St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 120

COMING THURSDAY: Look for municipal and school election information in our Voters' Guide MA MM if TO 1 SERVING: Alton, Bethalto, Brighton, East Alton, Elsah, Godfrey, Grafton, Haitfoid, Jerseyville, Roxana, South Roxana, Wood River. MONDAY, APRIL 5, 1999 ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH (4) AA1 6fT AlION might not have 1 dfgk A oa hau 9 esirea re County leaders say property owners could be in for surprise hi i Public Library offers course on family use of the Internet Hayner Public Library is encouraging parents and other concerned adults to learn more about family use of the Internet through a free online course, 'Families Connect: An Introduction to the Internet." Anyone with Internet access and a personal e-mail address can register for the course but must do so by Saturday. Instructions for registration and a description of the course's content are available at all Hayner library locations. Participants will receive an e-mail lesson once a week for five weeks.

The course is offered by the ICONnect Internet Project of the American Association of School Librarians. For more information, call 462-0651. Alton Rams will hit basketball court on Saturday for charity game The St Louis Rams switch sports Saturday to play the "Alton Area Select Team" in a benefit basketball game for the Alton Boys and Girls Club. The third annual charity game starts at 7:30 p.m. in the West Middle School gym.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 4-1 2. Children 3 and younger will be admitted free. The first 300 fans will receive a free team photograph. Fans will get a chance to meet Rams football players and get autographs at halftime. Tickets are available at several locations; for information, call 462-6249.

Metro East Writers' Workshop welcomes applications for membership The Metro East Writers' Workshop is looking for new recruits. Applicants should be serious about a writing career and willing to meet at least once a month. Prospective members should submit about 15 pages of their best writing and a brief personal biography to the coordinators of the workshop: John and Susan Dunphy, co Second Reading Book Shop, 301 East Broadway, Alton, IL 62002. Current members will read and evaluate the submissions to determine admission. For more information, call the Dunphys at 462-2830.

AUOII St. Anthony's Foundation sponsors two-day book fair St Anthony's Foundation will sponsor a book fair April 15-16 at two locations. Thefairwillbeheldfrom7a.m.to6 p.m. each day in Lobby Conference Room A at St. Anthony's Hospital and in the Professional Building auditorium at St Clare's Hospital.

More than 100 new hardcover books, including best-sellers, children's books and cookbooks will be offered at discounts ranging from 40 to 70 percent. Proceeds will benefit the Good Samaritan Center, in St Clare's Professional Building. For more information, call 465-4501. IS MM4 I Muun Shotgun shooting instruction for women is offered at course Instruction in shotgun shooting for women will be offered June 17 at Olin Farms. The $40 registration fee covers professional instruction and use of guns, ammunition and targets.

Participants will get a home-cooked fried chicken lunch and are eligible for a follow-up lesson and free round at Olin's Trap and Skeet Facility in East Alton. For registration or more information, call Linda Deewall at 258-3133. Jerseyviuf Governor will speak at fund-raiser for lawmaker f. Illinois Gov. George Ryan will be the featured speaker at a fund-raiser today for State Rep.

Tom Ryder, R-Jerseyville. Tickets are sold out for a $125-a-plate dinner later in the evening but still available at the door for $25 each for a reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at 518 East banquet center at 1699 East Shipman Road (Illinois Route 16 east of Jerseyville). 1 Entertainment will be provided by the Jazz Ensemble and Show Choir of Jersey High School. For more information, call 498-6456.

Jacob N.Ware post-dispatch George Miller, the Leader of Corridor 67, a group that wants to build a four-lane highway from Godfrey to Rock Island, stands in the area where the group wants the highway to begin. Road's prospects are rosy, says leader of superhighway task force Mi Those sentiments aside, completion of the highway is not imminent. It is not on the state's current five-year construction program. Although portions of the highway have been completed or are near completion, Illinois can't afford the estimated $525 million it would take to finish the job. State officials say Illinois barely has enough revenue to adequately maintain existing highways and, without new sources of revenue, there will be very little new construction.

On the other hand, Ryan was a vocal supporter of the Corridor 67 project during his campaign and has remained so since he was elected governor in November. Ryan has a task force looking into the state's infrastructure needs, and the Illinois House Transportation and Budget committees have been holding hearings of 20 part-timers to augment full-timers would volunteer because of the pay. "We're looking for people who want to contribute to the safety of the village and its residents," he said. Volunteers are paid by the call $10 for the first hour and $6 for each hour thereafter. The department has six openings for volunteers but Ringering said he would like to put together a list of 20-24 prospects, sign up six and have the others 1 It 1 By Heather Ratcliffe Of the Post-Dispatch Illinois voters who approved "tax caps in hopes of controlling their property tax bills actually saw dramatic increases the next year, according to Madison County officials.

