TUESDAY
MAKING A COMEBACK
Nov ember 3 , 2015 • $1 .0 0
NORTHWEST
HERALD
After being sidelined with medical condition, Cary-Grove grad Trausch heading to Region IV semifinals with MCC / C1 NWHerald.com
THE ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN McHENRY COUNTY
Facebook.com/NWHerald
HIGH
LOW
70 51 Complete forecast on page A6
@NWHerald
Mental Health Board awards service funds
McHENRY COUNTY FIREFIGHTERS ADJUSTING TO NEW RESPONSIBILITIES
$9.3M given to 26 local agencies By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – Twenty-six local service providers were awarded $9.3 million in funding from the McHenry County Mental Health Board – including three agencies that hadn’t received funding in the past. The amount disbursed includes a $2.5-million balance transfer from the Mental Health Board reserves. It’s the first round of funding, with another $1.4 million to be issued at a later date, Executive Director Scott Block said. By not doling out the entire amount at once, it allows the Mental Health Board to keep an eye on state financial battles. “We want to make sure we remain nimble and flexible in the event that we may have to address any issues from the [state] budget impasse,” Block said. The Mental Health Board disburses funds from a special property tax levy to agencies that provide mental health, developmental disability, substance abuse, behavioral health, prevention and traumatic brain injury programs. It’s nine-member board decides who gets the funding and how much. The Mental Health Board budget is approved by the County Board, which likely will OK a $13.5 million total budget for the Mental Health Board, according to the county’s 2016 draft budget. The Mental Health Board’s request is $1.8 million higher, or a 16 percent increase from what the County Board appropriated last year. The board’s tax rate of 15 cents per $100 in assessed valuation is about $91 a year in property taxes for the owner of a $200,000 home who takes the homestead exemption. The providers who were awarded funding this year, as they have in the past, include: 22nd Judicial Circuit, Centegra Specialty Hospital, Consumer Credit Counseling, Epilepsy Foundation, FamiliesETC, Family Alliance, Family Health Partnership Clinic, Garden Quarter, Greater Elgin Family Care Center, Home of the Sparrow, Horizons, Mathers Clinic, McHenry County Health Department, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Northern
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Woodstock firefighter Paul Ortiz demonstrates how to use a thermal scanner while posing for a portrait Wednesday at Fire Rescue Station 1 in Woodstock. The thermal scanner helps firefighters measure temperature variations on the surface of structures.
Demand for fire services on the rise
Officials: Number of fires down, but cases more dangerous By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com
F
irefighting is no different from law enforcement, military service or any other dangerous line of work in that new technologies only work as well as the trained professionals wielding them. Although gadgets such as thermal cameras and improved life-safety equipment are aiding On the Web firefighters in their missions, the enemy Have you ever they’re fighting has changed significantly had to call the fire department over the years as well. The number of for an emergenreported fires has cy? Vote online steadily decreased – at NWHerald. they have more than com. halved over the past 25 years – but they are more dangerous and are burning much faster, according to local fire chiefs. Fire departments nationwide are in a push to learn new tactics to face that changing threat. Chiefs such as Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District Chief Peter Van Dorpe warn the decrease in reported fire calls is deceptive and should not be taken as an indicator that firefighters are safer or that fewer are needed. “We all have an obligation to save
Shaw Media file photo
McHenry Township Fire Chief Tony Huemann watches as a fire engulfs a home after lightning struck it. the taxpayers money. You look at the statistics, you take a broad, easy look, and fires are down, so why do we need all these firefighters? On the surface, it looks like you don’t need as many of them. In reality, yes, you do,” Van Dorpe said. Just less than 1.3 million fires were reported nationwide last year, regardless of type – a 4.7 percent increase from 2013 and an average of one every
24 seconds, according to the National Fire Protection Association, which tracks such statistics. Fires in 2014 caused $11.6 billion in damage, and killed 64 firefighters and 3,275 residents. Last year’s total, despite the uptick, still is less than half of the 3 million fire calls reported in 1980. About 75 percent of the 494,000
