[OCT. 20, 2000]  Funding for senior citizens groups, employee pay raises, economic development and allocation of the money from the County Farm fund — some of the fiscal year 2001 budget items brought to the Logan County Board by the finance committee — were approved Thursday evening, but only after more than two hours of discussion and a series of failed motions.

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[Joan Crabb]

[click here for a letter related to the allocation of the $67,500 in the new Senior Citizens Fund]

[OCT. 20, 2000]  The Oasis had a Social Security update Tuesday morning at the 501 Pulaski St. Senior Center. Beginning at 9:30 a.m., Annette Farris, of the Springfield district Social Security office, answered questions and explained the policies for various government benefits.

The Springfield Social Security district office, which services Logan and six other counties, is one of many district offices in Illinois. Farris listed Bloomington, Decatur and Champaign as having their own district offices. These district offices handle Social Security (SS), disability, Medicare, survivor, black lung and supplemental security income (SSI) benefits.

Annette Farris is well acquainted with Lincoln’s Oasis Center. She comes once a month to discuss Social Security and related issues with individuals who have questions about the system and benefits.

Another way to get information or help filing a claim is to contact the Springfield district office. The district office is located on West Monroe Street in Springfield. They are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Farris stresses making appointments, because it will decrease the time one spends in the waiting room. Also, if someone cannot come to the office, a Social Security representative will conduct a meeting over the phone and fill out the paperwork.

Since its beginning in 1935, Social Security has undergone many changes. Farris travels around to answer questions, because the laws and policies undergo slight, but important, changes every year. Farris said that one of her favorite changes is direct deposit. At first, she was skeptical because she believed manually depositing the check was reassuring. Now she praises the convenience of direct deposit. For example, one does not have to worry about the paper check being delivered to someone else’s home.

During the meeting Tuesday morning, Annette Farris discussed and answered questions about Social Security retirement, disability, survivor and Medicare benefits.

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One important point that Farris stressed was how the age at which a person begins collecting benefits affects the total amount of benefits he receives. Age 62 is the earliest one may begin collecting benefits; however, collecting at this age will reduce one’s benefits permanently. Those individuals born in 1938 or after must be 65 years and two months old to collect full benefits. Those born in 1960 or after must be 67 years old to collect full benefits. People collecting benefits between age 62 and their respective cutoff date will reduce their benefits permanently. People who do not collect Social Security retirement until ages 65 to 70 will receive delayed retirement credits.

To qualify for retirement benefits, one must have worked for at least a total of 10 years. The payments people receive are calculated based on their 35 highest years of income after 1951.

In the past, individuals collecting Social Security benefits were allowed to earn only $10,080 a year and still receive their full benefits. A new law allows individuals to earn any amount without jeopardizing their retirement benefits.

Farris encourages individuals to file three months before they want or need to receive benefits.

People are reminded that the laws and policies about these benefits are constantly changing, so it is important to keep informed. The Social Security Administration has a website to help: www.ssa.gov. They also have a toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213, and a TTY number for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, 1-800-325-0778. There is recorded information on these lines 24 hours a day, and callers can speak to a service representative between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on business days.

[Jean Ann Carnley]

[OCT. 19, 2000]  About 35 teachers and administrators — most wearing buttons supporting the Nov. 7 referendum — attended the District 27 school board meeting Wednesday evening to show their support for the upcoming vote to build two new schools.

"This large turnout is a show of unity for our board and administration. It has been a long process of study and evaluation by the administration, the board, teachers and staff that has led to the decision to build two new schools," Terri Hauter, co-president of the Lincoln Elementary Association, told the Lincoln Daily News. Frank Reliford, a Lincoln Junior High School history teacher, spoke during the meeting to thank the teachers and the school board for the "unity of agreement" on the school referendum. "People have tried to divide us, but we’re used to that tactic from our students," he said.

The referendum the teachers are supporting asks for a bond issue to raise $4.1 million to help build a new junior high and a new elementary school that will replace Central School. The rest of the funding, $8.3 million, will come from the state. Another group, Save Our Schools (SOS), has been working to prevent the schools from being torn down and wants to have then renovated instead.

