County Executive Race: Budget

Tom Kacich of the News-Gazette looked at a couple budget issues likely facing the new County Executive office on the ballot this year. The County Board is in the process of drafting next year's budget, but the candidates for the new office seem to be confident that they'll be able to work within that initial budget and make changes with the County Board as needed from there. From the News-Gazette Today:

Tom Kacich | County executive a question of funds, staff
One of the primary arguments against Champaign County adopting a county-executive form of government two years ago when the question was on the ballot (and passed, 50.27 percent to 49.73 percent) was its cost to an already cash-strapped government...

Both Hulten and Kloeppel say it's possible that more money may be needed.

"I think I'm going to inherit the staff that currently exists and the county board has budgeted for, and if I need anything additional, I'm going to have to go to the county board and ask for it. All of this has to be done as a collaboration with the county board because budgetary responsibility is shared," said Hulten, who is currently the county clerk. "Initially, I don't believe I'm going to need any more staff than what is there now...

Kloeppel said she's prepared to live within the preliminary budget, although she'll probably need to find money to have an attorney on retainer.

"Yes, I think that I can stay within whatever (county board members) decide. I'm not really pushing hard right now. I know they're working on the budget, and I'm not calling them up every day and saying, 'Make sure to include that,'" said the Democratic candidate...

Kloeppel said she'd need to have an attorney on retainer because the county board would have use of the state's attorney's office in cases where there is a conflict.

On overall spending there were some differences between the candidates on whether spending cuts otherwise would even be possible:

"My plan is, as I have as county clerk, to use technology and organizational improvements and provide more services at a lower cost over time. I of course will have to work with the county board to do that. But I'm looking forward to that challenge," said Hulten.

Kloeppel said she would not make a similar pledge.

"I don't know what he's got in mind. I'm thinking, 'Where would (the cuts) be?' Because in the last three years, the county has cut people to the point where he and all the other officials said, 'We can't cut anymore.' I'm not interested in cutting anybody at this point," she said.

Full article here. Kloeppel appears to be referring to instances like the marathon six and a half hour Committee of the Whole meeting where mostly Republican county government officials, including Hulten, demonstrated in great detail that the County budget was already skeletonized throughout each and every possible office and facility and equipment. The issue then had to do with Democrats trying to find any places to cut to try to retain public ownership of the Champaign County Nursing Home. There was simply nowhere left to cut. A more detailed write-up of that meeting (and video links) here.

Rural Stop Signs Being Installed

Following up on an announcement of a grant by the County Board Chair in the News-Gazette letters several months ago. From the News-Gazette today:

Stop-and-go effort: Signs going up at rural intersections across county
Construction crews began installing 628 stop signs last week at rural intersections across Champaign County.

Once the project is complete, all rural intersections should have at least two-way stop signs.

"The time of year when it's going to be most helpful is when the intersections are blocked by the tall corn," said county engineer Jeff Blue. "We just hope that when the stop signs are installed that people will obey them. If they do, we definitely will have a decrease in the crashes at those intersections."

When the project was approved by the county board in April, Blue said the signs would establish a clear right of way and that federal studies have shown a 22 percent reducation in the crash rate.

Springfield-based TMF Construction received the $171,000 contract to install the stop signs; 90 percent of it is paid for by a federal grant...

TMF has until Dec. 1 to complete the project...

Once the stop signs are installed, it will be up to the township road commissioners to take care of them.

That's "the one downside," said Aaron Esry, a county board member whose district includes the southeastern part of the county. "When they need to be replaced, it will be on the townships themselves."

Full article with additional information here.

Battle of the Bike Laws

If you're interested in various rules and regulations on riding your bicycle around the area, there was a highly informative correction to a legal Q&A on the subject this week from the Champaign County Bikes bicycle advocacy group:

Guest Commentary | Kepley's column on bike rules misleading
...
Several of us are Licensed Cycling Instructors, and as much as we agree that cyclists have the same rights and duties as car drivers and deserve a hug, we disagree that the law requires cyclists to hug the shoulder of the road. This often puts them dangerously in the gutter or out of view of other road users. We also disagree that bicycling under the influence is legal. This is dangerous for everyone. The usual DUI laws do not apply, but cyclists can be charged with public drunkenness or disorderly conduct.

