Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal April 28, 2016 Volume 154, Number 1 - $1.00
Hawk Classic
Recycle Friday
Man Charged
Competition is the operative word at this annual track meet. B1
Ogle County residents can recycle their electronic items April 29. B3
A Byron man has been charged with reckless homicide following a 2014 accident. B3
Officials await word on state’s repayment plan By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecountynews.com Local officials are awaiting direction about how taxing bodies will be expected to repay money they received due to a state error over the past two years. An error by the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) means hundreds of taxing districts across the state that received disbursements from a personal property tax replacement fund in 2014 and 2015 must repay an
estimated $168 million to the state. Like other county officials, Oregon School Superintendent Tom Mahoney has heard nothing from the state about how the repayments will be accomplished. “We don’t know the true impact to our finances because we don’t know how much or how long the repayment schedule will be,” he said Tuesday. Ogle County taxing bodies must repay a total of $582,777.07. That includes the county, school districts, cities and villages,
townships, fire districts, and park districts. The Oregon School District was the hardest hit in the county with $93,621.17 to pay back. Mahoney said personal property tax replacement reimbursement (PPRT) is a factor in determining how much general state aid school districts receive. “Higher PPRT decreases general state aid,” he said. “So in the last three years our general state aid should have been higher.” The district is already feeling the
pinch, Mahoney said with a smaller than anticipated PPRT payment in April. “The last PPRT payment was short, and that will impact this year’s budget,” he said. The school district’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30, the same as the state’s. The personal property tax replacement was instituted in 1976 to replace money that was lost by local governments when their powers to impose personal property taxes on corporations, partnerships,
and other business entities were taken away. The state uses the same formula it has used since 1976 to calculate the tax. Payments are to be made to the taxing bodies in January, March, April, May, July, August, October, and December. The docked April reimbursement is the start of the repayment of $168 million statewide – but no one seems to know how long the reimbursement reductions will last. The misallocation was identified Turn to A3
Citizens speak out against rail line proposal By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Two women voiced vehement opposition to the Ogle County Board last week to building a railroad line through the east side of the county. Miriah Ranken, Rochelle, and Cindy Brown, Lindenwood, both urged the board April 19 to get involved and oppose the proposed Great Lakes Basin Railroad. Building the rail line would cost an estimated $8 billion. The rail system would be entirely funded by private investors led by Frank Patton, Crete, a former software developer. Ranken advised board members to attend an April 20 informational meeting held in Rochelle to become familiar with the project. “We implore you to get involved now rather than later because this is when you’ll have the most say,” she said. The Surface Transportation Board, an agency that works independently within the U.S. Department of
Melodic Harmony Above, The Rock River Valley Barbershop Chorus performed at the Polo Senior Center Saturday night singing a selection of classic barbershop songs. At right, Monty Cotter Forreston, performs with the Rock River Valley Barbershop Chorus at the Polo Senior Center Saturday night. Photos by Chris Johnson
Transportation, organized 10 public meetings, including the one in Rochelle, to gather input on a proposed 278mile rail line project that would extend from southern Wisconsin to northern Indiana. Ranken urged the board to pass a resolution opposing it because of what she called its adverse effect on the watershed, endangered species, and wildlife. “We will leave you with this thought,” she said. “Is this in the best interests of Ogle County citizens?” Brown said the rail line will have an adverse effect on agriculture. It could also mean some roads will dead end, making it difficult for emergency vehicles to get where they need to go, she said. “This is a private investor that wants to use eminent domain for his own gain,” Brown said. The system would extend from La Porte, Indiana, to Milton, Wisconsin, requiring overpasses for several interstates and four rivers, including the Rock River in Ogle County. The route would run Turn to A3
Forreston zoning request sent back to committee By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com A controversial zoning request was tabled by the Ogle County Board April 19 and sent back to committee. The board tabled a request from Mike Stukenberg, Forreston, and Steve and Kevin Moring, also of Forreston, for a special use permit to allow a Class 2 Motor Carrier Facility on property zoned for agricultural use. The property, at 11123 W. Ill. 72 just east of Forreston, is owned by Stukenberg and being purchased by STKE LLC, a company owned by the Morings. Board member Bill Welty, Chana, said Steve Moring
contacted him earlier that day with changes in the layout of the proposed facility. Welty asked for the request to be reconsidered by the Assessments and Planning & Zoning Committee at its May 10 meeting. Steve Moring told the board that he is willing to relocate dumpsters on the property to make them less visible to the public. The Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) recommended approval of the request March 28. Some nearby property owners have voiced opposition to the request at the ZBA hearing, citing environmental concerns. Most were concerned about contamination from This property, owned by Mike Stukenberg, at 11123 W. Ill. 72 east of Forreston is the subject of a controversial Turn to A3 zoning request. Photo by Vinde Wells
In This Week’s Edition...
Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B5
Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B3 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B4
Deaths, B4 Charles C. Beard, John W. Camplain, Howard E. Detra Sr., Dolores Patterson
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com