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Ill. task force releases final report
Officials conclude local governments, voters should have consolidation powers By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com At first glance, a 406-page report aimed at paring down Illinois’ whopping 7,000 units of local governments – and paring down its whopping property tax burden in the process – doesn’t tell homeowners and local governments anything they don’t already know. It tells homeowners they pay too much to far too many
On the Web
of unfunded state mandates – directives from state lawmakers with Read the final report of the Task no funding atForce on Local Government Consoltached – drives idation and Unfunded Mandates at up those costs. http://shawurl.com/2c3l. But the final report of the Task Force on governments, and the sheer Local Govern- Evelyn number makes it impossible ment Consoli- Sanguinetti to keep an eye on them all. As dation and Unfor local governments, it tells funded Mandates seeks to prod them the never-ending parade lawmakers into giving local
governments and voters the power to drive down the number of governments and their cost to taxpayers. The report, released to the public Monday after almost a year of work by Bruce the task force Rauner led by Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti, comes with 27 recommendations to-
ward both goals. Suggestions by the task force include allowing voters to dissolve local governments by referendum and imposing a minimum four-year ban on the creation of any new governments, save those created by consolidating two or more. “A large part of the reason why taxes are so high in Illinois is the result of an extraordinarily high number of local governments coupled with
financially burdensome unfunded mandates,” the report concluded. However, a number of the proposed unfunded mandates mirror the priorities of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s “Turnaround Agenda,” such as making collective bargaining optional and reforming or eliminating prevailing wage, that make them nonstarters in a General
See TASK FORCE, page A4
Oakwood Hills dog rescued from lake
THE TV SERVICE DILEMMA
Cary Fire Protection District saves collie that fell through ice By HANNAH PROKOP hprokop@shawmedia.com
Photos by Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Kate Heald watches TV at her Wonder Lake home Monday. Since 2012, Heald has used her antenna to watch basic channels. She said it’s cheaper than the traditional cable TV package she used to have.
‘Everything’s changing’ Study: Number of customers with traditional TV services will decline By HANNAH PROKOP hprokop@shawmedia.com Kate Heald of Wonder Lake stopped using traditional cable TV services a few years ago, and she now uses an antenna and Netflix to watch shows and movies. “I think the stations that I get is what people get from their basic cable,” Heald said, “and I think I even get more.” She said she’s paying less, too, saving anywhere from $60 to $80 a month. According to one study by eMarketer, other customers will follow similar patterns in the next few years. eMarketer predicts that by 2019, 22.6 percent of U.S. adults will not
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cess in the area for about 15 years. Wonderwave does not offer cable TV, “but we have so many different options for TV [that] a lot of times people don’t need it,” Hasten said. Hasten said he used traditional cable TV services years ago at his Wonder Lake home, but now he uses a combination of streaming services. He said he’s seeing others do the same. “Everything’s changing, and I think most people are going to end The antenna on top of Kate Heald’s Wonder Lake home allows her to watch basic up with streaming services,” HasTV channels for free. ten said. Part of the reason is because pay for traditional TV services. in Wonder Lake, to get her Internet This year, the study predicts there services. For someone who doesn’t some people believe they’re not getwill be 5.5 million U.S. households watch much TV, the best part of not ting enough value from their cable that once paid for TV services but having traditional cable TV is that company because they have many no longer do. it’s cheaper, Heald said, and she channels they don’t watch, he said. “Now it’s kind of a la carte,” HasHeald’s antenna doesn’t cost gets the channels she wants. anything, she said, and she uses CEO of Wonderwave Internet ten said, adding that people can use Wonderwave Internet, an Internet Mike Hasten said his company has and phone service provider based been providing wireless Internet acSee TV SERVICE, page A2
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Engineering week aims to pique interest of eighth-graders / A3
Expert says levees may be to blame for more frequent flooding in Midwest / B3
Arkush: Bears GM Pace needs to prove his worth in offseason / C1
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OAKWOOD HILLS – When Kevin Rutherford didn’t see his rough collie Duke come back to the deck after letting him out Sunday morning, he started to worry. Rutherford’s Oakwood Hills home, at 6013 Lakeview Drive, sits at the top of a hill that backs into Silver Lake, Rutherford said, and Duke normally stays on the property, which is surrounded by an electric fence. “I just kind of had this weird feeling that something wasn’t right,” Rutherford said. After looking around the property, Rutherford said he went down the hill and saw 14-year-old Duke about 100 feet out in the lake, struggling to get out. It appeared Duke had slipped down the backyard hill, which was covered with icy snow, and fallen through ice, Rutherford said. Rutherford called 911, and the Cary Fire Protection District was on the scene at 9:52 a.m., Lt. Michael Douglass said. Firefighter EMT-B Alex Bleich and firefighter paramedic Beth Taylor suited up in flotation suits, and each got to Duke through the water from different sides, Douglass said. “[Duke] was ready to go under at that point,” Douglass said. “He just about lost his strength.” Taylor was able to reach Duke first and hold him in the water, Rutherford said. Once Bleich reached Duke, he held
See RESCUE, page A4
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Firefighters rescued Duke on Sunday after he slid and fell into an icy lake.
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