Layoff notices go out at LDC

[FEB. 23, 2002]  Lincoln Developmental Center employees get layoff notices.

The first step in laying off a total of 372 employees of Lincoln Developmental Center, members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union, came Friday when packets informing them of the move were handed out.

The Department of Human Services, which oversees the facility, and Central Management Services, both state agencies, began distributing the packets at 5 a.m. Feb. 22.  Packets went to workers on all three shifts.  One hundred ninety-two of the AFSCME members are slated to be laid off April 30, and the other 180 will be laid off June 30.   

An AFSCME spokesperson said members of three other unions -- the Teamsters, the Illinois Nurses Association, and the Illinois Federation of Public Employees (which represented the security officers) -- will be receiving layoff notices sometime next week.  Workers to be laid off must be given a 60-day notice.

The layoff packets were expected, the AFSCME spokesperson said, because Governor George Ryan has already announced that LDC is to be downsized to 100 residents and about 210 employees.  Ryan has announced that he intends to begin moving residents of LDC to other facilities by April 15.

LDC employees who got the notices also learned that they have only a few days to decide whether they will take a position in another state facility for the developmentally disabled.

Starting Tuesday (Feb. 26), employees targeted for layoffs will meet with Department of Human Services officials to discuss taking jobs in other state facilities.  These employees must decide next week if they want a position somewhere else.

There are 310 vacancies in other state facilities that are being held open for LDC staff members.  However, the spokesperson said, there may not be enough positions open in specific classifications to absorb all LDC staff members who want to move.

Facilities that have openings include Fox Developmental Center at Dwight, Howe in Tinley Park, Ludeman in Park Forest, Murray in Centralia, Shapiro in Kankakee, and Jacksonville at Jacksonville.  Those who accept jobs at other facilities must report to their new positions on April 16.

Employees who do not want to move have two other options, according to Dan Senters, former president of AFSCME local 425 and now a consultant for Illinois Council 31.  If they have enough seniority they can “bump down” to a classification in which they were previously certified.  However, since under the Governor’s plan only 210 jobs will remain at Lincoln, even those with the most seniority may not be able to stay.

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The other option would be to take the layoff and hope to be recalled, he said.  Many employees, he said, will have few or no options.

Even though the first step has been taken to lay off employees, Senters said AFSCME will continue to fight to keep LDC open.

“The process today and the meetings next week in no way indicate that AFSCME is giving up the fight.  We still intend to fight on to restore Lincoln to its once grand state, when it was winning awards for taking care of residents.”

AFSCME has a lawsuit pending in the Logan County Circuit Court to prevent Governor Ryan and other state officials from closing LDC this fiscal year, which ends June 30.

AFSCME contends that money has been appropriated for LDC’s operation for the fiscal year and the Governor cannot withhold the funds. The suit also says that DHS needs a permit from the Illinois Health Facilities Board to move residents from the facility.  About 130 residents have already been moved, and no permits were sought or issued.

The state has asked Judge Don Behle to dismiss the AFSCME suit.  Behle has not yet ruled on the motion to dismiss but is expected to do so before March 1.

AFSCME representatives were on hand at the LDC campus Friday to talk to employees who received the layoff packets.  Senters said receiving them was “traumatic” for the employees, even though they knew the move was coming.  He also said it has been traumatic for the residents who consider LDC home to be moved to other institutions.

“It is not going to be a great cost savings to downsize LDC,” he said.  “They are sending most of these individuals to other facilities.  At least 100 are going to other state-operated developmentally disabled centers.  The money LDC would have received will go for the cost of care at these facilities.  They will be adding more employees at these other state-operated facilities as well.”

Shuffling LDC residents from one institution to another, he said, will not be to their benefit. 

“A lot of individuals at Lincoln will be harmed.  We hope we can stop that. Change of any magnitude, especially this severe, is difficult for them to adjust to.  It is almost guaranteed they will regress.  I still contend if the Governor was genuinely concerned about the welfare of the individuals, they wouldn’t be shuffled around like so much cordwood.”

[Joan Crabb]

A copy of the state-issued layoff notice
some LDC employees received Friday

[FEB. 23, 2002]  Text of letter from the Illinois Department of Human Services:

Illinois Department of Human Services

George H. Ryan, Governor

Linda Reneé Baker, Secretary

100 South Grand Avenue East

Springfield, Illinois 62762

February 22, 2002

Dear Colleague:

Due to the downsizing of the Lincoln Developmental Center, many staff are being required to make difficult choices regarding alternative employment in the Department of Human Services in accordance with personnel and collective bargaining agreement procedures. Unfortunately, some staff may not find the alternative employment offers within DHS suitable and will become subject to layoff.

The Department is preparing to assist employees who find themselves in this situation to explore employment options in other state and federal agencies or in the private sector. At this time, a job fair has tentatively been scheduled for March 20 and 21, and every effort will be made to hold the event at the Lincoln Developmental Center. We will be inviting employers from Bloomington, Decatur, Lincoln, Springfield and surrounding communities to speak to LDC staff members about available employment opportunities and to take applications on the spot.

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In addition to the job fair, representatives from the Department of Central Management Services will be available to answer questions regarding the Upward Mobility Program, group insurance and deferred compensation. Experts from the State Employees Retirement System will be attending, as will counselors representing the Employee Assistance Program. Representatives from the Department of Employment Security will be present to assist with resumé preparation, interview skills, and provide information about the availability of benefits —including unemployment compensation. Finally, staff from the DHS Office of Human Resources will be attending both days to assist you in any way possible, and will be available after the job fair has concluded, should you need further assistance.

