9 minute read
Public Safety Tax
BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com
Gov. JB Pritzker extended mitigation restrictions for Region 1 until Nov. 14 and warned that the state is now in a new wave of the virus.
Region 1, which includes the Sauk Valley, Rockford and DeKalb, has been under stricter mitigation restrictions since Oct. 3 following a steady rise in cases.
Restrictions include prohibiting indoor service at restaurants and bars and limiting gatherings to 25 people or 25% of room capacity. The restrictions do not apply to schools.
Those measures were reissued and extended through Nov. 14 through the governor’s executive order Friday following two weeks BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com
With the region entering tighter mitigation restrictions, the governor is warning noncomplying businesses that the state could take away their liquor and gambling licenses.
Indoor dining will continue to be prohibited at bars and restaurants, as well as lowering outdoor table sizes from 10 to six people. Gathering restrictions will go from 25 to 10, not applying to schools or polling places.
Dixon Mayor Li Arellano Jr. said businesses must have a liquor license from their local municipality as well as the state. If one is revoked, so is the other.
Generally, the city would be the of positivity rates continuing to increase in the region.
Region 1 has reached a rolling average positivity rate of 11.1%. County rates include 11% in Whiteside County, 10.5% in Lee County, 7.9% in Ogle County, 8% in DeKalb County and 10.4% in Winnebago County.
“Every region of this state has started to move in the wrong direction,” Pritzker said during a Monday news conference. “Cases, positivity rates, hospitalizations and deaths are rising statewide.”
Region 5 in southern Illinois will join Region 1 under enhanced mitigations beginning after the region’s positivity rate stayed above 8% for three consecutive days.
Regions 7 and 8 are nearing meetlead on enforcement with license matters, but Gov. JB Pritzker said that the Illinois State Police will be issuing citations to businesses violating the mitigation restrictions and that could lead to taking away their liquor and gambling licenses.
“The question will become what are we required to do locally if the state pulls a license,” Arellano said, adding that they’re speaking with the city attorney and working on getting clarification. “It will be interesting new territory.”
There’s also the issue that some officials aren’t doing any enforcement, saying that the validity of the governor’s executive order is in question because it didn’t go through the legislature.
There will likely be more lawsuits ing the criteria for tighter restrictions.
Pritzker said he realizes the mitigations are problematic for small businesses and local economies, but the “virus does not seem to want to take this in account” and bars and restaurants are areas where they’re seeing spread.
He pointed to the Business Interruption Grants Program through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity as an option for businesses to get some economic relief.
Pritzker and IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike emphasized the importance of following health guidelines to curb the spread of the virus, including wearing masks, social distancing, washing hands, limiting in response to the restrictions, Arellano said.
“I think it’s going to be a very painful time because businesses are starting to fail,” he said. “Unfortunately, there’s no easy solution.”
Bars and restaurants are the “easiest enforcement target” for the state right now, without having to look at schools or other facilities, he said.
“I’m confident that the bulk of the spread isn’t coming from bars and restaurants, but the bulk of the economic damage is,” Arellano said.
The Dixon City Council will have a special meeting Monday to go over details of a city small business grant program geared toward bars and restaurants to provide them with aid following the restrictions. gatherings and getting tested, as well as demanding action from local health departments and officials.
“Following public health recommendations will bring our numbers down and save our economy and let more of our kids go to school,” Pritzker said.
The governor also said the state is entering a resurgence of the virus, and it’s a grave concern going into the holiday season when people might drop their guard.
“Here in Illinois, it looks like a new wave could be upon us,” he said.
Region 1 includes Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago
BUSINESSES & COVID-19 Region in ‘new territory’ as governor threatens liquor licenses of noncomplying businesses
counties.
Pritzker is emphasizing that businesses apply for the Business Interruption Grants Program through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity as an option to get some economic relief.
Tighter mitigations came as a result of continuing rising cases and positivity rates in the region, as well as an urgency to curb the spread of the virus.
“It is very serious right now, folks, and if we need to close down restaurants and bars, or take away their liquor licenses, take away their gaming licenses, we will do that,” Pritzker said Thursday. “Because we are now heading into a peak that is beyond, potentially, where we were in March and April.”
COVID-19 & CGH Tighter visitor restrictions at CGH Medical Center
Due to the recent increase in COVID19 cases, CGH Medical Center will no longer allow visitors beginning Oct. 26.
