Belvidere looks to tax out-of-state gas suppliers

By Susan Vela
Staff writer

Posted Sep 26, 2018 at 6:12 PM Updated at 4:52 PM

BELVIDERE — Officials are considering a proposal that would allow the city to tax natural gas purchased from out-of-state suppliers, a move that could generate $1 million a year.

“That’s a lot of road projects. That’s a lot of storm sewer work that could be done,” said Becky Tobin, the city’s budget and finance officer. “This has just been a loophole. It’s a loophole that we’re trying to close.”

The proposal would require natural gas consumers who buy from out of state to pay a certain number of cents per therm used. A therm is a unit of heat. Nicor Gas customers relying on in-state suppliers would continue paying a 5 percent tax.

Nicor Gas is the only natural gas distributor in Belvidere. The city collects a 5 percent tax from Belvidere addresses relying on in-state suppliers, a tax permitted by the Illinois Municipal Code.

Gas transported by interstate pipelines is considered interstate commerce, and the Illinois Municipal Code does not give Belvidere the right to tax out-of-state suppliers, said Michael Drella, the city attorney.

“There’s a loophole here,” Belvidere Mayor Mike Chamberlain said.

Belvidere officials hope they can use the city’s home rule authority to close the loophole. Home rule gives cities of more than 25,000 people expanded authority to tax and regulate themselves.

“We have to do our homework,” Drella said.

Rockford, a non-home rule community, hasn’t calculated the percentage of natural gas customers who choose out-of-state suppliers and how much the city is losing.

“We’re aware of this situation,” Rockford Finance Director Carrie Hagerty said.

Increasing revenues for capital improvements has been one of Belvidere’s priorities in recent months. Council members approved a new 2-cent-per-gallon gas tax and a sales tax increase.

Some city officials were shocked Monday to hear a report delivered by Scott Shamberg of Chicago-based Azavar Government Solutions, which, according to its website, ensures municipalities receive “every penny due to them from taxes, franchise fees and utility providers.”

Shamberg said there are a growing number of Illinois entities purchasing natural gas from out-of-state suppliers — perhaps 75 percent of Belvidere’s users.

“They’re not paying the same tax that their neighbor is,” Shamberg said. “That’s creating inequality.”

The state deregulated the natural gas industry in 2002, allowing purchase of gas in other states.

Susan Vela: 815-987-1392; svela@rrstar.com; @susanvela

Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/news/20180926/belvidere-looks-to-tax-out-of-state-gas-suppliers

Looped RR Grain Spur in Bonus Township?

Posted Sep 22, 2018 at 10:00 AMUpdated Sep 22, 2018 at 10:20 PM

BONUS TOWNSHIP — Bo DeLong wants to build a Union Pacific rail connection in Boone County that will allow local farmers to transport their grain more quickly to customers in the southern United States and Mexico.

The owner of DeLong Co. Inc. in Clinton, Wisconsin, promises quicker delivery for local farmers without any disruptive noise or traffic issues for neighbors living in the shadows of the 122-acre project’s five grain bins, grain elevator and looped rail track.

He has submitted plans to Boone County officials, who are now considering a special-use permit, along with other requests, so DeLong can connect to the Union Pacific rail lines. Across the nation, grain shuttle trains have been replacing older methods of delivery that include trains carrying other products besides grain.

Deliveries can take two weeks because of stops and starts. The trains DeLong would fill would get to their destinations in two to three days.

“This ... is so much more efficient,” DeLong said. “There’s no switching cars in between.”

Boone County’s Zoning Board of Appeals advanced DeLong’s special-use permit, text amendment and variance requests Monday. DeLong will next state his case to the Planning, Zoning and Building Committee. Then it goes to the County Board.

Board Chairman Karl Johnson favors the project, commending DeLong for committing millions of dollars for construction, which could begin later this year.

If the project is approved, nonstop shuttle trains would begin arriving in May at the site on the northwest corner of U.S. 20 and Garden Prairie Road.

“It’s an exciting time in Boone County,” Johnson told the ZBA members Monday. “This is a great opportunity. It’s a big, big step and a great opportunity for us as a whole community.”