The SOS group contends that the school district is required to have a review by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA) before the November referendum because of the language used in the referendum. The referendum uses the phrase "demolish Lincoln Junior High and Central Elementary School." According to SOS, the district must hold the hearing to determine if the schools have historic value and should be preserved before the vote which calls for demolishing them.

A recent article in the Lincoln Courier that said the district had already initiated the review process was not correct, Superintendent Robert Kidd told the board. He said the news story is the result of misinformation given to the newspaper by an IHPA member who had talked to the school district’s architect, Dave Leonatti.

In a letter to Dr. Kidd and School Board President Bill Bates, Leonatti explained that he had contacted Ann Hacker of IHPA "to receive clarification of the requirements for the review process. . . . I had asked for Ms. Hacker’s interpretation of the Act to let me and the board know the proper requirements."

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He said Ms. Hacker confirmed that she told the Lincoln newspaper Leonatti had initiated the review process. "She stated to me that she had misunderstood and apologized for providing the incorrect information to the newspaper," the letter said.

Also, Leonatti said, Ms. Hacker told him the school district is not required to go through the review process before the November referendum.

In other business, Superintendent Kidd briefly discussed the annual audit for Fiscal Year 2000, which is now available at the administrative office for the public to see. He noted that fund balances were "positive" and that there was a "healthy balance" in the education fund. He advised the board to use the extra funds for purchasing one-time items, such as technology upgrades, rather than for ongoing costs, because tax caps and stagnant state aid will probably allow no further increases in the fund. He suggested purchasing new computers to replace the outdated ones in Jefferson and Adams schools.

The board authorized the superintendent to apply for two school maintenance grants of $50,000 each, which would be used for replacement of asphalt on the playgrounds of Jefferson and Washington-Monroe schools; pay for sidewalks and safety lights that have been installed at Adams School; replace loose floor tiles at Adams, Washington-Monroe and Northwest schools; and put in a new suspended ceiling in the library at Northwest School.

The board also voted to raise the pay of substitute teachers from the current $75 per day to $80 to remain competitive with other schools in the area.

Jean Lynn and Lois Kinzer were appointed to distribute and accept petitions from candidates seeking seats on the District 27 board. Petitions can be picked up at the administration office on or after Oct. 25 and must be turned in to the administrative offices by Jan. 23. The election date is April 3, 2001.

The district has sent a letter to the Knights of Columbus thanking them for their donation of $1,752.88 for special education programs, Superintendent Kidd said.

[Joan Crabb]

[OCT. 19, 2000]  Residents in the vicinity of Spectrum Energy’s proposed new peaker plant near New Holland will not have to worry about water shortages when the plant is up and running, Logan County Board member Rodney White said at Tuesday evening’s meeting. Officials of the company have told White they will not deplete the water supply in the neighborhood of the plant, which will generate electricity only at peak use times in the summer.

At a previous County Board meeting, White had asked a representative of the company, Matthew Hortenstine, for a guarantee that Spectrum would remedy any water depletion problems the new plant might cause. Hortenstine, a member of an Effingham law firm representing the company, said at that time he was not authorized to give such a guarantee.

White said he received a telephone call from a vice president of the Spectrum Energy Company in South Carolina, who assured him the company would monitor the well and meet with any concerned area residents.

"The concerns we had are being met by Spectrum," White told the board. "If necessary, they will drill new wells to make sure people have water." He gave board members copies of a letter from Hortenstine saying the company "is initiating steps to test and otherwise study the physical groundwater status at the project site by drilling test wells."

The letter also said Spectrum would not build the plant until officials had "consulted with concerned neighbors" and drawn up "an appropriate contract with a company that will ultimately own and operate the project." Spectrum plans to build the generating facility, then sell it to an area utility company.

White, who lives near New Holland but not near the proposed new generator, and Terry Werth of Lincoln were the only board members who did not vote to extend the enterprise zone from the city of Lincoln to the proposed plant. Being in the enterprise zone gives the Spectrum group a sales tax waiver.

The board approved four new appointments. Robert "Bob" Pharis will serve a three-year term on the Lincoln Rural Fire Protection District. Carol Gustafson will serve on the Logan County Regional Planning Commission for three years. Kathleen Kaesebier and Lana Miller will serve three-year terms on the Logan County Board of Health.

