The Delavan City Council approved a budget for Fiscal Year 2026–27 on April 21, taking what officials described as an essential first step toward restoring the city’s long‑term financial health—even as the plan leaves a $230,000 deficit still to be resolved in the months ahead.

The spending plan, approved unanimously by all aldermen present (Alderman Douglas Bury was absent), follows several weeks of work with budget consultant Brian Baylor, the former city administrator for Hanna City. Baylor has been assisting Delavan as it confronts structural imbalance and declining cash reserves.

Baylor told the council that the budget represents meaningful progress toward stabilizing the city’s finances, with the goal of achieving a positive cash balance one year from now. But he also emphasized that the work is far from finished.

To help close the remaining gap, Baylor recommended transferring $15,000 from TIF funds to the Police Department and $150,000 from the water department to the general fund, moves he said would help align resources with immediate operational needs. Even with those adjustments, he noted that the city still faces difficult decisions.

Baylor reported that efforts to secure 5–6% spending reductions from city departments were unsuccessful, despite what he described as a genuine understanding among staff about the seriousness of the situation. “Hard decisions [lie] ahead,” he told the council, “but if you make the right decisions, there are better days ahead in the next 3–5 years.”

One option Baylor suggested for further discussion is the adoption of an additional 1% sales tax, which could help offset the remaining deficit and build a more sustainable revenue base. Following the presentation, Alderman Brent Nafziger requested that the sales‑tax proposal be placed on the agenda for discussion at the council’s next meeting.

While the approved budget does not fully resolve Delavan’s financial challenges, council members agreed that passing it now provides a necessary framework for the deeper structural work still to come. The coming months are expected to include continued review of departmental operations, potential revenue adjustments and further deliberation on how to position the city for long‑term solvency.

The Delavan FFA brought agriculture to life on Wednesday, April 22, as officers McKinleigh Sipka, Lilly Carlton and Kendall Brackney, under the oversight of Jaxton Westbrook, hosted this year’s Kiddy Barnyard behind the school. The event drew a steady stream of students, families, and community members eager for an up‑close look at a wide range of animals and farm displays.

Young visitors were delighted to meet playful goats, curious piglets, a gentle cow and her calf, a miniature donkey, Blackjack the pony and Ice the horse—whose striking blue eye quickly became a crowd favorite. Smaller but equally popular animals included Buffy the friendly chicken, Haydes the python and Mushu the bearded dragon.

In addition to the animal encounters, attendees explored farm equipment displays that offered a broader look at the tools and machinery used in modern agriculture.

Each station was staffed by friendly, knowledgeable FFA members, who guided visitors, answered questions and shared insights into animal care and agricultural practices. Their enthusiasm helped make the event both educational and memorable for all ages.

Delavan has produced its share of notable figures, but few traveled as far—literally and figuratively—as Walter Shurts Horton, born here on December 3, 1857, to Nathaniel B. Horton and Emily A. (Shurts) Horton. His early years in Delavan shaped a disciplined, ambitious young man who would go on to leave his mark on both American athletics and the legal profession.

Horton’s academic journey began at Princeton University, where he graduated in 1879. He then continued to the University of Michigan Law Department, completing his degree in 1882. But it was during his Michigan years that Horton stepped into an unexpected spotlight: college football.
In the earliest era of the sport—before helmets, pads, or modern rules—Horton played halfback for the 1880 Michigan Wolverines and rose to become team captain and quarterback for the 1881 squad, making him one of the earliest documented Delavan natives to lead a major collegiate athletic team. His leadership on the field foreshadowed the career that followed.

After law school, Horton returned to Illinois and built a reputation as a prominent attorney for roughly 50 years. His legal acumen and political involvement led to his selection as an Illinois delegate to the 1908 Republican National Convention, placing him among the state’s most trusted civic voices.

Perhaps his most influential role came soon after: from 1909 to 1928, Horton served as general counsel for the Illinois Central Railroad in Chicago. At a time when railroads shaped the economic destiny of the Midwest, Horton’s legal guidance helped steer one of the region’s most powerful transportation networks.

Despite his far‑reaching career, Horton remained connected to his roots. He and his wife, Alice C. Jones, raised three children, including Eugene Edward Horton and Walter Clarke Horton, carrying forward the family’s Delavan lineage.

