Mount Carroll Appropriations Ordinance
Closer To Passing, Headway Made On Water Bill Issue
By Mick Parsons For The Prairie Advocate News
MOUNT CARROLL – The Finance Committee made some progress this past week on getting the Appropriations Ordinance for the 2011-2012 Fiscal Year passed and Alderman Tom Charles (Ward 3) presented the council with a draft of qualifications to go along with his proposed Health and Welfare Fund that, if and when it’s established, would help some Mount Carroll residents burdened with a water bill they cannot pay.
The Health and Welfare Fund, suggested by newly elected alderman Tom Charles, would help residents with financial difficulties pay their water bills. While the city would hold the funds in trust, the fund would be administered by the Mount Carroll Ministerial Association. Residents would be able to contribute by checking a box at the bottom of their water bill. Charles added that people have already approached him about contributing to the fund and added that the Ministerial Association is excited and ready to get started. Once the fund is established, anyone needing help paying their water bill will go to the MCMA; if the Ministerial Association determines that the applicant qualifies, that person would then receive a voucher; that voucher could then be brought to City Hall. At that point, and only at that point, the money could be slated for transfer to the Water Fund, and only in the specific amount.
“I want to make sure that if someone’s in dire straits that nothing will happen to them,” Charles said. He added that people have expressed an interest in donating money to get the fund started.
The next step would be to draft a resolution; but city attorney Ron Coplan reminded the council that they still need to appropriate money. Coplan added that setting up the fund and drafting the resolution are fine, but unless the council appropriates the money, it won’t mean anything.
This raised some discussion about simplifying the process – which to some meant removing the city from the equation. Charles mentioned simply giving the money to the Ministerial Association and letting them handle all of it; but since the donations would be coming in through City Hall, generally in form of an optional overpayment, the mayor and others thought it was important that the city stay in the loop – but within a specific and limited role.
“We are not going to try and be stewards of this fund,” said Mayor Bates. “And that’s the way it ought to be.” He then suggested that all the council needed to do was establish a line item and appropriate money from the budget, adding that if in six months there are more funds to spend, the council can always amend the Appropriations Ordinance. The mayor threw out $1000 as a random amount and Alderman Mike Risko (Ward 1) recommended that the Finance Committee establish a line item for the Health and Welfare Fund in the amount of $1000, just to get things going.
The only other concern was raised by Alderman Jim Rose (Ward 1), saying that he wanted to make sure that non-members of churches can still apply for help. He was reassured by Charles, the mayor, and others that no one would be turned away simply because of where they go or don’t go on Sunday morning.
The Finance Committee also discussed the possibility of sending long standing and high dollar delinquent bills to an outside collector. At the last meeting, Alderman Charles was told to contact the three collection agencies and get more information. That information arrived for the June 28th meeting, but not in time for the committee members to go over it all. For that reason, the topic was tabled so that the committee could read and consider the compendium of materials.
In regards to ongoing saga of unpaid water bills, City Clerk Julie Cuckler pointed out to the Finance Committee and all those present that the list she passes out – the one that is generally mistaken for a list of delinquencies – is actually just the list of what people have paid. Some of the listings are delinquent or short payments, she said. But not all of them.
If the city decides to shift some of the long standing debt to a collection agency, separating those names from the list – isolating the bad debt – was discussed. This would not eliminate them from city records, but it would provide a more realistic number of where the water accounts stand. Cuckler said creating a separate list would be relatively easy.
Along with the Health and Welfare line item, the Finance Committee recommended other changes to the Appropriations Ordinance. The changes, which amount to an additional $4400 in appropriated monies include a $7000 cut in the Police Department’s budget to account for the trade in cost of the Ford Explorer when the new squad car arrives. There had been some discussion that the city might be able to find some other use for the Explorer, but the other city departments concluded that they couldn’t use the vehicle. Counterbalancing that cost savings however, was money for narrow band radios for the Street and Water and Sewer Departments, an ADA chair lift for the city pool, as well as the new Health and Welfare line item.
Because of a new federal guideline all police, fire and public works departments will have to use narrow band radios starting in 2013; even though the Fire Department has been working towards the goal of having the new radios for a year, the other departments have been waiting on appropriations and the availability of grants. Alderman Risko recommended splitting the cost of the radios – $3900 – between the Street and Water and Sewer Departments, in order to spread the cost out and not impact one department over the other for equipment they both need.
