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October 6th, 2014

We are at the end of a very busy summer. We had two firsts…the first time we helped fund the Unit 4 Schools employment program and the first time we provided our own youth program in association with Metanoia Center. Both programs turned out to be a great success and we were honored and excited to touch the lives of so many of our youth. We are excited for the future of youth programs at the City of Champaign Township.

As you know, General Assistance is the primary responsibility of Township government throughout Illinois. Our assistance has remained the same for the last few years and we felt it was time for very modest increase. Effective July 1, 2014, our client’s now receive $250 per month for assistance, up from $245. Although the increase is minimal, it’s important that the Township continue to meet the basic needs of our clients.

Our fan program went well this year and we handed out about 25 box fans to low income senior citizens. Our numbers for fans were down a bit this year but it’s likely due to the fact we had a cool summer. As we move into the winter months, we look forward to partnering with other agencies for supplies for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We are currently working on this year’s tax levy. The Township is funded completely by property taxes. We will provide the Trustees with the amount we request to levy at the November meeting and it will be voted on at the December meeting. We continue to operate in a fiscally responsible manner while increasing the services we provide to the citizens.

Feel free to contact our office if you should have any questions and don’t forget to follow us on social media (City of Champaign Township on Facebook and @cctownship on Twitter). We post regularly about what is happening in the community and at the Township.

 

Andy Quarnstrom

City of Champaign Township-Supervisor

August 4, 2014

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We our honored and happy to have received this plaque from Champaign Unit 4 Schools for our sponsorship of the Champaign Summer Youth Employment program.

May 21, 2014

See our 2014/2015 budget and ordinance here: 2014-2015 Budget Ordinance and FY 2014-2015 Budget Final.

Spring is a busy time of year in Township government. Our fiscal year runs July 1 through June 30 so we are finishing up one fiscal year and getting ready to start another fiscal year. This is an important process. First we need to review what we budgeted and how we spent in the current fiscal year. Next, we need to see what we want to spend in the new fiscal year. It sounds easy, but much more goes into it than meets the eye.

As we near the completion of a fiscal year, we review line by line what we spent and how we spent it. This is important for a few reasons. First, It helps in predictions for next fiscal year. Second, it allows us to have a good understanding of where our money is going as well as if we can do things better. In the 13/14 fiscal year our budgeting and spending were in line with our projections. Using this information, we were able to make some predictions and forecasting on spending for 14/15.

We have made many changes to not only how we budget, but also some new programs that we are funding. Working with the City of Champaign, we put into place better accounting practices and made an effort to budget not only for next year but also from a long range perspective. Our budget is available for viewing at the Township, 603 S. Randolph as well as at the City of Champaign Clerk’s office. As per statute, it’s available for at least 30 days prior to our budget hearing on July 1.

We continue to provide assistance to a near record number of clients. At the same time, we have seen savings from the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Over 2/3rds of our clients have now received their medical card and we hope to have everyone covered this summer. In addition, we have been providing notary services as well as voter registration services in our office. As always, if you have an idea as to additional services you would like to see the Township provide, feel free to send an email or stop by our offices.

As always, we have an open door. Please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@cctownship). It’s a great way to keep up to date with what’s occurring at the Township.

Andrew J. Quarnstrom
andy.cctownship@ci.champaign.il.us

March 31, 2014

One of the many unique aspects of Township government is how much direct participation the electors, or residents, have in the governing process. Next week on April 8th is the City of Champaign Township Annual Meeting. This meeting is mandated by statute and is different than any other Township meeting. At the annual meeting, the Chairman and Trustees do not participate in the meeting in their normal status, rather they are in the audience and make up one of the many electors we hope to participate in the meeting. The meeting is run by a moderator picked by the electors the night of the meeting. A mediator can be anyone but must be a resident of the City of Champaign Township. Business is handled by the moderator and the electors vote on such business.

This year we have very little in the way of business at the annual meeting. One area I’d like to touch on is the Supervisor’s Annual Financial Report. This item is also mandated by statute and is intended to give you, the electors, a clear picture of the Township’s finances. The statute states a statement of finances from the period of 4/1 through 3/31 should be provided to the electors and placed on record. This is the process that has been followed in Champaign for many years. The City of Champaign Township’s fiscal year runs from 7/1 through 6/30 of the following year. Based on this, a report from 4/1 through 3/31 wouldn’t give the electors a clear picture of a fiscal year’s finances because we would be looking at 1/3rd of one fiscal year and 2/3rds of another fiscal year.
After talking to our counsel as well as representatives from the Township Officials of Illinois, it was decided that because we are a coterminous township and our fiscal year is different as well as the fact the intent is transparency and clarity of our financial statements when providing the report, we will provide the annual report in a format that follows our fiscal year. Beginning this meeting, the Supervisor’s Annual Financial Report will reflect our last completed fiscal year of 13/14. Next annual meeting will provide a 14/15 report and we will continue that cycle. I hope this offers more clarity as to our finances and simplifies the process for not only our office but for the electors. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Lastly, I have added a power of electors sheet in an attachment below. Please review this prior to the meeting on April 8th. It will give a better understanding of the process you can expect to see.

powers of electors (3)

March 10, 2014

Spring time in Township government is associated with the annual town meeting, held the 2nd Tuesday of April at townships throughout Illinois. Our agenda is lite this year as no electors presented any agenda items. At the annual meeting, the annual supervisor’s financial report will be give, which is a summary of our annual audit. The statement will reflect the time period from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013.