Once plans for the job fair have been finalized, you will receive confirmation by mail of the specific time and location. We encourage you to take advantage of these services, explore other employment options and invite you to get answers to questions regarding benefits.

Sincerely,

Mickey Haslett, Chief

Bureau of Recruitment and Selection

Historic funding for schools, more state police,
community living arrangements for disabled

[FEB. 23, 2002]  SPRINGFIELD — Gov. George Ryan is proposing a balanced $52.8 billion fiscal year 2003 budget with a historic change in state school funding and, for the fourth straight year, 51 percent of new revenues dedicated to education.

The budget plans more resources for public safety and human services but also sets priorities to address a slumping national economy. Agency budget bases are being cut across the board by 3 percent. The state’s work force would be reduced by nearly 3,800 positions, and four state facilities would be closed.

"Today, I can report to you that the state of Illinois remains strong. The $52.8 billion budget that I present to you today fulfills all of the many goals that we — together — set for Illinois four years ago," Ryan told a joint session of the General Assembly. "This budget is lean but fair. This budget is balanced. And it contains no tax increases."

The governor’s budget keeps his four-year pledge to allocate 51 percent of all new state revenues to schools and work-force training. Significantly, it also boosts the per-pupil "foundation level" of state funding to almost $5,000 a year, an unprecedented level of state support for every public school child.

The recommended foundation level represents an increase of almost 18 percent in the guaranteed per-pupil funding level since Ryan took office in 1999.

Maintaining the governor’s 51 percent pledge will mean an allocation of $245 million in expected new revenues during the coming fiscal year, which begins on July 1. Total revenue growth for fiscal year 2003 is estimated to be $480 million. If his proposal is approved, Gov. Ryan’s administration will have provided $1.45 billion in new funding for education over four years.

"This budget keeps our commitment that education and work-force training will be our top priority," Ryan said.

For years in Illinois, school districts have struggled with a funding disparity caused by a funding system tied directly to land values. This disparity creates a huge and unfair gap between schools in areas where property values are high and increasing, and areas where land values are low and stagnant.

Since 1997 the General Assembly has tried to bridge this gap and raise the foundation level, or the amount of money guaranteed for every public school student in the state. Since 1999, the foundation level has been increased by $335, or about $111 per year.

To raise the foundation level to a record of nearly $5,000 per student, the governor proposes combining 22 separate grant programs administered by the State Board of Education for individual school districts. The governor instead proposes allocating the nearly $500 million to the school aid formula. The new investment brings the total for state aid to almost $3.7 billion, a record level.

"This money will go to local school districts, where local leaders can decide how best to spend it to serve their students, rather than having state bureaucrats in Springfield make the decisions for them," Gov. Ryan said.

Currently, to receive grant money, every school district has to submit grant applications to the State Board of Education for approval.

Other highlights of the governor’s State of the State / Budget Address include:

•  Illinois Preschool — The FY 2003 state budget includes a $5.8 million allocation to begin "Illinois Preschool," a first-of-its-kind program that gives all 3- and 4-year-olds access to a quality preschool program, no matter where they live in Illinois. Educational studies of youngsters indicate that children who enroll in a quality preschool program do better in school and in life. Another study of preschool children in Chicago indicates that for every dollar spent on quality preschool programs, state government can save $7 in the cost of public safety, remedial education and health care for these children.

•  Teacher development — More than $15 million is proposed to start developing programs to aid the recruitment, mentoring and continued training of teachers at all levels — recommendations that emerged from the 2001 Governor’s Education Summit.

•  Accountability standards — With the enactment last month of President Bush’s "No Child Left Behind" education reform act, every school district will have to meet tough state accountability standards and implement annual student testing for most elementary school grades, or be placed on an academic watch list. The State Board of Education will develop a plan this summer that puts new state accountability standards and new testing requirements into sync with those in federal law.

•  FamilyCare — The FY 2003 state budget proposes a "FamilyCare" initiative to extend health benefits to the families of children enrolled in the Kidcare program. KidCare enrollments now top 178,000 — or roughly 75 percent of all the children in Illinois who are eligible for this program. The Department of Public Aid is negotiating with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for a waiver of federal rules that will allow Illinois to use unspent KidCare money to extend health coverage to more than 200,000 adults in Illinois.

•  SeniorCare — Under the new "SeniorCare" program, as many as 400,000 seniors in Illinois with incomes below 200 percent of the federal government’s poverty level will be eligible, beginning June 1, for assistance in purchasing prescription drugs for around a $3 co-pay. This program, an expansion of Illinois’ existing Circuit Breaker program for seniors, has been hailed by the Bush administration as a national model.

•  TANF grant increase — While the number of families in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program is expected to drop to 48,000 in the next year — a record low — more than 40,000 families still need direct cash assistance. This budget will be able to fund an average 10 percent increase in the TANF grant for families, which currently stands at $377 per month to a single parent and two children.

•  John W. Maitland Jr. LIHEAP grants — The budget continues a record state commitment — $140 million — to help low-income families pay their winter heating bills through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP. To recognize the importance of the program, the governor proposed that the name be changed to honor the creator of the grants, retiring state Sen. John W. Maitland Jr. of Bloomington.

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•  Illinois Workforce Advantage — This budget also calls for an expansion of the innovative Illinois Workforce Advantage program, which helps disadvantaged communities find and implement the right mix of state services and programs to help advance economic development, health care and education. The IWA program will expand to three new areas of the state.

•  Aid to the Aged, Blind and Disabled — The FY 2003 state budget lives up to a three-year-old commitment to expand state support for health care services to more of the most needy citizens — the aged, blind and disabled. In this budget, coverage of people within the AABD program will expand to 100 percent of the federal poverty level, enabling 93,000 more people to get state help in meeting their needs.

