[Peace-discuss] Fwd: Re: last night's meeting

[Barbara kessel]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: PandLAbern at aol.com <PandLAbern at aol.com>
Date: Dec 13, 2006 2:33 PM
Subject: Re: last night's meeting
To: barkes at gmail.com
From: Linda Abernathy, Township Supervisor

Words cannot express how much all of the support meant.  Please let
everyone know that your presence and pressure was greatly felt.  I
believe your voices literally changed the direction things were meant
to go.  It gives those who are not sure courage to do the right thing.

I am so sorry this was so difficult to follow.  All taxing bodies MUST
adopt a Levy in December or they get NO funds for the next fiscal
year.  for townships the state will step in if there is no or not
enough money in the EAV (Equalized Assessed Value) placed on property
by the assessor.  For the city of Champaign we have a healty assessed
valuation of over 1 Billion Dollars (1,213,000,000.00) so we are not
considered a poor town by the state.  but in addition to that our
county in 1996 voted to place caps on what unit of local governments
can actually get EVEN if they technically were eligible to receive
more.  For example if tax caps did not exist - City of Champaign
Township could get 1,069.000.00 in revenues for next year but because
of the caps we can only get roughly 475,316.00 which is the problem.

The only way you can change that amount is by referendum which failed
in November.

The state says if you are a poor town and you levy at the maximum
which is .10% and that is still not enough they will give you money.
One town board member (vic Mcintosh) wanted to force me to change the
levy from what we are legally eligible for to the .10% enen though it
is inherently unlawfull becaue we cannot get this JUST to try to force
me to become a state receiving unit - EVEN though the LEGAL COUNCIL
FOR THE STATE SAID WE ARE NOT ELIGIBLE!!  - this is all very confusing
and quite frankely it has taken me months to really get ahold of all
of this.


Secondly,

I wanted the town board to agree to enter into an intergovernmental
agreement to give the township money.  and as you saw the republicans
were trying hard to make that NOT happen.  Basically a compromise was
reached.  We would have a Joint study session at which time they will
decide if there will be an intergovernmental agreement.  I think they
knew the hour was late and that they were out numbered so this
essentially allows them (and us as well) to regroup.  So the battle is
not over - I do think however, as you said the bad guys had to expose
themselves. It is clear that Tom Bruno, Vic McIntosh, Deb Frank Feinen
and the Mayor are working together.

Best of all your voices paved the way to the next step - I was told in
no uncertain terms that there was no point to asking because the
answer was NO - God send 60 angles to ensure that we could move on.

Your time, and energy really paved the way for the next move.

Merry christmas to you and please send the message to all that this
was a job well done on behalf of the poorest of the poor in our town.

Linda Abernathy