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SERVING DEKALB COUNTY SINCE 1879
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DeKalb plans for budget flexibility Public hearing to continue June 22 By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN bkeeperman@shawmedia.com DeKALB – City Council members will continue a public hearing June 22 on the proposed city budget for fiscal 2016, which includes general fund revenue of $34.7 million and $34.6 million in expenses. At their meeting Monday, aldermen amended the proposed budget to include allocating $1 million in tax increment financing funds for road repairs in DeKalb’s two TIF districts and budgeting for a $450,000 surplus, upon recommendations from the Financial Advisory Committee. The budget covers a oneyear period that begins July 1. Members of the committee recommended a $450,000 surplus for the budget to account for what they considered one-time revenue sources such as a $250,000 transfer from the workers’ comCathy Haley pensation fund, the city’s Finance Director Cathy Haley said. Haley said the budget has a surplus of $84,000. To achieve the recommended $450,000 surplus, the city would need to eliminate a proposed information technology needs assessment, put off buying new financial software and eliminate transfers to fleet and equipment – which would mean two police and one fire department vehicle would not be purchased. The council voted to approve the proposed budget as amended late Monday night after a four-hour session. A public hearing began at the beginning of the meeting but was continued to June 22 at the request of residents including Steve Kapitan and Lynn Fazekas. Both requested the continuation because minutes from previous Financial Advisory Committee meetings and joint City Council and Financial Advisory Committee meetings were not yet available to the public online.
Photos by Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
Chad Warbort, a chef at Tapa La Luna in DeKalb, inspects herbs from Theis Farm in Maple Park at the DeKalb Farmers Market. Warbort looks to incorporate locally grown produce into his fare when he can, although he said it’s difficult this early in the season because local growers start bringing the bulk of their crops later in the month.
Farmers markets give restaurants a chance to source locally If you go
By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN bkeeperman@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Area farmers markets once again have opened for the season, and for local chef Chad Warbort, that means an opportunity to look for new ingredients to sell at his restaurant, Tapa La Luna, at 226 E. Lincoln Highway in downtown DeKalb. Warbort has been in the restaurant business for 22 years, including seven in DeKalb. He said he usually goes to farmers markets in search of fresh produce and different ingredients to incorporate into his menu, which offers smallplate tapas-style meals. “Usually, it’s just accents to supplement the plate of my core food,” Warbort said. “… A lot of the herbs I use come from my own garden.” Farmers markets have reopened in DeKalb County and offer residents and business owners alike a chance to support local farms and buy fresh produce.
n The DeKalb Farmers Market takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Thursday in Van Buer Plaza, at North Second Street and Locust Street. The market runs through September. Debit, credit and LINK cards are accepted. n The Sycamore Farmers Market takes place from 3 to 7 p.m every Tuesday at the corner of Somonauk and Elm Street. The market runs through Sept. 29. n The Genoa Farmers Market takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 27, July 25, Aug. 29 and Sept. 26 at the corner Tapa La Luna chef Chad Warbort selects asparagus at the Larson’s Country of Route 72 and South Genoa Street. Market stand Thursday at the DeKalb Farmers Market.
Warbort said it can be a challenge to rely solely on local ingredients, but he shops the markets when he can. The availability of fresh produce obviously is better when living in a place closer to a lot of
farms, Warbort said. “Once you get into Chicago, it’s tougher to find people with plots of land to grow fresh vegetables, so you have to rely on a bunch of small produce purveyors,” he said. “Out here, we’re growing the stuff. We’re the ones selling it to them.”
But even in a farming area, seasonality affects exactly how useful the markets can be. “Different things come up at different times,” he said. “If you’re looking for garlic scapes – they’re coming up now. Broccoli
See MARKET, page A6
See BUDGET, page A6
House property-tax freeze fails; Rauner says it’s not enough By JOHN O’CONNOR and KERRY LESTER The Associated Press SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly and Gov. Bruce Rauner spent Tuesday talking about the same issue – relief from increasing local property taxes – but they talked past each other in a continuing deadlock over a state spending plan due by June 30. The Legislature returned for a second day of overtime work
and teed up proposals to freeze the amount of property taxes local governments can collect, suggesting they’re identical to what the Republican governor wants, but Rauner denounced the plan as falling short of reform he said is necessary to change the business and political environments in Illinois. It didn’t matter anyway. The House voted down both proposals – the closest fell 30 votes short of the 71 needed. The first-term governor wants changes ranging from
reducing business costs on insurance to cover injured workers to term limits to curtain politicians’ power before he’ll negotiate on a state budget. En- Gov. Bruce trenched legisla- Rauner tive Democrats resisted those proposals all spring but adopted a budget they said covers vital services but which falls short of revenue by as much as $4 bil-
lion. The Democrats see their property tax offering – and one last week on workers’ compensation – as efforts at compromise. Rauner said he’s compromised too – reducing his “turnaround agenda” to five points – fair legislative remapping and restrictions on civil-liability lawsuits rounding out the plan. “They’ve refused to have real negotiations on specific issues in those five bills,” Rauner told reporters outside the Exec-
utive Mansion as the House debated the tax measure. Marengo Democratic Rep. Jack Franks’ plan would freeze at 2015 levels the amount of property taxes that a local government can collect. If City Hall or a park board wants more, they have to ask voters. That’s Rauner’s premise. But his initiative would allow governments to prohibit discussion of certain issues in union negotiations over contracts, such as health insurance benefits or setting staffing levels for
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certain positions. He also wants to exempt local governments from having to pay laborers on construction projects the “prevailing wage,” set by state law, which he said is often a union scale and most workers aren’t union members. Asked why he won’t accept the stand-alone tax freeze, take credit, and continue working on the tangential issues, the governor rejected the idea as a pyrrhic and ultimately hurtful
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