Boone County Watchdog

Monday, April 6, 2015

Facing shortfall, Rauner suspends $26 million in state health, social services grants | Chicago

Gov. Bruce Rauner has suspended $26 million in social services and public health grants as part of his push to whittle away at a $1.6 billion shortfall in the current state budget.

The Republican’s office released a list of targeted programs late Friday that included funding to pay for the funerals and burials of public-assistance recipients, smoking cessation, teen programs, autism and HIV and AIDS programs, among other things.

Rauner also froze $3.4 million in funding for immigrant integration assistance as part of ongoing efforts to keep the state rolling through the June 30 end of the budget year.

He also interrupted $180 million in parkland grants in March.

Rauner’s office said the check-writing halt was needed because the expenditures were based on the assumption that a temporary income tax would be extended past January, but it wasn’t, after Rauner won the election.

“Part of the solution to solving the inherited $1.6 billion budget hole without raising taxes or increasing borrowing is to continue to evaluate the current fiscal year’s budget,” Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said. “The governor’s office worked with agencies to see which grants could be suspended and prioritized essential services.”

The cuts will save the state $21.8 million in Department of Human Services Grants and $4.5 million in unexpended funding through the Department of Public Health and the suspensions affect only this yearís funding, Kelly said.

But there’s always another price — this one paid for by constituents who, as soon as Monday morning, will be told — by closed doors — there’s no more money to help them.

Breandan Magee, senior director of programs for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said dozens of organizations assisted 102,000 legal immigrants in 2014 with applications for citizenship, English as a Second Language classes and health and nutrition programs for low-income immigrants.

“There are 299 jobs across 60 different immigrant-services agencies at risk” with funding ceasing, Magee said Saturday. “There are workshops scheduled for citizenship, applications for citizenship pending, ESL classes hallway through.”

Immigrant integration programs — which Rauner proposed eliminating entirely in the 2016 budget — will forfeit nearly half of their $6.7 million budget, according to figures provided by the governor’s office. Magee said he hopes the state will cover expenses he’s already incurred.

Department of Human Services
Funeral & Burial, $6.9 million
Immigrant Integration Services, $3.4 million
Welcoming Centers, $191,300
ARC Lifespan, $118,100
Best Buddies, $250,000
Autism, $1 million
Group Home Loans, $20,000
Compulsive Gambling, $406,000
Westside Health, $94,200
Addiction Prevention, $1.6 million
Assistance for Homeless, $300,000
Community Services, $2 million
Teen REACH, $3.1 million
Coalition F/Tech Assist-Child, $250,000
For Childrenís Health Program, $231,600
Outreach to Individuals to Engage in Services, $380,700
Regions Special Consumer Support, $277,700
SMRF Training, $420,100
Transportation, $43,900
DD Latino Outreach, $87,500
Microboard Development and Outreach, $47,500
Epilepsy, $514,700
DHS TOTAL: $21.8 million

Department of Natural Resources
Brothers and Sisters United Against HIV/AIDS, $789,800
Increasing Access to Health Care-Wellness on Wheels, $180,000
Wellness on Wheels – Mobile Administration 2015, $135,000
Illinois Tobacco Quitline, $3.1 million
Project Safe Sleep Education and Outreach, $250,000
MidAmerica Regional Public Health Leadership Institute, $75,000
IDPH TOTAL: $4.5 million

Department of Natural Resources (suspended in March)
Park and Recreational Facility Construction, $89.5 million
Open Space Lands Acqusition and Development, $56.3 million
Museum Capital Grants, $30.4 million
Bike Paths, Mud-to-Parks, others, $2.6 million
IDNR TOTAL: $178.8 million

Sources: Office of the Governor, Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Facing shortfall, Rauner suspends $26 million in state health, social services grants | Chicago

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Boone County Board destroys future credibility - Blogs - Rockford Register Star

Mr.Biondo questions whether the majority of county board of Boone County are really Republicans.