"Hugging the right curb" is not the law and it is not safe bicycling.

The Illinois Vehicle Code states, "Any person operating a bicycle ... at less than the normal speed of traffic ... shall ride as close as practicable and safe to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway."

Practicable and safe does not mean hugging the curb. Hugging the curb puts cyclists in a place often strewn with debris like broken glass. In a city setting, it will place the bicyclist in the door zone, the dangerous area next to parked cars where doors often open unpredictably.

"Practicable and safe" generally means riding several feet to the left of the curb or roadway edge where bicyclists are more visible to drivers at intersections, from driveways and even when coming up from behind. We teach riders to stay at least 4 and preferably 5 feet out from parked cars.

Full article here. Original bicycle law Q&A article here. Links to more safety information and the new Illinois laws.

Illegal Ballot Selfies and Vote By Mail Q&A

Now that Early Voting and Vote By Mail have begun for the November 6th Midterm General Election, there have been some additional voting information stories in the news this week. Did you know it was a felony to take a selfie with your ballot? How to request a mail in vote ballot? From the News-Gazette recently:

The selfie that can land you in an Illinois jail
...
Snapping a photo of your filled-in ballot and posting it on Facebook or Instagram is technically a Class 4 felony in Illinois, which comes with a prison sentence of one to three years. According to the Illinois Election Code, anyone who "knowingly" casts his or her ballot in a way that "can be observed by another person" is breaking the law.

While more than a dozen other states also forbid the ballot selfie, Illinois appears to be the only one where the "offense" is clearly classified as a felony. But it seems no one on record has been arrested for it.

So why is this still on the books?

The intent behind the law is pretty straightforward. These sorts of rules are meant as a firewall against vote buying: Show me a photo of your ballot, I pay you.

Of course, there are already plenty of other laws in Illinois that explicitly outlaw vote buying.

More at the full article here. There was also a quick explanation of the process of voting by mail for most voters from Tom's Mailbag this week:

Vote by mail request
"Can a person request a ballot via email? At what email address, or is it strictly visiting the county to request a ballot? Or can it be done by phone? We usually get an email reminder but so far nothing."

You didn't say where you live but in Champaign County you can request a ballot application through the county clerk's website (https://www.champaigncountyclerk.com/elections/vote-by-mail-reside), by phone (384-3724) or by email (mail@champaigncountyclerk.com), said County Clerk Gordy Hulten.
Using the form on the clerk's website is the preferred method, Hulten said.
It's important to realize, though, that requesting the ballot is just a first step.
"Once we get an email or a phone call, we generate an application that they have to sign," he said. "It just starts the process so we can send them that and eventually the ballot."

 More information on Vote By Mail at the County Clerk's website here and Early Voting here.

Middle Fork and Coal Ash Meetings

 There are a couple opportunities for public input on the proposed bank armoring project by Dynergy to deal with the toxic coal ash site near the Middle Fork River. The first meeting is this Monday night (tomorrow as of this posting) at the Champaign Public Library. From the News-Gazette yesterday:

Environmental groups set meetings on Middle Fork coal-ash campaign
Advocates of protecting the Middle Fork River from possible coal-ash contamination are encouraging the public to attend one of two upcoming meetings that will update citizens on the campaign and offer opportunities to get involved.

Texas-based Vistra Energy Corp., which recently merged with Dynegy, has filed an application with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to put more rocks along the river bank near coal-ash pits that were once part of the closed Dynegy power station north of Oakwood.

Recent decisions by the Corps of Engineers and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency have opened the door for more public input into the decision-making process on whether to allow Dynegy to stabilize the bank in the manner it has proposed and let it permanently leave the coal ash in the pits.

Lan and Pam Richart, co-directors of Eco-Justice Collaborative, and Andrew Rehn, water resources engineer with the Prairie Rivers Network, will lead both public meetings, providing updates on the government agencies' review of Vistra's plans and ways to provide comments and learn where each Illinois gubernatorial candidate stands on the issue.

The first meeting is set for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday at the Champaign Public Library, 200 W. Green St.; the second is set for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Danville Public Library, 319 N. Vermilion St.

