McHenry County Blog

The Republican who ran first in the GOP Primary Election last March has become the target of the only Democrat running for the McHenry County Board in District 3, which runs from southern McHenry all the way north to the Wisconsin state line.

You can see the mailing below:

The back side is below:

Four people will be elected in each County Board district.

In District 5, there are five candidates, four Republican, one Democrat.

Dated August 11th, with a stamped July 31st signature from Sheriff Keith Nygren, the man who fired him, a settlement agreement has authorized the payment for the time Zane Seipler was off work, plus medical expenses that would have been otherwise covered by McHenry County health benefits.

Seipler was out of work for three years and four months–from November 17, 2008, to March 19, 2012–as Sheriff Nygren ignored decisions that he should be reinstated by

• an outside arbitrator authorized by the union contract he signed,
• an administrative review decision by Associate Judge Thomas Meyer and
• a decision by the 2nd Appellate Court sitting in Elgin

and even took more time to punish Seipler by unsuccessfully appealing to the Illinois Supreme Court to review the arbitrator’s decision still again.

That appeal was shot down, just as the earlier efforts did.

Seipler got two checks:

• $88,360.90
• $5,441.63

“The smaller amount was a refund for the difference in medical insurance premiums paid by Officer Seipler during his suspension,” the McHenry County Freedom of Information Officer explained.

$62,430 was deducted from the total amount of past due salary to repay the Unemployment Compensation benefits Seipler received while off work.

While not working, Seipler ran unsuccessfully against Nygren in the 2010 Republican Primary Election and sued seeking a Special Prosecutor be appointed to investigate whether Nygren had used taxpayer resources to advance his political campaign.

Judge Meyer, also adjudicating this case, ruled that McHenry County State’s Attorney could perform such a probe, if he wished.

“McHenry County has the highest percentage of uninsured children in Illinois.”

That’s what is written next to the map created by the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council (MCHC) concerning its findings about those without health insurance (private or government) in Illinois.

10.9% or over 2,200 children in McHenry County in 2009 did not have health insurance.

The question, obviously, is “Why?”

I looked in vain for county-by-county information.  I found two lines, which you can see below.

First information for all those under age 65.

Second, take a look at the data from those aged 0-18.

It occurs to me that most of the uninsured in McHenry County may be those who are in America legally.

Find the full report here.

Walt Packard and his golden parachute.

Three and a half years was the health insurance part of the $200,000 (maybe the health insurance was not included in that figure) golden parachute that McHenry County College Trustees gave outgoing (don’t let the door hit you on the way out) President Walt Packard.

You remember him.

He’s the one that convinced the Board to approve a minor league baseball stadium and to hide pretty much everything that would be spent to build it from the Freedom of Information Act.

No mention that baseball teams have a life of about 5 years and the bonds were 20 years.

Or that the stadium would provide 36% of the revenues but comprise 38.5% of the cost.

He was the one that convinced the board to allow a firm to build the highest broadcast tower in Illinois overlooking Crystal Lake.

He was the one who used the American Flag to keep a prying camera lens from photographing the secret meeting about the broadcast tower proposal.

He was in control when the campus security illegally forced those outside a secret meeting to leave the building.

When the time for his “leadership” expired, he somehow convinced the board to provide the following:

“Dr. Packard will also continue to be enrolled in the College’s medical, dental, and vision insurance plans through June 30, 2010, and upon his retirement as President Emeritus, the College will pay the Board’s percentage share of the premium cost of health insurance coverage for

• Dr. Packard and
  his spouse

for the period from July 1, 2010 through August 21, 2012.”

An email from Mike Tryon:

Friends,

It is our busiest time of the year in Springfield, and I would like to provide you with an update of the key items that were discussed and/or voted on last week:

State Retiree Health Care

On Wednesday, May 9, the Illinois House passed Senate Bill 1313, Amendment #9, which aims to stabilize the state’s health care system by requiring state retirees to pay a portion of their healthcare premiums.