By Ted Biondo

Fact-based discussions of local, state and national issues from a distinctly conservative perspective. Topics will include taxes, education, finances and anything else that strikes my fancy.

Boone County Board destroys future credibility

April 4, 2015 5:20 p.m.

If there was ever an action taken by an elected body that eliminated any lingering trust in elected official’s credibility, look no further than the Boone County Board majority.
In order to aid the passage of a 1999 referendum for construction bonds to fund a $9.3 million dollar jail expansion, members of the Boone County Board and bond proponents promised voters, and added a clause in a 2011 ordinance, that pledged when the bonds were retired in 2018, the one-half cent sales tax would be repealed – a sunset clause.
In March, 2015, the Boone County Board rescinded the 2018 sunset clause without any input from the taxpayers, allowing the board to continue to use the sales tax to pay off other public safety operations and capital expenditures after the bonds are retired.
This action by the Boone County Board will place the credibility of all taxing bodies in jeopardy for future tax referendums with board guaranteed end dates.
Many taxpayers will simply point their collective fingers toward the Boone County Board as the typical example that regardless of promises made, all taxes will be collected for an indeterminate period because elected officials can’t be trusted.
The lame excuse given by the current board majority for rescinding the sunset clause was that “no one can promise and obligate a future board 20 years down the road.”
If that’s the case, why not let the 2018 board make its own decision on the sales tax sunset clause with voter input? It seems obvious that the current county board is the one tying the hands of future boards.
Current boards are obligated by previous board’s decisions all the time, whether the decisions are 20 year bonds, increases in staff salaries, benefits and other long term expenditures, which future boards must by law continue to implement.
The contracts signed and payments made for the construction bond, which was passed almost two decades ago, obligated all the Boone County boards elected during that period, including the current board to 20 years of debt service. It is how the system works.
Bob Walberg, Chairman of the Boone County Board recently wrote in a column stating that he believed, “the real reasons most people supported the referendum is because they saw the need for public safety as the ballot stated.”
That’s conjecture, Bob, since your board just denied the Boone County taxpayers an opportunity to voice their preference to continue or eliminate the sales tax as other districts in the area have done for their constituents.
Also, your comments concerning lower revenues and cuts by state government have affected all taxing districts in the area, not just Boone County.
Thankfully other area boards, regardless of budget constraints, have honored their sunset clauses by asking for voter input, unlike the Boone County Board rescinding their sunset clause with little or no public awareness of their intentions, using a deft sleight of hand with the published meeting agenda.
The Rockford School District and the City of Rockford have enhanced their trust and credibility, by asking their voters multiple times over the past decade to continue or rescind the various taxes for capital improvement or for operation and expenses with resoundingly successful outcomes each time after informing their voters what was to be done with the money.
The Village of Cherry Valley is also asking their voters in the April 7th election to continue their sales tax levy, which sunsets next year.
Another point to consider was that the Boone County Board could have voted to use the excess sales taxes collected during the bond retirement period to pay down the debt service faster, thus saving taxpayers some of the accruing interest, before becoming so dependent upon the sales tax for other expenditures.
After all, shouldn’t elected officials at least ask the people footing the bill?
Boone County taxpayers will have to insist in the future that their elected officials place any sunset clause directly into the referendum language or the text of the ballot before voting their approval, to ensure that their officials will not repeat this board’s actions!
It’s hard to believe that the overwhelming majority of the Boone County Board ran as Republicans!

Boone County Board destroys future credibility - Blogs - Rockford Register Star

Friday, April 3, 2015

REMINDER: Vote Tuesday April 7--Municipal election and school board election.

Vote April 7: Municipal election and school board election.