DeLong Co. Inc. began operations nearly 90 years ago to build one of the largest elevator/feed mills in the state. The company now has facilities in seven states and employs more than 300 people.

DeLong’s northeast Illinois operations entail seven grain elevators and two container export facilities. Its Garden Prairie and Marengo facilities are within miles of the Union Pacific rail lines.

Grain from local farmers would pile up in the silos. The 110-car trains would start arriving, spending about 12 to 15 hours to load. A total of about 27 loads would take place per year.

Having the new rail loop would reduce the need for transporting some of the grain by truck. Company officials estimate 1.2 million less miles by truck transportation per year.

County Board member Denny Ellingson has farmed grains. He has no profound problems with DeLong’s plans, but he would like to do some more research about how close the rail track should be to property lines.

Right now, the proposal involves 20-foot setbacks on all sides except to the south.

“Their plan is fine,” he said. “It could actually help Boone County. (But) I’ve really got to study it more.”

Neighbors don’t seem to mind.

“This noise is going to be no worse,” said Mary Brubach, owner of Susie’s Garden Patch in Garden Prairie. “It will actually be better than the Chrysler train that currently comes by there. We are completely in favor of having this railroad loop there.”

Susan Vela: 815-987-1392; svela@rrstar.com; @susanvela

Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/news/20180922/boone-countys-bonus-township-could-get-looped-rail-track

Congressman Kinzinger backed ‘backdoor attack on Social Security’

To the editor:

Earlier this year, Rep. Kinzinger voted for the so-called Balanced Budget Amendment. On the surface this might seem like a good idea, but in reality it is actually a backdoor attack on Social Security. Let me explain.

By design, the Social Security Trust Fund has built up a reserve account for the time when “baby boomers” start retiring in record numbers and put a large demand on the Social Security system. This planning goes back to President Reagan when responsible parties saw the need for additional revenue in the future and raised Social Security taxes to provide for it.

This reserve account was built up over time by lending money every year to the federal government in the form of treasury securities backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. Those of us who have paid into the Social Security Trust Fund over decades have built up a huge reserve fund of $2.9 trillion today to cover future needs.

Well, the future is almost here, and that money will be needed soon to help pay full Social Security benefits for retirees like me. However, the Balanced Budget Amendment proposes that federal expenses for a given year cannot exceed federal taxes received in that year. Therefore, the Social Security reserves could not be used to help pay current benefits because they were collected in previous years.

The net effect is that Social Security would not be allowed to use its own $2.9 trillion savings account that was created exactly for this purpose! This, in turn, would force cuts in Social Security payments because there would not be enough money to pay full benefits without using some money from the reserves.

This is obviously wrong. Seniors would be denied their full, earned benefits that have been fully paid for over a lifetime of work. A bill like the Balanced Budget Amendment is so bad that it should not even see the light of day in the United States Congress.

Fortunately, this bill, which was supported by Congressman Kinzinger, did not pass. But it raises the disturbing question: who does he represent? Clearly, Adam Kinzinger does not represent seniors.

Barry J. Mayworm

Princeton

Above is from:  http://www.bcrnews.com/2018/09/20/congressman-backed-backdoor-attack-on-social-security/akzgdh9/

Boone County Board approves third solar farm, they say 10 more in the works

News

Boone County Board approves third solar farm, they say 10 more in the works

By:

• Karina Parada

Posted: Sep 19, 2018 10:57 PM CDT

Updated: Sep 19, 2018 10:57 PM CDT

BOONE COUNTY - As concerns over global climate change and limited resources rise, the race to provide renewable energy has come to Illinois. In the Stateline, companies pitch their plans to make local fields the source of that energy.
The Boone County Board is among many other local counties to be inundated with solar farm applications. County leaders tell us if green energy comes to the Stateline -- it could mean more money for local governments.

Wednesday, a third solar farm was approved by the Boone County Board. The project is one of thirteen applications. Some board members say it's been surprising to see the amount of interest they're receiving.

"However they have to come get approval here [first]," said Boone County Board Denny Ellingson. "[That's] before they can get on the state list to even be in the lottery drawing to determine who will put up solar farms next summer."