•  Adoptions and permanent placements — Funding for assisting in adoptions and permanent placements through the Department of Children and Family Services is increased by $20 million in this budget. In the last three years, DCFS has become a national model in the area of helping troubled families and at-risk children find safety, security and the path to a better life.

•  Home care services for seniors and the disabled — The recommended budget for human services continues a three-year effort to boost the wages of home care workers for seniors and the disabled. With this new $1-an-hour wage increase, over four years the Ryan administration will have provided a 21 percent increase in pay for the Department on Aging’s Community Care program and a 25 percent increase for personal assistants in the Home Services program run by DHS.

•  New Community Integrated Living Arrangements — In this budget, the state will continue to move as many residents of state-run developmentally disabled centers as possible to community-based living arrangements. This budget includes funding for 310 new positions in CILAs.

•  Illinois State Police — The FY 2003 budget includes $383 million in funding for the Illinois State Police, an allocation that includes two new state trooper cadet classes totaling 100 new officers, as well as continued work on the STARCOM statewide voice communications system. The budget also includes funds to hire 80 additional forensic scientists, part of a three-year commitment to expand the state’s capabilities in quickly processing evidence in criminal cases.

•  Department of Corrections — The budget for FY 2003 allows the state to open more than 3,900 new prison beds — 1,717 at the Lawrence Correctional Center in southern Illinois, 1,800 at the new reception and classification center in Joliet, and 415 at the new youth centers in Kewanee and Rushville.

In order to balance his proposed budget for fiscal year 2003, the governor had to make several tough choices that will result in a total appropriation from the budget’s general funds of $22.7 billion — an amount 5 percent less than the FY 2002 state appropriation level of $23.4 billion. The cost controls came in a 3 percent across-the-board cut to the 2003 budget base and last fall’s 2 percent cut to the FY 2002 budget.

The reductions were necessitated by the national economic recession worsened by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

"I want to make it clear to everyone in Illinois that this government has not been spending wildly," Ryan said. "We have kept our spending under control."

With this budget, Ryan said the four-year average growth in state spending will be 3.5 percent, a small annual increase compared to the growth in the economy during the same time period.

Last fall, the National Association of State Budget Officers reported that the average growth among the 50 states in spending revenue from their general funds was 2.8 percent, while the increase in Illinois was 1.5 percent.

In the previous fiscal year, when state spending increased by an average of 8.3 percent nationwide, Illinois’ spending growth was 6.1 percent.

Most of the country suffered from the economic downturn after Sept. 11. Forty-two of the 50 states have reported an unanticipated drop in revenues. All of those states have had to adjust their budgets, either through a combination of spending cuts, drawing on reserve funds or, in a few cases, increasing taxes.

Among the spending controls included in the FY 2003 state budget:

•  The FY 2003 budget is predicated on the lowest state employee head count in more than a decade — 62,000 positions. The state government work force will be downsized by 3,800 positions.

•  An early retirement program for qualified state employees was proposed to help in reducing the state work force. While the exact details of an early retirement plan have yet to be worked out, it is estimated that the state can save as much as $50 million.

•  The Vienna Correctional Center and the Valley View Youth Center, some of the oldest infrastructure in the corrections system, will be closed and the inmate populations moved to other facilities.

•  The opening of the new maximum-security prison in Thomson will be delayed for one year to avoid absorbing the costs of opening that prison.

•  The Zeller Mental Health Center in Peoria and the developmental disability unit at the Singer Mental Health and Developmental Center in Rockford will be closed.

"Every year that I have served the people as governor, I have asked all of you — Republican and Democrat — to join me in building a ‘New Illinois.’ Each year, I have asked you to put partisanship aside and place the common good of the people and our state foremost in your actions," Ryan said. "Sometimes, that has been a tremendous challenge. But we always have succeeded in finding a common ground that resolves our differences.

"Today, one more time, I renew my invitation and — again — extend my hand in friendship," the governor added. "Let’s all work together to do great things for Illinois."

[Illinois Government News Network]

Lincoln teen killed in collision

[FEB. 21, 2002]  A Lincoln resident was killed late Wednesday night in an automobile accident two miles west of Lincoln. Joseph Boughan, 18, was killed when the vehicle he was driving struck a utility pole at the 800 block of 1575th Street, also known as Fifth Street Road.

Chief Deputy John Garlits said the vehicle was westbound when the driver lost control and struck the utility pole. The impact caused electrical wires to fall, but it has not yet been determined whether the impact of the collision or the fallen electrical wiring caused the fatality. Garlits said an autopsy would be necessary to determine the cause of death. Boughan was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:25 p.m.

A spokesman for the Lincoln Rural Fire Department said the utility pole had been snapped in two and the vehicle was overturned, resting on its top.

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The three passengers in the car were taken to Memorial Medical Center in Springfield by Logan County Paramedics. Lindsey Vaughan, 16, of Mount Pulaski and Curtis Marcum, 17, of New Holland were treated and released. Jaime Gannon, 16, Lincoln, is listed in good condition.

At the scene were the Logan County Sheriff’s Department, Lincoln Rural Fire and Rescue, a representative of the coroner’s office, Illinois State Police, and the Lincoln Police Department. The state police are assisting the Logan County Sheriff’s Department with the investigation.

CILCO was called out to shut off the power and replace the utility pole.

[Joan Crabb]

Update:  Jamie Gannon, who was the only of the three admitted to the hospital, was released later in the day.

[Click here for obituary.]

No decision yet on LDC lawsuit

[FEB. 21, 2002]  No decision has yet been made on the motion to dismiss the lawsuit against Gov. George Ryan to prevent him from closing Lincoln Developmental Center during the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.