More at the full article here. More information from the Eco-Justice Collaborative here. More information from the Prairie Rivers Network on the proposed bank armoring here. Their description of the problem explains their demand for Dynergy to seek alternative and hopefully permanent safeguards to the river:

The real issue here is the location of the coal ash – not the river. As long as the coal ash is in the floodplain next to the meandering river, there will be need for repeated bank armoring. Indeed, this project includes removal of the previous bank armoring efforts from the 1980s which used gabions. That set of bank armoring was daunting in size, yet despite the magnitude of the 1980s armoring, the river was able to negate its influence with time.

Bank armoring is a temporary practice. One day, this project will also need to be removed and replaced.

More at their article here.

The Week Ahead: 9/30 - 10/6

Vote By Mail requests are available to voters generally now. Ballot requests for the November 6th, 2018 General Election have already started and EARLY VOTING HAS BEGUN! More information on Vote By Mail in Champaign County here. Ballot request direct link for residents here. More information on County elections (including checking your registration, sample ballots when available, and early voting times and locations) at our Elections page.

Other Events:

There are a lot of political campaign and organizing events popping up (e.g. local candidate forums on upcoming Friday nights). Check out your preferred candidates and you will likely see campaign, canvassing, or voter registration events in the area. Many are using facebook to more easily share event information and reminders. Check out the Champaign County Voter Alliance's preliminary general election candidate guide to see who is running. We'll be updating County race information from the primary election to the general soon.
 
Groups that crossover with Racial Justice Task Force recommendations meeting this week:

Build Programs Not Jails meets Wednesday, October 3rd at 7pm at the Independent Media Center. Meetings are every other Wednesday at 7pm at the IMC.

At July's City of Champaign Study Session of the City Council, the reentry housing issue was raised during public participation (a full write up of the meeting is here and video here). This is following up on the preview of that discussion at the City Council meeting here: Reentry Housing Issue. The News-Gazette had a couple articles following up on the meeting linked on the Cheat Sheet here.

County Calendar:

On Monday evening there is the Nursing Home Board of Directors meeting at the 6:30pm time (agenda here). From the previous month's minutes in this month's agenda packet you can see this is more of a managerial board discussing financials and marketing more than policy or politics, but with the sale of the Nursing Home looming it may have additional related information.

On Tuesday evening there is a Special County Board of Health Meeting at the C-U Public Health District location. A quick agenda summary below and agenda here.

Also on Tuesday is the County Facilities Committee which meets back at Brookens. This committee deals with County facilities maintenance and projects. More information can be found in the meeting agenda packet, including previous minutes to get an idea of what they do.

Thursday has a meeting of the is the Environment & Land Use Committee, which deals with environmental issues and how land is used within the County's jurisdiction. This week there appears to be some updates on the Mahomet Aquifer Task Force and the Middle Fork River Coal Ash Pit situation. There appears to be some items on solar farm exemptions as well. More at the agenda packet here.


The full 2018 schedule is on the Calendar page and the County page. The regular County Board meetings are back to Thursdays until next holiday season.

If you're curious about learning more about how your county government works, it's easy enough to live stream a meeting or go in person: Attend a Meeting.

*Meeting is broadcast live on Comcast Public Access and at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/champco1776

Where is Brookens?

Brookens Administrative Center
1776 East Washington Street
Urbana, Illinois 61802-4581
Phone: 217-384-3772

After 4:30 the Washington Street side Parking Lot is Closed See Maps for the North East Parking Lot Access

Forest Preserve Seeks Citizen Advisors

The Champaign County Forest Preserve is taking applications for its Citizens Advisory Committee (application available here). Blurb from the News-Gazette today:

An excerpt on what the position entails from their website:

The group meets 6 times per year, generally at Lake of the Woods (4 times), Homer Lake (1 time) and Middle Fork Forest Preserve (1 time). Most meetings are held at 6:00 pm on the first Wednesday of every other month. In addition to meeting attendance, members volunteer at community events and/or CCFPD activities to promote awareness of the District.

