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Thursday, October 1, 2015
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
DIXON | PUBLIC SAFETY PENSIONS
An ambitious, ‘painful’ project To fully fund pensions by 2040, finance director knows hard choices await BY BRENDEN WEST bwest@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529 @BWest_SVM
DIXON – Finance Director Paula Meyer opened the latest pension report from state actuary Timothy Sharp. She read it. Then she hung her head. That sums up how Meyer feels about that state of public safety pensions. “I don’t like it, I’ll be honest,” she said Tuesday in her office. “It frightens me
because there’s only so much money, and it’s all about choices. If you put money here, you’re not putting it in a road. Put it in a road, it’s not going to pensions …” Dixon’s unfunded liability (the gap between what the city is obligated to pay into its pension and what it’s actually paying) is $12.6 million for Fiscal Year 2015-16. “The gap for next year is really probably more like $15 million,” Meyer said, “which makes me want to cry.”
Troubling growth It seems to Meyer that, no matter how mindful the city has been in tackling that gap, the number keeps growing. And when the number grows, because Dixon is tax-capped, it means the city will have to make steeper cuts in other areas of its $10 million operating budget. And that means – in all likelihood – other city services are going to suffer with less funding. PENSIONS CONTINUED ON A5
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It’s a very uncomfortable conversation. It’s something you have to do, and for the most part, citizens won’t see a direct benefit from it. It’s not good news, and it’s probably never going to be good news.
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AMBOY
AMBOY
Paula Meyer, Dixon finance director
Town might get new grocery store
Pumpkin spice of life
Sole grocer closes, but chain considers town, mayor says
Variety keeps fifth-year business feeling fresh
BY BRENDEN WEST bwest@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529 @BWest_SVM
AMBOY – The recent closure of this town’s only grocery store was inevitable, but still painful, city officials say. But another grocer might be waiting in the wings. Beggs’ Certified Foods, in Amboy for 60 years, closed Sept. 7.
This year alone, the store racked up 11 “critical” Lee County Health Department citations. Inspectors observed poor hygienic practices, expired and improperly stored food, improper storage of toxic chemicals, and failure to prevent rodent or insect infestations – among other concerns. The health department didn’t force the closure, though: Residents stopped shopping at Beggs’ as it struggled to keep prices competitive with big box stores like Walmart, Mayor Tom Nauman said Wednesday. GROCERY CONTINUED ON A7
Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
Kids go for a train ride across a bridge Saturday at Anderson’s Pumpkin Patch outside Amboy. The pumpkin patch, which opened its fifth season Saturday, offers many fun activities, including a corn maze, corn box and a petting zoo. BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5525 @JPigee84
AMBOY – What started as a small shed has grown into a popular pumpkin patch. Just outside Amboy, Anderson’s Pumpkin Patch started its fifth year of business last weekend. Owner Mike Anderson said its longevity is the result of requests from customers over the years. “Each year, we keep adding and adding, and it keeps getting bigger and bigger,” said Anderson, 52, who owns the business with his wife, Mary, 50. “People keep asking for more things to do, and we just kept adding on.” Anderson said the business started in a small shed where pumpkins were sold. “I built that shed in my garage,” Anderson said as he pointed to the shed, still on the property, 670 U.S. Route 52.
Submitted
Beggs’ Certified Foods, an Amboy fixture for 60 years, closed Sept. 7, but the city says it’s in discussions with developers who could bring a new grocer to town.
COLOMA TOWNSHIP
Deadlines for report, extension missed Comptroller’s office gives delinquent designation
PUMPKIN CONTINUED ON A2
Claire Freeman, 8, of Franklin Grove plays in the kids corn crib, which is a big hit with the kiddos.
More information
What are you up to this weekend? Fall has arrived, and that means apple cider doughnuts, hay rack rides and more. This weekend, get your fill of the fall at Autumn on Parade in Oregon. Read more in our listings on A9-11.
$1.00
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INDEX
Anderson’s Pumpkin Patch, 670 U.S. Route 52, Amboy, is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday through the end of the month. For more information, search for Anderson’s Pumpkin Patch on Facebook.
ABBY ................... A8 BUSINESS ......... A12 COMICS ...............B6
CROSSWORD....B12 LIFESTYLE ........... A8 LOTTERY ............. A2
BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
ROCK FALLS – Coloma Township missed two deadlines for filing its annual financial report with the state. The report for the fiscal year ending March 31 was due in the Illinois Comp-
NATION/WORLD .. A7 OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6
troller’s Office Sept. 27. The township is also late in filing an extension for completing the report. Winkel, Parker & Foster, a Clinton, Iowa-based accounting firm with a Dixon office, has been working on the township’s financial report. The firm said there was some confusion over the deadline.
Today’s weather High 64. Low 41. More on A3.
REPORT CONTINUED ON A4
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