Wednesday, February 29, 2012

RIP Without the Inspections : City Barbs

It appears that the City of DeKalb also desires to require registration and inspection of rental property.  Take a look at the blog, City Barbs, for more details.

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Click on the following to see the entire posting:  RIP Without the Inspections : City Barbs

Information on the state-wide township meetings

The website shown below(http://www.toi.org/Events/Event-Details.aspx?id=97) supplies a wealth of information regarding township meetings.  The site obviously is intended for township officials.

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If you click on the suggestion for more information you obtain the information shown below. (The following is taken from:  http://199.96.3.92/Events/documents/AnnualMeeting.pdf)

Get ready for annual town meeting April 10
For annual meetings, the law requires that the Township Board adopt an agenda at least 10 days before the meeting. Voters may request an agenda item for consideration by giving written notice of a specific request to the Township Clerk no later than March 1 before the annual meeting. Items not on the
published agenda may NOT be considered or added to the agenda at the meeting.


Annual Town Meeting Notice-Notice of the time and place of holding the annual township meeting shall be given by the township clerk (or in the clerk’s absence, the supervisor, assessor or collector) by posting written or printed notices in three of the most public places in the township at least 10 days before the meeting and, if there is an English language newspaper published in the township, by at least one publication in that newspaper before the meeting.* The notice shall set forth the agenda for the meeting.
Agenda-Not less than 10 days before the annual meeting, the township board shall adopt an agenda for the annual meeting. Any 15 or more registered voters in the township may request an agenda item for consideration by the electors at the annual meeting by giving written notice of a specific request to the
township clerk no later than March 1 prior to the annual meeting. The agenda published by the township board shall include any such request made by voters if the request is relevant to powers granted to electors
under the Township Code.


Additional Agenda Items-Any matter or proposal not set forth in the published agenda shall not be considered at the annual meeting other than advising that the matter may be considered at a special meeting of the electors at a later date.


Supervisor’s Annual Financial Statement- It is the duty of the Township Clerk to post a copy of the supervisor’s annual financial statement at the place of holding the Annual Town Meeting. This MUST be done at least 2 days before the Annual Town Meeting is held.


Annual Town Meeting Day- No Annual (or special) Town Meeting may begin before 6:00 p.m. The Township Clerk, is he/she is present, shall call the meeting to order. After this, the clerk shall call for nominations for a Moderator and the electors present will elect someone to serve as moderator. Before the moderator enters the duties of office, he/she shall take the oath of office administered by the Township
Clerk (see inset box)


Please note: The Township Clerk is the ONLY township official acting in ANY official capacity at the Annual (or special) Town Meeting. Everyone else present, regardless if they are an elected official or not, are there as electors (voters) and each have an equal vote in each matter voted upon.


Voting at Annual Town Meeting- Only registered voters of the township may vote at the annual (or special) town meeting. The township clerk therefore must obtain a list of the township’s registered voters from the county clerk prior to the meeting being held. This list must be used to establish who is or isn’t a registered voter and able to participate in the meeting.

Minutes of Annual (or Special) Town Meeting-After a moderator is elected, the Township Clerk acts as clerk of the meeting and keeps an accurate record of the proceedings at the meeting. The minutes shall be signed by the Township Clerk and the Moderator of the meeting.


Reading Annual Financial Statement-It is the duty of the Township Clerk to read aloud to the electors present at the Annual Town Meeting the annual financial statement of the township supervisor.


Powers of Electors-There are many powers that the electors MAY take at the Annual (or special) Town Meeting. The following page lists all of those powers. You might keep this list of powers available for your annual town meeting.
*The last day to publish/post the notice is April 2, 2012.


The Electors Present at the Annual Town Meeting Have the Power To:

1. Take all necessary measures and give
directions for the exercise of their corporate
powers. (60 ILCS 1/30-25)
2. To fix the hour at which town meetings
shall be held. (60 ILCS 1/30-30)
3. To spend monies for preparation of a
detailed property record system. (60 ILCS
1/30-45)
4. Make orders for the purchase and sale of
property. (60 ILCS 1/30-50)
5. May declare property of the township to
be surplus for purposes of donating the
property to a historical society or other
not-for-profit corporation. (60 ILCS 1/30-
53)
6. To authorize the township board of trustees
to appropriate monies in excess of the
sum provided in the Public Graveyards
Act, for the purpose of putting any old,
neglected graves and cemeteries in the
township in a cleaner and more respectable
condition. (60 ILCS 1/30-60)
7. Provide for the decoration and maintenance
of graves of persons who at any
time served in the armed forces of the
United States which are within the township.
(60 ILCS 1/30-65)
8. Provide space in any township building
for courtroom and office use by Circuit
Court. (60 ILCS 1/30-70)
9. To authorize the township board of trustees
to exercise the powers conferred by
the “Township Zoning Act”. (60 ILCS
1/30-75). This does not apply in any
county where a county zoning ordinance
or resolution is in effect.
10. Offer premiums, and take such action as
shall induce the planting and cultivating
of trees along the highways in the town,
and protect and preserve trees standing
along or on highways, and purchase, plant
and cultivate along the streets and highways
in the township. (60 ILCS 1/30-85)
11. Make rules and regulations for ascertaining
the sufficiency of all fences in the
town, and determine what shall be a lawful
fence within the town; except as otherwise
provided by law. (60 ILCS 1/30-90)
12. Prohibit animals from running at large.
(60 ILCS 1/30-95)
13. Establish and maintain pounds where
deemed necessary.
(60 ILCS 1/30-100)
14. Impound animals. (60 ILCS 1/30-110)
15. Construct and keep in repair public wells
or other watering places, and regulate the
use thereof. (60 ILCS 1/30-115)
16. Prevent the deposit of night soil, garbage
or other offensive substances within the
limits of the town. This section does apply
to refuse disposal facilities regulated by
the Illinois State Department of Public
Health and the county in which the facilities
are located. (60 ILCS 1/30-120)
17. To adopt ordinances regulating standing
or parking of recreational vehicles on
township roads within each township. (60
ILCS 1/30-125)
18. Declare inoperable motor vehicles a nuisance.
(60 ILCS 1/30-130)
19. Authorize the licensing and regulation
and direct the location of all places of
business of purchasers, traders and dealers
in junk, rags and any secondhand
article, including motor vehicles, except
in cities, villages and incorporated towns
in such township which, by ordinance,
provide for such licensing, regulation or
places of location. (60 ILCS 1/30-135)
20. Regulate hawkers, peddlers, pawnbrokers,
itinerant merchants and transient vendors.
(60 ILCS 1/30-140)
21. Authorize the township board of trustees
to provide mental health services, including
services for the alcoholic, the drug
addicted, and the mentally retarded, for
residents of the township by disbursing
existing funds if available by contracting
with mental health agencies approved
by the Department of Human Services,
alcoholism treatment programs licensed
by the Department of Public Health, and
drug abuse facilities and other alcohol
and drug abuse services approved by the
Department of Human Services. (60 ILCS
1/30-145)
22. In counties having less than 1,000,000
inhabitants, to authorize the board of
trustees to contract with one or more
incorporated municipalities lying wholly
or partly within the boundaries of such
township, or with the county within
which the township is located, to furnish
police protection in the area of such
township that is not within the incorporated
area of any municipality having
a regular police department. (60 ILCS
1/30-150)
23. Authorize contracts with county sheriff
to furnish police protection in unincorporated
areas. (60 ILCS 1/30-155)
24. In counties having a population of
1,000,000 or more, to authorize the
board of trustees to contract with one or
more municipalities in the township or
with the county within which the township
is located to furnish police protection
in the unincorporated area of the township.
The board of trustees may declare
the unincorporated area of the township
a special police district for tax purposes,
proof of which authorizes the county
clerk to extend a tax upon the special
police district in the amount specified
in the annual town tax levy, but not to
exceed a rate of .10% of the value of taxable
property as equalized or assessed by
the Department of Revenue. (60 ILCS
1/30-160)
25. Authorize fire protection in unincorporated
areas. (60 ILCS 1/30-165)
26. To authorize the board of trustees to contract
for the furnishing of mosquito abatement
services in the unincorporated areas
of the township. (60 ILCS 1/30-170)
27. To authorize the supervisor to file an
application for the township and all other
bodies politic established by or subject to
the control of the electors to participate
in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund.
(60 ILCS 1/30-180)
28. Allow for voters at the Annual Town
Meeting to transfer funds from one or
more funds to other or different funds,
or to the general road and bridge fund or
any fund raised by taxation or bonds for
road and bridges. (60 ILCS 1/30-185 and
1/245-5)
29. Make all such by-laws, rules and regulations
deemed necessary to carry into
effect the powers herein granted and
may impose fines deemed proper, except
when a fine or penalty is already allowed
by law. No offense shall be classified in
excess of a petty offense. (60 ILCS 1/30-
190)
30. Apply all penalties, when collected, in
such manner as may be deemed most to
the interests of the township. (60 ILCS
1/30-195)
31. By a vote of the majority of electors present
at a town meeting, the electors may
authorize that an advisory question of
public policy be placed on the ballot at
the next regularly scheduled election in
the township
. The township board shall
certify the question to the proper election
officials, who shall submit the question in
accordance with the general election law.
(60 ILCS 1/30-205)
32. Adopt revised tax schedule for town purposes.
(60 ILCS 1/235-5 and 1/235-10)
33. Increase tax rate for road purposes. (605
ILCS 5/6-504)
34. Tax for construction of bridge at joint
expense of county and road district and
obtain aid from county. (605 ILCS 5/6-
508)
35. Request referendum to issue bonds for
road purposes. (605 ILCS 5/6-510)
36. Petition for road or road improvements.
(605 ILCS 5/6-601)
37. Request referendum to repeal special tax
for road purposes. (605 ILCS 5/6-617)
38. Authorize the use of permanent road
funds, general road and bridge funds, or
town funds for the purpose of collecting,
transporting, and disposing of brush and
leaves. Allow general road and bridge or
town funds to also be used for the purpose
of providing disaster relief and support
services approved by the township
board of trustees at a regularly scheduled
or special meeting. (60 ILCS 1/30-117)