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The board also approved the sale of a delinquent tax property in Corwin Township, to be handled by an out-of-town law firm which specializes in tax sales. Another tax-delinquent property, three lots on Tremont Street in Lincoln, is presently in the courts because of a lien on the property by the city of Lincoln. Both properties will be sold and put back on the tax rolls to begin producing income for taxing bodies again, White said.

White also said the finance committee had decided to fund the Senior Citizens Tax levy as of Dec. 1 by borrowing from the general fund and repaying that fund from real estate taxes collected in June or July rather than waiting until the taxes are collected. This will be the first tax levy for the new fund, which was approved by a referendum last year.

The funding proposed for three senior groups from the new levy of $67,5000 is $33,750 for Oasis, $21,600 for CIEDC and $12,150 for the Rural Health Van.

On Thursday at 7 p.m. the board will hold a special meeting on the budget for fiscal year 2001, which begins Dec.1. This meeting, to be in the first floor courtroom in the Logan County Courthouse, is the last chance to make changes in the budget before it is approved. The budget will be on file for public inspection until the Nov. 21 board meeting. White, who is chairman of the finance committee, noted that this will be the eighth consecutive balanced budget for the County Board.

[Joan Crabb]

[click here for a list of budget requests]

[OCT. 18, 2000]  The audit of the annual treasurer’s report for the city of Lincoln’s fiscal year ending April 30, has been completed, and the report will be published this week, according to Lester Plotner, city treasurer. The report is also available for the public to view at the offices of the city clerk and the Logan County treasurer.

The report lists a revenue summary, compensation summary, fire and police pension payments, expenditures summary, and a statement of condition for the fiscal year.

Plotner gave a brief summary of the report to the City Council at Monday night’s meeting, in which he provided comparisons of this year’s fund balances and expenditures to those of the two previous years, 1999 and 1998. He noted that expenditures increased 16.5 percent in 2000 to $10,140,811, compared to a total of $8,705,909 in 1999.

Much of the extra expenditure was due to improvements in the city’s infrastructure, the west side sewer project and the upgrading of city streets, according to Mayor Joan Ritter. The west side sewer project extends from Fifth Street to Woodlawn Road, under Woodlawn, over to Monroe Street on the north side and along Monroe to 21st Street. Road rehabilitation, which is still underway, includes Tremont, Ottawa, Wichita, Nicholson Road, State Street, and parts of Adams and Jackson streets. Curbs and gutters, and if necessary new sewers, are included in the road rehabilitation.

Some increase in salaries, from $2,669,462 in 1999 to $2,733,165 in 2000, and some increase in fire and police pensions, about $15,000 more each, also added to the expenditures.

Revenue also went up, from $9,089,539 in 1999 to $9,182,032 in 2000. In the revenue column, building permit fees jumped from $16,681 to $30,579. Les Last, building and safety commissioner, said the jump came because of big construction projects at Lincoln College and Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, which are not in the enterprise zone. No building permit fees are collected for construction in an enterprise zone, and most real estate taxes are abated for the first five years, Last said.

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Other increases in revenue came from the Motor Fuel Tax Fund, from $368,117 to $414,556; from sales taxes, $1,919,109 in 1999 to $2,205,870 in 2000; from state income tax, $1,082,320 in 1999 to $1,146,530 in 2000; from bond revenue, zero in 1999 to $465,000 in 2000; and from the new telecommunication fees, $64,542 in 1999 to $76,770 in 2000.

Property taxes declined from $1,480,450 to $1,437,924, and interest on city funds declined from $1,101,824 to $968,724. Plotner said interest rates in the kinds of investments the city makes dropped last year, but have increased some this year. However, he added, market instability and the world global problems could cause rates to drop in the future. No grant funds were received in 2000, while the city had $6,658 in grant funds last year.

"As city treasurer, I believe the City Council operates within the framework of fiscally responsible perimeters which allows many services to be provided without undue stress on the taxpayers of Lincoln," Plotner said. "As most of you realize, you can’t be all things to all people when governing a city, but you can strive to serve the majority of the citizens in an efficient and reasonable manner."

He warned the council "to be careful not to abolish sources of revenue unless replacement revenues are in hand. You must think about tomorrow when making decisions today which affect the financial stability of the city of Lincoln."