Ellingson says the applications are in land all over Boone County.

"One in the northern end of the county," said Ellingson. "The one that got approved a month ago is out near the fairgrounds."

County Board Member Marshall Newhouse says with every vote, they learn something about the relatively unknown energy concept. Because of the uncertainty, he says the board is being very careful as they review each proposal.

"Since as of today, we do not have specific code regulating these projects," said Newhouse. "We are definitely taking them case by case."

Newhouse says according to the developers, solar farms could mean a huge jump in property tax revenue.

"The taxes could be anywhere in the area of 7-10 times per acre what the county and the taxing bodies have been used to getting."

Newhouse says the county wouldn't be the only one's reaping economic benefit from solar farms.

"To the farmer, it is a different and additional source of income," said Newhouse. "For those acres, that are going to be devoted to the project, it's probably going to be quite lucrative for them."

County board members say they're listening to any resident concerns through the process as well. One controversial 200-acre proposal is up for a full county board vote on October 3rd.

Above is from:  https://www.mystateline.com/news/boone-county-board-approves-third-solar-farm-they-say-10-more-in-the-works/1461001373

Poplar Grove may tweak zoning rules to allow solar farm

Poplar Grove may tweak zoning rules to allow solar farm

By Susan Vela
Staff writer

Posted Sep 11, 2018 at 3:56 PMUpdated Sep 11, 2018 at 4:11 PM

POPLAR GROVE — Trajectory Energy Partners wants to build a solar energy farm north of Illinois 173 that would be large enough to power several hundred homes.

Poplar Grove officials first must consider amending the village’s zoning ordinance to permit solar farms with mounted solar energy collectors in agricultural/rural, general business, light industrial and heavy industrial districts.

Trustees will recommend approval at a Sept. 19 board meeting. If the proposal gets the nod, Trajectory Energy and other solar companies can apply for a special-use permit to install solar panels.

“I look at it as a win-win,” Board President Owen Costanza said. “That land will no longer be sitting vacant. This is a great use of the land, and it’s a great renewable source of energy, far better than the windmills. It looks to be a no-brainer to me. It doesn’t seem to impact anybody.”

About a dozen proposals for solar energy developments have been pitched in the last year in Boone, Winnebago and Stephenson counties and a similar phenomenon is rippling throughout Illinois. The boom is driven by the Future Energy Jobs Act. The state law approved in 2016 requires Illinois utilities to get 25 percent of their retail power from renewable sources such as solar and wind by 2025.

Poplar Grove’s zoning rules regulate solar energy development, but the language only accommodates the placement of solar panels on roofs and not large-scale solar power operations.

“Due to ongoing technological advances, solar has become more competitive,” according to a report from village planning staff. “What was once a way for residents to reduce energy bills by having a few panels installed has become larger operations that generate electricity that is delivered to the utility distribution network and can be utilized by multiple customers per project.”

Some trustees see no problems with changing the zoning ordinance so that Trajectory Energy Partners, based in Highland Park, can put solar panels on land that’s now zoned for light industrial and general business purposes.

Jon Carson, Trajectory Energy’s managing partner, said the company would lease the land from First Midwest Group.

Representatives from Trajectory Energy have appeared at Poplar Grove Village Hall to field questions about their proposal. Their development, they say, would deliver “community solar,” allowing local homeowners to subscribe to use the electricity generated and receive credit for their involvement.

“I think community solar is going to be a fantastic benefit,” Carson said.

Trajectory is a young company founded in 2017 and responsible for solar projects across the country.

“We’re excited about this one,” Carson said. “It’s a nice site.”

Costanza said the lease includes language that holds Trajectory responsible for decommissioning the solar energy project should the enterprise fail. Trustee Neeley Erickson said she still has concerns about whether the soil would be suitable again for farming if that were to happen.

Ryan Lindberg’s family has a farm adjacent to the parcels that could become a solar farm. He has some concerns about drainage issues but, for the most part, he likes the endeavor.

“It’s a lot better than having a Walmart next to you or a huge subdivision,” he said.