Walter Shurts Horton passed away on March 13, 1944, in Peoria at the age of 86. His life bridged the worlds of small‑town Illinois, Ivy League scholarship, early American football and high‑stakes corporate law—an extraordinary journey that began right here in Delavan.
As we continue to explore the stories of those who shaped our community, Horton’s legacy reminds us that the paths forged in Delavan can lead to national influence, historic firsts and lives of remarkable impact.

Margie Detmers passed away peacefully on April 17, 2026, in Hopedale Nursing Home after a short illness. 

Margie was born on December 12, 1937, in Lincoln, Illinois to C.E. (Jack) and Margaret (Rolfs) Bowles of Emden.   She graduated from Hartem High School and married Wayne Detmers on January 1, 1957.   He preceded her in death, as did her parents and a sister, Juanita Ruben of Emden, Illinois.

Margie is survived by three daughters, Debra (Rev. Daryl Fansler) of Maryville, Illinois, Elizabeth Ann Martin of Yates City, Illinois and Lynda Detmers of Morton, Illinois as well as two granddaughters, Margaret Grace Fansler of Arlington, Virginia and Melody Ann Martin of Yates City, Illinois.

Margie, alongside her husband Wayne, farmed south of Delavan for over 60 years.  She was very involved in her community and her church.   A talented musician, Margie played the organ at the Delavan Methodist Church for a number of years and entertained on the marimba in churches, nursing homes and community events throughout central Illinois.

She was an EMT with the Delavan Ambulance Service for 19 years and served on their board.   She was a member of the Delavan United Methodist Women, the Delavan Unit of Home and Committee Education, Tazewell County HCE board and Delavan Women’s Club.   She was also on the Board of the Ladies Cemetery Association at Prairie Rest and volunteered until recently at the gift shop at Hopedale Hospital.  She worked as a secretary for the Delavan United Methodist Church as well as for Greta Alexander.  Most recently, she worked as a medical transcriptionist at several locations, last working at Koch Family Medicine in Morton.

Her request was for a graveside service which was held at 11 am Saturday, April 25, 2026 at Prairie Rest Cemetery in Delavan. There will be no visitation.   

Memorials may be made to Eastside Bible Church, in care of Davis-Oswald Funeral Home, who is handling the arrangements.

Henry Harold Moehring, 97, of Mason City, passed away at his home at 4:45 p.m., on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. He was born March 18, 1929, in Natrona, Illinois, to Louis G. and Emma L. (Grube) Moehring Sr. He married Thelma Teichmann on October 9, 1948. She preceded him in death on August 13, 1988. He later married Carolyn Roehling Richard on May 12, 1990. She preceded him in death on July 8, 2015.

Mr. Moehring is survived by five children: Michael (LaDonna) Moehring, of Boston, Massachusetts, Ron (Debra) Moehring, of San Jose, Dan Moehring, of Lincoln, Dennis (Brenda) Moehring, of Emden, Nancy (John) Renken, of Mason City; sixteen grandchildren; twenty-eight great-grandchildren; son-in-law: Rick Imig, of Clinton, Illinois; two siblings: Louis Moehring Jr., and Jeannie Diers. He was preceded in death by his parents, wives, daughter: Theresa Ann Imig; granddaughter: Rebekah Imig; siblings: David Moehring, Raymond Moehring, Elizabeth Fosnaugh, Hazel Imig, Frances Wiemer, Florence Stivers, Esther Leinweber and Donald “Pete” Moehring, and daughter-in-law Sandra Moehring.

Mr. Moehring was a member of St. Luke Lutheran Church at Allen’s Grove. He was a member of Mason County Farm Bureau and had farmed in the Mason City area for many years. He wintered in Florida for 26 years, where he attended and volunteered at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church at Ocala. He was very active during his time in Florida and was a member of the neighborhood watch.

Visitation will be held at St. Luke Lutheran Church, on Monday, April 27, 2026, from 5 until 7 p.m. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, also at the church. Burial will follow the services at Allen’s Grove Cemetery. Rev. Wray Offerman will officiate.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Luke Lutheran Church. Online memorial messages may be left for the family at www.hurleyfh.com.
Hurley Funeral Home in Mason City, is in charge of arrangements.