City: Prison reps call on city officials for support letters

Council expected to drop mayor's benefit package

Recycling costs jump, and more

[February 11, 2009]  Mayor Beth Davis-Kavelman called the Tuesday night workshop meeting of the Lincoln City Council to order. Nine of the 10 members were present, with "Buzz" Busby being absent for the evening.

A plea for more officers at local prisons

Five gentlemen representing AFSCME, Lincoln Correctional Center and Logan County Correctional Center were present to ask that the council support the efforts they are making to get additional correctional officers placed in the two facilities.

David Lockenour, AFSCME Local 501 president, told the council: "I am here this evening to share information about the current situation at our local prisons in hopes of gaining support from the citizens of Lincoln and this council. We are, and have been, in a crisis situation due to understaffing and inmate overpopulation."

Lockenour said that the Lincoln Correctional Center, a female institution, was built for a population of 500 but is currently housing 950 inmates, nearly double its intended capacity.

He said that the number of corrections officers in the facility is down to approximately 124, 50 less than there should be. Because this equates to only 41 officers per shift, Lockenour said that many of the officers are being mandated to work double shifts, and even then the number of guards on duty is not sufficient.

He also said that with so many officers working double shifts, in addition to being fatigued on the job, they are leaving work and driving home exhausted, which poses its own dangers.

The situation is similar at the Logan Correctional Center, where there are 1,900 male prisoners with only 198 officers covering three shifts per day, seven days a week.

John Black of Local 2073 provided another example where there is one block at the Logan facility that houses 145 inmates with only one officer per shift, and another block has only three officers assigned to 442 inmates during the day and only two officers at night.

Jeff Bigelow, AFSCME Council 31 regional director, said that there have been recent incidents in other prisons, such as two inmates who were at large for a week after escaping Dixon Springs in southern Illinois, and an inmate at Pontiac beat an officer, stole his clothing and was nearly successful at an escape. There has also been an attempted escape and a total of seven staff assaults at local facilities in the last year.

In summation, the men emphasized that this is a family and neighborhood issue and asked that the council contact area legislators, including Sens. Raymond Poe and Larry Bomke, as well as Gov. Pat Quinn, requesting that more officers be hired for the two facilities in Lincoln.

The council asked that the prison representatives put together a resolution and bring it to the next meeting.

Attending in addition to Lockenour, Black and Bigelow were Dale Ridgway, union steward of Local 501, and Roger Griffith of AFSCME Council 31.

Council plans to drop benefit package for mayor

Finance chair Melody Anderson asked the council and anyone else to be thinking about next year's budget. Budget talks would be beginning soon.

She then specifically asked for council for input on whether or not to continue the benefits package that has been included in the mayoral position. It provides health, dental and life insurance. This would be the time to decide this, before the election and before budget hearings.

City attorney Bill Bates explained that Illinois statute allows salaries and compensation for elected officials to be set by local ordinance, that salaries shall neither be increased nor diminished during that term and must be fixed 180 days prior to election.

He further said that the city ordinance only provides for a $12,000 salary for the mayor. There is no mention in the ordinance of additional compensation, such as the insurance package that the mayor's position has been receiving. He did not know when this benefit began or how it came into being.

Anderson said that this is going to be a very "tough" year for the city. She is in favor of eliminating the benefit package, which would save about $8,000.

"The way I look at it is, if someone is running for the mayoral position for benefits, it's the wrong reason to be in that job," she said.

Council members Marty Neitzel and Verl Prather agreed, and no one objected.

Bates said that because there was no written procedure for the benefit package, a motion would need to be made that any incoming mayor would not receive the benefit package.

The motion will be added to next week's agenda.

Solid waste management adds a burden to city budget

Alderman Dean Henrichsmeyer told the council that the solid waste recycling program is becoming a burden financially for the Logan County Joint Solid Waste Agency. He said that the agency is collecting more recyclables than ever before but has "become a victim of its own success."

Commodity pricing for recycled goods has fallen dramatically. For example, in February 2008 the price of cardboard was $150 per ton. As of January 2009 that price has fallen to only $30 per ton.

Henrichsmeyer said at least one of the vendors that used to pay the agency for recycled goods is now charging it to take them. This is adding about $12,000 a year to the expenses of the agency.

In order to cover that additional expense, the agency will charge a percentage of the fee, based on population, to all the communities it serves. The city of Lincoln's share will be approximately $6,100 more than is currently budgeted.

Henrichsmeyer has talked to other municipalities in this area, and they are encountering the same problems. He said that in talking with those municipalities he was able to get the names of some vendors that pay more than the ones the agency is using now. He has passed the list on to the agency coordinator, Mitzi Rohlfs.

The recycling program is an unfunded state mandate that communities are obligated to participate in.

A new roof for City Hall

Robert Shattuck, architect from J H Petty in Springfield, addressed the council regarding the replacement of the roof at City Hall.

Shattuck presented detailed information about the type of roofing and replacement guttering that will be needed for the project. The plan specs also include shoring up the old phone booth on top of the building so that it won't sway.

He noted that his specifications for the project would have to be approved by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency because the building is on their registry.

The specifications drawn up by Shattuck would be used in the bid packet once the city decides which options they favor.

The damage to the current roof is covered by the city's insurance, and a settlement check of $24,000 has been issued. At this time it is unknown if that money would cover the full cost of the repair, but it is unlikely.

Resignation of City Clerk Melanie Riggs

Mayor Davis-Kavelman informed the council that she had received and accepted the resignation of City Clerk Melanie Riggs.

The mayor said that Deputy Clerk Susan Gehlbach, who was present for the meeting, is serving as the acting clerk.

Immediately following that announcement, Anderson made a motion to go into executive session to discuss the selection of a person to fill a public office.

Guests, department heads and press were dismissed for the evening, except for Lincoln Police Chief Stuart Erlenbush, who was asked to stay, and the council went into a closed-door meeting.

[By NILA SMITH]

See complete list of legislators serving the area and contact information: http://www.lincolndailynews.com/
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