Mayor's view: Freeport lost a good man

As many of you may know, Fire Chief Brad Liggett passed away last weekend. It was with great sadness that we said our final goodbyes to Chief Liggett.

Brad served as the city’s fire chief since 2019 after serving the city of Beloit for 30 years. Brad was always involved wherever he went, trying to make every situation better, striving to improve the quality of life for every person he came in contact with.

Chief Liggett didn’t just talk the talk, he walked the walk and inspired others to action. I was honored to know Brad and call him my friend. He was a man of great faith. Once a month, Brad and I, along with a few others, would meet to pray for our community’s needs.

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Chief Liggett passionately prayed for the men and women in his department and all the members of our community’s first responders. Brad was loved and respected by many, and he will be greatly missed.

City hall will be closed on Monday, Jan. 17, to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Dr. King’s values and place in American history are discussed to educate communities and coming generations on the importance of equality.

The commemoration of the MLK Day of Service is a call to act on Dr. Martin Luther King’s Jr.’s legacy. This day marks our opportunity to recommit as citizens by volunteering in service to others.

Through those efforts, we can strengthen ties to our community and one another while we address critical issues that divide us. There are many ways to volunteer and serve our community. Please consider joining a service group or call hospice to help with a need they might have.

Have you ever thought about spending time with our youth through volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club or becoming a Girl Scout or Boy Scout troop leader? You can also sign up for Adopt a Street in our community development department.

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Through Adopt a Street, you can simply choose a street to walk and pick up trash and debris a few times a year. Trash bags, gloves and reflector vests are provided. It’s a great way to assist in improving the appearance of our neighborhoods. Those little things matter and make a big difference.

Our City Council meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Jan. 18.

There, I will have the honor of swearing in Deputy Chief Stykel as interim fire chief, Kevyn Sutter as communications director and Wayne Duckmann as community and economic development director.

Since last’s weeks article about home rule, there have been some questions on what impact it would have on city manpower. If Freeport lost its home rule sales tax — $3.6 million to $3.8 million per year — cuts would be made everywhere.

In 2020, we cut $1 million from the general fund budget to anticipate lower revenue numbers due to COVID-19 economic impacts. We managed to cut that $1 million by not filling seven police officer positions, two fire department positions, a deputy finance director, communications director, one street construction worker and we combined the community development director and assistant to the city manager into one position. Remember, that was to cut $1 million. Imagine the challenges with $3.6 million.

This could also affect the property transfer tax of $200,000, which is used for housing demolitions. The city also collects approximately $200,000 in motor fuel tax, which equates to 2 to 3 street workers. Losing the food and beverage tax collection is roughly $700,000, which is equal to laying off everyone in finance, community development and human resources departments.

There are many things to consider when casting your vote in November, “Shall Freeport cease to be a home rule unit.”

Let love and kindness be your motivation in all you do and together we can show the world that Freeport is a great place to live, work and play. Thank you for being a part of it.

Jodi Miller is the mayor of Freeport.

This article originally appeared on Journal Standard: Freeport Mayor Jodi Miller mourns Brad Liggett, notes MLK day events