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Tri-County Press February 6, 2014 Volume 156, Number 20 - $1.00
Regional Action
Register Now
Two Percent Raise
The wrestling regionals are Saturday. Girls basketball regionals start Feb. 10. B1
The deadline to register to vote in time for the primary is Feb. 18. A9
Several Ogle County officials received a two percent pay hike on Jan. 21. A12
County board approves three-year dog tag By Vinde Wells Editor Ogle County dog owners who choose to get a threeyear rabies shot for their pets, can now pay their registration fees on a three-year basis as well. The increased popularity of three-year rabies immunizations for dogs prompted the Ogle County Board to change its fee schedule last month. The board approved a fee schedule Jan. 21 that, for the convenience of dog owners,
includes a three-year dog registration fee. Ogle County Animal Control Administrator Dr. Tom Champley, an Oregon veterinarian, said the threeyear shot is healthier for dogs, and offering the threeyear tag to go with it will be simpler for their owners. “Over-vaccinating animals can be detrimental to their immune systems. We feel you don’t want to vaccinate your dog any oftener than necessary to protect it, and the three-year shot protects the dog,� he said. “Having
“Having the three-year tag will be less confusing for dog owners.� — Dr. Tom Champley Ogle County Animal Control Administrator the three-year tag will be less confusing for dog owners. It’s been hard to understand that you got the three-year shot but still had to pay the tag fee every year.� Besides simplifying the process, Champley said the three-year registration fee is discounted, saving the pet owner $7 per dog.
The discount is because three-year fees mean less paperwork for the Animal Control Department, he said. “That way we don’t have to send out the reminder every year that the shot and fee is due,� he said. Dog owners can still opt for a one-year shot and registration fee is they prefer.
The registration fee for intact (not neutered or spayed) dogs more than nine months old will be $29 per year or $80 for three years. Micro-chipped pets will get a $5 discount off the annual fee or $15 off the three-year fee. The annual fee includes $10 which goes to the Ogle County Pet Population Control Fund, and $30 of the three-year fee goes to the control fund. For neutered or spayed dogs, the annual registration fee is $14, and the three-year
fee is $35. The same microchip discount applies. Overdue rabies vaccinations and registration will cost the dog owner $5 more for 30 days past due and $10 per month for each month after that. A dog that loses it registration tag will get the first one replaced for free. However, additional replacement tags will cost the regular price. For additional fees or information call Ogle County Animal Control at 815-7321185.
Plow drivers see overtime pile on By Chris Johnson Reporter
The above average snowfall this winter has caused some piles of snow along the roads to grow above the signs due to the drifting and plowing of the roads. This sign warning drivers of a stop sign ahead on US 52 and Ill. 26 is starting to be covered by the snow. Photo by Chris Johnson
BOR sets value of Exelon’s plant By Vinde Wells Editor The Ogle County Board of Review (BOR) chose the middle ground last week when it set the assessment of Exelon’s Byron Generating Station. After hearing appeals from attorneys for both Exelon Nuclear and the Byron School District Jan. 30, the BOR upheld the assessment of $509,444,605 set last fall by Supervisor of Assessments Jim Harrison. Exelon Nuclear officials appealed that assessment, claiming the plant’s value should be set at $252,937,302, just 49.6 percent of Harrison’s number. Byron School District officials, on the other hand, set the plant’s value at $730 million in their appeal. The appeal is for the generating station’s 2013 assessment, which affects taxes payable in 2014. The assessment is slightly higher than the $499 million set by Harrison in 2012. “I bumped it up based on the assessments of other nuclear plants and the likelihood that a license extension will be granted,� Harrison said Dec. 6.