At a hearing Wednesday at the Logan County Courthouse, Judge Don Behle heard arguments from attorneys for both sides but said he did not feel comfortable "reaching a ruling at this moment."

He said he would make the decision and inform the attorneys after he has reviewed all the documents.

Steve Yokich, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, said he was not surprised by the delay. "This was all done on an expedited basis," he explained. The briefs were filed so recently that Judge Behle probably had not had time to read all of them.

The plaintiffs include AFSCME Council 31; Norlan and Eleanor Newmister, parents of an LDC resident; state Sen. Larry Bomke of Springfield; and Don Todd, president of AFSCME Local 425.

Defendants are Gov. Ryan, Illinois Department of Human Services Director Linda Renee Baker, state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka and state Comptroller Daniel Hynes.

The plaintiffs contend that the governor does not have the right to withhold the money that has already been appropriated to keep LDC running until the end of the fiscal year. They also contend that it is against the law to reduce the number of beds at LDC without a permit from the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board. The Department of Human Services should have gotten permits before transferring any of the residents out of LDC, but no such permit was issued.

Gov. Ryan has already moved about 130 LDC residents to other facilities, and his latest plan calls for moving out another 159 residents, leaving only 100 still at LDN. The plan also calls for cutting the staff, which six months ago was about 700 employees, to about 200.

Karen McNaught, representing the state, said there was no authority for the proposition that once money is appropriated it must be spent. She said the law does not mandate the entire amount appropriated must be spent, and the decision on spending rests with the agency in question.

Yokich said he has never argued that all money appropriated must be spent, but that it is not up to the executive to "unilaterally have the authority to determine when and how the money is to be used."

"Are the operations at LDC being cut in order to save money (which we believe) or for other reasons?" he asked.

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Yokich and McNaught cited statutes and case law regarding the matter of the permits.

McNaught said that when transferring residents, the Department of Human Services relied on the legal department of the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board for the opinion that no permit was required. She also said the state has not conceded that LDC is a health care facility and falls under the requirements of the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board.

She also conceded that if the DHS was going to close LDC, they would have to get a permit, but because there is no discontinuation of services, no permits are required.

Yokich said the Health Facilities Planning Act is being violated because the governor’s plan is fundamentally changing the scope and operation of LDC. He said that as he interprets the statute, permits are required if the facility cuts more than 10 beds or more than 10 percent of its beds.

If LDC downsizes, he said, "Employees, families and residents have to make choices. They deserve to know whether the statute is being complied with."

Before closing the hearing, Judge Behle asked several questions of the two attorneys. He asked Yokich if he agreed the governor has the authority to close LDC. Yokich replied that he does, if the proper procedures are followed. The judge also asked what benefit Yokich’s clients would have if the DHS were to comply with the health care act and seek permits.

Yokich replied that public hearings would have to be held and parents and guardians, as well as employees, would have a chance to take their case before the public.

"People can come to the agency and say, ‘This is a bad idea.’"

Attending the hearing were members of the Lincoln Parents Association as well as a representative from AFSCME.

[Joan Crabb]

City contract negotiations
start next week

[FEB. 21, 2002]  At a recent committee-of-the-whole meeting of the Lincoln City Council, Mayor Beth Davis named the members of the committees that will negotiate with the four unions that represent city of Lincoln employees. Contract negotiations will begin the week of Feb. 25.

Negotiating with the Operating Engineers, Clerical, will be Alderman Glenn Shelton, the mayor and city attorney Bill Bates. Negotiating with Operating Engineers, Streets and Alleys, will be Alderman George Mitchell, chairman of the streets and alleys committee, along with the mayor and Bates.

Alderman Verl Prather, chair of the police committee, will negotiate with the Police Department union, along with Bates and the mayor. Alderman Benny Huskins, chair of the fire and ESDA committee, will be on the team with Bates and the mayor to negotiate with the Fire Department’s union.

The insurance committee met before the regular meeting for preliminary discussions with the city’s insurance carrier, R.W. Garrett Agency of Lincoln. Roger Garrett outlined several types of proposals and will meet with the committee again soon to present more specific plans.

Providing health insurance is becoming more expensive, and the city will be considering ways to keep costs down, including co-payments by employees.

"We are going to have to make some hard decisions. We are going to have to ask employees to take more responsibility," said Shelton, who is chair of the insurance committee.

Bill Melton, chair of the sewer committee, said there is an ongoing problem getting some delinquent homeowners to pay their sewer bills. These users cannot be cut off, because they are on a double hookup and cutting them off would penalize a user who is paying the bills.

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At present, those on single hookups who are behind in payments will have the sewer line dug up and disconnected, which then means, unless service is restored, they will have to move out of the home because it is not in a livable condition.

This doesn’t happen often, according to City Clerk Juanita Josserand. Sewer users may ignore the notices they receive, she said, but "when they see the red mark in the yard, they fly in and pay the bill."

Grant Eaton, sewer plant manager, said he has had to dig up only two or three sewer lines. "We’ll give them a last-minute chance to pay before we drop the blade, but if they don’t pay, we’ll dig them," he said.

Josserand said one customer owes $2,600 on a sewer bill but can’t be cut off, because he is on a combined sewer system and the other customer is paid up.

Verl Prather pointed out that if the city were billing for sewer use by the amount of water used, delinquent users could have the water shut off, a much easier procedure than digging up a sewer.

Alderman Steve Fuhrer, chair of the finance committee, said the first budget meeting will be on Saturday, March 16, at 9 a.m. He asked department heads to have budget requests in by March 8. The city’s fiscal year runs from May 1 to April 30.