When the town hall meeting is posted it will look something similar to the following:

ANNUAL

TOWN MEETING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN

To the legal voters, residents of the Town of ____________

in the County of __________ and State of Illinois, that the Annual Town Meeting of said Town will take place on

Tuesday, April __, 20__

being the second Tuesday of said month

at the hour of ___o’clock __M. at

for the transaction of the miscellaneous business of the said town; and after a Moderator having been elected, will proceed to hear and consider reports of officers, and decide on such measures as may, in pursuance of law, come before the meeting; and especially to consider and decide the following (Place meeting agenda below):

_____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dated _____________________20__.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Medicare fraud: Biggest case in U.S. history - latimes.com


Washington—
Federal law enforcement officials announced what they called the largest healthcare fraud case in the nation’s history, indicting a Dallas area physician for allegedly bilking Medicare for nearly $375 million in billings for nonexistent home healthcare services.
Top Justice Department officials, working for several years to stem a rampant rise in healthcare fraud around the country, also revealed Tuesday that 78 home health agencies that were working with the physician, Dr. Jacques Roy, will be suspended from the Medicare program for up to 18 months.
Click on the following to read all of the story:  Medicare fraud: Biggest case in U.S. history - latimes.com

Reposting: How many residents of Boone County received General Assistance last year?

Below are the numbers for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011.
There were 27 cases of General Assistance in Belvidere Township; 31 cases in the remaining eight townships for a total of 58 cases. All township use the Belvidere Township office to process their claims.
FY 2010 General Assistance Numbers

Elliott Negin: U.S. Nuclear Power Safety in 2011: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly


Mr. Lochbaum today released his second annual report, and his overarching conclusion is not that different than last year's: Many of the significant safety lapses at U.S. nuclear plants in 2011 happened because plant owners--and often the NRC--either tolerated known problems or failed to address them adequately….
The 13 plants that experienced special inspections last year were Braidwood and Byron in Illinois,
The serious accidents at the Fermi plant outside Detroit in 1966, Three Mile Island in 1979, Chernobyl in 1986, and Fukushima Daiichi last year happened when a handful of known, uncorrected problems resulted in a catastrophe," said Lochbaum. "The fact that U.S. plant owners could have avoided nearly all the near-misses in 2011 if they had addressed known problems in a timely manner suggests that they and the NRC have not learned the lessons of these accidents. Someday their luck may run out."
Elliott Negin: U.S. Nuclear Power Safety in 2011: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The following list of near misses are taken from Mr. Lochbaum’s work, The NRC and Nuclear Power Plant Safety, 2011 Report: Living on Borrowed Time.  It is available on line at:   
http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear_power/nuclear_power_risk/safety/nrc-and-nuclear-power-safety-annual.html
NUCLEAR NEAR-MISSES IN 2011
Reactor & Location
Owner
Highlights
Braidwood
Joliet, IL
Exelon
After NRC inspectors questioned the practice of draining water from portions of the essential service water piping to the auxiliary feedwater pumps (to avoid corrosion damage from untreated water leaking past isolation valves), analysis revealed that this key emergency system might not function during an accident. The NRC team also discovered that workers failed to declare an emergency in response to the recurring failure of all control room alarms.
Byron
Rockford, IL
Exelon
After NRC inspectors questioned the practice of draining water from portions of the essential service water piping to the auxiliary feedwater pumps (to avoid corrosion damage from untreated water leaking past isolation valves), analysis revealed this key emergency system might not function during an accident.

