In 2017, the MTD awarded Gnadt, who has worked at MTD since 1995 and has been director since July 1, 2014, a five-year contract during which he will be awarded an annual 2.75 percent pay raise. The contract was approved unanimously by the MTD board members and runs until June 30, 2022.
Government Watch
Gov’t Watch: Urbana entices new business with incentives
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After owning multiple shops in California, Laura Young moved to the Champaign-Urbana area where she met Milea Hayes. Also a store owner, Hayes found she shared an interest with Young: vintage retail. Together, the co-owners opened Bohemia, a boutique on 135 W. Main St., which offers vintage furniture, artwork and clothes. The shop debuted in November 2013. “I feel like this downtown area is growing, and we felt we fit the style of what we are doing,” Hayes said.
Article
Gov’t Watch: Rough winter tough on area roadways and city budgets
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Sari Lesk/For CU-CitizenAccess.org — After about twice the average snowfall hit Central Illinois this winter, local government bodies are increasing their budgets to address needs for road repairs. How to report potholes
City of Champaign
Email the department of public works at publicworks@ci.champaign.il.us. Use the mobile app SeeClickFix to report and send a photo of the pothole. The app allows the issue to be logged in the database. The photo helps the department decide which equipment or personnel to deploy, as well as prioritize the reported issues.
Article
Gov’t Watch: Urbana Park District deals with tax losses while still delivering services
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By Erik Prado/ For CU-CitizenAccess.org — The Urbana Park District offers a wide range of services including 19 community parks and facilities such as swimming pools and gymnasiums.
But the district is now concerned about the impact of the loss of tax revenue from the Carle Foundation.
Article
Gov’t Watch: Champaign County voters prepare to head to the polls
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By Sari Lesk/For CU-CitizenAccess.org — Voters in Champaign County are about to decide who should hold power over their tax dollars. They will have their first of two opportunities in 2014 to cast votes and select county leadership by participating in the March 18 primary election, when they can make choices for Champaign County Board members. The general election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 4. When voters cast their ballots this year, they will be electing officials to govern the unincorporated areas within the county and hold responsibility for the county’s public facilities, as well as who will maintain certain local highways.
Article
Unclaimed money heads to Champaign County treasurer’s office on November 30th
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By Pamela G. Dempsey/CU-CitizenAccess — Dozens of Champaign County residents – past and present – are set to lose more than $12,000 total by the end of November. Known as “Abandoned Bonds,” the cash is from unclaimed money by those who posted bonds on court cases that have since been resolved. At the close of a case, bond payments are returned to a resident by check via mail to the person’s address on file, said Katie Blakeman, Champaign County Circuit Clerk. Most often for those on the list, the checks are sent back to the circuit clerk’s office because the recipient has moved. “This happens a lot with students,” Blakeman said.
Article
Farmers not yet hit by shutdown
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Robert Holly/Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
The U.S. Department of Agriculture was forced to send home tens of thousands of employees because of Tuesday’s government shutdown. As a result, the agriculture department and its nearly two dozen agencies are operating at limited capacity – or not at all. But even though important agencies such as the Farm Service Agency and the Risk Management Agency will be shut down almost entirely, agriculture officials said that Midwest farmers and producers won’t be affected that much. “If it goes a week or so, the impact is minimal,” said Mark Gebhards, executive director of governmental affairs and commodities for the Illinois Farm Bureau. “The big question is how long the shutdown lasts.”
Gebhards and other officials said that the biggest impact from the shutdown will be further delays to a farm bill resolution, which expired at the end of September.
Article
Communication breakdown thwarts attempt at government transparency
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By Robert Holly/CU-CitizenAccess.org — As a member of the Champaign County Local Foods Policy Council, Maya Bauer was required to file a form in 2012 disclosing her finances that might lead to a conflict of interest when she votes at council meetings. But she said she did not file the form because the county clerk’s office never notified her that she needed to. Another member of the food council, Christopher Henning, said he was also unaware he had to file the form, which is known as a statement of economic interest. He said he already filed one with the state because of his job at the University of Illinois. Alfred Anderson served on the Mass Transit District’s board of trustees and on The Housing Authority of Champaign County’s board of commissioners.
Article
Weekly RoundUp: Government Shutdown
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The United States Congress faces a tight deadline as the threat of a possible government shutdown on October 1 looms ever closer. Last week the Republican-led House of Representatives passed a bill to keep the government running if Obamacare is defunded. This week the Democratic-led Senate is vowing to remove the provision to defund Obamacare as it debates the bill. The Senate vote is expected to happen on Sunday. House Republican leaders will then vote to accept the Senate bill or precipitate a shutdown.
Article
Weekly RoundUp: Pensions
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Illinois lawmakers’ paychecks aren’t in the mail yet, but according to one report by Illinois Public Media, the legislature’s special committee on pensions may be close to reaching a compromise. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn froze the paychecks of state lawmakers in early July, saying that the legislators wouldn’t get paid until the pension reform “crisis” was resolved. A recent article on CNN said Quinn’s efforts to take on pension reform has been a major part of his administration since taking office in January of 2009. “In a statement, he called Illinois’s pension problem the “worst-in-the-nation,” the product of 70 years of mismanagement by past legislatures and governors. This year alone saw a $1 billion payment to the pension system.”
Below is a roundup of other recent articles about the state of Illinois’ pension problems.
Illinois taxpayer contributions to state pensions skyrocket – Illinois Policy Institute
“Detroit’s recent bankruptcy is sending cities and states a warning: taxpayers shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Article
Weekly RoundUp: Farm Bill
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The House passed a farm bill last week after dropping food stamps from the negotiating table. According to an Illinois Public Media report, “The 216-208 vote was largely on party lines, with no Democrats supporting it. Twelve Republicans also voted against it.”
A recent article in the News-Gazette reported that House democrats opposed any cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Republicans argued that the proposed 3 percent cut to the $80 billion-a-year feeding program wasn’t enough. Republicans say they plan to take up the food stamp portion of the farm bill later with hopes of making bigger cuts.