It was also pointed that after a recent inspection of the public pool that the city needs to invest in an ADA approved lift chair. Some options were discussed and it was decided that a portable lift was the best option; this will keep the city from having to find money for reconstruction and it will also enable the city to store it indoors during the winter to avoid unnecessary wear and tear. The cost of such a chair added $4000 to the city pool’s line item.
In an attempt to continue the discussion from the June 13th meeting, Alderman Bob Sisler (Ward 2) reiterated his concerns about the mayor’s committee appointments, saying that standing committees with more than three people should have representatives from each ward. Referencing recent issues with committee appointments at the county level, Sisler tried twice to have the item put on the agenda for the next meeting – once at the beginning of the regular council meeting and again during the General Audience comment section – but in both instances the mayor refused to consider it. According to Mayor Bates, there’s nothing in the state statute that requires him to have an alderman from every ward on every standing committee.
Alderman Bergren spoke up, saying that there are differences between the county government and Mount Carroll’s and said that while he technically represents Ward 1, that he considers all wards equally important and that he thought the other aldermen did, too. He then added “We’re a dinky town,” saying that because Mount Carroll is the size it is that concerns over whether one ward is more or less represented on committees than another isn’t the same discussion here as it is on the county level, or someplace else with a city council-style government.
Continuing another discussion from the June 13th meeting, Greg from The National Bank was on hand to explain the language in the boilerplate agreement that gives alderman authority to sign on city accounts. He explained that the form is essentially a signature card – like the kind people sign when they open bank accounts – and that in no way could any one alderman or signatory borrow money on behalf of the city. It would require more, he said, than for one of the five names listed – including the mayor, the city clerk, and the members of the finance committee – to borrow money than to sign the boilerplate form. During the last meeting some aldermen expressed concerns about the specific language of the standard form, and would not vote for it to be signed until the language was explained to their satisfaction or changed. After that discussion, the council voted to sign both the The National Bank and Savanna-Thomson Bank Corporate Agreements.
In other council news, the council voted to donate $200 to this year’s Independence Day Fireworks display, and to allow Adrienne’s Angel’s Cast Shelter to ask for donations at the intersection of IL-78 and IL-64 on September 24, 2011 after their previous day was rained out. Len Anderson reported that there were more than 100 cars at the first Car Cruise Night of the summer, and that downtown businesses did well. He also asked about cording off spots earlier next time, saying that if any more cars had shown up, there wouldn’t have been enough space. Alderman Bergren added that he heard a lot of comments during the Car Cruise Night about how nice it was to see downtown open.
Alderman Sisler also suggested that the city consider annexing property along IL-64. The properties in question have both been talked about for annexation at various times. The first is the piece of property where the empty Mount Carroll Inn sits. The other is right next to it and belongs to Bob Law. Both property owners have fought annexation in the past; but Sisler said that the city is missing out on tax money it ought to be getting and that because the city is responsible for one of the adjoining streets that it is within it’s rights to annex the properties.
“We can look at it,” said the mayor. “It’s a good idea.”
That sentiment was echoed by Alderman Bergren, who then went on to talk about the availability of Historic Restoration Tax Credit. Citing several projects in other cities, like Peoria, Bergren said that the tax credits are a good way to not only improve the condition of historic buildings in need or repair, but a good way to encourage outside businesses to come in. Businesses can buy the tax credits that they can then apply to their own tax bill at the end the year; this system of buying credits is nothing new, however. It’s only in the last several years that it has been applied to historic preservation.
Along those lines, Bergren brought up the structure at the corner of Main Street and Carroll Street. He said the wall facing Carroll Street is in bad shape; but in order to see the extent of the damage, it’s important for the city – or for someone – to actually get inside the building to see the extent of the damage. Bergren is worried that it will collapse. In the past, the property owner has not allowed anyone inside to inspect the building. City Attorney Ron Coplan said that city can get an Administrative Search Warrant if necessary, since it has building codes that can be used to support it. Alderman Charles mentioned that the owner might be more receptive now than previously and that it might be good simply to ask. The mayor said he would send the landowner a letter.