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In Person Absentee

For the April 7, 2015, Consolidated Election, In Person Absentee Voting will begin March 16, 2015 and end April 6, 2015. In Person Absentee voting will be conducted at the Boone County Clerk's Office, 1212 Logan Ave, Suite 103, Belvidere, Illinois from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday and Saturday morning April 4, 2015 from 9:00 am until Noon. Please note that the office will be closed Friday, April 3, 2015, in observance of Good Friday. For more information about In Person Absentee Voting please contact the Boone County Clerk's Office at (815) 544-3103.

Absentee by Mail

For the April 7, 2015, Consolidated Primary Election, the Boone County Clerk's Office is now accepting applications to vote by mail. If you wish to vote by mail, click on the attachment below, fill it out, and return to the Boone County Clerk's Office at 1212 Logan Ave, Suite 103, Belvidere, IL 61008. The last day applications are being accepted is Thursday, April 2, 2015. If you have any questions please call the County Clerk's Office at (815) 544-3103.

Application for Absentee Ballot 2015_04_07.pdf
128.34 KB

Above is from: http://www.boonecountyil.org/news/early-and-absentee-voting-information-april-7-2015-consolidated-election

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Municipal election and school board election.

Based upon past experience less than 300 votes will be cast for some of the alderman races in Belvidere and less than 1500 for District 100 school board candidates. Please vote. Remind your neighbors and friends—if they vote it certainly will count a great deal.

For the District 100 election Bill P. is supporting Allison Reid-Niemiec and Holly Houk.

Every voter has three votes: One for one of the three Belvidere Township candidates. Two votes for two of the four candidates from the other townships.

The following advertising literature was handed out at the District 100 Candidates Forum on Monday, March 9, 2015.

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Click on the photocopy to enlarge:

VOTE FOR ONE OF THESE THREE:

Current School Board President, Michael Rathbun had no literature. A statement regarding his candidacy and the other candidates’ statements are available at: http://district100watchdog.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2015-02-21T15:07:00-06:00&max-results=7

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VOTE FOR TWO OF THESE FOUR

Boone County Watchdog: Vote April 7: Municipal election and school board election.

BCJ: Wind Turbine setback text amendment still months from a vote?

The above article is from the April 3, 2015 , Boone County Journal page 8 which is available without charge at merchants across the county and on line at: http://www.boonecountyjournal.com/news/2015/Boone-County-News-04-03-15.pdf#page=1

Scott Walker's economic problem - Business Insider

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Scott Walker has transformed Wisconsin politics, winning three elections in four years and signing laws that weaken unions, crippling a key ally of the Democratic Party.

But the likely Republican presidential contender has had less success changing Wisconsin's economy and budget. The state lags in job growth and its budget faces a shortfall. It's a record that complicates Walker's path in early primary states as he sells himself as a reformer.

"Most of his activity was more politically focused than economically, job-creation focused," said John Torinus, a Milwaukee businessman and venture capitalist who nevertheless praises some of Walker's moves. "He was going to concentrate on job creation with a laser-like focus and he got distracted."

Wisconsin has added private-sector jobs at a lower rate than the national average since July 2011 — six months after Walker took office. Walker promised in the 2010 campaign that if elected his policies would create 250,000 private sector jobs. But only about 145,000 such jobs were created over his first four years.

Wisconsin ranked 40th in private sector job growth for the 12 months ending in September, said the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Walker has called hiring in his state the "gold standard" for measuring his performance.

Still, there are positive economic signs Walker relies on to defend his record. Wisconsin's unemployment rate has dropped from 8.1 percent to 5 percent over his time in office. The state has seen a higher rate of new businesses starting than the rest of the country and income growth for Wisconsin residents has exceeded the national average.

Per capita income growth in Wisconsin exceeded per capita American income growth.

Walker "wasn't afraid to set big, bold goals to get Wisconsin back on track," said AshLee Strong, spokeswoman for Walker's political group, Our American Revival. "The governor is now taking his reform ideas that led to this economic success in Wisconsin and sharing them nationally."