Susan Vela: 815-987-1392; svela@rrstar.com; @susanvela

Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/news/20180911/poplar-grove-may-tweak-zoning-rules-to-allow-solar-farm

Similar slayings draw vastly different political reaction

RYAN J. FOLEY,Associated Press 2 hours 39 minutes ago

• 
  

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The cases are strikingly similar: Two talented young women were stabbed to death by male strangers while doing athletic activities alone in normally safe parts of Iowa.

But politicians who quickly expressed outrage about the immigrant suspect charged with killing runner Mollie Tibbetts have been silent or more restrained about the white homeless man accused in the death of a college golf star from Spain.

Hours after Cristhian Bahena Rivera was arrested last month in Tibbetts' death, President Donald Trump declared that the farmhand had killed the "beautiful" young woman because of the nation's "disgraceful" immigration laws. The president recorded a video citing Tibbetts' slaying in his case for building a wall on the border with Mexico and adopting other policies intended to keep immigrants from entering illegally.

So far, Trump and many others who followed his lead have not weighed in on the death of Celia Barquin Arozamena, who was attacked Monday while golfing on a course near Iowa State University. The White House press office did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday on Barquin, who was the Big 12 women's golf champion this year and a 22-year-old engineering student.

Neither has Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican who tweeted that Tibbetts would be alive if immigration laws were enforced and added: "Leftists sacrificed thousands, including their own, on the altar of Political Correctness."

King represents Ames, which includes the university, and a part of western Iowa where the suspect accused in Barquin's death lived as a teenager and young adult in small towns. Court records show that 22-year-old Collin Richards repeatedly received chances to turn his life around but instead kept committing crimes and violated probation again and again.

Richards once threatened to "shoot up" a convenience store where he was caught shoplifting. He dragged his ex-girlfriend out of a home in a headlock, allegedly cutting off her airway and leaving her injured. He got high and stole a pickup truck after wrecking his own car. He burglarized a gas station to steal tobacco and beer and stole from his own grandparents' home. He was found with an illegally long knife during a traffic stop, and he injured a police officer during a scuffle.

None of that earned Richards prison time or a felony conviction, in part because prosecutors agreed to plea deals that reduced charges to misdemeanors and judges imposed sentences of probation.

Richards was sent to prison last year only after he tested positive for methamphetamine and marijuana, failed to complete an anger-management course he started four times and didn't pay court-ordered fees to a halfway house, court records show.

Even then, the two-year sentence was reduced to about seven months after credit for good behavior and some jail time already served.

After his release, Richards was arrested weeks later for public intoxication. Soon, he was living in a tent in a homeless encampment in the woods near the Coldwater Golf Links in Ames. He told an acquaintance that he had an urge to "rape and kill a woman," police said. He allegedly stabbed Barquin and left her body in a pond near the ninth hole.

Rivera followed a different path, allegedly entering the country from Mexico illegally as a teenager and later getting hired at a dairy farm by providing false identification documents. He was described as a reliable worker.

He had no prior criminal record in Iowa before, police say, he followed Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student, in a car while she was running on July 18 in the small town of Brooklyn. He's accused of killing her and leaving her body in a cornfield. He pleaded not guilty Wednesday, and his trial is scheduled for April.

After Tibbetts' death, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said residents were angry "that a broken immigration system allowed a predator like this to live in our community." She also said she might be open to considering a plan to require Iowa employers to use the government's E-Verify system to check their workers' eligibility to be in the U.S., although it's not clear whether that would have prevented the farm from hiring Rivera.

On Tuesday, Reynolds referred to Barquin's death as "horrific" and "senseless" but said it was premature to determine whether any changes needed to be made to keep young women safe.

"As we all learn more about what happened in this senseless tragedy again, we will look for opportunities and ways that we can do better," she told reporters, according to the Des Moines Register.

On Wednesday, she urged Iowa State fans to wear yellow to Saturday's football game to honor Barquin.

Meanwhile, a third slaying of a young woman was drawing attention in the nation's capital. Wendy K. Martinez, 35, was jogging in Washington's Logan Circle neighborhood Tuesday evening when she was fatally stabbed in what police said was probably a random attack. She staggered into a restaurant where customers tried to save her life.