Recent projects included: collaboration with the CU Astronomical Society to obtain Dark Sky certification for Middle Fork Forest Preserve (ongoing); promotion of and education aspects of the Kickapoo Rail Trail (ongoing); and development of a site plan for Sylvester Woods. Former projects have included making recommendations related to waterfowl areas, potential canoe trails, and firewood usage at District sites.

Application available here. Committee schedule available here.

Candidate Forum and Boycott

The last of three candidate forums went off with mostly one sided pitches from Republicans due to a Champaign County Democratic Party boycott of the News-Gazette hosting the forum. The editorial cartoon they chose to publish was interpreted as disparaging the me too movement and many of the basic principles espoused by activists in it. The cartoonist weighed in on the controversy he caused here. The CEO of the company that owns the paper tried to put a positive spin on the situation here. And there were plenty of angry letters to the editor explaining why people believed the message sent was harmful to victims, sending the wrong message to children, or variously insulting and demeaning.

Dems' absence turns final candidate forum into series of monologues
An overview of what remained of the forum was described in today's paper:

Seven debates among candidates for the Champaign County Board were scheduled for Friday, but only one happened after local Democrats didn't show up.

The Champaign County Democrats urged their candidates to boycott the event after one of the sponsors, The News-Gazette, published a controversial editorial cartoon about the #MeToo movement.

The election forum, also sponsored by the League of Women Voters and NAACP of Champaign County, went on without any of the tension that preceded the event.

Instead of audience-submitted questions about the issues facing the Champaign County Board, the Republican candidates were given five minutes to introduce themselves.

"Our policy is that if we have a forum planned, and there is only one candidate remaining, that candidate will have an opportunity to make a five-minute statement about their policies and qualifications," said Holly Wilper, the forum's moderator.

The only race where two candidates showed up was for a seat representing District 4, which covers part of south Champaign and the southwestern part of the county.

The incumbent Republican, Jim McGuire, faced off against independent Cathy Emanuel, with McGuire touting his experience on the board and Emanuel her independence.

Full article here with more details and background. The video of the statements and the District 4 forum will be here at the CGTV website when it's available.


Other Local Forum Links:

• 9/14/2018 Auditor/Sheriff/Clerk Local Candidate Forum
   
• 9/21/2018 Circuit Judges / County Executive Second Local Candidate Forum
   
• 10/5/2018 County Board Q & A Forum: County Board Candidate Split Forum 

Solar Zoning

Now that solar farm rules have been passed, the fights begin over zoning decisions and exceptions between localities, residents, and businesses. From yesterday's News-Gazette:

Champaign County zoning panel discusses first proposed solar farm
Champaign County's first private solar farm is a step closer to becoming a reality.

In spite of an objection from the St. Joseph Village Board, the Champaign County Zoning Board of Appeals on Thursday night discussed proceeding with Community Power Group's proposed solar farm near that village.

The first facility would be a 2-megawatt farm on a 57.84-acre tract just north of the St. Joseph Sportsman Club.

On Thursday, the zoning board received a resolution from the St. Joseph Village Board objecting to the location because it might affect new developments north of Interstate 74 in future years.

"Growing north of the interstate has been a priority for us, and we don't like the idea of being boxed in," said Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges.

She also expressed concern about setting a precedent by allowing a solar farm within a half-mile of the village. The village prefers a mile-and-a-half buffer for such farms.

Full article here. More on the fights to get the solar farm rules passed in the first place and the immediate exception to them requested here. Archive of posts mentioning the solar issue here.

MTD Service Expands in Rantoul

From the News-Gazette yesterday:

MTD board approves extension, expansion of bus service in Rantoul
Bus service in Rantoul will be expanded starting Nov. 1, according to the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District.

The MTD board Wednesday approved an agreement that will continue the C-CARTS Eagle Express service operated by the MTD under contract.

The agreement extends service through Oct. 31, 2020, and further expands the number of routes serving Rantoul from one to three...

Terms of the agreement call for Rantoul to pay the MTD $9,258 a month for the 12 months between this November and Oct. 31, 2019, and $9,350 a month for the following year.

Full blurb here.

Dockless Bikes, Everywhere!

