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Contract talks to resume with aides
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Tuesday, October 22, 2013
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
DIXON CITY COUNCIL
Streetscaping could cost $5M TIF to pay for most of project BY DEREK BARICHELLO dbarichello@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 526
DIXON – A 10 1/2-block downtown streetscaping project could cost about $5 million, engineers told the City Council on Monday. The council is eyeing the second phase of downtown
streetscaping with between $3.5 and $4 million of the funding coming from tax increment financing (TIF), which allows future tax gains to subsidize improvements to a specific area. The council could utilize about $900,000 in its general fund set aside for capital projects because of a surplus in its Illinois Municipal Retirement or Social Security funds that allows it to make up the difference, Finance Director Paula Meyer said.
LEE COUNTY | SHERIFF’S RACE
That is just one option, but if this money is used from the general fund for streetscaping, it could affect other plans, Meyer said. No action was taken Monday, and much more discussion is expected as engineering designs are expected to be shared at the first of the year. A final plan has not yet been determined. When the downtown TIF district was extended for 11
more years in December 2011, Mayor Jim Burke said the goal was to redo sidewalks, curbs, and streets downtown so they look similar to streetscaping on South Hennepin Avenue. The project would tackle First Street from Crawford Avenue to Madison Avenue, South Ottawa Avenue from East River Road to East Second Street, and South Peoria Avenue from West River Road to West Second Street. The city hopes to start work
Two men arrested with pipe bomb
BY DEREK BARICHELLO dbarichello@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 526
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TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 163 ISSUE 122
STREETSCAPING CONTINUED ON A4
DIXON
FIRE SAFETY DRILLS IN STERLING
Simonton says he will not collect pension DIXON – Lee County Sheriff hopeful John Simonton said he will decline the county’s contribution toward the sheriff’s pension if he is elected. Simonton, a retired Illinois State Police lieutenant, announced in August that he is running against incumbent John Varga in the Republican primary. Simonton wrote a letter addressed to County Board Chairman Rick Ketchum declining “penJohn Simonton sion benefits that are normally afforded to those who hold [the sheriff’s] office.” The county contributes about $13,490 annually, which is equivalent to 19 percent of the sheriff’s $71,000 salary. As a retired state police officer, Simonton already collects an annual pension of $111,384, according to the Open the Books website. The sheriff candidate said he did not want his pension, or the prospect of “double-dipping,” to be an issue during the election. “I felt it would reflect negatively already receiving pension from the state police, and there are so many other issues that need to be the focus,” Simonton said. Simonton’s letter requests the county’s contribution to the sheriff’s pension be diverted into the training and technology portions of the sheriff’s budget, two areas the candidate is citing as a priority in his campaign. Those requests would need to be voted on by the county board, if Simonton were elected, Ketchum said. Varga, who worked as a probation officer prior to being elected sheriff, is not retired and does not collect a pension yet. He will receive the sheriff’s pension benefit once he retires, he said.
next summer, Burke said. The streetscaping project would include new sidewalks, new curbs and gutters, street and parking reconstruction, new street and parking lot lighting, new traffic signals on Peoria Avenue, new trees, and amenities, said Scott Brown of Wendler Engineering in a joint presentation with Willett Hofmann & Associates.
Sheriff doesn’t know motive; bond at $50K BY CHRISTI WARREN cwarren@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 521
Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Students in Rose Andermann’s kindergarten class at Christ Lutheran School in Sterling are taught the basic “stop, drop, and roll” fire safety technique. Members of the Sterling Fire Department came to the school Monday as part of Fire Safety Month.
INDEX
BUSINESS ......... A12 COMICS ............... A9 CROSSWORD....B11
DEAR ABBY ......... A8 LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2
ABOVE: Sterling firefighter Cory Bianchi helps Christ Lutheran School kindergarten students through a fire safety drill in which they learn to identify a dangerous situation and climb out a window. The Sterling Fire Department used a fire safety house to help teach the students. The fire department will visit schools citywide this week in recognition of Fire Safety Month.
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 SPORTS ...............B1
DIXON – Two men were in Lee County Jail on Monday after, authorities say, they were found carrying a pipe bomb near the Dixon state prison early Sunday. Zachary W. Chaffer, 31, of Dixon, and Scott R. Williams, 32, of Sterling, were arrested about 4 a.m. Sunday near Zachary W. Chaffer Heights Road and Brinton Avenue. They were charged with unlawful use of a weapon after Lee County sheriff’s deputies received a call from the prison about two suspiScott R. cious individuals Williams walking by the prison, Lee County Sheriff John Varga said. Varga said that when officers arrived, the two men were found to be in possession of a PVC pipe bomb similar to one found in the water near Sauk Valley Community College in July. During interviews, the men claimed that they had bought the pipe bomb in Dixon near the Beanblossom parking lot, Varga said. The Lee County Sheriff’s Department called in the Winnebago County Bomb Unit, which safely detonated the device. Asked what the men’s motive was, Varga said he couldn’t be sure. Both men have bonds set at $50,000 and are set to appear in court on Oct. 30. Chaffer was also arrested on a Whiteside County warrant for theft.
Today’s weather High 45. Low 26. More on A3.
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