[Joan Crabb]

[OCT. 18, 2000]  The Save Our Schools Citizens Committee has arranged a tour of the renovated Feitshans School in Springfield on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 3 p.m.  

Chris Stahly, the principal at Feitshans, will conduct the tour, which is part of the Save Our Schools committee's ongoing effort to help Lincoln citizens be well informed on the viability of school renovation before voting on a Nov. 7 bond referendum, according to spokesman David Lanterman.

"This gives the public an opportunity to see a fine example of a renovated school. By seeing what can be achieved through renovation, they can choose to vote no on the referendum and require that the school board reconsider the renovation option. Or they can decide to permanently destroy the Central and Lincoln Junior High School buildings," Lanterman said.  

Feitshans School, located at 1101 S. 15th St. in Springfield, was constructed as a high school in 1920, with renovation completed in 1987, when it became a 550-student fifth- and sixth-grade center. Renovation provided total upgrades similar to those proposed for Lincoln's schools — new electrical and mechanical systems, redesigned ground floor, refurbished auditorium and an addition with new cafeteria and ramps for building accessibility.  

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The Feitshans tour was organized by the Save Our Schools group in response to comments at last week's renovation workshop featuring Bill Latoza, principal architect for the Chicago Public Schools' $2.4 billion capital renovation program started in 1996.  

Calling on his experience with Chicago's 557 schools, Latoza noted that school renovation costs are, on average, 20 percent less than new construction, renovated buildings are more energy efficient than new ones and are expected to have a life span as long as a new building. Latoza also noted that the renovation projects met all the education goals of the school district, with over 98 percent completed without relocating any students.  

Springfield's Feitshans School can be reached by the South Grand exit off Interstate 55, proceeding to 15th Street and turning right. The school is two blocks ahead on the left side, and the tour will begin at the main entrance. Those who wish to join a car pool from Lincoln should meet in front of Central School at 2 p.m. on Sunday.  

[Save Our Schools Citizens Committee news release]

[OCT. 11, 2000]  Beginning Monday, Oct. 16, the Lincoln City Landfill will be open extended hours to allow residents to dispose of leaves and yard waste, according to Donnie Osborne, street superintendent. The landfill will open at 8 a.m. and remain open until 4 p.m. seven days a week, probably until mid-December, he said. Residents may bring in leaves any way they like — in bags, boxes or pickup trucks — but they must take the leaves out of the containers and take the containers back home with them.

[OCT. 10, 2000]  The office of the city clerk in Lincoln will be open for filing petitions for nomination for the Feb. 27, 2001, consolidated primary election, with petitions accepted from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the following dates: Dec. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 18.

Petitions will be accepted for the following city offices:

• Mayor
• City treasurer
• City clerk
• Alderman Ward 1
• Alderman Ward 2
• Alderman Ward 3
• Alderman Ward 4

• Alderman Ward 5

[Juanita Josserand, city clerk]

[OCT. 9, 2000]  Registered voters expecting to be absent from the county on the Nov. 7 election day may vote in person at the Logan County Clerk’s Office, second floor, Courthouse, Room 20, Lincoln, from now until Nov. 6.

Election Authority

[OCT. 7, 2000]  Following is a list of budget requests that were heard by the Logan County Board Finance Committee on Aug. 11, 16 and 17. These requests will be compiled by the auditor and matched with the anticipated revenue for the 2001 fiscal year (Dec. 1). The finance committee will then review these numbers, make necessary adjustments and prepare a recommendation to the entire County Board in the next month. There will be a public meeting entirely devoted to budget matters in the future.

Rod White, finance chairman, 732-4793

* Paramedics: new ambulance, $90,000

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* Superintendent of schools: if office is moved, the county will have to provide all of the rental money, $20,000

* Animal control: to replace old animal-transport unit on truck, $10,000

County Board committee meeting dates for October 2000

Committee	Location	Date	Time
Board of Whole	Courthouse	Thursday, Oct. 12	7 p.m.
Finance	Courthouse	Friday, Oct. 13	8 a.m.
Adjourned Board	Courthouse	Tuesday, Oct. 17	7 p.m.
Joint Solid Waste	City Hall	Wednesday, Oct. 18	7 p.m.
Special Adjourned Board	Courthouse	Thursday, Oct. 19	7 p.m.

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