By Jennifer Wheeler
“It is important for residents to protect themselves from West Nile virus, and any other mosquito-borne illness, by reducing the number of mosquitoes around your home and taking personal precautions to avoid mosquito bites,” said Cindy Frank, Boone County Health administrator.
Friday July 19, the Rockford Police Department, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department, Illinois State Police, Chicago Police Department, agents with the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office executed 14 simultaneous arrest warrants. These arrest warrant locations included 13 residences in Rockford, Loves Park, Rockton, Pecatonica, Belvidere, Freeport, Chicago, Countryside, Ill., and the Winnebago County Fairgrounds. Rockford Police also executed a search warrant at the Hells Angels clubhouse.
Read more by clicking on the following: 14 local Hells Angels arrested, held on $1 million bond; clubhouse condemned by city | The Rock River Times
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Three residents and an aide to U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., addressed trustees at their July 8 meeting on topics ranging from sewage back-up in the basement to a call for School District 200 to pay for having a communications antenna on one of the village’s water towers
AGENDA
BELVIDERE TOWNSHIP
REGULAR MEETING OF THE TOWNSHIP BOARD
8200 Fairgrounds Road
July 23, 2013 – 5:00 P.M.
I. Call to Order/Roll Call
II. Pledge of Allegiance
III. Public Input
IV. Discussion and potential action on approval of Prior Meeting’s Minutes
V. Discussion and potential action on Transfers
VI. Reports
a. Supervisor’s Report
b. Highway Commissioner’s Report
c. Assessor’s Report
d. Clerk’s Report
e. Trustee’s Report
VII. Unfinished Business – Discussion and Potential Action May Occur on the following items:
a.
VIII. Legal
a.
b.
IX. New Business
X. Discussion and Potential Action on Treasurer’s Report and Approval of Bills
XI. Closed Session
XII. Adjournment
Next Meeting: August 13, 2013 @ 5:00 P.M.
by Jennifer Wheeler
….Boone County Board members have accused County Board Chairman Bob Walberg of wanting to appoint individuals to leadership positions without officials knowing a thing about the candidates.
Member Cathy Ward asked the board on Wednesday to reconsider the appointments made at the June meeting since not everyone was told who was being nominated beforehand. At first she thought she had missed the memo in her board packet but quickly discovered she had never received it.
Walberg said he never knew some members hadn’t received the list and wasn’t informed of the issue until Wednesday night.Although the motion to reconsider failed, it didn’t stop a few members from shedding light on how appointments were made.
I wrote this story about the issue yesterday; however, there are a few more colorful tidbits of information that didn’t make it to print. Read them below:…..
Second, there wasn’t a new posting published to recruit an individual to serve on the Zoning Board of Appeals. Instead, Walberg used candidates who weren’t selected from a previous notice.
Read more: http://www.rrstar.com/blogs/jenniferwheeler/x2082712186/Boones-inconsistent-appointment-process-draws-criticism#ixzz2ZW2A2bv5
For the benefit of all the public I am publishing Mr. Schultz’ email to the members of Boone County Board.
I believe that Mr. Schultz’ statements incorrectly reflect some of my statements. Mr. Walberg has a very inconsistent record regarding posting of vacancies, procedures for applicants applying and submission of applications to the county board.
Yes, a minority of the board is complaining. But the sentiment that things are not being done in a reasonable manner is held by much of the public.
It is up to Mr. Walberg to come up with a reasonable procedure.
In the case of the District #3 Board position--Submitting a press release on the 25th of June which cannot be published until Friday, the 28th, requiring that applications be received at the Administrative Office by Sunday, June 30, appears impossible. County offices are closed during the weekend. Neither the press release nor the vacancy notice for the position was posted on the website.
Things need to be done in a more professional manner.
BILL PYSSON
Thursday, July 18, 2013 2:26 PM
Dear Members of the County Board:
No longer being a county board member, I was not part of the appointment process that named my replacement to the Boone County Board. That being said, I did follow the appointment process through our local media. I was disappointed to read the recent negative and accusatory comments directed at Chairman Walberg as they related to filing the seat I vacated.