We are starting the process of formulating the annual budget for 14/15. We are excited for some new changes coming to the GA program and looking forward to seeing what programs we can fund. Are client stream continues to be steady and we have provided a slight increase in emergency assistance over the last few months.

We have started the process of contracting our services to other smaller townships in Champaign County. The City of Champaign Township is well versed in providing GA and EA and the associated laws and regulations that must be followed. Many smaller townships provide assistance so infrequently that it benefits them to contract the service out. This not only helps the township that is contracting out with an assurance that the law is being followed, but it also helps the potential clients to get quick action and response our their applications. In addition, it adds a small revenue stream to the City of Champaign Township for providing the service.

As we get closer to the annual meeting on April 8th, I’ll post some information to the electors as to the process that takes place at the annual meeting. Until then, please remember we are on Twitter (@cctownship) and Facebook (City of Champaign Township). We use social media to keep residents and followers up to date with day to day activity. Lastly, here is a link to WDWS in which I was on the morning show taking about what is happening at the City of Champaign Township. http://www.wdws.com/audio/2014-03-06/city-champaign-township-supervisor-andy-quarnstrom-362014.html

Andy

January 15, 2014

Happy New Year! I’m going to keep previous blog entries up to make it easier to keep up to all that is going on in the City of Champaign Township. This way you can scroll down and get a historic perspective of what we have been doing and projects we are working on. As always, we have been busy at the Township. The holidays were very nice and we had a holiday party/open house for our clients and those interested in visiting. We provided some light food and drinks as well as a Wal Mart gift card for our clients. This goes a long way to make their holiday happy and allows them to get something special for themselves. We ended the year with more clients than we had had at any point in the calendar year.

We have now started voter registration at the Township office. You can stop by with the proper identification and fill out the voter registration info here instead of having to go to Brookens. Thanks to Champaign County Clerk Gordy Hulten for helping get the staff certified in registration. As a reminder, we also offer document notarization in our office.

We had good success increasing our following on Facebook and Twitter. Please follow one or both, this is a great way to get immediate and up to date info on what is happening, community alerts, and interesting info related to the Township. We are still looking at other ways to improve our web site and we encourage any ideas that you the tax payer may have.

Our levy ordinance passed unanimously and is now on record at the Champaign County Clerks. In addition, you can find a copy of our annual treasurer’s report and budget on file there or in our office as well as on our web site in the meeting info section. We are anticipating some savings with the Affordable Care Act. All of our clients have applied and as of today about 1/3rd have received their medical card. Again, this not only releases the Township from our client’s medical liability, but also decreases the Township’s burden to pay for client prescriptions. In the past, we have been mandated to provide prescriptions for clients but the ACA removes this liability. Unfortunately, the process is new and many uncertainties exist and we won’t likely recognize full savings for a few months. In the meantime, we are ensuring that all clients are receiving their medications as needed.

Please contact our office if you have any questions or requests. We look forward to serving you! If you’d like to contact the Supervisor, feel free to call my extension at 403-6121 or email me at andy.cctownship@ci.champaign.il.us. Stay warm and safe!

Andy

November 12, 2013

As I write this we have recently completed the levy for the Township. We will levy 99% of last year’s levy in 2014, meaning that our revenue will decrease and so will the amount of tax that residents who live in the Township will pay. This decrease is due to the fact that the EAV (equalized assessed value) of property in Champaign has decreased. Since we have decided to keep the same rate as last year, the amount taxed on property has decreased.

Lower taxes is a double edged sword. Residents of the Township are delighted to see a lower tax. Unfortunately, the cost of doing business is always increasing and this holds true for the Township as well. The majority of the Township’s funding is property tax. Fortunately, we have tightened our belt where we could over the last 6 months and have saved tens of thousands of dollars just in “house keeping”, finding services at a lower price and shopping around when we can. We continue to provide services to those we serve and continue to search for new ways to serve our residents.
In partnership with St. Patrick’s Church, we will be providing our clients dinners for Thanksgiving. Every client that wants a basket will receive one, ensuring everybody on General Assistance has a good Thanksgiving meal.
Lastly, I encourage everyone to follow us on Facebook (City of Champaign Townships) and Twitter @cctownship. During the month of November, all new “likes” and “follows” will be tallied. At the end of the month, I will personally donate $1 (up to $500) to the United Way of Champaign County for all new “likes” and “follows” of the Township’s social media. As I write this we have had 13 new follows on Twitter and 16 likes on Facebook. The United Way provides funding and assistance to many social service agencies in Champaign County and with their leadership and support provide basic needs to those in our community that are most at risk.
As always, if you should have any questions, concerns, or just want to drop me a note, my email is andy.cctownship@ci.champaign.il.us.

Andy

                                                                                          

             From the Desk of The Supervisor