 Enterprise zoneA matter that had several extensive
discussions previously was brought to a vote this week.
The International Coal Group Illinois, LLC requested to have the
Lincoln/Logan County Enterprise Zone extended and offered a fee
agreement.
The matter was brought off the table and without a word of
discussion passed unanimously.
ICG has a $20 million expansion planned for the coal mine at
Elkhart.
ICG offered to pay a fee of $10,000 per year through the year
2017, the expiration date of the Lincoln/Logan County Enterprise
Zone.
The approval by the city was the last that was required from
enterprise zone entities to approve the request.
Resolution requesting economic stimulus funds
A resolution addressing federal funds needed by the city of
Lincoln was read by City Clerk Melanie Riggs. The resolution is the
final product of a proposal by Prather that the city of Lincoln
should make an effort to benefit from the federal bailouts.
Alderwoman Wanda Rohlfs said that city attorney Bill Bates had
done a great deal of research on the writing of the resolution,
using
Nation's Cities as a source, among others. The result is a
five-part declaration aimed as seeking economic stimulus funds for
the city of Lincoln, with the goal being improvement of city
infrastructure.
Among items included in the document is a section calling upon
the federal government to "include within any economic recovery and
stimulus plan, benefits to the city of Lincoln, to enable the city
of Lincoln to expand its work force, reduce unemployment, proceed
with unfunded capital projects and with unfunded state and federal
mandates, and to provide funding for infrastructure projects."
The resolution is to be sent to current and newly elected
congressmen on a federal level, with a cover letter from the mayor's
office.
The city will also participate in a regional effort to secure
some of these funds.
(See article:
City council aggressively seeks funding for
Fifth Street Road project; City and county to join regional effort
for federal funds)
Tax levy
The tax levy for the remainder of the fiscal year ending April 30
was passed unanimously, 8-0, by the council.
The amount approved was $1,601,463, an increase of $33,784 over
the 2007 fiscal year.
Campus View Drive sewer
Council members voted to deny a petition from Lincoln Christian
College and residents on Campus View Drive, along the west side of
the college. The city was asked to take over the ownership of the
private sewer line there. An examination of the line showed it to
have several problems, including obstructions. Discussion last week
indicated that the city would reconsider the request if the problems
that were found would be fixed.
(See article:
College asks city to take over sewer line;
Line includes 22 homes on Campus View Drive; LCC representative
seeks a 'win-win-win' situation)
Treasurer's report for November
Treasurer Les Plotner presented his November 2008 city finance
report to the council, complete with a handout outlining the city
finances.
Highlights of the handout included information regarding bank
balances for the month ending Nov. 30 and graphs reflecting the
budgeted percentage of revenues and expenditures for the year.
Plotner indicated that with the end of November, the year is
58.33 percent complete. The graphs illustrated that the majority of
the revenues and expenditures to date are in line with the
percentage of the year passed.
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An area of concern is in the firemen's and police pension funds.
While they are funded appropriately, the valuation of the funds may
be somewhat depleted due to the stress on the economy.
Plotner says that there is little to do about this, and it is
expected that as the economy recovers, the valuation will increase.
He added, though, that especially in the case of the firemen's
fund, there were some guarantees offered by the insurance
representatives in regard to the final value of the plan. There is
to be a meeting Jan. 9 between the firemen's pension board and the
agent to verify those guarantees and assure the stability of the
funds.
Tracy Jackson on patching potholes
The mayor noted that there had been some publication about
potholes in the city, and asked Tracy Jackson, street and alley
superintendent, if he had any comments regarding this.
Jackson said that there are a lot of potholes out there right
now, but the city had run out of mix.
At this time of year the mix goes from something suitable for
summer use to a winter mix. Jackson reported that a supply of winter
mix arrived late last week, but potholes cannot be filled while they
are wet. Once the weather dries out a bit, city crews will resume
their efforts.
Union at Clinton Street patching complete
City engineer Mark Mathon reported that road patch work at Union
and Clinton streets was completed as of Dec. 12. The contract with
Professional Pavement Maintenance Service had originally indicated a
completion date of Dec. 5. Mathon said that in order to keep all
records in order, the completion date should be changed to Dec. 12.
The council voted on and approved that change.
Council takes a holiday break
The city workshop meeting scheduled for Dec. 23 has been canceled
due to its proximity to the Christmas holiday.
The next meeting of the city council will be Jan. 5.
Abraham Lincoln birthday celebration
Mayor Beth Davis-Kavelman relayed to council members that there
is to be an Abraham Lincoln birthday celebration at the Crowne Plaza
in Springfield on Feb. 12. She would like to have volunteers from
the council and elected officials attend the event, representing the
city of Lincoln
[By NILA SMITH]
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