Wednesday, Nov. 20

 

County passes 2003 budget,
honors six retiring members

[NOV. 20, 2002]  The Logan County Board passed its fiscal 2003 budget Tuesday night and set levies totaling $2,628,705. In other business, it honored retiring members, made several appointments and confirmed straw votes taken at Thursday’s board-of-the-whole meeting.

The 2003 budget contains a general fund property tax increase of 1.6 percent and a deficit of about $190,000 in the general fund. Levies for the ambulance service and liability insurance funds are cut in order to shore up the general fund. [See previous article: "County files $4.7 million budget with 1.6 percent property tax increase."]

Jim Griffin, the lone dissenter, explained that he objects to deficit budgets and the resultant decline in the county’s general fund. He said that since he was appointed to the board in December 2000 the balance in the general fund has fallen by $1.7 million.

Rod White, among six board members retiring Dec. 1, has chaired the finance committee for 10 years. He thanked longtime auditor Gary Hetherington of Sikich Gardner in Springfield for his help in preparing this and other budgets: "He’s guided us through the troubled times as well as the good times."

 

Along with the budget, the board passed the following levies:

•  General fund, $873,870

•  Ambulance service fund, $50,000

•  Liability insurance fund, $8,500

•  Tuberculosis sanitarium fund, $50,085

•  IMRF (retirement) fund, $448,000

•  Health department fund, $333,370

•  County highway fund, $345,440

•  County bridge fund, $172,720

•  Highway matching tax fund, $172,720

•  Cooperative Extension Service fund, $94,000

•  Senior citizens fund, $80,000

Griffin voted against the general, tuberculosis sanitarium and health department fund levies as well as the budget. White explained that the TB sanitarium fund is maintained in case of a catastrophic epidemic of a TB-related disease such as AIDS. It also reimburses the health department about $30,000 a year for nursing services related to TB shots.

Retiring board members were recognized for their service: Rod White, 20 years; Doug Dutz, 12 years; Clifford Sullivan, six years; Roger Bock, three years; Jim Griffin, two years; and Tom Cash, one year. Dick Logan received a gavel for his two-year service as board chair.

In a new issue not presented at Thursday’s meeting, the board voted to support a proposed state bill to permit raising filing fees in criminal and civil cases. Circuit Clerk Carla Bender explained that minimum and maximum fees are set according to county population. The fee range for the smallest counties, including Logan, has not changed since 1976. Within the state-sanctioned range, the county board sets the fees. Bender estimated that if the proposed minimum increase had been in effect in 2002, her office would have taken in at least $50,000 more from people filing a lawsuit or convicted of a crime. Griffin opposed the motion.

Bender announced savings of $352.50 a month in fiber-optic connections for county offices. Previously the 11 offices using the service together paid $540 a month to Verizon; now a state office will provide the connection for $187.50 a month.

 

In other business the board formalized stands taken on Thursday, voting to:

•  Approve a three-year contract with the Logan County Paramedic Association. The contract provides for an ambulance mileage increase from $4 to $6 per loaded mile, with no other rate increases and no subsidy in the first contract year. For the second and third years, LCPA can request rate increases or subsidies, subject to approval by the county board. The contract requires the paramedic association to replace consumables at its own expense and to pay for parts and repairs up to $500. In the first year the county must set aside $13,500 for repairs over $500. In subsequent years paramedics can request a raise in the amount the county provides.

 

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•  Adopt the 13-day 2003 holiday schedule set by Chief Circuit Judge John P. Freese, but replace Casimir Pulaski day (March 3) with Dec. 26. Dale Voyles specified that the resolution is contingent on not being in conflict with highway department contracts.

•  Purchase a hydraulic lift for the highway department from Misco Service & Supply at a cost of $37,569.

•  Pay $11,000 for appellate prosecutor services. The expense is included in the state’s attorney’s budget.

•  Approve two improvement projects for Logan County Airport in 2004. The county’s share is $13,530 for both a truck with snow blade and reconstruction of the entrance road. Federal and state governments will pay $197,070.

•  Hire Heritage in Flight to manage the airport from May 1, 2002, to April 30, 2003, for $1.

•  Hire Tom Larson to remove snow from county property for $410 per occasion. Larson will clear snow at the courthouse, safety complex, Dr. John Logan building, health department and airport.

•  Approve a crop-share farm lease with Darrell Paige for the county farm and a farm operation license agreement with Paige for the airport.

•  Rezone three acres owned by Ron Rohlfs from agricultural to country homes use. The property is near Grand Oaks Estates in Chester Township. White opposed the measure.

 

The board formally forgave a 1988 loan to the Logan County Cemetery District for $100,000. The loan consisted of tax money collected by the county to maintain county cemeteries. When the cemetery district was formed to take over that function, the county gave it all maintenance equipment and the loan as start-up money. No interest has been received since 1991, when the cemetery district showed that it could no longer afford to pay. The loan was later written off the county books as uncollectible. However, it was not formally forgiven. The cemetery district maintains 44 of the 60 cemeteries in the county. It receives interest on their endowments but must use it for maintenance. State’s Attorney Tim Huyett said the endowment principal cannot be invaded.

In a personnel matter the board voted to employ Lester Thomson as animal control administrator and Sheila Farmer as animal control warden for fiscal year 2003. Griffin explained his votes against both appointments: "We’ve got problems out there. I think we should put this off and have more discussion." White said the state requires the board to fill the positions. The new board can rescind these or other appointments at any time, he added.

 

Several citizens were named to boards and committees:

•  To the Logan County Board of Health: Paul Kasa, Mike Rohrer, Todd Walker and Roger Bock.

•  To the new safety committee: Tom Hickman, Dana Brown, Dennis Reeves, Dan Fulscher and the chair of the board’s insurance and legislative committee.

•  To the safety complex audit team: Doug Dutz, Ray Vonderahe and Ron Ross.

•  To the health department negotiating team: Gloria Luster and Dick Logan.

To the Planning and Zoning Board: Tom Cash.

At the beginning of the meeting, Main Street Lincoln director Cindy McLaughlin presented an Illinois FIRST check for $13,000 to board chair Dick Logan. The money, secured by former Sen. Bob Madigan, is for improvements to Scully Park and the Indian Mother statue on the courthouse lawn.

[Lynn Spellman]

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