The City of Coffeen is in the market for a full-time  Chief of Police in the new year.The candidate must be certified; will be subject to a background check and drug screening; must be able to work all shifts, including weekends.The full-time position benefits include PTO, IMRF, medical reimbursement up to $350 a month, and paid holidays after a 6-month probation period. Pay will be based on experience.Applications are available at Coffeen City Hall 107 Locust St., Coffeen, IL 62017, Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 12:00 noon. For more information, call 217-534-2216.  Applications are being accepted until January 17. 

Deer Run Mine informed the Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency (EMA)  that the last planned subsidence (a sinking or collapse of the ground surface) had begun. The message specifically advises motorists traveling on Illinois Route 185 to use caution, reduce speeds, and be aware of the posted signs along the route. The area impacted is said to be the length of a football field  by the new substation before going down the hill.  The mine authorities clarified that despite the ongoing subsidence activity, Illinois Route 185 will remain open for traffic, though drivers should stay vigilant and follow any instructions given through the signs.

Montgomery County Assessor Kendra Niehaus is responding to the issues raised in recent months with efforts to comply with a state law on assessing wooded acerage.  She responded to a number of questions.

 

1) Your thoughts on former County Board member Donna Yeske's call for your ouster:    I have spoken with the Illinois Attorney General and our State's Attorney and I cannot be fired for following state law, which is what I always do in my office. 

2)  Calls for making your post an elected one:   I do not believe this office is political, in order to remain neutral and uniform assessments are done regardless of political affiliation. However, if the county wants the position elected that is their decision or the decision of the citizens rather. 

3).  Claims of retaliation by your office in connection with some individuals who complained about their reaessments:  Claims of retaliation are completely false and being implied to smear my name and most importantly my character. I do not believe in acting maliciously towards anyone and never will. Brandi Lentz has spread lies claiming her property was reclassed several times out of retaliation, however, we have 4 different software programs that reassessments must go through prior to Beacon so it would appear that way to someone outside the office. I explained this process step by step to Mrs. Lentz and even asked her to come into the office and I would show her the entire process personally and she chose not to and continued to spread lies. 

4)  What are your thoughts on the County Board request for you to waive penalties against Mr Loveless, the landlord who lost paperwork in a 2023 fire:   

The County Board voted on a recommendation however, I do not believe in making exceptions for one individual and not others. Leases have never been accepted past the January 31st deadline in any year prior to me becoming SOA and 3 other landlords were not accepted either. Penalties aren't waived for late tax bills for individuals either and that doesn't get taken to the County Board, there has to be deadlines and Mr. Loveless was provided ample notice to get his paperwork in on time since packets were mailed Oct 1st last year. He claims to not have received the packet even though the address is the same as his tax bill and he stated he did receive that. 

5)  Any thoughts on the new ad hoc committee addressing the wooded acerage law:  I don't believe people realize I do not agree with this statute in the first place so I am hopeful the Ad Hoc Committee can get something passed. What people aren't aware of either is that 505 parcels have already been correctly reclassed over the past 17 years since this law went into effect and I was only correcting 144. There is not a report my software can generate for these so I had to manually count them. There are a lot of aspects of the Illinois Property Tax Code I disagree with however, I respect the law and even though I disagree with it doesn't mean I can not follow it. The 144 I corrected this year were reverted back to the preferential farmland assessments and I do not believe that is fair to the 505 that have been correctly assessed for years. The job of an assessor is to maintain uniformity and what people don't understand is if you have a $500k house in town or a $500k house on 15acres the assessment and the property taxes should reflect that and unfortunately it doesn't. This means the property owners in town have to pay the share of others in order for taxing bodies to receive their money for their levy. People don't understand how EAV and levies work but essentially if we both have a $500k house and mine is assessed correctly and John Doe is assessed as a farm even though he doesn't meet any of the statutory criteria for farmland I have to pay more to compensate for his lower assessment. 

I have never been one to be in the spotlight. I do prefer to keep a low profile, but that ship has sailed it seems. I just want people to know that lies are loud and the truth is quiet in most cases and this is one of those times; every property owner that has come into my office or called has received accurate information and the majority left happy. I do apologize for my sarcasm such as "it sucks to suck" I did not intend for it to be malicious towards anyone I was talking directly to a board member and meant it as a "my hands are tied" comment. 

I come from a very strict military family and was raised that laws are to be followed and the government is to be respected at all times, regardless of our own opinions. And like I said in my previous email I do not agree with a lot of the laws within the Property Tax Code, like each plumbing fixture has to be assessed, but just because I may not agree with it doesn't mean I don't have to follow it. 

Also would like to add that due to the increase in farmland assessments over the years some of the parcels that were changed the assessments actually lowered and their taxes would have actually been less but since the chairman asked me to revert them all back I did because it would not have been fair to only revert back the ones that increased and not revert back the ones that had decreased. 

 I am being 100% truthful. I have received numerous threats and am tired of being the sacrificial lamb, I would also like the public to know I did draft a letter that I wanted to send to all landowners that would have been affected by this in August, I brought it to our County Board Chairman and was told it wasn't needed. 

I typically do not bring assessment matters to the committee because a county board has no authority over assessments since they are determined by the state, however, because I knew this would have a large impact I believed it was morally the right thing to do which is why I brought it to them in July. However, it was dismissed and not taken seriously until it was too late. And that is very unfortunate because now I'm the one taking all the heat when I was trying to do the right thing. 

