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SVM All-Area team
THE FIVE TRUTHS ABOUT PUBLIC ACCESS LAWS SECOND OPINION, A7
BOYS BASKETBALL, B1
LOCAL OPTION SALES TAX | STERLING
It’s the $14 million question How does Sterling fix its stormwater sewers? There are basically 2 answers – and one’s on the ballot BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
STERLING – The city has a long list of needed stormwater sewer projects that carry a price tag of about $14 million. Most city officials say they believe the best way to fund the work is an increase of the Local Option Sales Tax that is on
the April 7 ballot. In case the tax referendum fails, the city is also looking at setting up a stormwater utility to pay for the projects. Mayor Skip Lee said he wants voters to know that this isn’t necessarily an either/or proposition. “I’ve never liked the idea of what I call voter blackmail,” Lee said. “This isn’t an ‘If you don’t pass that, you’ll get this
situation.’ If the sales tax doesn’t pass, we’ll re-evaluate things.” The stormwater utility would seem to be the next logical step for a city that wants to get the projects done as soon as possible. In fact, Lee admits that the sales tax and utility fee are the only real options at the city’s disposal. “This problem has been kicked down the road for a long time, and it will
continue to get worse,” Lee said. “The cost gets much higher the longer we wait.” The city prefers the sales tax option because it would provide a larger dedicated funding source for the projects, allowing them to be completed in less time. QUESTION CONTINUED ON A3
ELECTION 2015 | DIXON
TEEING UP FOR NATIONALS
SVM Photo Illustration
Candidates in the upcoming Dixon election feel that city officials have learned lessons in the wake of the Rita Crundwell’s (above) multimillion-dollar scandal, but there’s still work to be done.
Crundwell could still cast a shadow Candidates: We must move beyond the scandal, but not leave voters in the dark BY MATT MENCARINI mmencarini@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529 @MattMencarini
DIXON – When Dixon voters cast their ballots between now and April 7, the votes might be expected to reflect their views on how the city responded to the Rita Crundwell scandal. Eleven names – two incumbents and nine challengers – will be on the ballot for four council seats. Another current council member is one of two candidates for mayor. Many of the challengers say the current council has done many positive things to restore the city under challenging circumstances, but they also think some things could have been handled better. Crundwell, the city’s former comptroller, was arrested in 2012 and later pleaded guilty to
Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
Zachary Sandoval, 23, of Sterling, throws his disc Friday morning at the Sinnissippi Park disc golf course in Sterling. Sandoval attends Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa, where he is a member of the college’s disc golf team. He will be competing in the National Collegiate Disc Golf Championships in Augusta, South Carolina, in April. Disc golfers who want to get in a little practice next week may have to take a day off. Nature’s on-again/off-again love affair with warmer weather will be on the rocks, as temperatures are forecast to dip back into the 30s by Monday, with a chance of rain and even – you guessed it – snow.
wire fraud in the theft of nearly $54 million from city coffers over 2 decades. The new council, which will take office in May, will handle the city’s transition to a new form of government. Two commissioners – Dennis Considine, 70, and Colleen Brechon, 65 – are seeking reelection to their council seats; Commissioner Jeff Kuhn, 63, is running for mayor. All three are completing their first terms on the council. In a candidate questionnaire from Sauk Valley Media, Considine, who was elected to the council a year before Crundwell’s arrest, said the city responded by being transparent and assessing and professionalizing every aspect of city government. ELECTION CONTINUED ON A4
EDUCATION
Public invited to meet three finalists for college president BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5525 @JPigee84
DIXON – During the next few weeks, three finalists for the job of president at Sauk Valley Community College will visit the campus, and
Sunny
VOLUME 7 ISSUE 29 40 Pages
Today: 54/28 For the forecast, see Page A9
the public is invited to meet them. One of the three men will succeed George Mihel, who plans to retire in July after spending the past 10 years as president. David Gerlach, vice president for advancement at the State University of New York at Canton, will be
Business
The Factory Pub-N-Grub pays homage to Sterling’s industrial history. See Page C1
at Sauk on Monday. A week later, David Hellmich, vice president of academics at Bluegrass Community and Technical College in Lexington, Kentucky, will visit the campus on March 30. Douglas Brauer, vice president
Community The luck of the Irish brought mild weather and sunny skies as the Rock River Valley Shamrock Club had its St. Patrick’s Day Parade. See Page C12
of economic development and innovative workforce solutions at Richland Community College in Decatur, will be the final candidate to visit the college. He will come to the college on April 1. SAUK CONTINUED ON A3
Index Births................ C5
Lottery .............. A2
Business........... C1
Markets ............ A9
Classified .......... D1
Obituaries ......... A4
Comics ............. B5
Opinion............. A6
Community ..... C12
Scoreboard ...... B4
Crossword Saturday ........... D5
Scrapbook ....... C3
Crossword Sunday ............. C8
Support groups .. C5
Dave Ramsey ... C1
Weather............ A9
Dear Abby ........ C6
Wheels ............. D8
Sports .............. B1 Travel .............. C10