 Cash flow is improving... for now
Chuck Conzo, city treasurer, spoke about the state of the city's
finances as of the end of July, saying that at that time the general
fund portion of the city's accounting records was still running in
the red to the tune of $75,430.
He said that Logan County had issued two payments for the city's
share of the property taxes collected. On July 5 the county issued a
check for $112,730 and on July 30 they issued another for $473,209.
This helped in bringing the red ink from approximately $95,000 in
June to $75,000 by the end of July.
In July the state-issued payments on non-home rule tax,
municipal sales tax and motor fuel tax totaled $574,439.
Since the first of August, the state has issued additional
payments of $266,885 in municipal sales tax and another $65,000 in
non-home rule tax.
Conzo said that the result is that as of this date, the black ink
is once again flowing in the general fund and there is a new balance
of $142,156.
Conzo concluded his report by saying that he didn't want to sound
all gloom and doom, but that the council needed to be cautious. The
state's ability to pay is going to be temporary, and eventually it
will get back to the point that the city is receiving nothing from
the state of Illinois.
The reason is that the state began a new fiscal year July 1.
Right now, they are paying last year's obligations with new money.
By law, the state has until Dec. 31 to pay all their previous-year
obligations. The problem is that while they are getting caught up
for now, they will run out of money before they can become
completely current, and the new obligations will then go unpaid.
Armbrust and Busby say NO
A vote to make a portion of Davey Street a no-parking zone passed
with a vote of 9-1, with Alderman David Armbrust voting no.
When the vote came up to create a volunteer group to enforce the
city's two-hour parking rule, it passed with a vote of 8-2, with
Armbrust and Alderman Buzz Busby voting no.
When these two motions were made, there was no real discussion
prior to the vote. However when a motion came up that would assist
with the downtown streetscape projects, Armbrust and Busby continued
their pattern of voting no, but this time not without discussion.
The first motion made was to dedicate $100,000 from the non-home
tax rule funds to the local match requirement for the grant
applications that are being prepared for submission to the Illinois
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Illinois
Department of Transportation.
During discussion Busby said he felt that whatever money is
available should be dedicated to street repairs. He said there are
streets in town that are in terrible condition and they should be
the No. 1 priority. He added that now is the wrong time to be doing
this type of project in the downtown area.
However, Alderwoman Marty Neitzel commented that she had recently
seen a commercial on television about Monticello. She said that the
small town in Piatt County just to the east has done a lot to
improve their downtown area, and it is paying off for them.
Neitzel went on to say that the city of Lincoln needed to do
something to attract people to the downtown area.
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Alderwoman Joni Tibbs added that the downtown area is the heart
of any city, and it has to be healthy if the city is to survive.
When the vote was taken, it passed 8-2, with Armbrust and Busby
once again voting no.
The second motion that involved the grant applications was a
resolution recognizing that there were blighted structures in the
downtown area.
Mayor Keith Snyder said the grants required that there be a
certain percentage of blighted structures that needed improvement or
demolition. This resolution would assure the grantors that the city
recognizes their blighted structures and will take action on them
once the grants are awarded. This motion passed unanimously.
No new parking on Broadway
Last Tuesday Snyder asked that city fire Chief Kent Hulett, city
engineer Mark Mathon, and Tracy Jackson, the street and alley
superintendent, investigate the possibility of removing a no-parking
zone along the north side of the post office on Broadway.
The space is currently marked as parking for emergency vehicles
only, but it was observed by a city constituent that it is not being
used in that manner.
Mathon said the group of three had taken a good look at the area.
Using the fire department's ladder truck, they observed how the
truck's turning radius made it impossible for it to get out of the
fire station without crossing both lanes of Broadway and entering
into that possible parking area.
Mathon said that with laws regarding distance from corners and
alleyways to parking spaces, and the fact that the nose of the
ladder truck enters that area, it would be impossible to add space
there.
On a lighter note
The mayor showed the council items that had been donated
specifically for a giveaway to kids during the art and balloon fest.
Items depicting the city-sponsored balloon, Wally, were given to the
city by the balloon pilot, Steve Woller, and included, among other
things, a large cap in the shape of the orange and white striped
fish that is Wally.
Snyder also noted that he is going to prepare a proclamation
making Aug. 27 Max Mitchell Day in Lincoln.
Mitchell, who is from the Champaign area, has participated with
his balloon, Travelin Lite, in all 22 of the city's annual
festivals. In addition, Mitchell has been sponsored all 22 years by
the same local business, Logan County Title Co.
[By NILA SMITH]
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