[Joan Crabb]

[FEB. 21, 2002]  SPRINGFIELD — Gov. George Ryan’s proposed FY2003 state budget of $52.8 billion is a good starting point, but much debate and discussion remains before a final plan is approved in late spring, according to Sen. Claude Stone.

"The budget won’t be finalized for several more months, but the governor’s plan is a good start," said Stone. "We are in a very tight fiscal year because of lower than anticipated revenues and higher than anticipated costs. I commend the governor for resisting pressures and temptations to raise taxes to solve the financial problems. Raising taxes is not the answer. Government must tighten its belt and do with less."

The governor predicts $500 million of revenue growth over the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. He is calling for a reduction of about 3,800 state jobs, mostly through attrition and retirement, although some layoffs may be necessary.

Under the Ryan budget plan, education remains the top priority.

"Under the governor’s plan, elementary and secondary education would see a $245 million increase in the base funding level for public education and work-force training," said Stone. "He’s also proposing increases to higher education, bringing the state’s total commitment to public education to $11.4 billion."

Other provisions in the budget proposal include:

•  No tax increases.

•  $35 million for continued funding of Illinois’ Earned Income Tax Credit, the EITC.

•  $60 million for continued funding of the state’s Education Assistance Tax Credit.

•  Implementation of a tax amnesty program to generate $35 million.

•  $383 million for the Department of State Police, with funding for 100 new officers.

•  Allocation of $143.5 million in federal funds for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to create an Urban Search and Rescue Team for preparations to respond to acts of terrorism involving chemical, biological agents or explosive devices and responses to natural disasters.

•  $1.3 billion for Illinois’ Department of Corrections, funding 2,677 new prison beds in the current fiscal year and 2,160 new prison beds for FY2003.

•  Closure of the Vienna Correctional Center in Vienna and the Illinois Youth Center in Valley View, with their respective populations transferred to other state facilities.

•  $102 million for SeniorCare, an expanded version of the state’s Circuit Breaker and Pharmaceutical Assistance program for low-income elderly and people with disabilities.

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•  $4.9 billion for the Department of Human Services to support health and social service programs to help families continue to move from welfare to work.

•  Continued funding for subsidized child care and funding to maintain the state’s commitment to substance-abuse prevention and intervention programs.

•  $4 million for the Illinois Workforce Advantage program to assist disadvantaged and economically depressed areas of the state.

•  The Department of Human Services will downsize state mental health centers in Rockford and Elgin and close the center in Peoria. Residents will be moved to other facilities.

•  Funding for 310 new community-integrated living arrangements.

•  $331.6 million allocation and $118.4 million in general revenue funding for the Department of Public Health to continue overseeing and promoting health care.

•  $40 million for Illinois Open Land Trust, which preserves land for public use.

•  $11.7 million for the Conservation 2000 program to preserve and enhance wildlife habitats, and to increase recreational facilities.

•  $12 million in state funds for Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s Walter Pollution Control Revolving Fund program to help local governments install and improve sewer and wastewater treatment facilities.

•  Continued funding for Agri-FIRST, a statewide program to help farmers and agricultural producers add value to Illinois crops through innovative strategies and new products.

•  $12 million increase for the state’s Department of Commerce and Community Affairs "Prime Sites" program, which provides assistance to economic development sites and helps create or retain jobs.

•  Continued funding for the "Economic Development for a Growing Economy" tax credit, commonly known as the EDGE program.

•  Continued funding to clean up and rehabilitate polluted urban industrial sites.

The budget outlined by the governor before the House and Senate Wednesday is for the 2003 fiscal year, which starts July 1.

[News release]

City approves paperwork
for sewer plant loan

[FEB. 20, 2002]  The Lincoln City Council moved quickly Tuesday night to approve the paperwork for the $12 million loan that will allow the city to make the necessary upgrades to its sewer plant.

The council unanimously approved an ordinance and a resolution to borrow up to $12 million from the Water Pollution Control Loan program, but several members questioned the ordinance asking them to buy national flood insurance on all structures at the sewer plant.

"This comes as a surprise to me," said Glenn Shelton, chairman of the committee on insurance. Shelton and others said they would like a chance to study the flood insurance policy and get figures on prices.

However, when sewer plant manager Grant Eaton told the council that all documents, including the resolution of intent to buy flood insurance, were due in Springfield the next day, council members agreed to the flood insurance provision.

The last paperwork must be at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency today (Feb. 20), if the city is to get the loan money this year, Eaton said.

Eaton said he would hand carry the signed documents to Springfield to be sure all deadlines are met. The city will know if the 20-year 2.68 percent loan is approved by March 31. In the meantime, the city can go out for bids so final bids can be approved when the funding is secure.

The loan authorization includes a "back door referendum" provision, which means after the loan ordinance is published, if enough residents object and sign a petition, the city must take the project to the public as a referendum.

Eaton said he was optimistic about getting the money this year.

"We’re at the top of the list now," he said. He hopes to see construction start sometime in May and estimates it will take about 18 months to be completed.

If the loan approval doesn’t come by March 31, Lincoln will have to wait until October of this year or even January of 2003 — delays that will result in increased costs, according to Environmental Management Corporation, which manages the sewer plant.

The plant upgrade is necessary, EMC officials say, because the existing plant has reached capacity, and violations would mean the IEPA could refuse to approve any new hookups, thus stopping growth in the city.

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To assure the IEPA that the city can repay the loan, the city has raised sewer rates in a two-step program. As of Jan. 1, 2002, rates for residential users went from $11 per month to $14, and rates for commercial, industrial and institutional users have also risen. The second tier of rate increases, to go into effect 18 months later, would raise rates for all users again, bringing residential rates to $16.39.

