TEL_04062016

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WEATHER DOESN’T KEEP Cheese without HAWKS OFF THE FIELD the mac? Yep! BASEBALL, B1

FOOD, A9-10

TELEGRAPH Wednesday, April 6, 2016

SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851

DIXON | PUBLIC WORKS

A new lineup for the team Director offers up a coordinated effort to help department work better and save money BY RACHEL RODGERS rrodgers@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 @rj_rodgers

DIXON – Plans are underway for the city to adjust six key operations and unify them under one public works umbrella. In the past, the airport, street, traffic, water, sewer, and cemetery and public properties divisions

have existed as separate entities under different purviews. Since Public Works Director Tim Ridder was hired in October, he has worked to bring more coordination to city departments and streamline infrastructure needs. The director position was created to follow suit with transitioning to the city manager form of government.

“We’ve been able to get things done that when I got here, people said would never happen, and that’s because we are working as a team,” Ridder said. Ridder presented a plan to the City Council at its meeting Monday that reorganizes the divisions and includes some employee changes. He did not offer a cost-savings estimate.

In general, the title for division heads will be changed from superintendent to manager, and most of the departments will have a manager, a foreman and a number of workers. Airport Manager Larry Haley plans to retire by July 13, and his position will be eliminated. PUBLIC WORKS CONTINUED ON A5

Tim Ridder

POLO

A DAY IN THE PARKS IN DIXON

Conviction doesn’t deter City Council

LEFT: Burn boss Damien Considine sets fire to some grass Tuesday to create a black line during a prescribed burn at Elks Page Park. A black line helps keep the fire under control and within a confined area. Considine and his crew were doing the burn on some prairie land at the park off of Lowell Park Road outside of Dixon. Prescribed burns are a cost-effective way to help limit brush and invasive species, stimulate new growth and lessens the risk of a wildfire being triggered by underbrush. BOTTOM LEFT: A crew member lays down a wet line, a temporary fireguard created by wetting the grass that helps keep the fire confined. Go to saukvalley.com to see more photos of Tuesday’s park cleanups.

Members vote to hire resident facing jail time to run city pool BY VINDE WELLS vwells@shawmedia.com Shaw Media

POLO – The City Council decided Monday night to give a lifelong Polo resident a second chance. Aldermen voted 5 to 1 to hire Kayla Bergstrom as manager of the city pool for the summer, despite her recent guilty plea to embezzling nearly $60,000 from First State Bank ShannonPolo, where she was a vice president. Phil Peterson, who cast the only no vote, declined to say why. Kayla “I have my own personal reasons, but I Bergstrom prefer not to discuss it,” he said Tuesday. Voting yes were Troy Boothe, Cheryl Galor, Randy Schoon, David Ackeberg, and Jim Busser. Galor, who’s also chairwoman of the Park Board Committee that oversees the pool, said Tuesday that she voted in favor of hiring Bergstrom for a second year because Bergstrom has tried to make things right. CONVICTION CONTINUED ON A5

Dave Shank deposits leaves and twigs he and other park district crew members cleaned up Tuesday afternoon at John Dixon park. With spring in the air – albeit, chilly air – cities are getting their parks in order for people itching to cure their cabin fever.

ROCK FALLS

Optimism is in the equation City crafts budget with an eye toward growth along riverfront and interstate BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier

ROCK FALLS – The final version of the city’s fiscal year 2017 budget, projecting a slim surplus, was presented to the Rock Falls City Council Tuesday. The nearly $25.7 million budget projects a 14.67 percent revenue increase from 2016. The budget accounts for the city’s intention to issue $2.7 million in bonds for the development of the planned green space project near the new hotel. Property taxes from the downtown Tax Increment Financing District, and the hotel tax from the Holiday Inn Express & Suites are plugged in as project revenues. OPTIMISM CONTINUED ON A5

Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com, and Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com

$1.00

TODAY’S EDITION: 20 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 164 ISSUE 239

INDEX

ABBY ................... A7 COMICS ............... A7 CROSSWORD....B10

FOOD ..............A9-10 LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2

OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 POLICE ................ A2

Today’s weather High 54. Low 33. More on A3.

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