Heavily reliant on manufacturing, Wisconsin has perennially lagged the nation in job creation and often used fiscal tricks to paper over budget deficits. Walker vowed to change that when he ran in 2010. His most renowned move, just six weeks into his first term in 2011, was to curtail public unions' collective bargaining power while also forcing them to pay more for pension and health care benefits. ..

Read the entire article: Scott Walker's economic problem - Business Insider

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Governor’s agenda goes local; Rauner’s plan wins one, loses one – Illinois News Network

SPRINGFIELD — The latest battleground for Gov. Bruce Rauner’s agenda is turning out to be city council chambers.

The Rauner administration, by way of organizations including the Illinois Municipal League, is providing city councils and other bodies with a draft resolution in support of its “Turnaround Illinois” plan.

That resolution voices support for many of the governor’s favorite themes, including those that have put him squarely at odds with unions: right-to-work zones, repeal of prevailing wage law and the elimination of project labor agreements for construction projects.

On Monday, the governor scored a win in East Dundee, where the village board adopted the resolution in its entirety by a 6-0 vote without contention, public comment, media coverage or backlash.

Village Administrator Robert Skurla noted the resolution only expresses support for the governor’s agenda and has no force in law.

Still, Skurla said, had East Dundee trustees the option to opt out of prevailing wage requirements, for example, they’d probably put that on their agenda for a vote as fast as they legally could.

The village has or is spending millions on public development works, including upgraded police and fire stations, and it could have saved about 20 percent if not for prevailing wage requirements, Skurla said.

“It’s been a very frustrating experience in trying to balance a budget and yet having to pay prevailing wage rates, especially to contractors who are probably not union shops to begin with,” Skurla said.

“We definitely know our tax dollars could go further on projects we’ve been building here,” he said.

On Tuesday, the story was markedly different in Oswego, where the resolution’s presence on the agenda for discussion, but not a vote, drew a packed house.

The audience, composed largely of union men and women, was firmly in opposition.

“Right to work is not an economic development; it’s an economic regression,” said Scott Roscoe, president of the Fox Valley Building Trades Council. “The middle class doesn’t need another obstacle.”

“I ask you to carefully review this resolution and reject it and the attacks on workers in your community,” he told village trustees.

Roscoe and the speakers who followed him and supported his remarks — including U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville — were met with applause.

Trustee Pam Parr asked why the resolution was before the council “since we should not and cannot legally deal with it on a local level.”

Village President Brian LeClercq said he wanted the draft resolution in front of all trustees and publicly discussed as a matter of openness.

And he said, since the items in the resolution could affect the community of about 30,000, he wanted to reply to the state’s request for information with accurate input from the community.

Parr, to applause, responded, “I was just asking because I’ve been telling the state my opinion for 12 years and they haven’t changed anything.”

Asked about the Oswego meeting, Rauner’s staff issued a statement:

“Employee empowerment zones are designed to let local communities decide if they want union representation or not. If Oswego decides to maintain union workforces, that will be their decision, and not a decision Springfield made for them. … empowerment zones will allow communities to better compete with surrounding states when attracting new businesses, which will help strengthen the middle class by providing more opportunities for jobs,” the statement said.

Brad Cole, executive director of the Illinois Municipal League said the organization distributed the draft resolution because many of the subjects it contains are core issues for its members.

But Cole, a former Carbondale mayor, said the league knows it serves cities and villages of every possible political makeup and just wants to see the issues in the resolution discussed.

“We haven’t taken any action for or against, we just want the discussion to take place,” he said.

Cole said municipalities are free to do as they see fit with the proposed resolution and they have the option of adopting all of it, parts of it or none of it.

In Springfield, the first-term Republican governor appears to face an uphill fight.

Traditionally labor-friendly Democrats hold overwhelming majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly.

Additionally, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, a fourth-term Democrat from Chicago, has issued two opinions saying right-to-work zones and the prevailing wage laws are — without enabling legislation from the General Assembly — off limits to local government.