Above is from:  https://www.yahoo.com/news/slain-golfer-suspect-lived-contrasting-lives-iowa-city-045634748--spt.html

Boone County ZBA OKs 200-acre solar farm

Boone County ZBA OKs 200-acre solar farm

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Sep 15 at 10:09 PM

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By Susan Vela
Staff writer

Posted Sep 17, 2018 at 10:47 PMUpdated Sep 17, 2018 at 10:51 PM

BELVIDERE — A proposed 200-acre solar farm — the largest solar power development that’s been pitched in Boone County so far — advanced out of the Zoning Board of Appeals Monday with a whopping 42 conditions.

Included was one where nearby homeowners selling their properties could challenge their appraisals and demand monetary compensation from solar developer Hendricks Solar LLC if the appraisals weren’t to their liking.

“The question is, ‘Will they still proceed with these conditions?’” said Boone County Board member Cathy Ward,who attended the meeting as an observer.

Cypress Creek Renewables of North Carolina indirectly owns Hendricks Solar LLC, which wants to invest $36.4 million to build a solar farm near the intersection of Genoa and Reeds Crossing roads. The project would generate enough power for 2,900 to 3,000 homes.

″(The conditions are) definitely more than we’re accustomed to,” Project Developer Scott Novack said after the ZBA’s 3-1 vote in favor of the project. “We’ll be reviewing them in detail.”

He hopes Hendricks Solar can begin construction by 2020. Construction should take up to 26 weeks.

The company’s proposed solar farm is forecast to generate more than $129,000 in annual property tax revenue. County officials say most of that revenue would aid public schools, though about 10 percent would flow into county coffers.

Request for a special-use permit next goes to the Planning, Zoning & Building Committee, as does the county’s proposed solar ordinance.

Zoning Board of Appeals member Joan Krumm cast the lone nay vote against Hendricks Solar’s request.

Zoning Board of Appeals members did not come to consensus on a solar ordinance that would lay out rules and regulations for solar development proposals. Without a guiding ordinance, the ZBA has been dealing with solar development requests on a case-by-case basis. The solar ordinance received a 2-2 vote, which meant it failed. It still goes to the PZB for consideration. Voting for the solar ordinance were Tony Savino and Brad Fidder. Voting against were Krumm and Steve Schabacker.

Susan Vela: 815-987-1392; svela@rrstar.com; @susanvela

Above is from:  RRSTAR

Boone County Zoning Board of Appeals recommends solar farm

By Courtney Bunting |

Posted: Mon 10:22 PM, Sep 17, 2018  |

Updated: Tue 4:28 AM, Sep 18, 2018

BELVIDERE, Ill. (WIFR) -- The Boone County Zoning Board of Appeals recommended a 200-acre solar farm Monday night.

Developers Cypress Creek Renewables will have to abide by 42 conditions, according to the board's recommendations on Monday.

People living near the development site discussed concerns tonight about a potential decrease in property values and quality of land.

However, developers say they prioritize maintaining quality of land and property and don't think the solar farm will harm those things.

This could be Boone County's largest solar farm. It would be located at the northeast corner of Reeds Crossing and Genoa Road.

The company will have to abide by strict guidelines laid out by the Zoning Board of Appeals tonight.

"So we've had appraisal firms all over the country weigh in on this, and they have a very methodical way of evaluating the impact of property values that are adjacent to various uses. But especially solar, and what they've found, very consistent with the studies they've done in Illinois and Indiana, is that there is no negative impact," said Cypress Creek Renewables Senior Developer Scott Novack.

One of the proposals Cypress Creek Renewables said they would consider tonight would be covering the difference between any changes in property values.

The Boone County Board will consider this solar farm on October 17th at their full board meeting.

If it's approved, developers say it could take around 22 to 26 weeks to construct and would start in either 2019 or 2020.

Above is from:  https://www.wifr.com/content/news/Boone-County-Zoning-Board-of-Appeals-recommends-solar-farm--493548001.html