A mysterious note about Stegall home fix-up grant
Upon cleaning off the cyclonic mess that was my desk last week, I discovered a note sent a while ago, not directly to me but to this office. Printed out in a small font on a carefully torn sheet of paper, it looked like it would belong in a really big fortune cookie or in a bottle headed out to sea.
It read: "Would like to know how Sean Stegall, the City Manager of Elgin, could possibly qualify for a grant to remodel his home? It seems like a conflict of interest?"
How mysterious and frustrating that someone would want to remain anonymous. Halloween picture aside, it's not like I'm that scary. And I don't make it a habit of tattling on sources. Further, to the best of my knowledge, the city of Elgin hasn't put out a hit on anybody.
Besides, as a reporter, you want to talk to a source to get as much background as possible. If you say that a UFO has landed on the roof at city hall, I want as many specifics as possible, not just a sketchy note or a rambling recount left in the middle of the night on the Speak Out line.
And I am not in the habit of finding story leads in the pithy, often snarky comments people -- empowered by the cloak of what they feel is anonymity -- leave after new stories are posted online.
Given that, I still checked on the note. I called around to see if there was any truth to it, then talked to Stegall in person about the grant matter.
Stegall did, indeed, receive a $20,000 Historic Architectural Grant in the spring of 2008 to go toward work on his home in the historic district on the city's east side. That's the maximum you can get in the 50/50 grant program.
Stegall said he and his wife have spent five times that so far on projects, putting in historically accurate detail work including copper gutters, replacement moulding, soffit and facia work, and a front porch.
With a 50/50 grant, qualified applicants are scored and ranked along criteria set by the Elgin Heritage Commission. Chosen projects receive a 50 percent reimbursement, up to $20,000, for eligible work on the exterior of the property.
The city also has a "75/25 and Paint Program" where homeowners have to meet federal household income requirements for low- to moderate-income families. Selected projects receive a 75 percent reimbursement, up to $20,000, for eligible exterior work. The grants are only for qualifying applicants located within the city's historic districts.
It may not have grabbed headlines in 2008, but it appears that proper procedure was followed when Stegall got the grant. And Stegall said he went out of his way to stay removed from the process.
Stegall wants to make it clear that he was assistant city manager at the time he got the money, not city manager. City council members and the city manager are not eligible for such grants, Stegall said. At the time, the community development director who oversees the grant program was his peer, not a subordinate, he said.
But aside from the council and the manager, Stegall feels any residents who meet the requirements of such grants, including city employees, should be encouraged to apply for them. While the grant program is not an incentive program for staff, city workers should be allowed to compete for such money on a level playing field, Stegall said.
In fact, Stegall said he would like to see more city employees move into homes in the historic district and to invest in life in other neighborhoods, too, to be "stewards of the community."
With the economy still reeling, there was less money in the grant pot this year than last. And the city recently laid off another dozen workers to help balance its budget.
Given the nature of the times and the sacrifices people are making, Stegall said he is looking for "non-financial ways of rewarding people." Aside from what might be bound by contract, Stegall said he didn't anticipate anyone getting a raise in the near future.
Is there anything else you want to know? Talk to me.
