 The council also heard from Chuck Conzo, city treasurer, as he
delivered his financial report for the month of August.
Nine aldermen were present for the meeting, with Alderman Buzz
Busby being absent for the evening.
City finances improved, albeit temporarily
Conzo reported that in the month of August, the city of Lincoln
received $564,036.83 in revenues from the state of Illinois, plus
federal funding from a sewer operation and management grant in the
amount of $240,600.
Conzo noted that in June, the general fund balance for the city
was a negative $269,000, and as of the end of August the balance had
moved into the black by approximately $80,000.
He also noted that payments that have been received from the
state are for obligations from their 2010 fiscal year, some of them
dating back as far as March and May.
While the influx of cash right now is certainly good for the city
coffers, Conzo told the council to be prepared for the payments to
dwindle as the year wears on. He noted that the state is still
operating with a $13 billion deficit, with no plan in sight to
resolve that problem. As the state runs out of cash in the 2010-11
fiscal year, it will stop releasing funds on a regular basis.
Frontier is local, engaged and accessible
As many local citizens may well know, Frontier Communications has
purchased Verizon and taken over their communication systems in
Illinois.
Boebinger, the Illinois general manager for Frontier, attended
the council meeting Monday night to introduce himself and his
company to the city and talk about the advantages of Frontier over
the former owner.
He noted that Frontier is geared specifically to deal with the
needs of customers in rural environments and is the largest rural
communications company in America.
He said differences that would be seen right away are in the
accessibility of the company to its customers. He said there are
several managers such as himself located in Illinois, and there is a
specific vice president stationed in Illinois.
He also noted that the company has hired two new service
technicians who will be working out of Lincoln, serving this city
and surrounding areas. In addition, the company will soon be hiring
two new sales representatives who will be designated to Lincoln,
Clinton and surrounding areas.
He noted that he has also joined the Lincoln/Logan County Chamber
of Commerce, is learning about and hopes to be involved in economic
development, and has already met with Mayor Keith Snyder about the
needs of the community and what the city hopes to do in the future.
Economic update
Smiley reported that the Logan County Economic Development Master Plan has
been completed and will be officially presented to the public on
Sept. 30 in a meeting to be held in Restoration Hall at Lincoln
Christian University.
He said that in the plan, 29 action items have been outlined by
consultants Vandewalle & Associates to keep Lincoln and Logan County
moving forward for the next 20 years.
In another development, T.A. Brinkoetter is coming to Lincoln.
The company specializes in plumbing, heating, air conditioning,
ventilation, electrical, fabrication and welding. The business will occupy a
portion of the old PPG building and is expected to hire between
20 and 40 new employees. According to their website, "T.A.
Brinkoetter & Sons is a Union firm, providing quality Union labor
for all its projects."
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The Sugar Creek Wind Farm, which will be located to the west of
Lincoln, is currently scheduled to commence construction in
November. Smiley said the company had been intent on beginning the
project sooner but encountered difficulties with the availability of
turbines.
The wind farm is expected to produce between 12 and 24 local
full-time jobs.
Economic development will introduce a business plan contest,
hopefully the first of October.
Jeff Polsean, region manger of the Illinois Department of
Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and state Rep. Rich Brauer are
the scheduled guests for the next meeting of the Manufacturers
Council.
Candidate packets available in City Hall
City Clerk Denise Martinek said that the State Board of Elections
has provided candidate packets for the upcoming primary in February
of 2011, and they are available in City Hall or by accessing the
city's website and following the links to the website of the
elections board.
For the 2011 primary and general election, seven seats will be up
for grabs on the city council. Four-year terms are available for
Wards 1 through 5, the seats that are currently occupied by council
members Melody Anderson, Ward 1; Kathy Horn, Ward 2; Joni Tibbs,
Ward 3; Buzz Busby, Ward 4; and Jeff Hoinacki, Ward 5. In addition,
there will be two-year terms in Wards 1 and 4, which are the seats
currently occupied by Stacy Bacon and Tom O'Donohue.
Those who wish to run in the primary need to obtain a packet;
collect the required number of signatures on a petition and have all
their paperwork submitted to the city clerk between Nov. 15 and 21.
No early or late submissions will be accepted.
Logan County Joint Solid Waste to hold free shredding day
The council approved allowing the Logan County Joint Solid Waste
Agency use of the city parking lot on North Kickapoo for a shredding
day to be held either Oct. 30 or Nov. 6.
According to the request made by the agency coordinator Mitzi
Rohlfs, the service will be provided by a professional firm out of
Bloomington and the cost is being underwritten by the State Bank of
Lincoln.
The goal is to help deter identity theft by offering a free
service to all Logan County residents that will allow them to safely
destroy documents that might contain personal information. Items
included could be bank and credit card statements, medical records,
or any other documents that might include personal information such
as Social Security numbers.
Reminder
Snyder reminded everyone that Sunday will be the annual Together
for Lincoln Day. He encouraged everyone to get involved with this
very worthwhile event.
[By NILA SMITH]
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