This bill does not affect public school teachers or community college employees who already contribute premiums to the Teachers’ Retirement Insurance Program (TRIP) or the College Insurance Program (CIP).

My respect for public employees runs deep, which is why this was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make, but if nothing is done I truly believe our State employee health care system will fail.

Failure of the system would create a scenario where future State retirees would lose their health insurance benefit completely.

I supported an amendment that puts protections in place giving lawmakers the opportunity to object if we feel the changes are not implemented fairly.

It is important that retirees understand that this bill does not take away retiree health care benefits.

However, it will require retired employees to contribute to their health insurance premiums to help offset rising healthcare costs.

Today there are 78,000 retirees who pay no premium for healthcare.

Another 7,400 pay a portion of their premium and 36,000 dependents are enrolled but whose premium does not cover the true cost of the healthcare benefit.

Providing this benefit costs the State of Illinois between $800 and $900 million per year.

The change puts in place a mechanism that allows the Director of CMS to determine the State’s premium payments on behalf of retired employees – including lawmakers and judges.

CMS has proposed guidelines for determining what retirees’ contributions will be based upon a sliding scale that takes into account length of service and ability to pay.

The percent of cost the retiree will pay will also be based on his or her pension level. Senate Bill 1313 House Amendment 9 was approved in the Senate on Thursday and has been sent to the governor.

Diabetes Advocacy Day

On Tuesday, May, 8, the Illinois Legislative Diabetes Caucus partnered with the Illinois Diabetes Policy Coalition for “Diabetes Advocacy Day” at the State Capitol. Approximately 200 people participated in the day’s events, which included a luncheon, an update on the caucus from Republican House Leader Tom Cross, meetings between advocates and State Representatives, a speech about the benefits of bariatric surgery for Type II diabetes patients, and a meeting with the Diabetes Caucus Foundation. The Illinois Legislative Diabetes Caucus supports public policies and programs to improve the lives of those affected by diabetes and works closely with advocates and stakeholders to create awareness for the detection, prevention and management of the disease. As a sufferer of Type II Diabetes, I am committed to helping this caucus achieve it’s mission.

Child Care Funding

One of the human services commitments made by the State is that of reimbursement to a wide variety of child care providers for services provided to children who come from households with incomes that make them eligible.

Funding for these reimbursements in fiscal year 2012 has run out, and $73 million in additional funds will be required for the State to pay the bills of child care service providers through the end of the fiscal year (June 30).

This shortfall is tied in part to an increased case load in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which has had funds redirected to it at the expense of the child care program.

Many child care service providers are licensed individual caregivers and small businesses.

On May 8, Governor Quinn’s office stated that they had found funds that could be used as a “supplemental appropriation” to fill this gap.

Lawmakers continue to work with the administration to ensure that the solution to this problem is revenue-neutral and falls within the agreed $33.2 billion FY12 budget framework.

Facility Closures

Governor Pat Quinn’s plans to close 35 facilities throughout Illinois, with a cost of up to 2,527 jobs, will hit Downstate Illinois especially hard.

Many of the human services and correctional facilities listed in the closure plan are located in rural Illinois, especially central and southern Illinois.

I am a member of the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA), a bipartisan General Assembly panel, and most of us voted “no” on May 1 to most of the closure requests contained in a primary round of facilities closure requests.

However, CGFA’s vote is advisory and will not prevent the Governor from padlocking the threatened facilities.

n a last-ditch attempt to protect these threatened jobs and facilities, the Illinois Senate tried to move a bill (SB 3564) to allow CGFA to permanently block these closures.  On May 9, however, the bill failed in the Senate by a vote of 29-23-1, allowing the Governor to continue to move forward with his plans to close the threatened facilities.

Enterprise Zones

Enterprise zones are great economic development tools to create and retain jobs in Illinois.  Between 1984 and 2011, the zones created 354,000 jobs and retained 536,000 jobs in Illinois.

