List 59Recommendations For Revitalizing Towns Gov. Richard B. Ogilvie has directed administration of ficials to study a far-reaching report containing fifty-nine specific recommendations for revitalizing Illinois' small towns. Several of the proposals may be implemented through ad ministrative action this year, Ogilvie said. Hie comprehensive report was submitted to the governor last week by the sixteen- meitober Small Community Problems committee of Ogilvie's Rural Development Ogilvie directed Rep. James D„ Nowlan (R-Toulon), a leading legislative spokesman for/ rural development, to coordinate General Assembly efforts to implement the report. Nowlan was a member of the commission, which was headed by Henry W. Holling, chief of the Office of Community Services in the state Depart ment of Local Government Affairs. The Toulon legislator noted that nearly 800 towns outside metropolitan areas - or about three-fifths of the state's municipalities -- have populations of less than 10,000, and a state-wide total of 1.8 million persons. Nowlan ad ded: We're not talking about some rare or vanishing species. We're talking about millions of citizens and a way of life that we can lost only at the cost of incalculable cultural, social and economic damage to Illinois." Recommendations contained in the 54-page report center around the development of new forms of technical aid and assistance to local units of government, and changes in the administration of existing state and federal programs. Special attention was given to intergovernmental coor dination to allow the reduction of waste and duplication. The report noted that such coor dination is often "hampered either by inadequate financial resources or prevailing at titudes." Among the major recom mendations contained in the report are: - Establishment of a "circuit management" assistance program, to allow several small communities in a com pact area to share the services of a professional administrator. - Creation of a state-wide Small Community Economic Development fund from which local organizations, such as a Chamber of Commerce, could obtain low-interest loans for the purpose of attracting industry. The loans would be guaranteed by a lease on the facilities provided. -Development-of a cen tralized manpower pool, by the Illinois Law Enforcement commission, from which local police agencies could draw interested and career-minded personnel. --Creation of a special state fund from which local govern ments could borrow to meet local matching requirements of federal public works grant-in- aid programs. -Investigate the feasibility of creating housing rehabilitation teams composed of welfare recipients and unemployed workers. -Passage of HB 1799, which would permit small com munities to share services-if selected by local option- through county-wide govern mental mechanisms. As a means of testing the recommendations, the report proposed the implementation of a pilot program in six com munities of varying sizes JPhe committee said the pilot prbgram could be implemented during calendar 1972, including the cost of hiring six com munity affairs specials in the Department of Local Govern ment Affairs to serve as coordinators of the local im provement efforts. Such pilot programs, said the report, would "serve as examples for other com munities, and focus attention on innovation in Illinois local government leadership." Members of the committee, in addition to Holling and Nowlan, included Mayors Glen F. Watt, Lexington; George Know * Your Firemen THEODORE S. MILLER Theodore S. Miller of 3606 W. Freund avenue has served as a Company I fireman longer than almost any other member. He joined Nov. 17, 1931, because the company was short of volunteers. He and his wife, Frances, have three children, John, David and Diane. Miller's hobbies are horses and boats. He is a member of McHenry AF & AM and serves on the cemetery board. PLAINDEALER PHOTO mmmmmmmmmm. mmm - s mm w- p m * < mm# * BROOKWOOD GARDEN 4505 W. CENTER Phone Route 120 (Across from Foremost Liquors) 385-4949 | SPECIAL PURCHASE! CLUMP Your 1 A 95 BIRCH Choice 19 TREES (at least 15' tall) PERENNIALS PEONY VIOLA RHUBARB DIGITALIS POPPY MUMS DELPHINIUM DAISIES . . .and others NIKKEL-I iARK 3 Cu. Ft. 3" EVERGREENS ^^^^^^^iiljiiiiiiii 11)11 II I^Mm^fcin'rn'V iniin'r"IITI'tir r II"I v r-^rTHrmjfri 1 i • i ' ' YEWS. . JtBORVITAE. . .PFITZERS. . .ETC. GERANIUMS 79* HANGING BASKETS (GERANIUMS • PETUNIAS) SALt'- *j95 ORGANIC NEEDS MILORGANITE CHICKEN MANURE COW MANURE SHEEP MANURE LIME * PICNIC TABLES it MARTIN HOUSES with poles Rubbermaid Fencing & Borders Perry, Albion; and Ben J o h n s o n , C a m b r i d g e . Representatives of the Department of Local Govern ment Affairs were Leslie Elliott, Dean Haddick, Robert McGraw and David Morris. Also Dr. William Tudor, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville; Dr. Norman Krausz, University of Illinois, Urbana; Robert Carlock, Cooperative Extension Service, Carbondale; Bernard Kauf man, Farmers Home Ad ministration, Champaign; Thomas Langford, state Office of Planning and Analysis; newspaper publisher Roy Holding, Galva; and Dr. Norman Elkin, Chicago. SECTION 1-PAGE 5-PLAINDEALER-MAY 3, 1972 PROMINENT ROLE Rep. George W. Lindberg of Crystal Lake will play a prominent role in the annual Governors Conference on Youth to be held May 18 at the Pheasant Run lodge, St. Charles. Rep. Lindberg has served on the planning com mittee for the conference and will also serve as chairman of a workshop exploring drug a b u s e , s c h e d u l e d f o r 1 1 a . m . V.A. NEWS EDITOR'S NOTE: Veterans and their families are asking thousands of questions con cerning the benefits their Government provides for them through the Veterans Ad ministration. Below are some representative queries. Ad ditional information may be obtained at any VA office. Q -- What is the maximum VA-guaranteed loan on a mobile home? A -- The maximum is $10,000 for 12 years and 32 days for the purchase of a mobile home only. Q - Is the widow of a World War II veteran eligible for reimbursement of burial ex penses'7 A - Yes. Reimbursement, not to exceed $250, also is authorized for the deaths of veterans of the Spanish- American War, Mexican Border period, World War I, Korean Conflict Period, Veitnam Era and veterans of certain peacetime service. Q - Does the $12,000 or 60 percent G.I. home loan guaranty limit the amount I can pay for a home? A -- No. But if you pay more than the appraised value of the home, the amount in excess of the appraised value must be paid in cash. A G.I. loan may not exceed the appraised value of the home. WIS ILK Off g . ...and get more from the GOOD YEARS f Fraaci* Nagaat 1 PUNCH LINE O F T H E W E E K astronomer. PRIZNP business /£ LOOKING UR. How is it possible, a friend asked, to effectively plan for the retirement years when the only certainty is that the cost of living will be higher from year to year? The best answer we can give is that planning for retirement is not a cut and-dried proposition There must be flexibility There must be allowances for unforseen circumstances The cost of living does con tinue upward. This consideration should be made in budget plan ning. Some compensation can be made in view of the fact that cer tain expenses related to job-hold ing will reduce spending How reliable is the Consumer Price Index issued monthly by the U.S. Department of Labor0 It is a guide. A study of the In dex over the past few years, and a reasonable evaluation of cur rent trends, will be helpful The Consumer Price Index, however, does not present a per feet picture of the cost of living The government bases the Index on the prices paid for some 400 basic items, these items have changed since 1951, and arc fre quently upgraded For example, when the Index began, TV sets were not listed What this means, simply, is that the Consumer Price Index measures the cost of maintaining a standard of living, rather than the actual cost of living. Base your retirement plans upon the standard of living you can best afford. If you need a new TV, will it have to be color" When ydu buy food, can you af ford the best cuts in meat'1 Can you pay extra for packaging, for preparation (such as cut chicken parts) costs incurred by the sup^ plier0 Set your own standards, make a good ptan. with a few allow ances for the unexpected That's the best way. 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