PREPEXTRA EXTRA Saturd ay, S e p t em b er 13 , 2014 • $ 1. 00
A-Hebron. .............. 14 Chi. Hope...............38
Hampshire............. 31 Grayslake C........... 14
DeKalb....................42 McHenry................ 21
Whitney Yng...........0 Jacobs ....................42
Gary West ............. 14 Huntley ..................65
Dundee-Crown.......0 Morris.....................27
Harvard .................. 21 Richmond-B..........34
Cary-Grove............42 Grayslake N.............7
Marian Catholic.....0 Marian Central.....42
R. Christian .............6 Johnsburg..............47
Woodstock..............0 Woodstock N........28
Marengo ................ 14 Genoa-Kings.........22
CL Central.............. 21 Pr. Ridge ................ 31 NWHerald.com
THE ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN McHENRY COUNTY
HIGH
60 40 LOW
More in the Sports section and at NWHerald.com/preps.
Complete forecast on page A8
Facebook.com/NWHerald
@NWHerald
Rep. concerned about cost shift McSweeney files resolution opposing idea of moving pension obligations to local districts By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com A local lawmaker is taking a pre-emptive step in the event the General Assembly attempts in the coming months to shift the cost of teacher pensions to local school districts. House Resolution 1267, filed Wednesday by state Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, opposes the idea of moving pension costs of the retirement sys-
tems for public school and university teachers from the state to the districts and colleges themselves over a 10-year peDavid riod. Thirty-sevMcSweeney en suburban and R-Barrington downstate House Hills lawmakers, mostly Republican but with several Democrats, had signed on as of Friday evening.
McSweeney said he is concerned the idea could come back as soon as the fall veto session starting next month, as part of a Senate plan to rewrite the funding formula for public schools. He warned it could also arise as a potential “fix” if the Illinois Supreme Court rules that a pension reform bill passed in late 2013 to help get a handle on the state’s ballooning public pension liability is unconstitutional. “My immediate concern is [a
cost shift] could result in massive property tax increases,” McSweeney said. “If you are shifting a large cost, an unfunded mandate, to local government, that would impede their ability to be financially healthy.” Illinois’ five state-run pension systems for teachers, college professors, state employees, judges and lawmakers have at least $100 billion in unfunded liabilities, with the Teachers Retirement System being the largest and ac-
counting for about half of the unfunded shortfall. House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, both Democrats from Chicago, favor a cost shift. Madigan has said that suburban and downstate school districts and colleges have been enjoying a “free lunch,” alleging that state taxpayers are paying the pensions of workers whom he said
On the net You can read House Resolution 1267 and Senate Bill 16 at www.ilga.gov.
See PENSIONS, page A2
FARMERS TALK TECHNOLOGY Officials work on Algonquin TIF deal Village Board yet to discuss proposal By JOSEPH BUSTOS jbustos@shawmedia.com
number of farms was cut down to 34,000, MacDonald said. Between 2007 and 2012, USDA data indicates the number of U.S. farms only fell from 2.2 million to 2.1 million, but the average farm size grew from 418 acres to 434. Notably, these changes have occurred while the percentage of American workforce in agriculture has been at an all-time low – 2 percent – a dramatic decline since the 1900s’ 40 percent. “A single farmer can manage a lot more acres or a lot more
ALGONQUIN – Revenue sharing between taxing bodies might take place when the downtown tax increment financing district is finalized. The Community Unit School District 300 Board, which includes part of Algonquin, has approved an intergovernmental agreement with the village that allows for the school district to receive revenue from property taxes generated after the TIF is in place. Algonquin Assistant Village Manager Mike Kumbera would not comment on the agreement, as the Village Board has yet to discuss the proposal. The village does not need approval from taxing districts to put the TIF district in place. However, a joint review board that includes representatives from the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District, District 300, McHenry County, the Algonquin Area Public Library District, Algonquin Township and a public member unanimously recommended approval of the TIF district. A representative from Algonquin Township was absent during the vote, Kumbera said in a email to the Northwest Herald. The proposed redevelopment area would be bounded on the south by Jayne Street and Willow Street, on the east by the Fox River and South River Road, on the north by Arrowhead Drive and Cary-Algonquin Road, and on the west by village boundaries.
See FARMS, page A4
See TIF, page A2
H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
The number of farms is declining, but food output is unchanged or growing thanks to new efficiencies and technologies. Mike Von Bergen demonstrates the computer assisted operation of the tractor using a satellite guidance system at Von Bergen Farm in Hebron.
As efficiency improves, production moves to fewer but larger farms By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com A swipe of a touch screen – it’s that simple for farmer Mike Von Bergen to access past records that help him make more informed decisions for future planting. “This helps us keep track of our records for multiple years on one piece of farm,” said the Hebron farmer, motioning toward a farming program open on his iPad. “Now we don’t have to go in the file cabinet and look through a bunch of paperwork.”
More online For video of area farming technology, visit NWHerald.com. Jim MacDonald is chief of the structure, technology and productivity branch at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. Since the transition from horses to tractors in the 1920s, the use of various technology has been continuous in the agricultural industry, MacDonald said. These advancements, he said,
BUSINESS
have played a “big role” in setting certain trends.
“PRODUCTION ON FEWER BUT LARGER FARMS” “Over the long term, technology has allowed us to produce considerably more … with fewer people,” MacDonald said. “At the same time, that technology also is a driving force in increasing farm size, which means we’re consolidating production on fewer but larger farms.” Looking back 20 years, almost 62,000 U.S. farms accounted for half of all sales. In 2012, that
LOCAL
WHERE IT’S AT
CL Centennial Celebration
Advice ................................C10 Business ........................... E1-2 Buzz.....................................C12 Classified......................... E3-8 Comics ................................C11 Community ......................... B1 Local News......................A2-4 Lottery..................................A2 Movies................................. C9 Nation&World.................B2-5 Obituaries ...........................A6 Opinions ............................. A7 Planit ..............................Inside Puzzles ................................. E5 Sports................................C1-7 State .................................... B2 Weather ...............................A8
Much has changed in Crystal Lake’s first 100 years, more to come in the next 100 / A3 WORLD
Technology show
Complicated coalition
McHenry County students get a glimpse of manufacturing’s future in Chicago / E1
Progress in plan to fight militants from Islamic State group proving to be difficult / B5
adno=0284240