Monthly Archives: March 2010

City Council, City of Peoria

No limit on preliminaries, but precious little time for people’s business

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This is not an observation original to me — in fact, it’s been pointed out by a couple different people since the last council meeting — and it concerns the time limit for discussion by council members during City Council meetings.

The City Council has a self-imposed rule of five minutes per council member on any one topic of business. In 2007, they started “enforcing” it with a (very expensive) timer and a buzzer. Furthermore, any citizens wishing to address the council must limit their comments to five minutes. This was done to keep the meetings from going too long due to council members repeating the same arguments in their own words.

But there’s no time limit for proclamations. At the beginning of nearly every council meeting, the Mayor makes several proclamations, which recognize individuals, businesses, and civic groups for their contributions and achievements in the community. At the last council meeting, the proclamations portion of the meeting clocked in at approximately 45 minutes.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with celebrating civic achievements, of course. I have no beef about that. The problem is the disparity in time spent on “fluff” versus the time allotted to deliberate more serious matters of public policy. As important and worthy as civic achievement is, its recognition is not the main business of municipal government. For the Mayor and council members to speak as long as they wish about National Bookmobile Day, but limit them to five minutes each for the discussion of tax levies and millions of dollars in expenditures, is a poor allocation of time and does a disservice to taxpayers.

Some issues simply require more than five minutes to discuss. Some issues are more complicated than others. It’s one thing to ask someone who’s repeating themselves to wrap up their comments; it’s another thing to cut off pertinent explanations or discussions because of an arbitrary time limit. Furthermore, five minutes is too long for some topics.

The bottom line is that the moderator (and that’s the Mayor, in the case of the City Council) should be leading the meeting based on content, not the clock. The meeting should be conducted in the interests of making the best decisions for constituents, not in the interests of getting done as quickly as possible. And, the moderator should recognize that the people’s business is more important and deserves more time than proclamations or other preliminaries.

Peoria Journal Star, Peoria Times-Observer

Peoria Times-Observer saying goodbye

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The Peoria Times-Observer, formerly known as simply “The Observer,” will no longer be published after next month, the weekly paper announced today:

The April 28 edition of the Peoria Times-Observer will be the final edition of the newspaper, which is delivered free of charge to homes in North Peoria and Dunlap.

Citing the changing media landscape, TimesNewspapers’ publisher Linda Smith Brown announced the publication’s cessation.

I think we all knew that the Times-Observer’s days were numbered as soon as GateHouse Media bought them. If not then, then certainly after they consolidated their offices into the Journal Star building. Seriously, there was no reason to have two separate papers covering Peoria when they’re both owned by the same company. That’s not exactly what you’d call competition.

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that a new newspaper will be started in Woodford County. It will be called Woodford Times and be produced by DeWayne Bartels and Tom Batters, so neither of them will be out of work due to the Times-Observer ceasing publication.

City of Peoria, Peoria County

Pitch for Lakeview not made in D.C.: Word on the Web

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Karen McDonald reports in “Word on the Web” today:

Apparently, a $500,000 request for the installation of solar panels, which will cover 7.5 percent of the Peoria Riverfront Museum’s energy usage, and other improvements aimed at energy efficiency, was not made on the county or city’s behalf. That said, the county is supporting Lakeview’s request for that project.

I’m happy to hear that, considering two-thirds of the project is already publicly funded. I wish Caterpillar would just back out of the deal and let it die. I would like Cat to build their visitor’s center, but if we can only get it by throwing away nearly $40 million in public money, it’s not worth it. Sorry. And anyone who thinks that a visitors center can in any way be correlated to Cat’s ties to the community is delusional.

Some other interesting info from McDonald’s article:

Aren’t those leaders back in Illinois enough? Why not just talk to them while they’re here?

[County board member Jimmy] Dillon explained Monday that in person face time is key. It’s the whole they don’t come to you, we go to them thing. … Furthermore, Peoria officials met with key projects directors for the legislators, who are the one’s who really make things happen and those people typically don’t make it to Illinois.

The trip cost the county roughly $3,000.