“I bumped it up based on the assessments of other nuclear plants,� — Jim Harrison Supervisor of Assessments Exelon has applied for a 20year extension to its current licenses, which expire in 2025 and 2027. Both Exelon and Byron school officials also appealed last year’s assessment, and the BOR upheld Harrison’s number at a hearing held a year ago. Both appealed last year’s BOR decision to the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board, which has not yet made its ruling. Exelon paid more than $32 million in real estate taxes last year to 11 taxing bodies, which include Ogle County, Rockvale Township, Byron School District, Oregon School District, Oregon Park District, Byron Fire District, Rock Valley College, Byron Public Library District, Byron Museum District, Byron Forest Preserve District, and Kishwaukee Community College. The Byron School District received the largest share of
In This Week’s Edition...
that money — $18.4 million. The value of the Byron Generating Station has frequently been disputed throughout the history of the facility. A four-year agreement between the taxing bodies and Exelon for the plant’s assessment expired at the end of 2011. The agreement, approved in November of 2010, set the assessed value of the nuclear plant at $450 million for 2008, $460 million in 2009, $470 million in 2010, and $480 million in 2011. Besides setting the plant’s value, the agreement settled a lawsuit and numerous tax appeals filed between 2005 and 2008. Commonwealth Edison, which formerly owned the plant, filed its first tax in 1989 when the assessment was more than $1 billion. The following year, the affected taxing bodies formed the Ogle County Intergovernmental Agency
Birth, A2 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B12 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6
Board to fight the tax appeals. The first multi-year agreement, approved in early 1998, set the assessments for 1997-2004 at $471 million and settled a decade of lawsuits and tax appeals. Exelon and the Ogle County Intergovernmental Agency Board are not currently actively negotiating for an assessment agreement. According to an article last month in The Pantagraph, a daily newspaper that serves Bloomington, Normal, and the surrounding area, Exelon recently settled a tax dispute with the LaSalle County Board over the value of Exelon’s LaSalle County Generating Station at Seneca. The article said the plant’s value was set at an average of $485 million each year for the seven-year agreement. Eleven taxing bodies receive property tax revenue from the plant. Construction of the Byron Generating Station began in 1975. The first reactor started producing electricity in 1985 and the second went on line in 1987. The two reactors at the LaSalle County station went on line in 1984 and are capable of producing less electricity than those at the Byron plant.
Fines, B5 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A11 Property Transfers, B5 Sheriff’s Arrests, B6
Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B4 Weather, A2
A long winter with a seemingly endless duration has led some county employees to accumulate overtime at the same rate as the snow is falling. Ogle County Engineer Curtis Cook oversees the highway department. A crew of 13 work throughout the winter to keep the county roads clear of snow and ice. “We have been focusing on clearing all the county roads we maintain,� said Cook. “Our guys have only had two days off since the beginning of December.� The snowfalls have been steady since the beginning of the season with multiple snowfalls each week, he said. “When it is not snowing, we are preparing for the next snow,� said Cook. “We have worked in tandem crews to push back the snow drifts so we can put the snow someplace during the next storm.� As soon as this work is done, there has been another storm which adds to the snowfall. When it is not snowing, Cook said there has been drifting snow which adds to
“Our guys are getting tired of winter,� Curtis Cook County Engineer the workload. “We go back out and plow the drifted roads to keep the county roads safe,� he said. All of this work has led to overtime. “Our guys are getting tired of winter,� Cook said. “They have been working close to 80 hours per week.� This overtime will impact the highway department budget later this year. Cook said he will need to examine some road projects and maintenance after the winter clean up total is finalized to see what might need to be cut to keep a balanced budged for the year. Keeping the trucks on the roads has been costing $20,000 per week in fuel. “Our equipment is ready for the snow forecast for February,� Cook said. Reporter Christopher Heimerman went on a ride along with Ogle County plow driver Dave Boehle last week. His story appears on page A9.
Old building may be coming down By Vinde Wells Editor A deteriorating building in Polo’s downtown may soon be coming down. City Clerk Susie Corbitt told the city council Monday that Fischer Excavating, Freeport, notified her that they expect to begin demolition of 102 E. Mason St., commonly known as the Kerwin Building, in about three weeks, weather permitting. The building is owned by Midwest Tulsa Properties,
Inc., Wauconda, a company that buys properties that are sold for delinquent taxes. In another matter, the council agreed to begin the process to refinance the outstanding bonds issued for the new water tower and sewer mains in 2003. John Vezzetti, assistant vice president of Bernardi Securities Inc., Chicago, said the city can save $40,000 to $50,000 in interest payments by refinancing the bonds at the lower rate that is currently available.
No Deaths There were no obituaries reported this week.
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