|
Village discusses water main project  Share
Since the village of Beecher was denied an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) loan in July for water main replacement, it has found a new source of funding for the nearly million dollar project. But, the cost may be too high. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has offered a 40 year loan at 4.375 percent interest for the project. However, the interest would amount to $875,000 paid over the 40 years for a total of $1,875,000 for the project. Annual payments would be $46,875. In contrast the IEPA loan was a zero percent loan for 20 years with a 25 percent loan forgiveness, resulting in annual payments of $37,500 for 20 years. Unfortunately, the IEPA denied the village's application, saying it had received numerous applications and had limited funding available. ''We'd already spent $65,000 in engineering fees when we were turned down,'' said Village Administrator Robert Barber.
The project includes repairing water mains along six village streets. Barber was hesitant to recommend accepting the loan from USDA due to the length of the loan. He said the village could probably afford the loan using existing debt service charges, but felt that 40 years was a long time for a loan. The USDA loan would also require a Phase I environmental assessment and water rate study. Engineers estimated this cost at $15,000 and also provided a cost estimate of $16,000 for a combined water and sewer rate study. The board tabled any decision on the matter. Changes in Freedom of Information Act Village Clerk Janette Conner said she recently attended an Illinois Municipal League meeting and feels that proposed changes in the Freedom of Information Act may place an undue burden on the village and cost taxpayers more money. Among the changes are providing the first 50 pages of information free of charge (previously there was a charge per page), decreasing the response time from seven to five days and fulfilling commercial requests. She said the language is not specific in the proposed FOI Act, but attorneys have advised the municipal league that the public will have access to all files held by public bodies, including personnel files. When Barber asked if employee evaluations would be included, Conner said they would, but personal information, such as an address or social security number, would be removed. Barber replied, ''I think employee and employers' privacy should be protected.'' Conner said the changes are still being rewritten before the law takes effect on January 1. She also said some of the language is vague and may not be clarified until it is challenged in court. Lynn Dill is a reporter for Russell Publications.
|
This Week's Front Page »
Related Stories »
|
