Tuesday, July 2

Bomke says state has money for LDC

[JULY 2, 2002]  State Sen. Larry Bomke says the state of Illinois has the money to continue operating the Lincoln Developmental Center if LDC can survive attempts by Gov. George Ryan and the Department of Human Services to close it.

Money could be found in the budget of DHS, the agency that oversees all state-operated centers for the developmentally disabled, he said. Ironically, it is DHS that is trying hard to close the 125-year-old Lincoln facility.

State agencies like DHS usually have some flexibility in their budgets, he said. In the past, DHS could transfer 2 percent of its budget from one institution to another, but this year, because of the budget squeeze, the agencies have 3 percent instead of 2 percent that is flexible.

DHS has more than $3 billion in its budget, Bomke said, and 3 percent of that would be about $128 million.

Last year, the budget for operating LDC, with about 375 residents, was only $35 million. This year, because of downsizing by Gov. George Ryan and DHS, there are only 242 residents. About 40 of these, who are under the Office of the State Guardian, may be moved out soon.

An injunction issued by Judge Don Behle yesterday will prevent the state from moving residents without their consent until a permit has been granted by the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board. However, the Office of the State Guardian is expected to consent to moving about 40 LDC residents to other state centers. That would leave the center with only 200 residents.

 

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Bomke, R-Springfield, is a party to the lawsuit seeking to prevent the movement of LDC residents and attended the court hearing yesterday.

He told Lincoln Daily News that the arguments of DHS attorney Steven Puiszis regarding budget constraints were not accurate. Puiszis charged that LDC would run out of money and residents might have to be returned to their homes.

"DHS could fund Lincoln if it wanted to. The governor chose not to put money in that line item for DHS, but the point remains that DHS has transferability of up to 3 percent of $3 billion," Bomke said.

"They can argue they would have to take it away from someplace else, but they would have to put money into other institutions to care for former LDC residents."

Bomke said even if DHS did not fund the Lincoln facility, the budget completed by the General Assembly this year anticipated an $850 million year-end balance.

This could be transferred to any department.

"It would take an action by the General Assembly, but we do that all the time," he said.

[Joan Crabb]


City approves police contract,
early retirement

[JULY 2, 2002]  The Lincoln City Council has approved a contract agreement with the city’s police department, one of the four unions that represent city employees.

Bill Bates, city attorney, said the new three-year contract with Fraternal Order of Police 208 isn’t much different from the last one. It includes a 9¾ percent raise over a three-year period: 3 percent the first year, 3¼ percent the second year and 3½ percent the third year.

The city will continue to pay 100 percent of the health insurance for police department employees but will not pay for coverage of employees’ families. The city previously discussed adding a co-payment clause for some medical procedures, but that did not become part of the new contract.

The contract with the police union is the first to be ratified by the city, although the contract with Operating Engineers Local 399, which represents street department employees, was on the agenda Monday but was tabled.

The other two unions represent the fire department and the city’s clerical workers.

 

The council also approved an early retirement incentive plan, which will allow city employees who are at least 50 years old and have 20 years of service to buy out their remaining years and retire.

Both employees and the city must pay the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund the amount they would have paid had they remained employed until age 55. Employees have only two years to make the payment to IMRF, but the city can take at least 10 years to pay off its share, according to City Clerk Juanita Josserand.

The "window" for signing up for early retirement will be 60 days from Sept. 1, 2002. Any employee who wants early retirement must sign up with IMRF during this time, she said. The city will not be authorized to offer early retirement again until it has paid its share for those employees choosing to retire. If it chooses the 10-year payment option, for example, it cannot offer early retirement again for 10 years.

 

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Employees who take early retirement will have to pay all of their insurance benefits until age 55, at which time the city will pay half the premium. Insurance premiums have gone up 15 percent this year, Josserand said.

She advised the council that the city will save money only if no new employees are hired to replace those retiring. "The whole idea is to get rid of employees," she said.

She said the two employees who have so far indicated interest in early retirement are from the street department. They are Don Osborne, superintendent, and Rod Malerich, assistant superintendent.

The council learned that the probationary period for firefighter Todd Koehler ended June 20, and he has a permanent appointment as a firefighter. Also two police officers, Jason Lucas and Christie L. Jackson, have successfully completed probationary periods.

 

At a committee meeting before the regular council meeting, finance committee members made a few minor changes to the city’s $10.5 million appropriations ordinance for fiscal year 2002-2003. About $230,000 was added for monthly salaries and $115,000 for demolition of buildings. A line item for $600,000 for capital projects was added. This represents the amount the city can levy for general obligation bonds and will be used for improvements to the infrastructure, Josserand said.

A public hearing on the appropriations ordinance is scheduled for 7 p.m. July 9.

