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Creation of TIF districts stalled DeKalb City Council to readdress South Fourth Street, Sycamore Road proposals By DEBBIE BEHRENDS dbehrends@shawmedia.com DeKALB – The creation of two new tax increment financing districts will be in front of the DeKalb City Council again in December and January. Action on the proposed South Fourth Street TIF district, which would stretch from Taylor Avenue to Fairlane Avenue, was postponed until January at the request of city
staff. Jennifer Diedrich, the city’s economic development coordinator, said discussions are continuing with DeKalb School District 428, which was opposed to the district’s creation. The creation of the Sycamore Road TIF district, which would include the Northern Illinois University Art Annex at 2211 Sycamore Road and the former Small’s property, generated a great deal of discussion at the Nov. 25 City Council meeting
and will be up for a second reading this month. An abandoned building that had been a veterinary office at 2131 Sycamore Road cannot be added to the district unless it is annexed to the city. TIF districts enable cities to encourage development by freezing the property tax revenues that local governments receive for a period of as many as 23 years. As the value of the property in the districts increases, the increased property taxes they
pay are diverted to a special account and used for improvements. The city has used tax increment financing for many projects, including $2 million it has committed to the DeKalb library expansion project. Interim City Manager Rudy Espiritu explained that the former Small’s property, now the Pappas development, would have to be removed from the Central Area TIF district before being added to the Sycamore Road district.
“If you do not intend to approve the Sycamore Road TIF, you don’t want to remove the Pappas property from the Central Area TIF,” Espiritu said. “The funds already obligated for development incentives would have to come the general fund if it’s not in a TIF district.” The council voted unanimously to postpone action on the Pappas property.
See TIF, page A11
Unions target Senate Dems in pension reform battle
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS SEEKS ‘BIGS’
ON THE WAITING LIST
By KERRY LESTER The Associated Press
Monica Maschak – mmaschak@shawmedia.com
Brandon Nikkila (right), 12, plays one-on-one basketball with his mother, Karen Nikkila, in front of their Sycamore home on Nov. 23. Brandon is on the waiting list for a Big Brother match-up.
Local parents hope their kids get matched with a volunteer soon By ANDREA AZZO aazzo@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Decenna Allen wants someone to teach her 8-year-old son how to be a man. Allen, a single mother in Genoa, still is waiting to hear from the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization in DeKalb whether her son, Demarcus, has been matched with a volunteer.
Demarcus has been on the waiting list for about three months. “I just don’t want him to be lost ... because I didn’t try,” Allen said. “I know a lot of people who didn’t make it because of their circumstances. I don’t want him to end up like that.” Allen’s case is typical for the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization, which is always seeking adults willing to volunteer to be mentors to young peo-
ple. The organization, a branch of the Family Service Agency, has 42 children on its waiting list. Officials at the organization use many avenues to reach out to potential volunteers: they advertise, speak at public functions and consistently contact those who sign up as interested volunteers.
See VOLUNTEER, page A11
How to help For a list of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization’s requirements for volunteering or for more information, visit www. fsadekalbcounty.org. To volunteer, call Laura Nolan at 815-758-8616.
SPRINGFIELD – Up against a determined effort to curtail state employees’ retirement benefits, Illinois’ unions are staging an all-out campaign to thwart approval of a breakthrough proposal to solve the state’s $100 billion pension crisis, specifically targeting a small contingent of moderate Senate Democrats. The effort includes plans to flood lawmakers’ offices with retirees this week as they return to the Capitol beginning today, in addition to an ongoing phone campaign aimed at members of both the House and Senate. On the opposing side, all four Illinois legislative leaders and Demo c r a t i c G o v . Voice your Pat Quinn are opinion engaged in an equally feverDo you think legish campaign islators will act on to secure supa pension reform port for the bill? Vote online at $160 billion savings plan, Daily-Chronicle. w h i c h c o u l d com. be called for a vote Tuesday in a special legislative session. Union leaders say they’re focusing on rank-and-file lawmakers after being ignored by state leaders who announced the compromise deal last week. Michael Carrigan, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO, said 25 “persuadable” lawmakers will be the subject of the most intense lobbying efforts. Carrigan declined to disclose names to The Associated Press, but said 8 to 10 lawmakers are targeted in the Senate and another 15 to 17 in the House.
See PENSION, page A11
More inside Illinois gubernatorial candidates differ on pension plan. See page A4.
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