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80-year-old running for Ward 2 alderman
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STERLING, A3
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dailyGAZETTE Tuesday, December 2, 2014
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
DIXON | NEGOTIATIONS WITH BAY VALLEY
City faces water rate ‘dilemma’ Company wants answer by Dec. 15, or move to well water likely BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529
Next meeting
DIXON – The City Council will have about 2 weeks to decide whether to lower the water rate for the Bay Valley Foods plant. Should the decision not be made, the company might drop city water. The city and the company, which operates the food processing plant that employs about 140 people, started discussing the water and sewer rates in August. Todd LeBlanc, a vice president with the company who is responsible for the
The Dixon City Council next meets at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 15 at City Hall, 121 W. Second St., on the second floor in the Council Chambers. Go to DiscoverDixon.org or call 815-2881485 for an agenda or more information. Dixon plant, presented a proposed agreement to lower the company’s water rate and freeze its sewer rate during the council’s regular meeting Monday night. The proposed agreement would lower the
water rate from $2.19 for each 100 cubic feet to $1.23, guaranteed through 2016, and freeze the sewer rate at $1.70 for each 100 cubic feet, guaranteed through 2018. The plant is the city’s largest water customer. The reduction would reduce the city’s revenue for the water department by about $375,000 a year. But LeBlanc said if the company was able to increase its production by 25 percent as a result, the city would see $200,000 more in revenue than it is right now. DILEMMA CONTINUED ON A4
‘‘ ’’ We can’t keep deferring maintenance. We’ve deferred it too long. I don’t know what the answer is.
Rusty Cox, Dixon water department superintendent, on necessary repairs to infrastructure. Bay Valley proposed its water rate be frozen at $1.23 for each 100 cubic feet, 44 cents less than it costs the city to deliver that amount of water to the plant.
DIXON
STERLING THEATER HOSTS UGLY SWEATER PARTY, ‘VACATION’ VIEWING
Lawsuit settled for $110,000
Lotta sap in here!
Settlement reached, but city admits no fault in 2009 arrest BY DAVID GIULIANI For Sauk Valley Media
Photos by Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
ABOVE: Anne Zigler of the Sterling Theater bags popcorn for customers during the Ugly Sweater Party. The theater encouraged moviegoers to wear their most awkward holiday attire, with prizes going to the “best”-dressed patrons. TOP: Randii Walls (left) and Brooke Cochran wait for friends at the Sterling Theater before heading in to watch “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” Where does the 1989 cult classic rank on your list of Christmas shows and movies? Visit saukvalley.com to see managing editor Jeff Rogers’ latest “List,” and comment with your thoughts. Your picks might even make the next “List.”
DIXON – The city has settled a federal lawsuit that accused Dixon police of using unreasonable force during a 2009 arrest. Under the agreement, the city settled with Dixon resident Karen Beauchamp for $110,000, but it admitted no fault and denied any wrongdoing. She must take care of her own legal costs. According to the agreement, obtained by Sauk Valley Media through a Danny public records Langloss r e q u e s t , t h e p a r t i e s Dixon police chief a c k n o w l - says officers used edged that the ‘bare minimum’ s e t t l e m e n t amount of force necessary during was reached 2009 arrest to “avoid the uncertainty of litigation” and “for the purpose of judicial economy.” In a phone interview Monday, Beauchamp, 49, said the settlement was “closure for my family as to the ordeal that we went through.” She said that less than half of the money went to her attorney and much of the rest for medical bills. Police Chief Danny Langloss called the settlement a “business decision” made by the city’s insurance company. It was reached in July. The city, Langloss said, had conducted its own “comprehensive” investigation and found the officers’ actions justified. “We were prepared for our day in court,” Langloss said in a statement. “I was completely confident the jury would determine we used the proper amount of force to make this arrest.” LAWSUIT CONTINUED ON A3
$1.00
TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 160 ISSUE 252
INDEX
ABBY ................... A7 BUSINESS ......... A11 COMICS ............... A9
CROSSWORD....B12 LIFESTYLE ........... A8 LOTTERY ............. A2
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 NATION/WORLD .. A8
Today’s weather High 34. Low 20. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B6.
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