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With a 7-5 vote, the board decided to
increase the amount currently charged to individuals who live
outside the county limits who want to leave animals at the shelter.
The fee would increase from $25 to $50 on cats and from $50 to $100
on dogs. The current rate for Logan County citizens, $25 for cats
and $50 for dogs, will remain the same.
"I am concerned that animal dumping (in
rural areas) will increase," stated Bill Sahs, who voted "no"
against the increase.
Terry Werth agreed. "I have already
received calls from farmers who are concerned that more animals will
be dumped in the country."
Dale Voyles, board chair, noted that
animal control currently responds promptly to picking up animals
that have been dumped. This would not change. Voyles also noted that
if animal control recognizes the animal, the owner would be charged
the fee to collect the animal. Owners are also subject to a fine for
violation of the ordinance that makes it against the law to dump an
animal.
John Stewart also pointed out that the
state of Illinois recently passed laws that will soon require
electronic tagging for all domestic pets, making the owners easily
identifiable via a computer chip implant.
O'Neill noted that the fee could be
eliminated if owners would ensure that their pets were spayed or
neutered. Taking this responsibility would greatly reduce the
population of unwanted cats and dogs in the area.
The request to table this issue was
denied, and the board voted to pass the motion.
Also proposed was the possibility of a
3 percent pay increase for nonunion county employees. According to
Chuck Ruben, taking care of this issue early would make one less
thing to address at the budget meeting. Dale Voyles requested that
the proposal should be for a tentative increase. The board so voted
unanimously.
In other issues, the board voted
unanimously to accept a $7,000 bill for joint reconstruction or
repair of a drainage structure in the Corwin Road District.
[to top of second column in
this article] |
Dick Logan noted that the Lincoln
Travel Plaza has filed an appeal of a property tax. This tax rate is
a multiplier set by the state based on the revenue created by the
business. If the board loses the appeal, they will have to refund
Lincoln Travel Plaza about $42,000 for property taxes paid in 2001
and 2002.
Gloria Luster reminded the board of the
observance of Family Day, a holiday presented by the National Center
on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. This
holiday, established for the fourth Monday each September, is a
national effort to promote dinners as a natural, effective way to
reduce teen substance-abuse risk. Family Day, Sept. 22, is a measure
to remind Americans of the value of parental engagement and
encourage them to make family dinners a regular part of their lives.
Dick Logan noted that the city council
had approved the city police committee chairman to be a full voting
member of the Emergency Telephone System Board. Logan noted that if
the liaisons for the city or county board are unable to fulfill
their positions on the board, that the mayor in the case of the city
and the county board chairman for the county would act in that
place. The board moved unanimously to accept this proposal.
Paul Gleason, chair of the Community
Action committee, noted that Illinois Department of Employment
Security in Logan County took some budget cuts at the last work
force meeting. He also noted that in fiscal 2002, IDES serviced a
total of 8,972 individuals in Logan County, assisting them in basic
job services. IDES also helped 462 unemployed from Lincoln
Developmental Center and is preparing to assist Eagles employees as
the Lincoln store closes.
Charles
Ruben, chair of the board’s economic development committee, moved to
allocate one-fourth of 1 percent projected funds from the businesses
moving into the former Stage and Staples properties. This sales tax,
which would be approximately $80,000, would be used for
infrastructure improvements for the property, including traffic
signal, street lighting and facades. The board voted 11 "yea," with
Pat O'Neill voting "present."
[Patricia Rankin] |
