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BREAKING DOWN THE SECOND ROUND
Health care is already unnecessarily complex
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dailyGAZETTE
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
DIXON | THE CRUNDWELL AFTERMATH
Tax relief would stress city Lowering property taxes could set city back years, finance director says BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 529
DIXON – With $40 million in settlement money, Dixon could decide to lower property taxes, as many residents have suggested, but doing so might not be best for the city’s financial future. The idea was suggested during an October town hall meet-
ing, which sought residents’ suggestions about what the city should do with money it will recover from an out-of-court settlement and sold assets from Rita Crundwell’s estate. In total, Dixon will receive about $29.7 million – after legal fees – from the settlement reached in September with its former auditors and bank. Additionally, the city expects
about $9.2 million from the sale of Crundwell’s assets. Because of the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law – also known as the tax cap – Dixon is limited in how much it can raise its tax rate each year, by the lesser of either 5 percent or the change in the Consumer Price Index, Meyer said in an interview last week. The CPI change in 2010, 2011
and 2012 was 1.6, 3.2 and 2.1 percent, respectively, meaning that Dixon could have raised property taxes by, at most, 3.2 percent in the past 3 years. Lowering the city’s property tax levy is a possibility, Finance Director Paula Meyer said, but not something she recommends. Doing so would set the city back, depending on how much rates were lowered, any-
where from 6 to 233 years in terms of revenue, she added. If the property taxes were reduced by 10, 50 or even 99 percent for just one year, the next year the city couldn’t immediately return to the previous year’s rate, Meyer said. It could increase the reduced rate by only 5 percent or the CPI change. TAX CONTINUED ON A2
VETERANS DAY IN THE SAUK VALLEY
‘Our nation will always be grateful’ WWI plaque dedicated at Dixon’s Veterans Memorial Park BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 529
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Dick Herbon reads a list of 49 names of Lee County soldiers who died in service during World War I. The Lee County Genealogical Society donated a plaque to Veterans Memorial Park in Dixon that was unveiled Monday. The plaque, inscribed with the names, was dedicated during a Veterans Day ceremony. More photos from area ceremonies are on Pages A10-11.
Rock Falls speaker puts a spotlight on suicide BY DAVID GIULIANI dgiuliani@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 525
ROCK FALLS – A Veterans Day ceremony Monday in Rock Falls had the usual features – an honor guard, flags, taps and a gun salute. But it included something new – a focus on veterans who suffer from depression. Randy Wolber, commander of American Legion Post 902, informed a crowd of about 50 people that more veterans are dying because of suicide than those killed by the enemy.
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TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 159 ISSUE 237
In 2010, according to a Veterans Affairs report, 22 veterans died each day by suicide. Wolber urged veterans to get help from the VA or the American Legion if they’re suffering from depression or other mental illnesses. One way to combat such problems, he said, is to let veterans know they are appreciated. In an interview afterward, Wolber, a Vietnam veteran, said he was surprised by the statistic. SUICIDE CONTINUED ON A11
INDEX
BUSINESS ......... A12 COMICS ............... A9 CROSSWORD....B12
Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
Rock Falls American Legion Post 902 Commander Randy Wolber reads a letter from Rock Falls Middle School sixthgraders Monday morning during a Veterans Day ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park. During his speech, Wolber urged veterans who are suffering from depression to get help from Veterans Affairs or the American Legion.
DEAR ABBY ......... A8 LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 SPORTS ...............B1
DIXON – A light rain began to fall on the nearly 100 people who gathered at Veterans Memorial Park on Monday morning, the site of Dixon’s Veterans Day observance. Like other gatherings throughout the country Monday, there was a singing of the national anthem, playing of taps and a 21-gun salute, in addition to speeches from military personnel, veterans and elected officials. State Sen. Tim Bivins, R-Dixon, told the crowd he saw a fitting tribute in the wet, cold weather, saying that those who served lived and trained in such weather. Maj. Gen. Michael Robert Smith, who is stationed at the Rock Island Arsenal, gave the Veterans Day address. He called for awareness of the nearly 50,000 American military personnel currently stationed in Afghanistan and “thousands more throughout the world.” “On this Veterans Day, let us pause to reflect the sacrifices of all who have put on the uniform to serve in the military,” he said. “From Bunker Hill, during our Revolutionary War, to the treacherous mountains of Afghanistan, there is a long, gray line – or rather a camouflaged line – of service members who have stepped into the breach, during our nation’s hour of need, and did their duty.” More than a million Americans have died while serving in the military, Smith said, and more than 1.5 million have been wounded, some with lasting disabilities. “Our nation will always be grateful for the noble sacrifice made by these veterans,” he said. DEDICATED CONTINUED ON A11
Today’s weather High 33. Low 15. More on A3.
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