Eaton said he is seeking state and federal grants to help pay the costs and keep the final sewer rates as low as possible. The entire cost of the plant is estimated at $9.8 million, but having the $12 million loan "blocked out" for the city gives it a "comfort zone." Eaton is working on applications for two grants now, one from Illinois Green for $125,000 and one from the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs for $400,000.

In other business, the council denied the request of the Lincoln Christian Church to pave over the city sidewalk and up to the curb when it upgrades its parking lot.

"I can’t in clear conscience ask the city to do this," said Dave Armbrust, chairman of the Sidewalks, Forestry and Lighting Committee. "We would be giving up our sidewalk and giving up the buffer zone to the street."

The council specified that all construction in the parking area must be limited to the parking lot area, and the new sidewalk, to be installed at the church’s expense, must be a separate pour. The grassy area between the sidewalk and the street must also be preserved.

Mayor Beth Davis announced the appointment of Jim Drew to the Zoning Board of Appeals, which was unanimously approved by the council. The ZBA is now fully staffed, she said.

Davis also announced that she is receiving complaints about political signs on city property and asked that those who put up these signs move them to private property.

[Joan Crabb]

County purchases ambulance
and backhoe

[FEB. 20, 2002]  In a shorter than usual voting session Tuesday night, the Logan County Board committed to nearly $163,000 in purchases, including a new ambulance and backhoe.

With no negative votes, the board approved four expenditures:

•  $88,278 to Foster Coach Sales of Sterling for a 2002 Medtech ambulance and cot. A $9,500 trade-in for the old ambulance is part of the bid. Board member Clifford "Sonny" Sullivan abstained from voting because he is a member of the Paramedics Association board.

•  $58,212 to Machinery, Inc., of Springfield for a backhoe to be used by the county highway department.

•  Time and materials to Ozyurt & Stone of Springfield for scour repair on the Waynesville bridge. The work is expected to cost about $10,000.

•  $6,239 to Springfield Overhead Doors for garage doors on the highway department maintenance building. The bid includes removal of the old doors, installation and push-button openers for the new doors.

Finance Committee chair Rod White reported that investments in the state pool are earning only 1½-2 percent interest. County Treasurer Mary Bruns is seeking other investment opportunities with a higher interest rate.

White also said that the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, which has earned up to 20 percent or more in recent years, made only 1.87 percent in 2001 and is projected to lose 6.7 percent in 2002. As a result, the county will have to pay more into the fund, but how much will not be known until April.

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Roger Bock, a Finance Committee member, praised county officials for keeping within their budgets. The one exception is that 40 percent of the sheriff’s deputy overtime budget has already been spent. Bock said this problem, which involves radio operators, is being addressed.

Representatives of Edward Jones investment banking firm had made a presentation on bonding to the Finance Committee. White said there are no current plans to issue bonds, but board members are looking at possibilities so they will be prepared should the need arise.

Bock, who chairs the Airport Committee, reported that the communication tower next to the newest hanger had suffered wind damage and had been removed to protect the building. Insurance is expected to cover the cost of the tower.

The county will have an open house from 1 to 3 p.m., Sunday, March 3, to showcase the new Dr. John Logan County Building and improvements to the Logan County Courthouse. Refreshments will be served in the courthouse rotunda.

Board chairman Dick Logan read a letter from Rod White indicating his intention to retire in December at the end of his current term. White has served on the county board for 20 years.

[Lynn Shearer Spellman]

[FEB. 20, 2002]  DECATUR — Gov. George Ryan announced Monday that he will propose a dramatic change in school funding that will increase the state’s foundation level to almost $5,000 per student — a record level — and keep his pledge of devoting 51 percent of new state revenues to education and work-force training..

The governor’s remarks were made at George Washington Elementary School in Decatur during a preview of his education agenda and budget message.

By executive order Gov. Ryan also announced a 10-point plan, the "Illinois Agenda for Excellence in Education," to ensure Illinois is meeting the Bush administration’s priorities in the "No Child Left Behind" education reform act, better support teacher recruitment and retention efforts, and increase accountability for teachers and schools.

Gov. Ryan’s Illinois Agenda for Excellence in Education builds on the previous accomplishments in education and work-force training. It focuses on developing "Illinois Preschool," orders the development of a new plan for annual testing and student accountability programs, creates a strategy to set accountability standards to close learning gaps for disadvantaged students, and recommits Illinois to better career development for educators.

It’s no secret that the state budget for next year is going to present us with many, many tough challenges because of the economic downturn this nation experienced after the tragedy of Sept. 11th," said Gov. Ryan. "Despite the recession our country is facing, these problems will not stop me from making our children the state’s top priority."

Gov. Ryan proposes to increase the foundation-level funding for fiscal year 2003 by more than $400, bringing the total to almost $5,000. Funding for this increase could be available by eliminating 22 current grant programs in the State Board of Education and giving that money directly to the school districts. Since 1999, the foundation level has increased by $335 dollars per student. The general state aid will be increased to almost $3.7 billion, representing an increase of $500 million in FY 2003.

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"This gives Decatur and all other school districts the flexibility to determine how bureaucrats can best meet the needs of their students," said Gov. Ryan.

Universal access to early childhood education, or "Illinois Preschool," will also receive $6 million in funding under the governor’s FY 03 proposal. A new Illinois Preschool Council will develop the implementation framework for universal access by January and will study how every community in the state can offer high-quality preschool in settings like child-care centers, family child-care homes, schools, Head Start programs and community centers.

A new $5,000 Illinois Teacher Education Assistance Campaign, or I-TEACH, will be created out of existing grant programs at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. I-TEACH will provide scholarships for students studying to become teachers in subject areas where there is a shortage of teachers, like math or science.