Unfortunately, without action by the General Assembly, Illinois’ 97 existing enterprise zones will begin expiring in 2013.  On May 9, House Republicans made a Motion to Discharge Senate Bill 3688 from the House Rules Committee.

SB 3688, which would extend the lives of Illinois’ enterprise zones for an additional 25 years, passed the Senate unanimously in April, but is being held in the House Rules Committee.

Several Representatives rose in strong support of the Motion to Discharge Senate Bill 3688 from the Rules Committee. Unfortunately, the legislation remains stalled.

College Illinois! Audit

College Illinois!, a program operated by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) to provide a tax-advantaged prepaid tuition savings opportunity for Illinois residents, is (like many other funds worldwide) currently actuarially unsound.

It has promised investors more returns than it can provide based upon current prudent projections of future investment returns and interest rates.

Some of College Illinois!’ investments made before and during the 2008 economic downturn have led to significant losses.

A report released on May 9 by the Auditor General’s office reveals some of the steps that led up to the current situation, including certain actions taken by College Illinois!’ former Director of Portfolio Management.  The full report can be viewed at http://www.auditor.illinois.gov/.

Appropriations

Discussions are ongoing in this very difficult budget year.

An overall appropriations number has been set, and soon the Human Services, Elementary/Secondary Education, General Service, Higher Education, Public Safety Committees will finalize appropriations within their individual areas.

There is bipartisan support this year for a balanced budget which includes reserves to be used to pay down debt, and difficult budget cuts are a key element of all discussions.

I will continue to update you on these and other issues as they make their way through the legislative process, and as always, if my staff or I can assist you in any way, please do not hesitate to call my Crystal Lake office at 815-459-6453.

Sincerely,

Michael W. Tryon
State Representative, District 64

And here’s the public unions’ response:

We Are One Illinois statement on Quinn news conference

Responding to Gov. Pat Quinn’s news conference on pensions held Friday, April 20, Illinois AFL-CIO president Michael Carrigan issued this statement for the We Are One Illinois coalition of unions that represent public employees:

The unions representing public employees are committed to working with Gov. Quinn and the members of the General Assembly to find a solution to the pension funding crisis caused by the state’s failure to pay its share.

It is crucial that the pension problem not be compounded by an unconstitutional solution that is unfair to public employees who have always paid their share. The average public employee pension is just $32,000. Because most public employees do not receive Social Security, this modest pension is their life savings.

Despite the willingness of the unions to engage in substantive discussions, our organizations were not asked to be part of Governor Quinn’s pension working group. We were invited to just four meetings and only a few days ago received any data by which to judge its proposals.

We strongly disagree with the proposals made today. Considering that the subject at hand is the ability of hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans to support themselves in retirement, we believe the proposals are insensitive and irresponsible.

By appearing to endorse these unfair and unconstitutional cuts, the governor has made the process of finding common ground much more difficult.

Forcing public servants to choose between two sharply diminished pension plans is no choice at all. It is a clearly illegal attempt to solve the problem caused by past governors and the legislature solely on the backs of teachers, caregivers and other public workers.

Public employees must be treated and heard as full partners in any substantive discussions. No one has a greater stake in solving the problem than we do. A serious problem deserves a serious effort at a solution. The unions are ready.

A press release from Governor Pat Quinn:

Governor Quinn Proposes Bold Plan to Stabilize the Public Pension System Plan Eliminates Unfunded Liability by 2042; Changes Will Save Taxpayers Billions

CHICAGO – April 20, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today announced a bold plan that secures public workers’ retirement while fixing the state’s pension problem that has been created over decades of fiscal mismanagement.

The proposal is expected to save taxpayers $65 to $85 billion based on current actuarial assumptions.

The changes will lead to greater certainty in Illinois’ business climate, respond to concerns from ratings’ agencies regarding the state’s unfunded pension liability and support the continuation of the state’s capital plan that is putting hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents back to work.

The Governor’s proposal follows weeks of discussion by the Governor’s pension working group.

