CALHOUN NEWS-HERALD
75¢ PER COPY
INSIDE NEWS
Moore competes in Jingle Bell Run. See page A4
NEWS
Baking cookies at the KC hall. See page b1
SCHOOL
SIUE graduates. See page A6
SPORTS
HARDIN, ILLINOIS 62047
DECEmbER 18, 2013
Commissioners approve levy, IMRF levy increases by bOb CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald The Calhoun County Commissioners approved the county’s annual tax levy, which will not exceed 105 percent of last year’s levy extension. According to numbers figured by County Clerk Rita Hagen, the extension issued to the county last year was a total of $995,616. The county had levied a little more than $1 million. A levy is a request of tax funds based on equalized assessed value (EAV), which is the taxable value of property in a given area. The levy can only support what the EAV can meet, meaning a lower EAV can result in a smaller tax extension. The tax extension is tax funds issued to a county based on the levy. The largest fund size in the levy
request each year falls into the county general fund. Last year, the county levied $268,000 and was granted $261,000. With the levy accepted Dec. 16, the county general levy was $266,500. The fund with the greatest increase over last year’s numbers is the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF). The county was extended $167,000 last year which was the same amount it requested in the levy, and this year, that number jumped to $202,400. “IMRF is the fund that needs the most money at this time,” Hagen said. “So, that’s where we concentrated anything additional.” Only two other funds come close to breaching $100,000. The levy for the county highway fund is $93,500, and the tort judgments fund – dealing with liability issues – was levied at
$99,600. Hagen said it is unclear how much money the county will receive in its extension due to changes in assessment throughout the county. Pat Langland, county assessor, has been working toward bringing all property taxes in the county on equal footing. Prior to her appointment in September, some properties were assessed at rates far below the standard while others were much higher than they were supposed to be. Hagen said the levy also depends on a possible multiplier placed on the assessments and judgments made by the county’s board of review. Langland said tax paperwork is being mailed out to county residents before the end of the year to keep things on track for the board of review. The commissioners also approved
Unit 40 approves levy, rate increases
NEWS
What's happening between the rivers. See page A3
ONLINE
calhounnewsherald.com
CALHOUN NEWSHERALD • Index •
the resignation of Tony Godar as the county’s weed inspector. In his resignation letter, he said he has become more involved with his grandchildren’s sporting events and has less time to fulfill the duties of the position. The commissioners agreed to advertise for another weed inspector, a position which earns $3,031 per year. The individual must be certified to use chemical sprays to rid specified areas of noxious weeds and complete required training. The potential weed inspector would also be required to provide an annual report to the commissioners. Elevator repairs were also on the minds of the commissioners, but despite a request for bid for the cost of repairing all issues with the courthouse elevator, there has been no
SANTA'S
response. Kone, the elevator company which inspected the elevator, required the door restrictors be replaced which would cost the county around $2,700 and must be completed by the next annual inspection in April. Hagen said she requested a price which includes all the other repairs, but has not heard from the company. The commissioners made no motion regarding repairs to the elevators and the board awaits a bid for the cost of the repairs. In other business, the county: n Selected members for a grand jury. n Approved the minutes of the previous meeting and the bills. n Discussed possible ways to man the jail at the sheriff’s office.
HERE!
by bOb CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald The Calhoun Community Unit School District 40 approved its annual tax levy increasing the tax rate to 5.7% after a truth in taxation hearing Dec. 16 prior to its regular meeting. The increase in tax rate from last year’s 5.1 percent comes from a 16.5 percent increase over all funds in the levy. Some funds were reduced while others saw increases of around eight percent to combat continued reduction in state funding. As an example, Superintendent Kate Sievers said a home with an EAV of $100,000 would see a tax increase of around $200. “The nuts and bolts of it are to make up for funding we are not getting from the state,” Sievers said. Only two people attended the truth in taxation hearing – a requirement if a levy exceeds 105 percent of the previous year’s extension – Monday night. Darrell Mortland said his greatest concern regarding the increase in the tax rate is how it will affect those on the verge of retirement and young people who may want to purchase a home in the county. “My fear is looking some day to retire and being on fixed income if this thing’s going to blow up 16, 18, 20 percent a year. In four or five years, you’ve got 100 percent. I don’t know if too many people can afford that,” Mortland said. Sievers said the increase is necessary because of continued reductions in funding from the state. Over the course of the past three years, the state has cut funding to all schools in Illinois by prorating general state aid (GSA). Primarily based on attendance numbers in addition to (See, unit 40, A2)
Bob Crossen/Calhoun News-Herald
Riley Hanneken, 6 years old, left, and Ryder Hanneken, 5 years old, right, both of Hardin, visit with Santa at Tri County Bowl in Jerseyville for its first annual Bowling with Santa event. A total of 96 people were signed up of which 58 were kids who told Santa their Christmas wishes and bowled for the evening.
