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Monday, March 4, 2013 Peggy Dotty
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LOCAL • INSIDE, A3
DeKalb freshman named swimmer of the year
Residents enjoy maple syrup festival in Genoa
DeKalb’s Daniel Hein
Programs continue for NIU police Leaders unveil new projects, plan new policies despite chief’s termination By JILLIAN DUCHNOWSKI jduchnowski@shawmedia.com DeKALB – In the wake of Northern Illinois University Police Chief Donald Grady’s termination, NIU police leaders are rolling out new exchange programs with DeKalb police and a new operations manual. Leaders have no firm timeline for announcing a permanent police chief, but Acting Director of Public Safety Bill Nicklas gave NIU President John Peters a verbal report on his review of police personnel and policies last month. “There will be some more permanent determination possibly by
the end of the semester,” Nicklas said. Nicklas placed Grady and Lt. Kartik Ramakrishnan on paid leave Nov. 10, shortly after Nicklas was placed in that position and eight days after a local judge ruled Ramakrishnan intentionally withheld from prosecutors evidence favorable to a former NIU police officer accused of raping a student off-duty and off-campus. Grady was fired Feb. 19, while Ramakrishnan remains on leave. Meanwhile, NIU police joined the county’s major case squad in December. NIU Acting Police Chief Darren Mitchell sits on the squad’s
board and NIU police officers he nominated for the squad were accepted without issue. Mitchell and Nicklas also have tried to forge stronger relationships with DeKalb police. Both departments have experienced leader- Bill ship changes within Nicklas the past year. DeKalb police recently promoted two commanders, and aside from Nicklas and Mitchell, NIU police have two new lieutenants and a new head of investigations. NIU police sergeants regularly
attend DeKalb police’s roll-call meetings to exchange information about cases and projects. “It’s that constant communication and collaboration of goals and what’s trying to be accomplished,” acting Police Chief Darren Mitchell said. Nicklas and Mitchell expect to roll out the NIU police department’s new operations manual within a few weeks so leaders can begin training department personnel on the 800page document. Mitchell also meets weekly with DeKalb Police Chief Eugene Lowery. The two departments plan to
FUNDING SHORTFALLS
MAKING DO
NIU and other local agencies cope with state’s late payments
By DAVID THOMAS dthomas@shawmedia.com DeKALB – The state of Illinois owes the DeKalb County Youth Service Bureau $22,000. At Elder Care Services, it’s $165,000. At the Voluntary Action Center, it’s $910,000. At Northern Illinois University, it’s $89.7 million. These agencies, like so many others, have become used to late payments from the state. But it never gets easier, NIU spokesman Brad Hoey said. “It seems about the same, in terms of late payments,” Hoey said “We’re accustomed to it. But that Locally owed doesn’t mean it makes it any Some of the local less difficult to organizations to which deal with.” the State of Illinois NIU and owes money: other agencies DeKalb County Youth – ranging from Service Bureau – local school d i s t r i c t s t o $22,000 Elder Care Services – community serviceorgani- $165,000 Voluntary Action zations – have f o u n d t h e i r Center – $910,000 Northern Illinois Uniown ways to cope Illinois’ versity – $89.7 million inability to pay its bills on time. The state’s current backlog of bills is at least $7 billion. And it might not get better. The backlog of bills will reach almost $22 billion in 2018 unless some kind of pension reform is enacted, according to a report from the Civic Federation of Chicago, a pension reform-watchdog group. The late payments have meant that Voluntary Action Center has to borrow money from a local bank to stay afloat, said Tom Zucker, the center’s executive director. State funding comprises almost half of the center’s $7 million budget, Zucker said. In fiscal 2013, VAC will receive $2.9 million in transportation grants from the state for the TransVAC and MedVAC programs, as well as $250,000 for other programs. Zucker said $750,000 of the $910,000 is owed just for VAC’s transportation services. “It’s a nightmare for cash-flow management,” Zucker said. “It’s not Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com something we would be able to man- Genoa resident Laverne Selman, 89, reacts Wednesday as she and her husband Herbert (front) try to understand charges on age without taking the steps we made their medical bills with from Debbie Beranek (not pictured), an information and assistance specialist for the Elder Care Serseveral years ago.” vices in DeKalb. Last year, VAC had to pay just more than $10,000 in interest pay“It’s a nightmare for cash-flow management. It’s not something we would be able to manage ments to keep its line of credit open, Zucker said. without taking the steps we made several years ago.”
start a detective exchange program – in which an NIU police detective works with DeKalb police detectives, and vice versa – in this month. A similar exchange of patrol officers is expected to follow that program and joint training programs are planned for this summer. Police leaders also have been discussing joint training exercises with NIU and DeKalb police this summer, Mitchell said. Mitchell said it has been a “refreshing, encouraging delight” to work with other police leaders throughout the county as they have been open with both advice and assistance in recent weeks.
Ill. budget challenges up next for Quinn By SARA BURNETT The Associated Press CHICAGO – As Gov. Pat Quinn prepares to deliver his latest budget proposal, there’s no overstating how ugly Illinois’ financial condition is. Outside analysts in recent months have used phrases like “a deep hole,” a “downspin” and “not fiscally sustainable” to describe it. The New York bond houses have given Illinois the worst credit rating of any state in the nation. The grim outlook persists despite recent efforts to improve it, from a 67 percent state income tax hike passed in the waning hours of the legislative session two years ago to last year’s $1.6 billion in Medicaid cuts. When Quinn presents his latest plan Wednesday, he’ll have few good options. His office already has projected a cut of about $400 million to education and cuts to public safety and economic development. “We expect the gov- Gov. Pat ernor is going to have Quinn a very difficult time,” said Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation, a Chicagobased watchdog group that analyzes and makes recommendations on fiscal issues. It begs the question: How did the state get here? And why is it so bad? Here’s a look at some of the factors contributing to the budget mess, and some of the key issues lawmakers will have to sort out in coming months:
pENSION CrISIS No single factor will constrain Quinn more than the state’s pension crisis. Lawmakers have been going around and around on the worst-inthe-nation problem for years without a solution, and nothing has done more damage to the state’s finances. Because lawmakers skipped or shorted payments to public-employee retirement funds for decades, the accounts are now about $97 billion short of what’s needed to fully meet the state’s liabilities. Illinois now is playing catch-up on the payments, but each year the cost continues to grow.
tom Zuker, Voluntary Action Center executive director
See AGENCIES, page A5
See QUINN, page A5
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