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dailyGAZETTE Tuesday, February 23, 2016
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
EDUCATION | BUDGETS
Wages prevail – at a cost Superintendents: Wage laws can make it a challenge to stretch districts’ dollars BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 @CHeimerman_SVM
STERLING – Some folks are wondering why the Sterling Public School District spent $137,000 on a ticket booth. Superintendent Tad Everett said the question they should be asking is,”Why does it cost $137,000 to build a 16 foot-by-24 foot brick, utilities-ready structure?” Prevailing wage is the short answer. In Illinois, the Prevailing Wage Act requires workers contracted to do any project funded by taxpayers’ dollars to be paid rates set for each county by the
Illinois Department of Labor. In nearly all cases, that means the union-negotiated rate, which is often 50 percent greater than that of nonunion workers. The slightly longer answer is because it had to – at least in order to take care of two needs with one contract. A dilapidated storage shed needed replacing, and a ticket booth was sorely missed, so the dual-purpose building – onethird of it used for ticket sales, two-thirds used for storage – was built into the tennis court renovation project. WAGES CONTINUED ON A4
Sterling High School built this $137,000 ticket booth facing Miller Road over the summer with money from the district’s operation and maintenance fund, which they will pay back with the sales tax revenue. Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
ROCK FALLS
ILLINOIS
Promoting the power of one Mayor touts benefits of single utilities board, but not everyone’s sold on the idea BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
Lee County State’s Attorney Ann Sacco-Miller is shown here in a Lee County courtroom on Feb. 25, 2015, during a plea hearing for Mario Garnica, a Sterling teacher indicted on four counts of attempted first-degree murder. On Monday, the Illinois Supreme Court said a 4-year pilot program allowing media coverage at certain trials has been a success, and would be made permanent.
Focus is kept on the courts Justices make cameras-in-court pilot program permanent CHICAGO (AP) – Illinois is making its cameras-in-court policy permanent after having success with a 4-year experiment that allowed media coverage at some trials, state high court officials said Monday.
An Illinois Supreme Court spokesman said safeguards at several dozen trials where news cameras and audio recording devices have been allowed for the pilot project since 2012 have worked, despite concern that
having media in court could create a disruptive, circus-like atmosphere. “There were no red flags in any of the instances,” spokeswoman Bethany Krajelis said. CAMERAS CONTINUED ON A5
STERLING
Easement moves trail plan forward Work on project could begin by this summer BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
STERLING – The city granted a permanent easement to the Sterling Park District on Monday that is needed to begin work on a trail that will eventually extend from Challand Middle School to Franklin Elementary School.
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The Sterling Park District was awarded two federal grants from the Safe Routes to Schools program. The money is administered through the Illinois Department of Transportation. The first grant, for $217,151, dates back to December 2009, while the second grant, totaling $244,230, was awarded in 2012. TRAIL CONTINUED ON A5
ABBY ................... A7 BUSINESS ......... A12 COMICS ............... A9
CROSSWORD....B11 LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2
Scott Shumard
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 POLICE ................ A2
ROCK FALLS – More than a year since the idea of a utilities governance board was introduced, city officials started examining the concept in earnest Monday. And if early discussions are any indicator of things to come, the concept will attract plenty of opinions – pro and con. At a Committee of the Whole meeting, Mayor Bill Wescott gave an overview of the city’s public utility enterprises, and how a single board that includes residents could make them run more like businesses. “When attending classes on effective governance of utilities, one thing that jumps out is benchmarks,” Wescott said. “We need to do a better job of measuring and communicating performance standards.” The mayor said that with rapidly changing regulaBill tions, and the constant Wescott balancing act that must be done with disruptive technology and aging infrastructure, it becomes increasingly important to be proactive with public utilities. “This is not a reflection on how you are doing your work in the separate committees, but having one board allows for a better line of communication and keeps everyone on the same page,” Wescott said. The bulk of the metrics work would fall on the new board, and its recommendations would still have to be approved by the full council. It was made clear that if the board comes to fruition, demands on its members would be high. “For aldermen and private citizens, we want them to understand that this is a big commitment,” City Administrator Robbin Blackert said. “There is a lot of education involved, and we’re looking at various ways to provide it.” BOARD CONTINUED ON A5
Today’s weather High 46. Low 31. More on A3.
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