See FIREFIGHTERS, page A4
Service providers and amount received 22nd Judicial Circuit – $175,730 Alano Club of Crystal Lake* – $17,500 Centegra Specialty Hospital – $1,738,576 Clearbrook* – $323,416 Consumer Credit Counseling – $43,000 Epilepsy Foundation – $262,972 FamiliesETC – $215,668 Family Alliance – $279,224.92 Family Health Partnership Clinic – $80,431 Garden Quarter – $32,305 Greater Elgin Family Care Center – $370,187 Home of the Sparrow – $279,042 Horizons – $115,000 Mathers Clinic – $87,210 McHenry County Health Department – $109,326 NAMI – $194,519 NISRA – $55,248 Northwest Center for Sexual Assault – $18,000 Options & Advocacy – $314,155 Partnering for Prevention* – $109,817 Pioneer Center for Human Services – $2,412,500 Rosecrance Inc. – $729,239 Special Education District of McHenry County – $70,800 Thresholds – $310,334 Transitional Living Services – $289,285 Turning Point – $754,710 *Denotes new agencies awarded funding next year
Source: McHenry County Mental Health Board Illinois Special Recreation Association, Northwest Center for Sexual Assault, Options & Advocacy, Pioneer Center for Human Services, Rosecrance Inc., Special Education District of McHenry County, Thresholds, Transitional Living Services and Turning Point. The agencies who previously had not received funding but did this year are Alano Club of Crystal Lake, Clearbrook and Partnering for Prevention.
$181M in fuel taxes owed to local governments in Illinois Another roughly $29 million hasn’t been given to SPRINGFIELD – Illinois is smaller townships and road more than $181 million behind districts, and many rely on in distributing monthly motor the funding for most of their fuel tax revenue to municipal- maintenance and repair budities, counties and other local gets. governments amid the ongo“I’ve been around this aling state budget impasse. most 30 years, and I’ve never Records from the Illinois seen anything like this,” Brycomptroller’s office show an Smith, executive director more than $89 million is owed of Township Officials of Ilto municipalities and $63.6 linois, told the State Jourmillion is owed to counties. nal-Register.
The ASSOCIATED PRESS
The state Department of Transportation has told local governments the funds would be given out when there’s a state budget. The fund is expected to grow as the state budget impasse goes on. Rich Carter, spokesman for the Illinois comptroller’s office, said in an email the comptroller can’t release the motor fuel tax funds without a budget, statutory authority or
a court order. The funds don’t collect interest and can’t be used for any other purpose, he said. The delay in payments, Smith said, especially is hard for small, rural townships where the money goes toward uses such as road repairs and road salt. He said he’s hearing “a lot of concerns, especially with winter getting close.” Rochester Township Com-
missioner Darrell Maxheimer said the state is $5,000 to $6,000 behind in payments to the township since July 1. The township east of Springfield typically saves the fuel tax funds for major projects, he said, and the funds make up only a small part of the $400,000 annual road budget. “We are better off than most as far as our local tax base,” Maxheimer said. “A lot
SPORTS
LOCAL NEWS
WORLD
WHERE IT’S AT
On a roll
Facing charges
Plane crash
After first sectional title, McHenry looks to add to success / C1
Johnsburg woman accused Russian airline denies of punching officer in face pilot error, terrorist after crashing car / A3 act not ruled out / B4
Advice ................................ D7 Buzz.....................................C6 Classified........................D1-5 Comics ...............................D8 Community ........................B1 Local News.................... A2-4 Lottery................................ A2 Nation&World...............B3-4
of the smaller townships pretty much survive on it.” Springfield Budget Director Bill McCarty said the city typically gets $200,000 to $250,000 a month in fuel tax revenue. The city often uses the funds to pay its share of joint projects with the state. “The irony is, since we’re getting delayed, the state is likely getting delayed, too,” McCarty said.
Obituaries ......................... A5 Opinion...............................B2 Puzzles ............................D6-7 Sports..............................C1-5 State ................................... B3 Stocks................................. A5 TV listings .........................D6 Weather .............................A6