“Some exemptions will be made for children admitted to the hospital, the Birthing Center, outpatient testing patients that need assistance, or endof-life situations,” the hospital said in a news release. “In these situations, one designated support person may be allowed. They must be age 18 or older, and be either immediate family members, powers of attorney, guardians or patient representatives.”
In addition, both CGH and outlying clinics are asking patients to attend appointments alone if possible. If a person is needed to accompany a patient, that person must wear a face mask at all times and go through a temperature screening.
For more details on visitor restrictions and general COVID-19 information, go to www.cghmc.com/covid19
ELECTION 2020 Public Safety Tax on the November 3 ballot
BY SARAH FORD For Shaw Media
Whiteside County voters will have the option to vote on a Public Safety Tax during the Nov. 3 elections, a measure that will allow for improvements of interoperability between all fire, medical and law enforcement agencies.
The proposed half-percent sales tax will help cover the increasing costs to run the Dispatch/911 Call Centers. The tax will be funded by anyone who purchases food or gas in Whiteside County, by collecting 50 cents on every $100, or $5 for every $1,000 dollars.
The county 911 system consolidated four dispatch centers into two in 2017; the Whiteside County Dispatch Centers are now located in Morrison and Sterling. The annual costs to operate the centers is around $2.2 million, with county agencies contributing around $1.2 million.
A 911 surcharge also offsets around half a million dollars a year. The operation centers have been underfunded by about $500,000 annually since the mandated consolidation.
With the mandate to consolidate dispatching centers, the burden to meet state requirements has also grown. Every two years, dispatchers need 48 hours of continuing education training.
Over the past 30 years, dispatchers have gone from operating one computer program to operating 15 programs, while answering four non-emergency phone lines and four 911 phone lines. Trained 911 dispatchers handle thousands of calls a year, ranging from lost items to life threatening issues.
Other counties have had success with passing the Public Safety Tax, with both Henry and Lee County voters approving the 0.5% rate.
Agencies and committees in Whiteside County have looked at various options to close the gap of funding needs and expenditures, with the Public Safety Tax as an option. A review also found that many smaller communities in the county have been paying a fraction of dispatching costs, based on older formulas.
The Albany Village Board has been discussing these costs at meetings this year, with Police Chief Wyatt Heyvaert stating that the village pays $360 to the county annually.
He added that all 911 calls are logged, even non-emergencies, and the county has proposed charging $25.48 per call if the tax does not pass. The village had 1,381 calls last year, Heyvaert reported, and Albany could see their dispatching share skyrocket to $35,000 per year. Other villages abiding by older agreements are Erie, paying $900 per year, Morrison at $1,200, and Prophetstown at $3,000. Higher population centers such as Fulton pay $200,000, and Sterling/Rock Falls pays $500,000 per year, in contrast.
If the tax is not passed, these agencies may need to pay a fee per call to help cover these expenses, which will be like an additional property tax that affects homeowners at a much higher cost than the public safety tax.
There is also concern that some smaller agencies will be forced to consolidate. Unlike the consolidation of this dispatch center, this would cause a greater response time for an emergency call, when seconds already matter.
A Public Safety Tax will allow the dispatch centers to continue operating for all those who need them, when they need them.
If the tax passes, the county could garner as much as $1.6 – $2.3 million per year. This is estimated to eliminate any system debt and free up municipalities from paying an annual fee.
The tax will also allow for equipment upgrades, including education and system integration with multi-agency interoperability, new radio upgrades to further allow county and state-wide interoperability, and software upgrades.
Tax proponents say its’ success will allow the county to remove some of the financial burden placed on the cities, towns and villages throughout Whiteside County, while allowing them to provide additional support programs to their citizens.
U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos earns Farm Bureau ACTIVATOR endorsement
Unanimous support reflects outstanding voting record
“Congresswoman Bustos undertook multiple efforts in the 116th Congress to fight for Illinois agriculture. Most notably, Congresswoman Bustos was instrumental in arranging a private, in-person meeting between IFB President Rich Guebert and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. This meeting was an invaluable experience
which helped move the needle forward on the eventual passing of the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA).”
“At the request of Illinois Farm Bureau, Representative Bustos signed onto multiple letters ranging in topics such as, USDA’s performance on the 2019 crop report, request for Section 319 funding for a multi-county nutrient loss reduction strategy project in the Mississippi North priority watershed, request to delay the payment deadline for crop insurance premiums and critiques of the U.S. EPA’s misuse of Small Refinery Exemptions.”