"With the Illinois Agenda for Excellence in Education and my budget recommendations for the coming year, this state will greatly strengthen our commitment to education," said Gov. Ryan. "I believe passionately that we must work together on this agenda and that we must remain true to our commitment to education."

[Illinois Government News Network]

LDC: Best home for one resident

[FEB. 19, 2002]  The prospect of downsizing the Lincoln Developmental Center is an ongoing nightmare for Linda and Pat Brown of LeRoy, parents of a 27-year-old son for whom LDC is home.

"Our son, Jeff, has been a LDC a little over 4½ years, and he’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him," Linda says.

Although many advocates for the developmentally disabled would like to see their clients in small-group, community-integrated living units known as CILAs, such a setting didn’t work for Jeff, Linda says. Jeff is in the severe to profound disability range; he doesn’t understand any type of danger, and he doesn’t like change.

[AFSCME Union 425 President Don Todd discusses the governor’s planned LDC resident transfers with parents Linda and Pat Brown of LeRoy.  Concerned for their son's well-being and that of other LDC residents, the Browns attended the legislative hearing in Springfield last Wednesday.]

"He needs structure," says his mother. "He was in a community setting for 12 years. The MARC center in Bloomington did the best they could with the resources they had, but Jeff didn’t do well there. He couldn’t deal with the frequent changes in staff. He couldn’t cope and he had behavior problems."

Later he was put in an apartment in downtown Bloomington with one-on-one supervision, but that didn’t work either. He had no activities, his father recalls; he just sat there looking at four walls. One night, he got out and was found running in the middle of a downtown street.

At last the family and the MARC center agreed that they could do no more for Jeff. He was sent to BroMenn Hospital for a few days, and then to Lincoln.

"We had had it drummed into us that state-operated facilities were not adequate placement," Pat Brown says. But as there seemed to be no other alternative, Linda visited LDC and came away impressed.

"I had always thought institutions were horrible, but I went to LDC and was impressed with the setting and the living arrangements, and especially with the compassion the staff had for me and for Jeff. I had never experienced that much compassion," she reports.

When Jeff left BroMenn, he was on six medications to control his behavior, says his father. "He went to LDC and in a short time they turned him around. He was soon on only one medication, to control seizures. He absolutely loves it there. We used to have to fight him to get him to go to the MARC center, but now he wants to go back to LDC. He likes to come home, but when he gets here he soon wants to go back to Lincoln. The LDC staff love him. They say he’s easy to manage."

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One reason Jeff likes LDC is that he has plenty of activities. He’s in a work program at Logan Mason Rehabilitation Center and he loves going to work, his mother reports. He goes on outings, he’s in Special Olympics, and he plays basketball on the LDC courts.

"Jeff is happier at LDC than he’s ever been. He now has friends. His friends and the staff are his family," Linda says.

"Now we’re faced with the governor wanting to move 150 residents, and there is no place for Jeff to go. They had trouble finding placements for the first group they sent out. The governor’s decision is turning everybody’s life upside down," she continues.

Linda and Pat are co-presidents of the LDC parents group, which has recently grown to 250 members.

Pat thinks the move toward putting the developmentally disabled in small group homes is the way of the future. "It’s the train that’s going down the track that they want us all to get on," he says.

"If the state is moving toward small group homes, why won’t they oversee the community facilities as they do the state-operated ones? The state needs to provide community homes with the funding and experienced staff to care for our loved ones, as they do in Lincoln," he continues.

"Our number one consideration is to have properly trained, properly compensated staff who can take all the abuse — the slaps, the pinches, the vomiting — that comes with caring for the profoundly handicapped. They need to pay staff a living wage, not $6, $7, or $8 an hour," he continues.

"I said at our last parents’ meeting, ‘At LDC we have Cadillac services and at community-based homes we have Yugo services.’ This is because of the state funding. Should we throw these very good services into disarray? Why not give them all at least Ford or Chevy services?

"If the same criteria and the same review process were used in community-based homes, they would not pass muster. They would not pass the stringent requirements that LDC is held to.

"The bottom line is you’ve got to have day-to-day, well-compensated, highly trained employees who will stay in the profession long term. And this costs money. Otherwise we’re going to have a catastrophe in our delivery system of services for the developmentally disabled.

"We hope the legislature will intervene and provide the funding for LDC to continue to operate at the level it is at right now."

[Joan Crabb]

LCCS athletic facility dedication planned

[FEB. 18, 2002]  Lincoln Christian College and Seminary has set the dedication ceremony for the new Laughlin Center at 10 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 23. Olympic medalist Jean Driscoll is the guest speaker.

[Laughlin Center; photo by Bob Frank]

The new athletic facility includes a 30,000-square-foot gymnasium that features seating for 1,000 people, training and locker rooms, office space, and a weight room and athletic equipment, as well as additional parking and landscaping.

[Thomas A. Gaston Arena in the Laughlin Center;
photo by Bob Frank]

Dedication events include ribbon-cutting ceremonies at the Laughlin Center and the Thomas A. Gaston Arena. A reception, along with tours of the facility, will follow the presentation by Ms. Driscoll. The dedication will conclude with the first men’s and women’s basketball games in the new facility.

The athletic facility is part of the multimillion dollar renovation sweeping the LCCS campus. P.J. Hoerr of Normal constructed the facility. The public is invited to attend this momentous occasion.

