Morrison Mayor Clarification

At our August 09, 2010, council meeting, I gave an update on the issue with our Revolving Funds. I failed to share the answers to four specific questions that I asked of DCEO. The questions that I asked and the answers that I received follow.

Q – Can Revolving Funds be used for historic preservation?

A – No.

Q – Can Revolving Funds be used to rehabilitate a building?

A – No.

Q – Can Revolving Funds be used to rehabilitate a building if the building will be sold to a business?

A – No.

Q – Can Revolving Funds be used to convert a business building to residential tenancy?

A – No.

I had heard comments that led me to believe that some people had the mistaken notion that revolving funds could be used for the above situations. The questions are old. The answers remain the same. Revolving funds still cannot be used for such projects as those mentioned above.

Roger Drey, Mayor

City of Morrison

Morrison Spending

I attended the Morrison City Council Meeting August 9, 2010. I am finally hearing some of the council members questioning the bills the city pays. This week alone, bills paid out were $81,734.17 (regular bills), $130,525 (Stichter Construction Inc.) and $16,580.74 (Key Builders Construction, Inc.) Salaries are not included in bills payable, so I am not sure what that would be added on to the other bills. Can Morrison sustain this rate of spending?

Police Chief, Brian Melton said we need a 4-wheel drive vehicle for the police department. The council gave him the go ahead to get a loan for $25,500 and purchase it. Didn’t we purchase a new vehicle for him last year? I am all for safety but we have been safe for years without a 4-wheel drive vehicle, so is that something we really needed at this time since the budget is in the red?

From what I understand, we have a City Administrator and one of his main duties is to prepare a budget for the city. I keep hearing that the budget is in terrible shape-how did it get that way? Haven’t we had the same City Administrator for the past 3 years? Aren’t there deadlines for the budget to be ready, bills to be paid, etc??? In my home my budget consists of Income and Expense. That means my expenses are “not to exceed” my income.

I know the council members have been working hard on getting the budget in order, but in the same breath they are spending funds Morrison doesn’t have. We cannot continue to “borrow from Peter (the revolving fund, sewer and water, the levied tax that was to pay for the library and has now continued to pay for other things) and pay Paul” (bills for the Sport Complex, 101 and 103 Main Street, etc.). Why are we allowing the income generated from our rising water and sewer bills to be used for-GENERAL FUNDS-instead of what it is intended for-preparing for repair and upkeep of our water and sewer projects. If I am wrong please correct me.

Just before the meeting, Jim Dubois handed out a report on the Sport Complex’s summer. I see that above the $4,000,000 (FOUR MILLION, THAT’S RIGHT, OR IS THAT FIVE MILLION DOLLARS) the city has already spent on the Complex MORE is being asked for. Seems that the dugouts need to be enclosed and roofs added (5 times $1200=$6000), pads and bleachers for the Jr. Tackle football field, the scoreboard ($12,000-$15,000-when completed), $1433 for portable fencing, a kid’s playground for $15,000, several shelters, the list goes on. I am not sure what the city council has appropriated for funds for the Sport Complex operation this coming year or if that includes salaries, weed control, mowing, gas, or supplies for the concession stands, lighting and heat for the buildings (since no drain valves were put on the original plans so that they could be winterized). Are there provisions to correct that problem?

We need more citizens of Morrison to contact your alderman, attend the city council meetings, and be aware of what goes on in our community. If you don’t know who your alderman is, contact City Hall at and ask. It is everyone’s right to be able to voice your opinion-maybe YOU have a good idea or a way to help. Let’s all be part of our community and get involved!!!

A Morrison Taxpayer,

Marti Wood

Spike, The Dinometer, Update: $9847.94

It truly is inspirational! The outpouring of support is so exciting. We have “in hand” $9,847.94. That only leaves $152.06 to reach our $10,000 goal.

Thanks to Ashford University for its upcoming “T-shirt Friday.” We should well surpass the $152.06 that is needed to reach our goal BEFORE school starts. HOW WONDERFUL IS THAT?

Thanks again to everyone who helped make our Morrison PreK Early Learning Program fundraising effort what it is. I can’t imagine a better group to work with!