The majority of the criticism I read was voiced by Mr. Bill Pysson. Mr. Pysson criticized the appointment, in part, on the basis the appointee, Mr. Chris Berner, submitted an application prior to the date of my formal resignation. Mr. Pysson went on to infer Mr. Berner was an “insider” (whatever that means). These statements by Mr. Pysson are not support by fact. The timing of my resignation was no secret. I sent each of you and our administrative staff notice in early May of my pending resignation. The Belvidere Daily Republican ran an article quoting my notice on May 8th (an article Mr. Pysson is aware of, as it is posted to his internet blog). Using Mr. Pysson definition of an insider, does he mean every reader and subscriber of the BDR is an “insider”? If there was additional context to the quotes made by Mr. Pysson that I missed, I stand ready to eat crow (in a non-literal sense). But, I do not see how, knowing my pending resignation was public record, Mr. Pysson can infer Mr. Berner is an "insider" for submitting a letter of interest prior to my formal resignation.
During my time on the board, the Chairman was criticized by a minority of the board on his appointment procedure. This minority, from my recall, requested that appointments be vetted through interviews by the Administrative Committee. Despite following this procedure, Chairman Walberg is still being criticized for, as Mr. Pysson put it, following “any policy he wishes.” This statement begs the question, exactly what procedure/policy do you feel the Chairman should be following? I have little doubt Chairman Walberg would have been criticized no matter what procedure he followed. For putting Chairman Walberg in a no-win position, I must apologize.
I do not mean this to be a personal attack on Mr. Pysson. That being said, there is no excuse for twisting facts to support what I believe amounts to a witch hunt against the Chairman. Being critical of other board members is vital so that board members hold each other accountable. But, criticism must be based on fact and must be warranted. From where I sit, I do not see this criticism as being warranted against the Chairman.
I thank each of you for your continued service to Boone County, and I congratulate and wish Mr. Berner much success in serving District 3.
Very Truly Yours,
Mike Schultz (resident of District 2)
BOONE COUNTY – The following is a list of the Boone County real estate transactions recorded during June July 2-3.
Recorded July 2
2416 Anderson Dr., Belvidere, $172,500, Roy D. and Sally L. Abramat to Calvin and Lisa Downey.
12123 Callanish Lane, Loves Park, $224,000, Calvin and Lisa Downey to Eric D. and Rachel O. Freeman.
12203 Ayrshire Lane, Loves Park, $170,000, Thomas A. Richardson and Cindy S. Richardson to Matthew T. Richardson.
2425 Anderson Dr., Belvidere, $440,000, Jan and Laura Aten to Jason and Alisa Pryor.
625 E. 5th St., Belvidere, $32,000, Chad E. Baxter, Administrator, to Randy L. Baxter.
134 Middle Road, South Beloit, $78,637, Federal National Mortgage Assoc. to Cameron McKee.
405 Calgary Way, Belvidere, $117,500, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. to Cathleen E. Berkowski and William A. Kotz.
9625 Denver Dr., Belvidere, $112,000, Bank of America, N.A. to William W. Oestmann.
303 Britnie Dr., Poplar Grove, $147,500, Federal National Mortgage Assoc. to Timothy Ferguson and Brittany C. Mariani.
Recorded July 3
County Line Road acreage, Garden Prairie, $355,000, Hazelwood Trust to Openlands.
906 E. 6th St., Belvidere, $155,000, David L. Lee and Margie L. Lee to Richard J. Ciesielczyk and Karen A. Ciesielczyk.
1107 Candlewick Dr. NE, Poplar Grove, $110,000, Jonathan L. Bouriaque and Kyonghwa Bouriaque to American Homes 4 Rent Properties Five, LLC.
12152 Leighton Dr., Caledonia, $465,000, Dana J. Pelan and Francine M. Pelan to Chicago Title Land Trust Co.
4 Thistle Trail, Caledonia, $179,900, James D. Bowman Jr. and Colleen A. Bowman to Daniel J. Salley and Katherine E. Klimek.
8788 Sheffield Dr., Belvidere, $112,000, Peggy L. Chesher, trustee, to Toni D. Payne.
Boone County real estate transactions recorded during July 2-3 | Belvidere Daily Republican
chief counsel of the IRS is one of only two Obama political appointees in the entire agency….
House investigators soon talked to workers in the Cincinnati office, who said everything they did came from Washington. Elizabeth Hofacre, in charge of processing tea-party applications in Cincinnati, told investigators that her work was overseen and directed by a lawyer in the IRS Washington office named Carter Hull.
Now comes Mr. Hull's testimony. And like Ms. Hofacre, he pointed his finger upward. Mr. Hull—a 48-year IRS veteran and an expert on tax exemption law—told investigators that tea-party applications under his review were sent upstairs within the Washington office, at the direction of Lois Lerner. …
What the IRS originally claimed was a rogue operation now reaches up not only to the Washington office, but into the office of the IRS chief counsel himself…
Read the entire piece by clicking on the following: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324448104578614220949743916.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h