Also it may be beneficial to know when Mrs. Lentz requested a copy of my Certification from our County Clerk she could not locate her copy which is why she came up and requested a copy of mine to file. Our State's Attorney advised Mrs. Lentz that per statute the Illinois Dept of Revenue mails a copy of the certificate to the County Clerk and the CCAO. I do not know why Sandy did not have the copy she received from IDOR filed or where the copy she received from the IDOR (Illinois Department of Revenue) is.   

I received my copy from the Department of Revenue in March of 2023 mailed to my personal address, the County Clerk should have received her copy from the Department of Revenue at that time as well. 

The lunch crowd was disappointed to learn the Lodge on Main in Hillsboro was closed today, but that disappointment should be a very short term issue.

When you say location, location, location for business, you usually think of high traffic count and bringing in more customers.  For the Lodge on Main today, location, location, location is all about being just a few blocks from the Hillsboro Fire Dept.  Firefighters were called to the former Moose Lodge this morning when a freezer caught fire.  There was no fire damage to the building and fortunately in these times of high food costs, the freezer was already cleaned out and waiting to be repaired.  Owner Jim Hewitt described the Hillsboro FIre Dept response as amazing.   He hopes to have the Lodge open again as soon as tomorrow (Saturday Dec 14).

Thursday will bring a key road closure to Hillsboro.

Tremont Street, from Chase Street to Eccles Street, will be closed on Thursday, (December 12) from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. due to the construction of a temporary bridge. This bridge is being constructed to support the transportation of oversized vehicles through the area.
During the closure, drivers are advised to seek alternative routes. In addition, while the oversized vehicles are being transported, delays may occur on the following streets: Railroad, Tremont, South Main/Vandalia, and Old Bus Line. Motorists should plan for possible disruptions in these areas and exercise caution while driving.

The city encourages residents and commuters to adjust their travel plans accordingly and allow extra time for potential delays. The City appreciates your patience and cooperation.

Tonight, the Montgomery County Board will have its first full meeting since announcing reassessments tied to wooded acres would not go forward.  Tonight there will be initial discussion on the new ad hoc committee on wooded acerage assessments.    Meanwhile the group Stand Against Unfair Tax Hikes in Montgomery County, which generated large crowds at a committee meeting and a special meeting last month, has some unfinished business.  On the group’s Facebook page,  plans were announced for a petition drive calling for County Assessor Kendra Niehaus’s job to become an elected position.  Brandi Lentz expects the petition to be available next week.   

Evacuation of Nokomis Health Care and Senior Living
At approximately 11:00 AM today, Nokomis Area Fire Protection District Chief Michael Smalley received word that a problem identified in the heating system could necessitate an evacuation of the facility.
This proved to be the case at approximately 1 PM and the staff and management made arrangements to transfer the residents to Rose Garden of Pana and Sullivan Health Care.
Nokomis Community Unit District 22, Central Illinois Public Transit Service and the Sullivan Health Care Facility furnished busses and vans to transport the residents.
The Nokomis Police Department, Nokomis Area Fire Protection District, Nokomis-Witt Area Ambulance Service, and Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency provided personnel to assist the staff of Nokomis Health Care and Senior Living in getting residents to the busses and vans.
Some of the residents went to be with family members in the Nokomis and Ramsey area.
Evacuation of the facility was completed at approximately 3:30 PM.
It is estimated that repairs will be completed in the next few days and residents will be returned to the Nokomis Facility.
None of the residents sustained ant injuries or illnesses in the evacuation process

It’s a sad day for Nokomis and for anyone who enjoys saying the words “fill 'er up” without leaving the car.  Farmers Oil Company’s nearly century long run comes to an end this weekend.  The final full service tank of gas will be served on Sunday.  Steve Cachera says government regulations and inspection requirements have made it too difficult to carry on.  The station was once owned by Nokomis Park namesake Fred B Johnson.  The business carried a few different names over the years... Johnson Auto Company, Hinkle Standard Service and  Anderson Oil Co.  Cachera began working there in the late 70s and he took on 100% ownership in 2003.   He chose to break from tradition and not put his name on the business, but instead salute the area’s farmers.

Due to a water main break that has since been repaired, Fairmont place in Hillsboro is under a boil order until further notice.

The Irish Traditions of Farmersville are something much deeper than a summer festival and St. Patrick’s Day.  It’s a celebration of the settlers who fled the 19th Century potato famine on the Emerald Isle and tamed the prairie here to push hunger out of their lives.  The legacy of those individuals who planted the seeds of today’s farm economy in the Panhandle is alive and well.  One great example is the James W. Whalen Family Farm three miles southeast of Farmersville.  It has been certitifed by the Illinois Department of Agriculture as a member of the Sesquicentennial Farm Program, staying within the same family for 150 years.   .  The fourth, fifth and sixth generations of the family currently go to work on the same soil that James Whalen’s great grandfather Martin Brown did a century and a half ago.  Whalen and his three sons, Brad, Bill and Aaron and his grandson Rylan all are continuing the family tradition.      Martin Brown  took on 137 acres initially and added more land in 1873.  It was no easy task to make it a farm for the long haul.. As the homestead was marshy prairie.