Callaway
Jefferson City, MO
Union Electric Co.
Routine testing of an emergency pump intended to prove that it was capable of performing its safety functions during an accident actually degraded the pump. The pump’s manufacturer recommended against running the pump at low speeds, but this recommendation was ignored during the tests.
Cooper
Nebraska City, NE
Nebraska Public Power District
Workers replacing detectors used to monitor the reactor core during low-power conditions were
Millstone Unit 2
Waterford, CT
Dominion
Despite a dry run of an infrequently performed test on the control room simulator and other precautionary measures, errors during the actual test produced an unexpected and uncontrolled increase in the reactor’s power level.
Monticello
Minneapolis, MN
Nuclear Management Co.
Routine testing of an emergency pump intended to prove that it was capable of performing its safety functions during an accident actually degraded the pump. The pump’s manufacturer recommended against running the pump at low speeds, but this recommendation was ignored during the tests.
North Anna
Richmond, VA
Dominion
An earthquake of greater magnitude than the plant was designed to withstand caused both reactors to automatically shut down from full power.
Oconee
Greenville, SC
Duke Energy
Workers discovered that an emergency system installed in 1983 to protect the reactor core from overheating in the event of a station blackout, pipe break, fire, or flood would be disabled by the high temperature inside the containment during such an accident. The high temperature would cause electrical components within the emergency system to fail.
Palisades
South Haven, MI
Entergy
When a pump used to provide cooling water to emergency equipment failed in September 2009 because of stress corrosion cracking of recently installed parts, workers replaced the parts with identical parts. The replacement parts failed again in 2011, disabling one of three pumps.
Palisades
South Haven, MI
Entergy
Workers troubleshooting faulty indicator lights showing the position of the emergency airlock door inadvertently shut off power to roughly half the instruments and controls in the main control room. The loss of control power triggered the automatic shutdown of the reactor and complicated operators’response.
Perry
Cleveland, OH
FirstEnergy
Problems during the replacement of a detector used to monitor the reactor core during low-power conditions exposed workers to potentially high levels of radiation.
Pilgrim
Plymouth, MA
Entergy
Security problems prompted the NRC to conduct a special inspection. Details of the problems, their causes, and their fixes are not publicly available.
Pilgrim
Plymouth, MA
Entergy
When restarting the reactor after a refueling outage, workers overreacted to indications that the water inside the reactor was heating up too rapidly, and lost control of the reactor. The plant’s safety systems automatically kicked in to shut down the reactor.
Turkey Point Unit 3
Miami, FL
Florida Power and Light Co.
A valve failure stopped the flow of cooling water to equipment, including the reactor coolant pump motors and the cooling system for the spent fuel pool.
Wolf Creek
Burlington, KS
Wolf Creak Nuclear Operating Co.
Workers overlooked numerous signs that gas had leaked into the piping of safety systems, impairing the performance of pumps and flow-control valves.

Home Prices Fell in December in Most US Cities - NYTimes.com

 

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home-price index shows prices dropped in December from November in 18 of the 20 cities tracked. The steepest declines were in Atlanta, Chicago and Detroit

Click on the following for more details:  Home Prices Fell in December in Most US Cities - NYTimes.com

Monday, February 27, 2012

Builders’ next chief stays upbeat in a down market - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

 

a third generation of Scandrolis will head the group that represents more than 200 commercial, industrial and road builders and their suppliers.

Joe Scandroli Jr., a project manager for Scandroli, will head the group this year and next. His father, Joe, led NIBCA for two year terms in the 1970s and 1990s, and his grandfather, Charles Scandroli, was president in 1951.

Click on the following for more details:  Builders’ next chief stays upbeat in a down market - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star