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MCC trustees approve flat levy
WARMING CENTERS, PERMANENT SITES FOR HOMELESS A NEED IN MCHENRY COUNTY
By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com
Photos by Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
Ronald Ecklund practices on his guitar Nov. 16 at his apartment in Woodstock. Ecklund used to be homeless and is now a board member for McHenry County Continuum of Care to End Homelessness.
Agencies seek solutions to shelter area homeless By HANNAH PROKOP hprokop@shawmedia.com McHenry County PADS aims to give warm meals and shelter to the homeless during the cold winter months, but challenges in getting volunteers and funding mean there are times when the homeless may be without shelter. About 300 people have been served in the past year by McHenry County PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter), which has merged with Pioneer Center for Human Services, Christin Kruse said. Kruse, chief development officer with Pioneer Center, said there always is a need for warming centers and places for homeless people to go during the day, despite the two permanent sites PADS has in Woodstock and the churches it partners with to host people overnight October through April. “Sustaining the PADS program is a very, very difficult thing to do, and we are only able to do it because of the generosity of this community,” Kruse said.
Ecklund poses for a photo outside of his apartment in Woodstock. The program has a budget of about $700,000 a year, $500,000 of which comes from community fundraising, Kruse said. That money goes toward providing services at the day center, beds and transportation between the PADS church sites Monday through Friday, Kruse said. “Creating a solution is a very difficult thing to do,” Kruse said.
A lack of affordable housing in McHenry County contributes greatly to the problem of homelessness in the county, said Hans Mach, chairman of the McHenry County Continuum of Care to End Homelessness and development director with Turning Point. PADS is “limited in terms of the amount of services they can provide, and it’s challenging to get
people from place to place,” Mach said. Church sites are located in towns from Cary to Richmond, and with no transportation offered by PADS on the weekend, Janie King said she sees a lower number of people at Cary United Methodist on Saturday nights because some people have no way to get there. “A permanent site would be cool, it would be extremely helpful, it would help the people, the homeless people,” King said. “Because instead of being schlepped from one place to another day after day after week, they would be able to go to one site.” At the continuum’s meeting Thursday, Tom Rogers, pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Woodstock, said his commission had met with Woodstock Mayor Brian Sager to discuss holding a potential warming center or permanent shelter in the old firehouse in Woodstock. Mach said the continuum of care, which is made up of about 30 nonprofit groups and community
See HOMELESS, page A4
CRYSTAL LAKE – A majority of the McHenry County College Board of Trustees voted in favor of a flat property tax levy despite one trustee’s urging to opt for an increase this year. Approval of the tentative 2015 levy came Wednesday during a board meeting with five favorable votes from Trustees Karen Tirio, Molly Walsh, Chris Jenner and Ron Parrish and Chairman Mike Smith. Student Trustee Jason Memmen abstained, and Trustee Cynthia Kisser voted in dissension. Cynthia “I think it’s unre- Kisser alistic when we are so close to the bone,” Kisser said about not going to taxpayers for the recommended increase. The board’s action represents the third consecutive flat levy. Last year, the college’s total extension was about $26.9 million in McHenry County, according to the county’s 2014 tax computation report. The recommendation not approved was a levy of $28.36 million, a 1.39 percent increase over last year’s request, including the 0.8 percent rate of inflation and new growth. During Chief Financial Officer Bob Tenuta’s initial presentation, he said it would have meant an increase of about 98 cents a month or $11.79 a year on a home valued at $250,000, assuming no change in equalized assessed valuation. When Kisser pointed to what she said was a nominal increase, especially for someone who might have a personal stake in the college, other trustees were quick to respond. “The concept taxpayers see is another increase, another raise in our taxes,” Parrish said. “I agree with you Cynthia, it’s not very much money. “I think it isn’t enough to make it worthwhile. They’re going to be upset ... if it’s 10 cents or it’s $1,000. Let’s not do that for this amount of money.” Tenuta has informed trustees the operating fund revenue has remained flat over the past few years while costs for items such as salaries and benefits have gone up. In addition, he has said the college’s composite financial index, which can be used to determine the college’s credit
See MCC, page A4
Why Ill. budget deal unlikely before ’16 By SARA BURNETT The Associated Press CHICAGO – Much attention is being focused on a Dec. 1 sit-down between Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislative leaders as Illinois approaches the fivemonth mark without a state budget. But other dates are approaching that may be far more important to hopes for a deal on a spending plan, because getting there has as
much to do with political timing as getting everyone in the same room or agreeing on what and how much to fund. For politicians, the calendar often dictates motiva- Bruce tions. And con- Rauner siderations such as the primary election in March and whether they will face opposition could
be as big a factor as anything in getting a deal before spring. Among the tough votes lawmakers may have to cast are for a likely tax increase to help a close a revenue gap or for pieces of a pro-business agenda the Republican governor is pushing to weaken labor unions’ bargaining power. Democrats said his proposals would hurt working families and shouldn’t factor into talks over how to close a multibillion-dollar budget hole; Raun-
er said they’re necessary to improve Illinois’ economy. Next week’s meeting is expected to bring Rauner together with House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, both Democrats, and GOP leaders Rep. Jim Durkin and Sen. Christine Radogno for the first time since the fiscal year began. Here’s a look at other key
See BUDGET, page A4
AP photo
Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, speaks Sept. 9 to lawmakers at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield.
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