Andrea Wakeman

Morrison, IL

‘Misinformed’ is not

This letter is in response to the letter titled “Misinformed” in the August 11, 2010 issue of the Prairie Advocate. It is true that a Federal Judge has enjoined parts of the Arizona law but Federal District Judges have been wrong before. That’s why many lower court decisions are overturned by the Appellate and Supreme courts. I don’t know if this decision will be overturned but there is a good chance that it will since there is very little difference between Federal Immigration Laws and the one in Arizona. The Federal authorities just choose not to enforce the law they have on the books.

For a US citizen to be stopped in Arizona, the citizen must have committed an offense of some type. The law prohibits stops due to a person’s appearance. It seems to me that some people who oppose the Arizona law just don’t trust state and local law enforcement officers to follow the constitution. It’s either that or they only want laws they agree with to be enforced.

Bob Stretton

Savanna, IL

Misinformed - Not

If Ms. Wemstrom wanted to solve the illegal alien problem there is a very simple, non-discriminatory way to do so. Require that every drivers license contain the following additional information on one line: Citizen of __________.

This eliminates the questioning, the profiling and the discrimination.

No legitimate US citizen/resident could or would object to that.

No legal resident could or would since they already are required by Federal Law to carry proof of citizenship.

So are American citizens required to carry proof of citizenship in every other country on earth-even our best friend Canada. Its called a US Passport. Duuh!

Ms. Wemstrom will of course object because it could stop cold the real liberal/Obama agenda, which is to pull-off the largest Democratic voter registration drive in history, otherwise known as Comprehensive Immigration or amnesty for all illegals.

The majority would register Democratic out of gratitude. Amnesty would give them immediate access to all the existing welfare programs as well as the ones to come and their dependably loyal votes would guarantee total Democratic control for decades.

In order to ever have a chance of getting this simple drivers license modification passed we must overwhelmingly end the Democratic control of both houses of Congress in November.

To understand how control of dispensing the goodies to voters keeps a party in absolute power, we need no better example than Chicago, where the Wemstroms spent their lives before favoring Carroll County with their retirement years. They learned well.

Larry J. Farrell

Mt. Carroll

Capitol Report

By Jim Sacia, State Representative, 89th District

I’ve written many times of the deplorable condition of our state’s finances. I’ve shared my opinion that we cannot spend money we do not have; my frustration over the continuation of “free rides for seniors” costing us $70 million per year; an All Kids insurance program that spent $79 million in 2009, of which $56 million can’t be accounted for because a large percentage of the children covered for treatment were from other states or other countries. There’s no accountability.

I’ve introduced legislation the past two consecutive years demanding accountability from welfare recipients who in some cases are now 4th and 5th generation recipients that have no incentive to work. I have always shared my sincere belief that if someone is in need we, the more fortunate, should be there to help them. I don’t think anyone reading this would take issue with this common sense approach.

Now, many in Illinois are sharing the grief of significant flood damage. If water did not affect you, you are one of the fortunate few. The following e-mail was forwarded to me from an area school superintendent from the Lee Ogle Regional Office of Education to all Northwest Illinois school districts: “subject: flooding and homeless. I am sending this out as a reminder …possibly your district did not get the flood waters, but if you did, the families that were forced to leave their homes (even for one night) would qualify as homeless. This fact needs to be dealt with when they come in to register. Remembering their school fees would be waived, they would qualify for free meals, school supplies and such.

A fact to keep in mind, it does not matter, if at registration time, they are back in their homes. If after July 1, 2010 they were displaced because of flood waters they would qualify as homeless for the FY 10-11 school year. Also keep in mind, even if an eligible homeless family refuses the services you still need to report them as homeless. The information has to be entered into SIS.”

This is nuts. Our school districts have always taken care of their own in a sensible manner. Would anyone care to put a pencil to the potential costs to your school district, the state and the federal government? Here is the craziness folks - If you were out of your home for one night on July 24th for1, say water in your basement, come late August when your five kids go back to school, all of the aforementioned is free to them for the entire school year. What a deal…let’s let the government pay for it. More and more we seem to forget that the government is us and we are the ones who pay. My personal applause to those of you with minor damage who at registration time say “thanks, but no thanks.”

Yes, I called the lady at the Regional Office of Education who sent the e-mail. She assured me she was just doing her job and passing along the information…and we wonder why we’re broke.

I will be at the BP Gas Station in Orangeville on Friday, August 13, 2010, at 6:30 AM – coffee and doughnuts are on me.

As always, you can reach me, Sally or Barb at or e-mail us at . You can also visit my website at www.jimsacia.com. It’s always a pleasure to hear from you.