and a review of bond sales by the country’s third-largest municipality.
Efforts to introduce competition fail because the city and its aldermen want to reward those who support public officials and politically connected charities, said a former investment banker in Chicago.
Click on the following for more details: Chicago CFO Taking Orders From Daley Increases Taxpayers’ Costs - Bloomberg.com
Twenty-four people from across the country have applied for the $78,000-a-year job.
[Chairman, Dr.] Hess expressed his stance against adding members and his belief in smaller committees, even if that means blocking out some board members from picking the next administrator. A candidate’s confidentiality needs to be a priority and if candidates request total anonymity, a smaller committee could honor that versus a larger group which could slip up and reveal the names, thus jeopardizing the search process, Hess said.
“(I’ve) gone through this two times in the last three years,” he said. “I just don’t want something to implode.”
[Selection subcommittee member, Gary Turner, differs with Dr. Hess]
“I’m looking for stability and whatever it takes to get the best person,” Turner said, after the meeting. “We got into problems the last time we selected somebody and I’d like to get someone who will stay for a long time. I had in mind to get more input from more people.”
Click on the following for more details:24 look to lead Boone County Health Department - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star
Police seizures of autos questioned in court. Has anything changed in Boone County? Why is Kane County’s States Attorney approach so different?
Both suits deal with essentially the same concepts: What is the proper procedure to seize someone's car? What rights do the car owners deserve?
"We're not trying to stop them from seizing cars," said Thomas Peters, the attorney in both cases. "Any government agency could still seize the car, but you have to give them a hearing."
Until those cases are resolved, Barsanti is proceeding with caution. For more than a year, he has ordered all Kane County police departments to stop seizing cars.
"Before we go rushing to start seizing and forfeiting vehicles again, let's see what the federal court is saying," Barsanti said. "If we don't (stop), in my view, what we're doing is possibly incurring further damages."
Click on the following for more details: Lawsuits target police vehicle seizures :: The Courier News :: Local News
