Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS January 22, 2015 Volume 47, Number 47 - $1.00
Sectional Bound
Tax Tips
Starved Rock
Hawk bowler Joe Miranda earned a Sectional following the Jan. 17 Regional. B1
A state agency has released several tax tips for Illinois residents. A7
An Oregon couple are the new concessionaires at the Starved Rock Lodge. B3
Board mulls law change limiting minors in bars By Vinde Wells Editor Whether or not minors should be allowed to sit at the bar in a business that serves liquor was debated by the Mt. Morris Village Board Jan. 13. Village trustee Mary Francis introduce a proposed ordinance change that would limit the presence of anyone younger than 21 in any establishment that sells liquor. The proposed ordinance stipulates that minors must be there with their parents or guardians only during hours when food is being served and be consuming food. The proposed new law would leave it up to bar owners whether or not minors who are following those rules could sit at the
bar. Attorney Rob LeSage said the current ordinance probably needs to be updated. “As the village ordinance currently is, families would be in violation as soon as they walked in the door,” he said. Trustee Phil LaBash said he is opposed to minors sitting at the bar under any circumstances. He said he believes they should be restricted to areas with tables and booths. Francis agreed. “I don’t think it’s appropriate [for children to sit at the bar],” she said. Other board members brought up how the ordinance would define “food,” and whether snacks would meet the legal requirement.
LeSage suggested further refining the language to address those concerns. The discussion and possible action was tabled until the Jan. 27 meeting. In another matter, the board approved dismantling the large shelter at Dillehay Park as soon as weather Sixth grader Grant Cermak takes his turn at the mic Jan. 14 during the Oregon permits. Elementary School spelling bee. He was one of 28 students who participated in the The board has discussed event. Photo by Vinde Wells what to do about the deteriorating condition of the shelter for some time. Cost estimates to repair or replace it have been By Vinde Wells spelling bee. McAuley Humphrey after too high. Approximately Editor “We might have to hold the several championship rounds. $90,000 has been set aside buses,” whispered a teacher Twenty-eight students in for the project. School buses were to a colleague as the clock grades 4, 5, and 6 took turns already lining up to take ticked closer and closer to the spelling in the bee. The board agreed to have students home from Oregon 3:11 dismissal time. Only Lydia and village employees do the Elementary School Jan. 14 Literally just before the McAuley were left after demolition and to recycle as while two determined sixth bell, Lydia Cermak correctly six rounds, and then the many materials as possible graders were battling out an spelled permeate to finally competition became “spellfrom the old shelter. exciting finish to the annual triumph over classmate Turn to A3
Bee-coming a champion
Petrizzo addresses some reasons for resignation By Vinde Wells Editor Differences with the county board chairman Kim Gouker are what an Ogle County Board member says led him to step down from his post only halfway through his term. The county board accepted the resignation Tuesday of Richard Petrizzo, 77, Davis Junction, who was elected to a four-year term in November of 2012. The board also recognized him for his years of service on the board.
In his resignation letter, Petrizzo said, “After a critical review of my service to the county, it is my personal belief that I have achieved all that I can without compromising my standards and my own ethical values.” In a longer statement released Tuesday afternoon, Petrizzo filled in more of the reasons for his departure. “I resigned from the board because increasingly, the chairman and I grew further apart in our individual perspectives on the role of the chairman and board members,” Petrizzo said in
Assessment lowered for nuclear plant By Vinde Wells Editor A Byron school official voiced concern last week when the Ogle County Board of Review (BOR) reduced the assessment of the Byron Generating Station last week by $27 million. “Obviously we’re disappointed. Obviously this will have an impact on the school district’s revenue,” said Byron School Board President Doug Floski. “We’ll have to assess what that impact is and how we’re going to have to address it. We’ll try to do it without putting an additional burden on our other taxpayers.” The Byron School District receives the largest share of the real estate taxes from the nuclear plant. Last year that amount was just over $19 million. At an appeal hearing Jan. 14, the three-member BOR unanimously set the plant’s assessment at $482.4 million, reducing the $509.4 million assessment set last fall by Supervisor of Assessments
Jim Harrison. Plant owner Exelon Nuclear appealed that assessment, claiming the plant’s value should be set at $212.6 million, just 44 percent of the BOR’s number. The 2014 assessment is the basis for real estate taxes paid in 2015. After hearing an appeal from Exelon’s attorney Terry Moritz and a rebuttal from Byron School District attorney Stuart Whitt, BOR members asked Harrison how he arrived at his assessment. Harrison said he left it unchanged from the year before because Exelon has appealed that assessment to the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB). PTAB has not yet set a date for the appeal. The 2013 assessment was based on the assessments of other Illinois nuclear generating stations owned by Exelon. The BOR upheld last year’s assessment, as well as the 2012 assessment of $499
his statement. The main complaint Petrizzo laid out is that he believes Gouker micromanages the board and its committees. “I have felt that his style, as a chairman, leaves no room for major input from board members, and he has had a majority on every committee to support his agenda,” the statement read. “In addition, he spends too much time on the various committees of the board and attending many other meetings in the county and elsewhere. While some of this is appropriate, most of it takes away from time he could be doing the work of the chairman in his office or at home, as most
others do.” Petrizzo said he believes Gouker should take a step back and delegate some responsibilities. “He should pull back from all of this involvement and encourage and/or assign others to assume the work of the board and participate in these activities,” the statement continued. “It is interesting to note that with the new board election, of which I did not seek election, he has now pulled back from most chairmanships as I had recommended but still sits on many committees… A leader should work to bring out the best in others in service to the county and not feel as if he must have
his fingers in each and every facet of board operation.” Gouker disagreed with Petrizzo. “That’s his opinion of what I’m doing,” he said. “He’s not with me every day and he doesn’t know what I’m doing.” Gouker denied that he attends a large number of committee meetings. “Committees have their own work to do,” he said. “I don’t want committees or department heads to feel that I manage their business. They are to operate their committees and go through their business and bring it to the board.” According to the county’s website, Gouker is a member
of five county committees and serves as chairman of the Executive Committee. Petrizzo also questioned Gouker’s approach to the issues that arose over former sheriff Michael Harn’s handling of the tow fund. “Further, he seemed too intent on protecting the former sheriff in his debacle in office,” the statement read. “I have not supported him [Harn],” Gouker said. “We are getting to the bottom of this [the tow fund], and we will get to the bottom of it.” Petrizzo was the first board member to call for a forensic audit of the tow Turn to A3
Library Grant
Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS) Executive Director Derdre Brennan presented the Mt. Morris Public Library Board and Foundation Board with a $8,268 check Jan. 15 to update its catalog. Pictured left to right in the back row are: Philip Labash, library trustee, John Finfrock library trustee, Bruce McKanna, library board president. Middle row: Mary Jane Warkins, foundation board member, Kathy Heid, library trustee, Holly Peterson, library trustee, Sandy Armbruster, foundation board member, Paula Diehl, foundation board member, Mary Gardner, Turn to A8 foundation board member. Front row: Julie Robinson, foundation board president, Becky McCanse, library director, and Brennan. Photo by Chris Johnson
In This Week’s Edition...
Business Briefs, B6 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B12 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B3
Library News, A3 Marriage License, A4 Oregon Police, B4 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B5
Sheriff’s Arrests, B4 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B5 Weather, A2
Deaths, B3 Amanda A. McAlonan, Roger F. Camplain, Mary J. Moser
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com