 The mayor said that Dalpoas called her last week to ask for her
endorsement. She said that she felt that it would be best if the
endorsement would come from the council.Dalpoas is scheduled to
attend the council's business session on July 21 to explain what is
planned and to answer questions. The meeting begins at 7:15 p.m.
2008 appropriations discussed
The finance committee met prior to the business session on Monday
to discuss the 2008 appropriations.
The new fire chief, Kent Hulett, had a lot of questions about
what was budgeted for his department and how to manage for the year,
particularly with two vehicles currently needing maintenance and
repairs. He wanted to know what would happen if there were a major
disaster that would push the department over budget.
You can't go over the budgeted amount of a department, Alderman
Buzz Busby said.
Some of the current vehicle repairs were already budgeted. In
addition, departments are allowed to shift their line items to keep
within budget.
Also discussed were security improvements at City Hall and a
citywide cleanup.
$25,000 needs to be kept available to meet possible grant funding
for building improvements that would add security for City Hall
employees during the day and for city meetings in the evenings.
$5,000 would be added to foot the cost of a citywide cleanup.
Details are yet to be determined, but one possibility discussed was
that the city would rent dumpsters, and citizens would be allowed to
bring their unwanted goods -- basically any appliance that would not
pose an environmental hazard, such as TVs, couches, water heaters
and more -- to leave at the landfill on set days at no charge or at
a small fee, such as $2 or $3.
Heritage Days successful
In 2009 it will be the 200th birthday celebration of Abraham
Lincoln, for whom the city is named. This year's Heritage Days
offered three days of activities, many that emphasized our
connection to Abraham Lincoln.
It was noted that there were a lot of people from out of town
here for Heritage Days. Plenty of activities offered a lot of fun.
Downtown was hopping for three days and nights. Activities took
place in both parks and on the streets. It all began on Thursday
afternoon at 4 p.m. with the dedication of a new kiosk, located on
the Logan County Courthouse grounds. The kiosk features Abraham
Lincoln information and tour sites.
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The evening continued with an ice cream social and re-enactments by
an Abraham Lincoln impersonator in Latham Park. Other weekend
activities included a car show, a flea market and the ever-popular
children's parade. There were bands, dancing in the streets and food
in the evenings.
The Lincoln Park District hosted water games and a great
fireworks display on the Fourth of July.
Alderwoman Marty Neitzel complimented the beautiful fireworks.
The mayor heard some comments about the city spending money on
the festivities and wished to clarify that there are a lot of
sponsors that help with fireworks and other festivity costs.
As far as problems related to the holiday festivities, Lincoln
Police Department Deputy Chief Mike Geriets said that there were no
incidents or criminal arrests over the weekend related to the
festivities downtown. A couple of people were asked to leave as a
precautionary measure, and they did so without a problem, he said.
The mayor attributed the presence of good community spirit and
the volunteer security provided by the fire and city clerk's
departments as helping make the weekend go smoothly.
The streets department always plays a major part in helping with
the festivities also.
Lincoln Heritage Days was designed to lead up to next year's
local bicentennial events. As the only city named for Lincoln before
he became president, Lincoln, Ill., has a right and obligation to
"Live the Legacy."
[By JAN YOUNGQUIST]
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