That's because the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law, known to insiders as PTELL, allows government agencies to raise taxes to the highest possible rates before the law takes effect Counties where voters approved PTELL saw this effect on their tax bills. Winnebago County residents experienced about a 50 percent increase in their property taxes between 1992 and 1996, according to the Taxpayers' Federation of Illinois. McHenry County taxes increased 36.4 percent and Sangamon County taxes increased 41 percent. Madison County residents, who will consider the issue on the April 13 ballot, saw about a 22.9 percent increase in their property taxes during the same time period. Local municipalities are threatening to raise taxes immediately if it passes.

"It forces tax bodies to do what they don't want to do, and that is to increase their levies, said Harry Briggs, regional superintendent for schools. PTELL's slowing effect on taxes would not be noticeable for several years, county officials said. But PTELL proponents said the threats are offensive. "I think threats from local taxing authorities to raise taxes if the voters pass PTELL is unethical," said Steve Stobbs, a Madison County Board member. "Ultimately, they will answer to the people during their re-election." The county board is holding a forum on the issue at 7 p.m.

Thursday in the board room of the County Administration Building, 157 North Main Street in Edwards-ville. Representatives from both sides will present their cases, and board members will be available to answer questions about the referendum. PTELL is designed to limit the ability of a taxing district to raise property taxes. The limit is the lower of 5 percent or the Consumer Price Index, which was 1.7 percent this year. The issue began when the Illinois Legislature enacted a law in 1997 that allowed county boards to put the issue on a ballot.

Earlier, the Legislature approved a law mandating PTELL in Chicago and its collar counties to curb the dramatic increase in property taxes that accompanied soaring property values. Stobbs called the PTELL referendum one of the greatest reforms of local government. "It allows people to have more of a voice in issues of local tax spending," Stobbs said. "It brings people closer to government and forces government to be responsible." Taxing districts can still generate revenues beyond the PTELL limit if voters agree to raise the maximum rates. See Law, Page M7 are expected to pitch in with fundraising.

Ringering said the job can be physically demanding and emotionally demanding on a volunteer's family. He said many volunteers fail to complete a year but those who find the work gratifying tend to stay a while. "If we have someone a year, we'll usually have them 20 years," Ringering said. To qualify, applicants must live in East Alton, have a high school diploma or equivalent and be able to pass a physical agility test. "It can be rewarding for those who make the grade," Ringering said.

For more information, call him at 259-2984. -if 'ir around the state on transportation needs. Legislators could decide to raise more money for roads by increasing vehicle registration fees or fuel taxes, although Ryan opposes the latter option. Corridor 67 officials also believe chances have improved for federal funding of portions of the project. Local government and economic development officials in the Alton-Godfrey area have consistently supported Corridor 67 but the need for a new highway may be felt most strongly in west-central Illinois, whose residents once felt so isolated from the rest of the state that they called the area Forgottonia and facetiously threatened secession.

Corridor 67 was the creation of Barney Elias, a contractor from Jacksonville, and the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. Elias said the group's strongest support has always been in the middle of the corridor, around Jacksonville, Beardstown and Macomb. See Road, Page M7 available to step in when there are openings. In East Alton, volunteers assist the village's seven full-time firefighters. Ringering said it has been difficult to retain volunteers in recent years.

People today often work longer hours and many have a variety of activities vying for their time, he said. "We try to caution applicants about the number of hours required," Ringering said. "They spend eight hours a month just in training." Volunteers must earn a state Firefighter II certification within a year. They must respond to at least 40 percent of calls and George Miller likes the chances for connector between Alton and Rock Island By Terry Hillig Of the Post-Dispatch BRIGHTON A former mayor of Brighton is the new leader of a task force that has lobbied for a decade to build Western Illinois' first north-south superhighway. The Corridor 67 task force has been pushing for a $1 billion four-lane highway link between the Alton area and Rock Island in northwestern Illinois.

George Miller, Corridor 67 chairman since January, said the highway's prospects are brighter than ever. "The reason I'm optimistic is that we have raised the level of awareness to such a high level," Miller said. He said the project is one of the top transportation priorities of Gov. George Ryan, as well as the region's state legislators and the Illinois congressional delegation. East Alton Fire Department is seeking volunteers Chief says he would like to compile a list By Terry Hillig Of the Post-Dispatch EAST ALTON Looking for a job with hard work, low pay and irregular hours? East Alton Fire Chief Larry Ringering may have just the position you seek.

The department is making its yearly drive to recruit on-call volunteer firefighters. They are paid when they respond to a call, but Ringering doubts that anyone l'.