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SVM ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
ROCK FALLS & STERLING, B3
ELECTION, PAGE A9
dailyGAZETTE Tuesday, November 8, 2016 n SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
STERLING | CITY COUNCIL
Percents, pensions, problems City faces a state mandate for pension funding, and that means residents could face higher taxes BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
STERLING – If the city doesn’t meet a stand mandate for pension funding, things will only get worse – not only for the city, but taxpayers.
That’s why the city’s actuarial firm is recommending a nearly $2.2 million contribution be made to police and fire pensions in the next tax levy year. Todd Schroeder from Lauterbach & Amen presented police and fire pension reports at Monday’s City Council meeting. This is the first year the city has used
the Warrenville-based actuarial firm. The recommended fire pension contribution for the city is $1,132,888, up from $974,055 last year. The funded percentage is down by 9.36 percent, and based on the actuarial numbers, the fire pension is 47.22 percent funded. The recommended police contribu-
tion is $1,058,614, a $79,784 increase from last year. The funded percentage dropped nearly 7 percent, and the police fund is 53.36 percent funded. At those funding rates, the city’s unfunded liability for both pensions is about $25 million. PROBLEMS continued on A44
DIXON
STERLING
City’s to-do list getting shorter
Shooting for the Sky Basketball court was in session Monday, and the defense was pressing its case at Lincoln Park in Sterling, where Emma Staats, right, applied some defensive pressure to Kyleigh Knox as the two practiced with the Sauk Valley Sky, a traveling basketball team made up of players in fifth and sixth grade. The weather was still warm enough to get in some hoops practice outside – in shorts, no less – with temperatures in the upper 60s. Players might want to grab their sweat pants if they plan on practicing later this week, though. Things will cool off a little starting today, with temperatures dropping to the mid 50s to lower 60s the rest of the week and into early next week. After that, they’ll start dipping into the upper 40s.
Council approves work on bridge, retaining wall BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers
Kelli Foy watches as Kyleigh shoots free throws before she and her fellow Sauk Valley Sky team members played a practice game. Read this story at saukvalley.com to see more photos of Monday’s practice. Photos by Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@saukvalley.com
BUSINESS
Sterling company gets room to grow Industrial Development Commission signs off on deal to sell land for Halo expansion BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
STERLING – The city’s Industrial Development Commission on Monday approved the sale of industrial park property for a planned expansion project. Halo Branded Solutions bought the
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land in Meadowlands Business Park to put up a new building that will consolidate its local operations. The company said the new building will accommodate up to 250 new jobs, which could be created within the next 5 years. The new site will be near the corner of Lynn Boulevard and West LeFevre Road, close to its current corporate headquar-
INDEX
ABBY.................... A7 BUSINESS.......... A10 COMICS................ A8
ters at 1980 Industrial Drive. The company worked with Greater Sterling Development Corp. to find a site. “Halo approached us about 12 months ago about ways to consolidate its operations and have more space to expand,” said Heather Sotelo, executive director at GSDC. EXPANSION continued on A44
CROSSWORD.......B7 LIFESTYLE............ A7 LOTTERY.............. A2
OBITUARIES......... A4 OPINION............... A6 POLICE................. A2
DIXON – The city finalized its laundry list of repairs to be done along Galena Avenue, from fixing the full set of bridge railings to attending to the collapsed wall at the Old Lee County Courthouse. Monday, the City Council approved $178,000 to repair all four bridge railings, with the Illinois Department of Transportation agreeing to foot up to $150,000 of the bill. Water, road salt and other material got inside the two eastern railings and caused internal corrosion; the western railings weren’t as bad. The council voted Oct. 27 to fix only the two eastern rails, and make minimal repairs to the other side, but IDOT wanted all of the rails fixed to prevent future problems, and said it would up its contribution from $100,000 to $150,000 to see all the work done. “They just want to cover all of their bases, and they’re willing to pay for it,” Mayor Li Arellano Jr. said. Dixon-based Bellini’s Custom Welding and Auto Repair is fixing the railings, and St. Louis-based Coatings Unlimited Inc. will sandblast and repaint them, for a total project cost of $451,000. The city has an agreement with the state in which the city pays for bridge maintenance, while the state is responsible for design flaws or structural fixes. The two have a similar agreement for the parts of the courthouse wall that run along Galena Avenue and Second Street. A portion of the Galena side collapsed about 3 years ago because of ineffective drainage. The city and IDOT went back and forth on whether the repairs should be considered maintenance or were the result of a design flaw. WORK continued on A34
Today’s weather High 60. Low 35. More on A3.
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