[Joan Crabb]

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LDC still hanging on

Judge Behle issues temporary restraining order

(Posted Monday afternoon)

[JULY 1, 2002]  The Lincoln Developmental Center will not close its doors until the Illinois Department of Human Services has the proper permit in hand, according to a ruling Monday by Logan County Associate Judge Don Behle.

Judge Behle issued a temporary restraining order to prohibit the state from any involuntary transfer of residents until it has a permit from the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board. The board is not expected to take action on the permit until Aug. 15.

This means the state cannot move 191 of the residents still on the campus without their permission until the board’s decision is announced. However, the future of the other 51 residents may still be in doubt.

Those 51 residents have already agreed to move to other state-operated facilities, according to Steven Puiszis, attorney for DHS, the agency that oversees all state facilities for the developmentally disabled. DHS had planned to move the 51 residents between July 2 and July 8.

However, because a letter sent to families and guardians said LDC was slated to be closed by Sept. 1 and did not say there was a chance, however slim, that it might remain open indefinitely, these residents and their guardians will have a chance to reconsider their decisions.

According to Steve Yokich, attorney for the plaintiffs, these 51 residents must be advised before they are physically moved that they cannot be forced to leave LDC at this time. Most of the residents who agreed to move are wards of the state, he said.

Judge Behle made it clear that his injunction applies only to "involuntary moves" and does not prevent any resident from voluntarily moving from LDC if the resident and parents and guardians make that choice.

Attorneys for the state argued that because DHS has applied for the permit, even though it has not yet been approved, the agency can begin the process of closure. Gov. George Ryan has ordered LDC closed completely, citing health and safety issues for the residents.

Yokich argued that the state is assuming it will get the permit to close LDC and so can move residents without waiting for final approval. Moving residents will cause "irreparable harm," he said, and if the IHFPB does not approve the permit, the state will have to move them back, which would also be destructive for residents and their families.

Puiszis said moving residents would not constitute "irreparable harm" for either them or their families. He said there are more than enough beds in the other 10 state-operated facilities to accommodate the LDC residents. The 69 who have local ties can go to Jacksonville, also in central Illinois, which has 88 openings and provides the same services and support that LDC does.

Puiszis also argued that LDC will not be able to stay open because the state legislature did not budget funds for it to operate this fiscal year. Only $5 million is in the budget, compared to $35 million for its operation last year, when LDC had about 375 residents.

 

[to top of second column in this article]

In its recent budget session, the legislature put $35 million back into the budget for LDC, but Gov. Ryan vetoed the appropriation. The Senate later failed to override the veto.

Yokich said he believed funds can be found. "If they’ve got money in the budget to hire people in Jacksonville to care for LDC residents, they can move money out of that budget," he said.

However, he added, the court should not have to rule on money issues.

"Let the chips fall where they may. Let the political actors take responsibility for the chips," he said.

Puiszis also argued that the plaintiffs — American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees, which represents most LDC workers; Norlan and Eleanor Newmister, parents of an LDC resident; Don Todd, president of AFSCME Local 425; and state Sen. Larry Bomke — did not have legal standing to sue the state.

He also argued that because the 4th District Appellate Court is considering arguments in the case Judge Behle does not have jurisdiction to address it at this time.

Behle replied that he did not intend to address issues of legal standing at this hearing.

Puiszis also argued that LDC residents should be moved because they are not receiving the care they need.

He suggested that if LDC remains open and runs out of money, its remaining residents may have to be sent to their homes.

At least 50 people, many of them parents or relatives of LDC residents or LDC employees, filled the courtroom for the two-hour-long hearing.

One parent, Rosemary Murray, who lives in Friendship Manor and is in frail health, was encouraged by the judge’s ruling.

"I’m still not looking for any other place to put my son," she said.

She said she visits him each week and would have a hard time getting to Jacksonville to see him.

[Joan Crabb]


Articles from the past week

Monday:

  • Injunction urgently needed to halt transfer of LDC residents

Saturday:

  • AFSCME seeks ruling to halt LDC transfers

  • Every dog has its day and Main Street says it’s July 20

  • It comes once a year
    Cubs game for kids

  • Governor signs Republican proposal for senior prescription drug plan

Friday:

  • DHS to start moving LDC residents

  • Firemen practice for the real thing
    HazMat drill at sewer plant

  • Gov. Ryan approves $1.8 million for new Pace buses

Thursday:

  • LDC future still in limbo

  • Gov. Ryan signs early retirement bill

Wednesday:

  • Sewers and landfill top city discussions

  • LDC injunction goes to appellate court today

Tuesday:

  • New service: Logan County property information online

  • Miss Illinois Teen Leadership Program focuses on lupus

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