Mount Vernon: southern Illinois' King City

The information in this story is based on interviews conducted in Mount Vernon on May 26 and May 27, before the governor proposed his specific income tax increase or announced a site for a new prison.

With the setting sun silhouetting the city water tower, 318 Mount Vernon High School graduating seniors marched into their football stadium for commencement on May 26. Wearing black gowns and caps adorned with bright red tassles, the members of the Class of '88 listened as school Supt. John D. Shields urged them to look to their future. Many are. About 30 percent will begin college this fall, many at Illinois public universities. Despite forecasts of gloom and doom from officials in higher education, students from the Jefferson County seat have shown faith in Illinois public higher education. "I have not seen any lack of confidence," guidance counselor Ron Harper said. "It's too early for that." He said that may change, however, if the current level of funding continues for several years.

Many of the graduates will not return to the region after college, but will seek employment elsewhere. The area economy is stagnant, despite a growth in service industries. Mount Vernon, nicknamed the King City, serves with Marion and Carbondale as one of three hubs for southern Illinois. But coal, oil and agriculture — three important parts of the economy — have suffered setbacks in recent years.

Those economic problems are affecting the schools. For the past three years Mount Vernon Township High School District 201 has spent money it does not have, and its finances were further complicated by a recent teachers' strike. The Illinois State Board of Education wrote the district to warn, in its words, that the financial indicators "are similar to those of other districts which previously led to severe financial problems."

Although not yet in deficit spending, the elementary school system is approaching financial difficulties. Mount Vernon School District 80 failed in past referenda to raise the property tax, said acting Supt. Nick R. Osbourne. Without additional state dollars from a tax hike or a revision of the state aid formula, Osbourne said he would have to start borrowing in July. If that happens he said a campaign will be organized to approve a property tax referendum, but doubted it would be ready in time for this November's election.

Osbourne and Shields formed a coalition in May, Citizens Asking Support for Education (CASE), to push for a state tax hike and other causes like funding of state mandates and a freeze on property tax relief. If no income tax increase passes this spring, they will support overrides of any line item education funding vetoes made by Gov. James R. Thompson. "I'm working myself to death trying to get the state legislators and Jim Thompson to understand the plight of Illinois public schools," Shields said.

Although CASE had gathered the support of several parents and teachers by the end of May, state lawmakers still needed to be convinced. Rep. Larry W. Hicks (D-108, Mount Vernon) was not. "I'm against a tax increase," Hicks said. "I don't think it's necessary." The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce had taken no official position, but indicated displeasure with the tax talk going on in Springfield. "Our chamber has not gone on record, but many of us are of the opinion that we do not need a tax increase," said Executive Vice President Malcolm Hirons. "We're already a high tax state." The Jefferson County Farm Bureau supported a 40 percent increase in the income tax if the additional state dollars would go to education and if property taxes were frozen at current levels. Mount Vernon Mayor Rolland W. Lewis said the schools needed to do some internal housekeeping, such as streamlining their budgets. Yet he said that would not be enough. "I think probably they're going to have to do something on the income tax," he said. "The demands are there."

Lewis completed a one-year term as president of the Southern Illinois Mayor's Association on May 21, a role that led him to travel around the state. He said he noticed southern Illinois lacked clout compared with Chicago. Yet he is not anti-Chicago and said he tries to convince residents that the city they sometimes wish would float off into Lake Michigan is more of a blessing to the state than a hindrance. "As a whole we benefit from that city," he said, noting taxes like the motor fuel tax benefit the entire state but is mainly paid by people living in the Chicago area. He said residents will sometimes make the five-hour drive up Interstate 57 to go to Chicago, but more often travel to Evansville, Ind., or St. Louis when they want to visit a metropolitan area.

Lewis was frustrated with state plans to aid communities needing to meet federal Environmental Protection Agency standards in wastewater treatment. On May 19 Mount Vernon opened a new waste water treatment plant to meet the standards. "We're paying for it dearly," Lewis said. The city council

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In Mount Vernon May 19 the new wastewater treament plant was formally unveiled. At left is Jarrad King, president of Environmental Management Corp., explaining the operation to Mount Vernon Mayor Rolland W. Lewis.

used its home-rule authority to establish a local sales tax to fund the $6 million project. "It bothers me that we planned ahead, and now the state is giving it to other communities," Lewis said.

The economy of Mount Vernon has been stagnant in recent years although there have been shifts in the economic base. Coal mining in the area has declined. "This region here was once the Saudi Arabia of coal," said Minor Pace, a retired executive of Inland Steel's coal operations. But coal mined in Jefferson County has a high sulfur content that makes it difficult to sell because of environmental problems. The use of coal by utilities, such as Illinois Power, has dropped with the rise of nuclear energy. Pace said the current lull was only temporary "It runs in cycles and has its ups and downs, he said. But James E. Reed, consolidated office manager for the Illinois Department of Employment Security's regional office, noted that normally there is temporary unemployment in the coal industry but in the last few years there have been more permanent layoffs. Besides the high sulfur content of the coal, Reed blames technology. Coal mining now is often done by machinery that replaces miners.

Most coal miners do not live in the city. "I'm not convinced coal has an effect on our employment, but it hits our economy," Lewis said, noting a drop in revenue from the sales tax proves rural areas are depressed. "Mount Vernon is like the shopping mall of Jefferson County," said Paul Thomas of the farm bureau, noting that county residents come into the city for banking, shopping and other business activity. When employment drops in the county, the city feels the pinch.

Oil once shared an important place in the region as well. At one time Mount Vernon was the oil capital of Illinois, said Dovle Hedger, director of Jefferson County's public aid office. Although oil wells in the region were never as productive as the ones in Texas, the area enjoyed a boom during the post-war era that lasted through the 1970s. Oil drilling in the area has fallen with the drop in oil prices.

The agricultural economy, which suffered a setback during the nationwide farm crisis, is gradually getting better. Thomas said the mostly family farmers in the area have seen a slight upswing in the economy this past year. Yet he noted that results from a survey done by Southern Illinois University at Carbondale showed 49 percent of the farmers in Jefferson County hold part-time jobs outside of agriculture.

Hedger and Reed agreed that the area economy is down. Hedger estimated the actual unemployment rate at around 20 percent, if adults working part-time, minimum wage jobs were included in the total. "We have a lot of breadwinners out of work down here," Reed said. City officials were hoping the Department of Corrections would build a planned medium security prison nearby. "That would help tremendously," Reed said. A location 20 miles south of Mount Vernon was one of six sites still under consideration in mid-June.

Service industries, such as hotels and restaurants, have been on the rise in recent years. Mount Vernon is located at the crossroads of Interstates 57 and 64, and 20 miles north of Rend Lake, a growing tourism center for southern Illinois. Two state parks and recent development around the lake serve as an additional draw. A growing attraction within the city is the Mitchell Museum, located on 80 acres of wooded area. The museum, supported in part by the Illinois Arts Council, is a meeting place for amateur artists from southern Illinois.

Lewis would like to attract more industry to the community, and works with the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA) in those efforts. He is confident some industry will decide to locate in the area within the next year. "DCCA is our right hand," he said. "We couldn't do it without them." A recent report by DCCA says Jefferson County has a greater potential for growth than any other county in Illinois.

Possible new industry, expanding tourism expected this summer and a gradual recovery in the agricultural economy have made many Mount Vernon residents optimistic. With additional funding for schools, educators may share that confidence. But if the 318 members of Mount Vernon High School's Class of '88 follow the normal trend, few will stay in the city. "People grow up and don't stay here," Hirons said.□

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