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Au gus t 20, 2015 • $1 .0 0
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Open meetings reform extends reporting time By KEVIN P. CRAVER
NO MORE EXCUSES
kcraver@shawmedia.com
Photos by Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
Front office assistant Lynn Broederdorf (left) and office manager Michelle Kennedy work the reception desk Tuesday at Turning Point, a domestic violence shelter for women and children, in Woodstock. The county’s sole shelter for domestic violence victims is one of many social service agencies feeling the pinch of the ongoing state budget impasse.
County nonprofits feel state budget woes Social service agencies not guaranteed retroactive pay By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com At first glance, the ongoing Springfield budget impasse should be old hat to local social service agencies that long have been accustomed to a deadbeat state that doesn’t pay its bills on time or in full. For years, not-for-profit agencies that help the sick, the disabled and the vulnerable have received state reimbursement months behind schedule, and often not for the full amount owed, wreaking havoc on their budgets. The state budget stalemate, now entering a third month, is squeezing the agencies even further. And for many agencies, it’s not because the funding that hasn’t been coming without a state budget in place will be late. It’s because it likely won’t be coming at all. A number of local agencies were told at the beginning of the budget battle between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic state lawmakers not to expect any retroactive funding once a state budget is approved. Even if both sides put aside differences and approved a budget today, local agencies may not see anything from the eight weeks since the July 1 start of the 2016 state fiscal year. “The Department of Human Services pretty much said that we are not to expect any money until the budget is signed, and from that minute on,” said Jane Farmer, executive director of the domestic violence prevention agency Turning Point. “This is the first time that they have said they’re not going to retroactively pay from July 1.” With no guarantee of ret-
Taxpayers and watchdogs now have a much longer window to report potential violations of the Illinois Open Meetings Act, thanks to the Oakwood Hills Village Board’s questionable closed-session handling of a scuttled power plant proposal. House Bill 175, filed by state Rep. David McSweeney and signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Bruce Rauner, extends the reporting time to within 60 days of a potentially illegal meeting’s discovery, rather than 60 days from the date Rep. David t h e m e e t i n g McSweeney took place. Because most public bodies typically don’t approve and release meeti n g m i n u t e s Sen. Dan until the next Duffy month, the old law left little to no time for alleged violations to be discovered, let alone reported. McSweeney filed the legislation in response to a private and potentially illegal July 2013 meeting of the Village Board, during which members discussed the monetary windfall that would
A special report
About this series “No More Excuses” is the Northwest Herald’s ongoing series about the public’s right to know in Illinois. come from building a $450 million power plant. Sen. Dan Duffy, R-Lake Barrington, carried the legislation in the Senate – both lawmakers represent Oakwood Hills and both opposed the project and the village government’s handling of it. “We’re glad that transparency is going to increase in this state. I certainly am very happy that we were able to pass this legislation and make sure that people are able to pursue Open Meetings Act violations. The situation in Oakwood Hills is an example of when government doesn’t work, and hopefully this will help change that,” said McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills. The new law has a twoyear statute of limitations, and it does not cover meetings that took place before it took effect Wednesday. The Open Meetings Act not only requires advance
See MEETINGS, page A5
Mosquito batches test positive for West Nile virus
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Stephanie Erb works the crisis hotline Tuesday at Turning Point in Woodstock.
The Department of Human Services pretty much said that we are not to expect any money until the budget is signed, and from that minute on. This is the first time that they have said they’re not going to retroactively pay from July 1.”
Jane Farmer, Executive director of Turning Point, a domestic violence prevention agency
roactive pay, each passing day without a state budget in place blows a bigger hole in the budgets of already cash-strapped social service agencies that have seen their state revenues methodically decreased as Springfield grapples with its own troubled finances. Rauner vetoed all but the education portion of the $36 billion 2016 budget passed by the Democratic-dominated General Assembly – the spending plan is unbalanced by between $3 billion and $4 billion. Rauner, who points out
that the Illinois Constitution has a balanced-budget mandate, wants to link Democratic wants and needs to reforms he ran on last year to help fix Illinois’ deep economic woes. The state’s $110 billion unfunded public pension liability is the worst in the nation – almost one dollar in four in the state general fund now goes to pay retired state employees – and the state has the lowest credit rating of all 50 states. Rauner repeatedly has stated that Democratic demands for more revenue
are out of the question until they adopt pro-business and anti-corruption reforms he campaigned on, such as workers’ compensation reform and putting constitutional amendments on the ballot to impose term limits and change how legislative districts are drawn. Rauner also has balked at calls for temporary or month-bymonth budgets. McHenry-based Pioneer Center for Human Services, the county’s largest social service provider, has not been warned that it will not receive retroactive pay, President and CEO Jackie Wells said. But she and agency Chief Financial Officer Jeff Kurth warned that what Pioneer does end up getting may not be the full amount, or what they get for this year’s budget will be cut. Pioneer, which helps people with mental and developmental disabilities, receives about 65 percent of its funding
See SERVICE, page A5
Found in LITH, Nunda Township By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com Mosquito batches recently collected from traps in Nunda Township and Lake in the Hills have tested positive for West Nile virus, the McHenry County Department of Health said Wednesday. These are the first positive tests for the virus this year in the county, the department said in a news release. The positives were found in batches collected July 31 and Aug. 6. As of Tuesday, the McHenry County Department of Health has tested 311 mosquito batches, and all others have tested negative for West Nile. Two birds collected in the county also have tested negative, the release added. West Nile, the risk of which remains until the first hard frost, can cause illnesses involving fever, headache and body aches in mild cases. In serious cases, however, the virus can cause encephalitis and meningitis, and possibly death.
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Those who are 50 and older run the highest risk of severe disease. The report comes after several McHenry County communities have sprayed for mosquitoes multiple times to address growing mosquito populations. The department said batches will continue to be tested throughout the remainder of the season, and a limited number of dead birds also will be accepted for testing. Residents are advised to use insect repellent when going outside at night, and to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants for extra protection. Other tips include minimizing standing water from containers around residences and ensuring doors and windows are shut. In 2014, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 44 human cases, including four fatal. McHenry County saw one case of West Nile last year. Illinois Department of Public Health reported its first human case of 2015 on Wednesday. For information, visit www.mcdh.info or call 815334-4585.
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