“Unsustainable pension costs are squeezing core programs in education, public safety and human services, in addition to limiting our ability to pay our bills,” Governor Quinn said.

“This plan rescues our pension system and allows public employees who have faithfully contributed to the system to continue to receive pension benefits. I urge the General Assembly to move forward with this plan, which will bring a new era of fiscal responsibility and stability to Illinois.”

Illinois’ pension system is now under-funded by $83 billion due to decades of inadequate funding by past lawmakers and governors, and the promise of increased benefits without sufficient revenue to pay for those benefits. Under Governor Quinn, as annual required contributions increased dramatically, the state paid exactly what the law required into the pension systems. The fiscal year 2013 payment, $5.2 billion, now makes up 15% of general revenue fund spending compared to 6% a few years ago.

The Governor’s proposal provides for 100% funding for pension systems by 2042 and makes the following changes to the current plan:

• 3% increase in employee contributions
• Reduce COLA (cost of living adjustment) to lesser of 3% or ½ of CPI, simple interest
• Delay COLA to earlier of age 67 or 5 years after retirement
• Increase retirement age to 67 (to be phased in over several years)
• Establish 30-year closed ARC (actuarially required contribution) funding schedule
• Public sector pensions limited to public sector employment

In consideration for the changes above, employee pay increases will continue to be counted in the calculation of their pension and employees will receive a subsidy for their health care in retirement.

The state can no longer provide current levels of both pensions and retiree healthcare to employees upon retirement. Currently 90% of retired state employees pay nothing for their healthcare costs.

States comparable to Illinois in size and demographics provide little to no assistance for retiree healthcare costs.

The Governor’s plan also calls for phasing-in the responsibility for paying normal costs of pensions to each employer, including school districts, community colleges and public universities.

This plan reflects the discussions of the working group. The working group continues to work in an effort to find full consensus on all elements of the proposal. Members of the pension working group include Sen. Mike Noland, Sen. Bill Brady, Rep. Elaine Nekritz and Rep. Darlene Senger.

Related materials:

• Pensions Fact Sheet
• Public Pension Stabilization Plan
• What the Ratings Agencies Say About Illinois

Here’s what the recommendation for wages in the contract that is on the agenda toimposed on McHenry County Department of Transportation union employees at Tuesday’s Board meeting:

WAGES

1. Effective December 1, 2011, wage rates will increase by 2% (with retro pay).

2. Effective December 1, 2012, 2% or the wages covered by this Agreement shall increased by the percentage increase granted by the County Board per Resolution (generally at their October or November 2012 Board Meeting) for non-elected employees, whichever is greater.

3. Effective December 1, 2013, 2% or the wages covered by this Agreement shall increased by the percentage increase granted by the County Board per Resolution (generally at their October or November 2013 Board Meeting) for non-elected employees, whichever is greater.

Start rates:

• December 1, 2011 $18.25
• December 1, 2002 $18.50
• December 1, 2013 $18.75

Health benefit cost sharing will change, as you can see below:

The Employer and the active employees shall share the cost of health, dental, and vision
coverage as follows:

In a post, the candidate reveals,

“There are now EIGHT Republican candidates in THREE separate districts throughout DuPage County that publicaly support this initiative led by Rafael Rivadeneira for DuPage County Board.

“The YouTube pitch from DuPage count Board candidate Rafael Rivadeneira came to my attention and the issues it brings up might just show up in a future McHenry County Board election.”

The popularity of the argument that Congress and Congressmen should be subject to the same rules and ordinary folk is well-placed.

Yesterday in his Chicago Sun-Times column Jesse Jackson used it in the Obamacare debate.

Congressmen take government health insurance. Why shouldn’t everyone have it?

That what my quick reading of his message seemed to say.

He compliments some freshmen Congressmen who have refused to take health insurance.

But he doesn’t name any.

No credit where credit is due.

I imagine Congressman Joe Walsh doesn’t care.