Trash at Two Rivers Refuge Lady Warriors win seventh-straight game See page A8
VOLUmE 140 - ISSUE 51
by bOb CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald The Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge in Brussels is still completing recovery work from the two historic floods that hit the area this past summer. Flooding closed the refuge earlier this year with high water covering sections of the walking paths on the national site, and as the water receded, it left behind heaps of trash. Cortney Solum, TRNWR park manager, said it is quite common to see a lot of trash after high water recedes from the refuge, and she said volunteers help clear the site. “We’ll find pop bottles, milk jugs, and then up to refrigerators and freezers, a lot of things from docks that have broken up,” Solum said. “We do a lot of cleanup after a flood.” A photo posted to TRNWR’s Facebook page shows a trailer with large metal barrels, tires and other trash officials removed from the Batchtown location on the refuge. She said the refuge recycles what garbage it can, while the remainder is thrown into a dumpster for traditional trash pick up. Solum said around 10 similar trailers will be filled with the junk found at the national wildlife
A
REGIONAL NEWS
Greene County drops out of late-winter antlerless deer hunting season
site, and the refuge could use volunteer help to clean up the area. Those interested in volunteering can call the refuge to find a time to help out, and Solum said if there are groups that want to work together, those volunteer opportunities can be scheduled, as well. Cleaning the refuge will prepare it to reopen at the beginning of the year when it fields a lot of traffic for the bald eagle watching season. Bald eagles often roost in the area during the winter months to lay eggs and raise their eaglets before migrating back north. According to an eagle watching page on Illinois.gov, bird watchers can observe some of the “more than 3,000 bald eagles in their natural habitat – more wintering American bald eagles, in fact, than in any other state outside Alaska.” Solum said the national refuge will reopen Jan. 1, and on Jan. 11, the refuge will host its open house. The open house had been scheduled Oct. 19, but with the shutdown of the federal government, hosting the event became impossible. Since reopening the government and allowing the officials to return to their work, the refuge has worked toward rescheduling the event. (See, two rivers, A2)
by RObERt LYONS Campbell Publications There will be no late-winter antlerless deer hunting season in Greene County. Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Tim Krumwiede, district wildlife biologist based in Pittsfield, said the deer numbers in the county have fallen to a level where a latewinter season is not necessary. Krumwiede said the late-winter season was designed to reduce the deer herd in areas with very high densities. Hunters who had leftover tags from the shotgun season in late-November and early-December could use the tags for the late-winter season. “Over time, some counties where the deer numbers have gone down have been dropped out of that late winter season,” he said. “This year Greene County has dropped out of it.” A joint task force was created in 2008 – with representatives from the Farm Bureau, DNR, legislators and other hunting interests – to address a concern that deer herds across the state were becoming overpopulated. Deer vehicle collision numbers are evaluated to approximate the herd population in a particular county. Krumwiede said the goal rate of deer-vehicle collisions is 207 accidents per billion miles traveled. “When deer-vehicle collisions fall below that objective, we can drop that [county] out of the late-winter season,” he said. According to information from IDNR released on Dec. 12, the deer harvest during the seven-day firearm season was 25 percent lower than last year’s. IDNR Director Marc Miller is quoted in the press release as saying the temperatures in the December portion may have played a role in the reduction, but also hinted Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) was a factor. Krumwiede said there are likely many cases of EHD which went unreported. “It’s very possible that this year, in conjunction with last year that [EHD] has had an impact on our deer herd,” Krumwiede said. Miller states IDNR will evaluate deer management goals on a county-by-county basis after all seasons have concluded. After the data are reviewed, Krumwiede said a
CALCULATED SLIDE
Obituaries . . . . . A3 Our Town . . . . . A10 News . . . . . . A3,A5 Public Notice . . . b8 Real Estate . . .D6-7 Correspondence A4 Social . . . . . . . . . A8 Sports . . . . . . . b10 Obituaries in this issue: Bell, Dornbach, Ryan, Stewart, Treis
© 2013 Calhoun News-Herald
Bob Crossen/Calhoun News-Herald
Brendan Kimbrel sleds down a hill near his house in Hardin Monday evening. Snow blanketed Calhoun and surrounding counties last weekend, creating dangerous driving conditions. Some roads are still slick, most notably the stretch from Brussels to the Brussels Ferry.
C
K
M
decision will be made of how to proceed in the future. “We could lose additional counties next year to the late-winter season,” he said. “However, we could have some that come back on, as well, depending on what happens.”
“Over time, some counties where the deer numbers have gone down have been dropped out of that late winter season. This year Greene County has dropped out of it.”
Tim Krumwiede IDNR district wildlife biologist Krumwiede said whether a county dropping out of the late-winter season, meaning the overpopulating is under control, is a good thing depends on who is being asked the question. “I think it’s a good thing,” he said. “I think most most people you would ask in Greene County, if they have not hit a deer they’ve been in a vehicle where they hit a deer or a deer hit them.” As of right now, Greene County is only closed for the December 2013 - January 2014 late winter season. Krumwiede said the situation is evaluated annually. “We can utilize seasons and permit quotas to fine tune that and keep that (deer-vehicle collision) number very close to that objective,” he said. The late-winter season will still take place in most surrounding counties, including Pike, Scott, Calhoun and Jersey, but not in Morgan County. The late-winter antlerless deer hunting season runs Dec. 26-29 and Jan. 17-19. For more information on the late-winter antlerless deer hunting season, contact the Pittsfield IDNR office at (217) 285-2221.