So, if you don't follow local city government and are noticing turquoise bicycles scattered throughout town in ever growing random places, the change wasn't at the Champaign County level, but at the local level in an agreement between Champaign and Urbana City governments and the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. Information on this C-U area phenomenon can be found with additional links (including who to complain to if the things are parked where they shouldn't be) here: http://champaignil.gov/2018/09/19/dockless-bike-share-service-launches-in-champaign-urbana/

Essentially the dockless bikes are unlocked via a mobile app that charges various rate options to use. Once you're done you slide the lock back on in an appropriate area and someone else can use it. The company is required to pick them up if they're not where they're supposed to be and the link above has that contact information.

More on the government evolution towards this agreement, including articles covering Champaign, Urbana and the University of Illinois role in the process at the Cheat Sheet: C-U Local here.

Hospital Tax Case Updates

The Illinois Supreme Court recently upheld an exemption that has kept certain tax money collected by local governments in a legal limbo during litigation. What that means for local and county governments is still up in the air pending further litigation that will ride on the courts ruling on the nitty gritty from this decision. The lack of a definitive resolution was explained in a News-Gazette article last week:

Illinois Supreme Court upholds hospital tax-exemption law
An Illinois Supreme Court ruling upholding the state's 6-year-old hospital tax-exemption law is being viewed as a win for both nonprofit hospitals and taxing districts, but it remains to be seen how it will play out in the Carle Foundation's pending lawsuit over property taxes in Champaign County.

The state Supreme Court on Thursday morning unanimously affirmed a First District Appellate Court ruling that upheld the constitutionality of the state law that created new standards for nonprofit hospitals to obtain exemptions from paying property taxes in their communities.

Full article here. Naturally, both the hospital and the taxing authorities seem to think they'll be victorious (at least in their public posturing) in upcoming litigation on the matter. From today's News-Gazette:

Illinois' charity care statute was upheld, but are hospitals really the winner?
...
Steve Pflaum, the Chicago lawyer representing Carle, said it's easy to focus on the longstanding controversy in Champaign County over hospital tax exemptions, when, in fact, hospitals have a long history in Illinois of being tax-exempt and the state constitution hasn't changed.

Pflaum doesn't see any ambiguity in the Supreme Court decision about what hospitals need to do to meet the constitutional test, he said, and he sees Carle being in a solid position heading to trial...

Fred Grosser, the attorney representing Urbana and Cunningham Township in the Carle lawsuit, contended hospitals are going to have to show considerably more than whether they serve everyone regardless of ability to pay to meet the constitutional standards.

He views the Supreme Court's decision as about a 90 percent win for taxpayers and taxing districts, he said.

"Contrary to the claims of Carle and the Illinois Hospital Association, this decision is devastating to them," Grosser said.

Full article here. A local law professor quoted in the article appeared to explain that the courts will still have to figure out how to legally apply the legalese... or something. I leave it to adventurous readers to figure it all out at the original articles. UPDATE: Another article previewing where the both sides of the case are in light of some of the trial judge's input: Judge seeks to clarify how state Supreme Court ruling applies to Carle tax case.

Second Local Candidate Forum

The full forum video is available from the CGTV here. An overview of the forum is available from the News-Gazette here:

4 circuit judge candidates, 2 county executive hopefuls share views
In a candidates' forum Friday, voters heard from four people vying for two circuit judgeships and the two candidates for county executive of Champaign County.

Democrat Ramona Sullivan and Republican Roger Webber will face off this November for the seat formerly held by Judge Arnold Blockman, while Democrat Chad S. Beckett and Republican Randy Rosenbaum seek the seat formerly held by Judge Harry Clem. Meanwhile, Republican Gordy Hulten and Democrat Darlene Kloeppel both hope to be the first to fill a newly created county office...

The forum was sponsored by the Champaign County League of Women Voters, the Champaign County NAACP and The News-Gazette.

Full article with an overview of the candidate arguments here. Video here. Judicial candidate election page here. County Executive election page here. More information on County Candidates at the Champaign County Voter Alliance Candidate Guide here.


Other Local Forum Links:

• 9/14/2018 Auditor/Sheriff/Clerk Local Candidate Forum
   
• 9/28/2018 District 4 Forum / County Board Statements Candidate Forum and Boycott
   
• 10/5/2018 County Board Q & A Forum: County Board Candidate Split Forum