10 a.m. — Ribbon-cutting ceremony at Laughlin Center

10:15 a.m. — Ribbon-cutting ceremony at Thomas A. Gaston Arena; remarks and recognition of special guests

10:30 a.m. — Guest speaker: Olympic medalist Jean Driscoll

11:30 a.m. — Reception and tours

1 p.m. — Women’s basketball game: Lincoln Christian College vs. Emmaus Bible College

3 p.m. — Men’s basketball game: Lincoln Christian College vs. Emmaus Bible College

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Guest speaker Jean Driscoll

Jean Driscoll is an accomplished athlete and speaker who is known around the world. She won silver medals in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympic Games. She has won the Boston Marathon eight times and is the only person in the marathon’s 105-year history to achieve that feat.

Ms. Driscoll earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication and a master’s in rehabilitation administration from the University of Illinois. She also holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Rhode Island.

[Jean Driscoll; photo provided by LCCS]

Additional accomplishments

•  1991 Women’s Sports Foundation Amateur Sportswoman of the Year

•  1992 USA Track and Field Disabled Female Athlete of the Year

•  1992, 1996 Wheelchair Sports U.S.A. Female Athlete of the Year

•  1996 Illinois Fellowship of Christian Athletes Champion in Christ Award

•  1997 Athletes International Ministries Female Athlete of the Year

•  No. 25 on Sports Illustrated "Top 100 Female Athletes of the 20th Century"

•  Illinois Fellowship of Christian Athletes state board, 1995-present

•  Wheelchair Sports U.S.A. member, 1987-2000

•  Author, "Determined to Win," 2000 biography about Jean’s life

Television appearance highlights

•  Commentator during Boston Marathon, April 2001

•  "CBS Sports Spectacular," December 2000

•  "Good Morning America," April 1996

•  "ABC Nightline," April 1996

•  "The Today Show," August 1996

•  "Late, Late Show with Tom Snyder," April 1995

Military addresses sought

It is a year like no other. Since Sept. 11 we are a changed nation. Individually, our daily sensitivity toward whom and what we have in our lives has been heightened. We are more conscious and appreciative, first about those we love and see everyday. Next, we have a newfound appreciation for those who risk their lives every day as rescue workers and protectors of life and property in our communities. We also now think more about our military men and women who are committed to serve and protect our country. Many are away engaged in battle, some are in waiting to go, all are ready to lay their lives on the line in defense of our freedom.

Lincoln Daily News is seeking the names and addresses, including e-mail addresses, of friends and relatives who are serving in the armed forces. They need not be from here in Logan County. If you know someone serving, please send the information to ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com. A complete list will be made available and kept updated through the site so we might all hold them in our thoughts, prayers and well wishes.

[Click here for names available now.]

Name of person in military:

Branch of service:

Current location of service:

Postal address:

E-mail address:

Relationship to LDN reader sending information (optional):

[LDN]

It’s on the radio, TV, in all the media. You hear it in the office, on the street and maybe at home — threats of terrorism. America is on high alert. Here in central Illinois, away from any supposed practical target areas, perhaps we feel a little less threatened, but we are still concerned. So how concerned should we be, and how prepared are we for the types of situations that could occur?

Whether the threat is domestic or foreign, violent, biological or chemical, our public health and rescue agencies have been preparing to respond to the situations. Lincoln Daily News has been at meetings where all the agencies gather together as the Logan County Emergency Planning Committee to strategize for just such a time. Our reports have not even provided every detail that every agency has reported; i.e., a number of representatives from differing agencies such as the health and fire departments, CILCO and ESDA went to a bioterrorism and hazmat (hazardous materials) seminar this past August.

Here are some of the articles that LDN has posted pre- and post-Tuesday, Sept. 11. Hopefully you will see in them that WE ARE WELL PREPARED. At least as much as any area can be. Every agency has been planning, training, submitting for grants to buy equipment long before Sept. 11. We can be thankful for all of the dedicated, insightful leaders we have in this community.

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• LEPC hears plans for annual exercise

• U.S. under terrorist attack
  How is Logan County affected?

• The day after ‘Attack on America’
  Area leaders respond to national tragedy

• ESDA and LEPC conduct successful hazardous materials exercise at water treatment plant 

• Logan County ready for action if terrorist event occurs - Part 1

• Logan County ready for action if terrorist event occurs – Part 2

• Clinton nuclear power plant safety measures in place

• Logan County agencies meet to discuss protocol for suspicious mail

As promised, the United States led an attack on Afghanistan. The attack began Sunday, Oct. 7. American and British military forces made 30 hits on air defenses, military airfields and terrorist training camps, destroying aircraft and radar systems. The strike was made targeting only terrorists.

More than 40 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East have pledged their cooperation and support the U.S. initiative.

Online news links

Other countries

Afghanistan

http://www.afghandaily.com/ 

http://www.myafghan.com/  

http://www.afghan-web.com/aop/ 

China

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/

http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/

Germany

http://www.faz.com/

India

http://www.dailypioneer.com/ 

http://www.hindustantimes.com/ 

http://www.timesofindia.com/ 

Israel

http://www.jpost.com/ 

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/ 

England

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/ 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/ 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/

Pakistan

http://www.dawn.com/

http://frontierpost.com.pk/ 

Russia

http://english.pravda.ru/

http://www.sptimesrussia.com/ 

Saudi Arabia

http://www.arabnews.com/ 

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United States

Illinois

http://www.suntimes.com/index/ 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/ 

http://www.pantagraph.com/ 

http://www.qconline.com/ 

http://www.pjstar.com/

http://www.sj-r.com/ 

http://www.herald-review.com/

http://www.southernillinoisan.com/ 

New York

http://www.nypost.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/

Stars and Stripes
(serving the U.S. military community)

http://www.estripes.com/ 

Washington, D.C.

Announcements

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