1 Front Volume 143 No. 7
Friday, January 20, 2017
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Tonica explores new TIF district Board amends liquor ordinance
By Zachary J. Pratt news@tonicanews.com
TONICA — Tonica is working on a new TIF district, which necessitates the village decide what will be included. “My thought was Main Street and going north along the old railroad because there are properties going up there, and we get to the corner,” Tonica President Kevin Sluder said at the Tonica Village Board meeting Jan. 16. However, the board has to put some consideration toward the possibility of different property owners not wanting to be included in the new TIF district. One resident contacted Sluder asking to be taken out
of the current district, saying it was causing his taxes to go up. “I said, it can’t be because he didn’t develop it,” Sluder said. Sluder believes the issue of these particular taxes is not because of being in the TIF district, but because of being farmland. This property could be essential for the district, depending on how it is drawn up. As it is already annexed into the town, Sluder believes it could still be included regardless. The previous TIF district benefited the town, which indicates this new one should as well. “It’s going to take a long time to do it, but we need to get it rolling. Because that is how the town survives,”
Sluder said. In related discussion, an individual has been waiting to be preemptively included in the TIF district before he gets to work on his project. This would utilize what village attorney Bob Steele referred to as an inducement resolution, “to say he’s going forward with this project and will be able to reimburse on that.” “This allows him to make his expenditures now eligible for the new TIF, even though it’s not in place yet,” Steele said. “He’s waiting to start plumbing and electrical and everything,” Sluder said. “The longer we wait, the longer it goes, and the longer he doesn’t do any work.”
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87 and still counting Nicole Hendrix of the American Red Cross prepares Tonica resident Bob Marshall for his latest donation during the recent blood drive at the Tonica United Methodist Church on Jan. 16. This was Marshall’s 87th donation, which amounts to almost 11 gallons and several hundred lives saved. Tonica News photo/Dave Cook
Audit discussed in Lostant By Zachary J. Pratt news@tonicanews.com
LOSTANT — Lostant received its audit report in January, which underscored different fluctuations — or lack thereof — among the village’s different fund balances. Kim Bird of Hopkins and Associates provided the highlights to the Lostant Village Board at its Jan. 9 meeting. The general fund has not seen much action, remaining around the same level at which it has stood over the years. “Revenues are pretty consistent,” Bird said. “It’s really just stayed stagnant. It hasn’t really moved. “The cash balance is low, and you do have some debt there,” she said, adding that it can be difficult to increase this revenue.
There was a motor fuel increase of $15,000, caused by lack of projects. Similarly, TIF saw an increase: “The property taxes are higher this year,” she said. The water fund is an area Bird suggests watching, as projects within that realm are costly. Nevertheless, this fund contained an ending cash balance of $9,000. “I don’t think that’s been the case for a while,” Bird said. The different funds share history with each other, as, when the TIF fund was set up, the water fund paid some of it. Such instances are common, Bird noted, saying one fund often supplements another. For this reason, she explained the water fund owes the general fund $2,700. “This is years’ worth of buildup,” she said, indicating she does not expect it will
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Vol. 143 No. 7 One Section - 12 Pages
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Chickens must fly the coop By Zachary J. Pratt news@tonicanews.com
LOSTANT — The ongoing saga of the chickens in Lostant comes to an end, as the village has cried foul on the birds’ presence. Lonnie Hendrix, local resident, has been petitioning the Lostant Village board for a number of months now, hoping to persuade them to allow his chickens to remain, but his efforts came to a close on Jan. 9, when the Lostant Village Board decided to uphold the village’s existing ordinance. The plea “From the beginning, there’s been a distinct theme,” Hendrix said. The ordinance refers to farm animals and livestock, which he argued are terms that do not apply to his chickens. He referred to the dictionary on this matter, making his case that these particular chickens should
not fall under the ordinance. “Statements used here and in the press seem to indicate that some have not gotten that,” Hendrix said. “My chickens are pets; I would never sell them,” he said. “Colonel Sanders will never see my girls.” Considering the possibility of this track’s failure, Hendrix had another point to make: The possibility of court. “I do not want this to end up in court,” he said. However, he stated with certainty he would have a chance of success. The 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution contains a section called the Equal Protection Clause, which prohibits the selective enforcement of ordinances, stating everyone must be provided equal pro-
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