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Saturday, September 28, 2013
Hall approves 2013-14 budget By Becky Kramer news@bcrnews.com
SPRING VALLEY — The Hall High School Board approved the 2013-14 budget at Wednesday night’s meeting. In the public budget hearing prior to the board meeting, Superintendent Mike Struna explained the budget shows deficit spending in the education, operating and maintenance, debt service and IMRF/SS funds. The projected deficits in the education and operating and maintenance funds will be covered by the reimbursement of $314,270 from the new building bond when it is acquired. The district spent a large sum of money last year to cover the expenses of the architect for the building project. Deficits in the debt service fund and IMRF/SS fund will be covered by balances held in those funds at the end of the Fiscal Year 2013 budget. The FY ‘14 budget is projected to be balanced after the above-mentioned inter-fund transfers. The board also heard a new building update from Healy, Bender and Associates. The architects continue to make minor improvements to the design of the building. The most recent changes include mirroring brick work to look like the old building and even repurposing some features from the old building. The new school will also have an arched entrance with a Hall High School sign similar to the current one. In other new building business, the board adopted a project labor agreement for the new school project. The district agrees to require contractors on the new high school project to sign the contract which requires 100 percent union contractors. In return, the unions agree not to engage in any work stoppage, strikes or picketing which would delay the project. In other business:
See Hall Page 4 Year 167 No. 117 One Section - 24 Pages
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PHS Board hears 2013 audit By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — The Princeton High School Board has reviewed district finances for the previous fiscal year and adopted a budget for the new fiscal year. At Wednesday’s PHS Board meeting, Hopkins and Associates representative Kim Baum presented the Fiscal Year 2013 audit, saying overall revenue for the year was down by about $200,000 from the previous year. According to summary sheets presented to the board on the 44-page audit, property tax revenue for PHS was down
about $90,000 compared to the previous year. State aid and grants were down by about $100,000. Looking at the education fund, which is the largest fund of the budget, Baum said this year’s expenses were fairly consistent with the prior year, up only by about $30,000. The average daily attendance for PHS, on which general state aid is based, shows a declining average daily attendance for the past four years, Baum said. According to the information presented by Baum, PHS had an average daily attendance of 586 students in 2010; 572 students in 2011; 535 students
in 2012; and 496 students in 2013. The auditor’s chart also showed expenditures per pupil have increased in each of those four years, from $10,587 in 2010, up to $12,572 in 2013. The tax levy rate has remained fairly consistent, from 2.09 in the 2010-12 years to 2.08 in 2013, Baum said. After the audit presentation and approval, the board turned its attention to the Fiscal Year 2014 budget and adopted the budget as presented and reviewed in August. No one from the public attended the budget hearing held prior to Wednesday’s regular meeting.
See PHS Page 4
Dixon to get $40 million settlement Bruce: Evidence stacked against the defendants By Derek Barichello Shaw Media Service
BCR photo/Phyllis Fargher
Homecoming royalty at Bureau Valley Bureau Valley High School seniors Colton Peterson (left) and Cora Peters are crowned this year’s Homecoming king and queen during Thursday evening’s pep rally and festivities. This year’s Spirit Week was highlighted Friday when the Bureau Valley Storm took on Erie-Prophetstown Panthers. The week’s festivities concludes tonight (Saturday) with the traditional Homecoming dance.
DIXON – Clearly, the defendants saw the evidence was stacked against them, and they decided to settle. That is how attorney Devon Bruce on Thursday described what transpired last week when Dixon’s former auditors and Fifth Third Bank came to the table looking for an out-of-court settlement for their negligence in former Comptroller Rita Crundwell’s nearly $54 million theft of city funds. The Chicago attorney, with the firm Powers, Rogers & Smith, spoke to reporters Thursday from his downtown office, reviewing details of the city’s case. The city of Dixon announced Wednesday it would receive a $40 million settlement from CliftonLarsonAllen, Fifth Third Bank, and Janis Card and Associates of Sterling. “We struck a blow for justice for the city of Dixon,” Bruce told reporters Thursday. “I think the facts speak for themselves with respect to the size of the settlement from the collective defendants. The defendants, in and of itself, acknowledged what transpired here.” Bruce said his law office reviewed more than a million documents and took deposition statements from employees of CliftonLarsonAllen and Fifth Third Bank, as well as Sam Card. The evidence revealed from this research led to the victory, Bruce said. There’s no question in Bruce’s mind CliftonLarsonAllen conducted the city’s audit from 1990 until the time of Rita Crundwell’s arrest, despite a defense from the auditing firm that it was merely conducting a compilation of services after 2005, which is strictly formatting financial data.
See Dixon Page 4
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