Braidwood Journal

Police department overspent by more than $800,000 under previous chief

Published by admin on Tue, 01/28/2020 - 6:20pm

A recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) response from the Braidwood Police Department regarding its budget status at the end of 2019 fiscal year revealed that the department’s finances were deep in the red while it was under the leadership of former police chief Nick Ficarello.
The reports indicate the department overspent by $827,836, spending a total of $3.18 million even though it had only budgeted $2.34 million.

Car burglaries are on the rise in Will County

Published by admin on Tue, 01/28/2020 - 5:23pm

The Will County Sheriff’s Office recently announced a recent surge in number of burglaries from unlocked cars throughout the county.
The press release that was published on Jan. 17 states that law enforcement believes there are several crews of thieves working throughout the county with no noticeable pattern.
There have also been several vehicles stolen in recent months in instances where the owner left the vehicle running and unattended.

Board OKs cafeteria, construction to begin in spring

Published by admin on Tue, 01/21/2020 - 4:30pm

It’s official. Reed-Custer High School is getting a new cafeteria, and students will be eating in it as early as the 2020-2021 school year.
The Reed-Custer Board of Education voted last Wednesday to approve $5.5 million in construction bids for the project, but the total bill is expected to land in the $7.4 million range after factoring in owner costs and fees.
Construction on the 8,805-square foot addition is set to begin this spring.

Vote on new Public Works supervisor divides council once again

Published by admin on Tue, 01/21/2020 - 4:28pm

The Braidwood City Council was split during the Jan. 14 meeting on whether or not to approve the appointment of a new Public Works supervisor.
Fay Smith, commissioner of Streets and Public Improvements, made the motion to appoint Gary Phoebus as Public Works supervisor, but Mayor Bob Jones claimed that it was a job he wasn’t interested in.
“Why are we putting Gary (Phoebus) in charge? He doesn’t even want the job,” Jones said.
“He’s in line for it. That’s what we’re going by,” Smith said.

Couple wanted for credit card fraud

Published by admin on Tue, 01/21/2020 - 4:23pm

Arrest warrants were issued Friday for a couple who allegedly stole a 78-year-old woman’s credit card and racked up a bill of $1,500, reported Detective Chris Altiery of the Braidwood Police Department.
The warrants indicate Vincent Teruel, 42, and Amanda Teruel, 36, were each charged with aggravated identity theft, identity theft and unlawful use of another person’s credit card. Neither had been arrested as of press time Tuesday.

Park District aims to improve Old Smokey city park

Published by admin on Tue, 01/14/2020 - 5:33pm

Although it may be small, the Braidwood Park District is still aiming upward in 2020. The district hopes to complete upgrades and finish ongoing projects to its existing buildings and facilities.
“A lot of what we hope to do focuses on the maintenance and making updates to the facilities we currently have. Many of the buildings on our grounds are getting up there in age so we're trying to make sure they get the attention they need,” said Josh Bolatto, secretary of the Braidwood Park District board.

Current city administration taking the blame for past mistakes

Published by admin on Tue, 01/14/2020 - 5:29pm

Each year, we give our local governments a blank checkbook and ask them to spend it wisely. We put our trust in them to make the right decisions.
So when it’s evident the people we elected overspent and place the city in more debt, it’s a perfectly acceptable response to be frustrated.
Just last week, The Braidwood Journal revealed that during the last fiscal year the city’s overspent by $1 million. That follows the previous year that ended with a $2 million deficit. Grand total overspent during the past two fiscal years = $3.05 million on April 30, 2019.

Braidwood woman who fell victim to scam will get money back

Published by admin on Tue, 01/14/2020 - 5:27pm

A 73-year-old Braidwood woman who fell victim to a scam by mail is getting a happy ending that many do not experience.
On Dec. 28, Braidwood Police Department Detective Chris Altiery said the woman — whose name is not being released by police at this time — reported to law enforcement that she believed she was scammed out of over $4,000.

City’s deficit grew by almost $1 million last fiscal year

Published by admin on Tue, 01/07/2020 - 6:03pm

At the end of the 2019 fiscal year (FY19), on April 30, the city of Braidwood was in a worse financial situation than previously thought.
The treasurer’s report recent released by the city of Braidwood indicates that the city brought in about $3.54 million but spent $4.39 million. After taking into consideration the $2.2 million of deficit it began the year with, the city ended FY19 with a $3.05 million disparity between revenue and expenditures from its general corporate fund.
This means the city increased its deficit by about $848,549 in FY19.

Braidwood saw growth in 2019

Published by admin on Tue, 01/07/2020 - 5:49pm

The number of new homes constructed in Braidwood declined in 2019 compared to 2018, but was still higher than it was five years ago.
In 2018, the city issued 16 permits for new homes and one permit for a commercial building, but those numbers dropped slightly to 12 permits for new homes and no new commercial buildings by the end of 2019, according to statistics released by the city last week.