Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS August 21, 2014 Volume 47, Number 25 - $1.00
Alumni Game
Fair Results
Red & White Night
Oregon graduates defeated Winnebago Aug. 15 during an alumni football game. B1
Read how the projects fared at the 2014 Ogle County 4-H Fair. A10
Come and meet Oregon High School’s fall sports teams this Friday night. A9
Board approves audit expenses By Vinde Wells Editor A forensic examination of the Ogle County Sheriff’s Tow Fund may cost double the original estimate. The Ogle County Board on Tuesday authorized paying Sikich LLP, Naperville, up to $7,500 more to dig further into the financial records. The board agreed in May to pay Sikich $7,500 plus outof-pocket expenses for the initial investigation into the Tow Fund expenditures and revenues. County board chairman Kim Gouker said then that if fraud was uncovered during the examination, the costs could increase to as much as $300 per hour for the investigators’ services. In May, the board approved engaging the forensic services of Sikich to examine Tow Fund expenditures and revenues from the time it was implemented in 2011 to the present. The firm also does the county’s regular annual audits. Tuesday’s motion to pay Sikich the additional sum met with some opposition. The measure passed 19-3 with board members Lee Meyers, Byron, Lyle Hopkins, Polo, and Dorothy Bowers, Byron, voting no. Board members Bill Welty, Chana, and Bruce McKinney, Rochelle, did not attend the meeting. Meyers said he believes Sikich is changing the cost midway through the process. “I think they need to have their feet put to the fire and made to do it for the original $7,500,� he said. Pat Saunders, Polo, said she remembered that Sikich officials said at the start that additional fees might be incurred. Hopkins said he is opposed to spending more.
“If they haven’t found anything that jumped out at them by now, why should we give them more money?� he said. “Could it be they have found something?� asked Bobbie Colbert, Rochelle. “That could be,� replied Gouker. Gouker said that so far the investigators have looked through the records they knew to be in existence and spent three days “on site� doing that. “Examinations like this are like peeling off an onion,� Gouker said. “There are different layers. They said the records were quite disorganized.� He said the investigators want to look at more records and do more interviews. They may find what they need without using all of the additional $7,500, he said. On the other hand, Gouker said, this may not be the last time they ask for more funds to complete the examination. Martin Typer, Stillman Valley, said he believes it is important that the examination is completed, even with the additional cost. “We owe it to the people we represent to find out what happened,� he said. Gouker said he was misquoted in a newspaper article that said he has not seen a preliminary report from Sikich. He said Sikich has not yet completed a preliminary report on their findings to this point. In other business the board: s GAVE APPROVAL BY A consensus to have Chevron Energy Solutions Company do an assessment of county facilities at no cost, s LEARNED FROM 'OUKER that Candace Humphrey has resigned as Ogle County Emergency Management Agency coordinator.
Lights are up By Vinde Wells Editor
A work crew lifts a new street light into place Monday morning in downtown Mt. Morris. Photo by Vinde Wells
Downtown Mt. Morris is sporting a updated, oldfashioned look this week. Thirty-nine brand new Victorian-style street lights have been installed around Kable Square in the heart of the downtown. Planning Commission member Jerry Stauffer said the first new pole and lift went up Aug. 16 at the corner of Main and Seminary Streets in front of the post office. Seven new poles were placed on Saturday, and the work continued on Monday. “The underground wiring is mostly in place and the crews from Utility Dynamics Turn to A2
Ground broken for sheriff’s building By Vinde Wells Editor Everyone was in agreement Tuesday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Ogle County Sheriff’s Administration Building — the facility is much needed. “It’s a long-needed facility,� Ogle County Board Chairman Kim Gouker. County board member Don Griffin agreed. “It’s not only going to serve the present but also long into the future for the county.� “This is a facility that’s desperately needed,� said architect Guy Gehlhausen. “It will have all the latest security.� Ogle County 911 Coordinator Sandy Beitel said the new building will be a more convenient, safer environment for county employees. The new building, which
has been under construction since early this spring, will replace the century-old sheriff’s office donated to the county more than 25 years ago by the E.D. Etnyre Company. The building has a leaky roof, needs electrical and technological upgrades, and is not handicapped accessible. The Oregon Mayor Tom Stone said he remembered working in the old building years ago when he first went to work for Etnyre’s. “This will be a nice facility,� he said. “It will be a great thing for the City of Oregon.� The final speaker was Nathan Heinrich, the vice president of Rockford Structures, the contractor for the project, who said he was honored to be a part of it. The new facility is being built to the east of the Turn to A2
Architect Guy Gehlhausen points out county board member Don Griffin, the chairman of the Long Range Planning Committee, while talking about the Ogle County Sheriff’s Administration building project Tuesday afternoon during a ceremonial groundbreaking. Photo by Chris Johnson
Zoning change was put on hold Aug. 12 By Vinde Wells Editor A change in a village zoning ordinance was put on hold Aug. 12 after the procedure was questioned by a resident. Village president Dan Elsasser proposed an amendment to the ordinance for the Light Industrial District classification to allow agricultural structures to be a maximum of 125 feet tall. Greg Witmer, who owns a grain storage business, said the highest bin now at his business is 105 feet. Elsasser asked the village board to bring the matter to a vote. However, resident Joyce
Carr, who formerly served on the village board, said making such a change may require a public hearing. Elsasser said he believed the board could vote on it because it was a change to the zoning ordinance rather than a request for a zoning classification change. Carr said zoning matters usually require a public hearing. Elsasser asked village attorney Eric Morrow for an opinion. Morrow, however, said he had only just received the information on the amendment and had not yet A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new Ogle County Sheriff’s Administration building. Pictured here had time to read it. shoveling dirt are architect Guy Gehlhausen, Nathan Heinrich, Rockford Structures, architect Dan Saavedra, Mike Elsasser postponed the Olson, Saavedra Gehlhausen Architects, Sandy Beitel, E-911 Coordinator, Ogle County Board Chairman Kim Turn to A2
In This Week’s Edition...
Gouker, Oregon Mayor Tom Stone, Greg Suthers, Rockford Structures, county board member Don Griffin, and Coroner Lou Finch. Photo by Chris Johnson
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B12 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B5
Marriage Licenses, A4 Mt. Morris Police, A2 Oregon Police, A3 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B2
Sheriff’s Arrests, B5 Service News, A4 Social News, A4 Sports, A11, A12, B1 State’s Attorney, B6
Deaths, B3 David L. Dickson, James E. Gross, Wayne L. Lantz, James M. Maxwell, William M. McNett, Samuel E. Thomas, Kenneth M. Wolf
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