How is “in person face time” different in D. C. than here in Peoria? If Schock is here, and you’re meeting with him, are you not getting “in person face time”? Dillon really didn’t answer the question. Besides, I again express my incredulity that we send a person to Washington to represent us, and then we have to send four representatives to our representative in order to get him to represent us. That whole system is as ridiculous as it is redundant.

But, of course, it gets even more silly, because despite Dillon’s protestations that “in person face time” is so important with our representative, our delegation didn’t actually meet with Schock or Durbin, but rather with their staff. But that’s okay, the article explains, because the “key projects directors … are the one’s who really make things happen.” So what are Schock and Durbin doing, exactly? I mean, call me crazy, but it would seem that a more efficient process would be for Schock and Durbin to meet their constituents here in Peoria, find out their needs, then travel to D. C. and talk to their key projects directors so they could “really make things happen.” Isn’t that the whole idea behind them “representing” us?

And what about that lobbyist? Aren’t we paying someone or some firm $85,000 to be our “representative to our representative” already? Isn’t he supposed to get the “in person face time” with “key projects directors” on our behalf?

The duplication in government is truly staggering.

Peoria Mayor

Will Ardis have more success with Google than AC/DC?

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A friend of mine recently mentioned to me that this whole Google initiative isn’t the first time Mayor Ardis has tried to lure a national act to Peoria. Just last year, he tried to get the band AC/DC to make a tour stop here. Here’s what the Journal Star had to say back on January 11, 2009:

Peoria radio station WIXO-FM organized the rally in hopes of catching the attention of the band, which has not performed in Peoria since 1983. … A video of the event, along with the petition, will be sent Monday to AC/DC. … Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis appeared on stage at the rally. He told AC/DC fans after the band sees the video, it will have no choice but to come back. Ardis had appeared on The X’s morning show and assured listeners AC/DC is welcome. “It would be great for Peoria,” Ardis said.

On October 22, the Journal Star followed up: “The fans were fervent, as the rockers hadn’t played in Peoria since 1983. But, unfortunately, it doesn’t look like they’ll be making a stop in P-town anytime soon.”

Granted, the city didn’t have an airplane fly a sky banner over the band asking, “Will AC/DC play in Peoria?” like the City did for Google. So let’s hope the Mayor has better luck this time.

City of Peoria, Peoria County

Not a good year for companies with Energy in their names

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On the heels of Firefly Energy’s bankruptcy, another Peoria company that got loans from the City and County is not looking too good:

On March 22, 2010, Busey Bank filed Judgment orders against Globe Energy Eco-System LLC, David M. Jones and Joan Jones, totaling $7,938,676.81 with attorney fees reserved.

Ouch. Both the City and the County provided loans to Globe Energy:

Globe Energy hasn’t made a payment on its government assistance program loan from the county since Dec. 15, 2008, and owes more than $116,000, plus interest, on its $150,000 loan. The city is owed $141,775 on its $150,000 loan.

I suppose the silver lining is that this is significantly less than the $6 million the City and County combined may have to shell out due to their loan guarantee of Firefly, but it’s still an awful lot of taxpayer money down the drain if Globe Energy doesn’t pay up. And let’s face it, the chances of them paying up at this point are pretty slim.

I have to admit, I was excited about the promises made by Globe Energy when they first came to town. They looked like exactly the type of company we wanted — one that would add manufacturing jobs, and lots of them, which paid a living wage. Unfortunately, none of that ever came to fruition.

Now it looks like it may just be another pile of taxpayer money thrown down the drain. Merle Widmer gives a list of recent companies that have failed and left the City and/or County holding the bag:

Bad bets by the EDC who recommends these companies to the county, recently include In_PLay, River Station and FireFly and now, apparently Globe.

And, taking a look into my crystal ball, I would venture to say we’ll be able to add the downtown hotel to that list pretty soon if the City decides to go ahead and finance that as well. Only this project will impact City taxpayers more heavily than all the other failed projects put together, because this one isn’t for $150,000 or even $3 million, it’s for a whopping $37 million.

Bottom line: I think the City and County have proven they don’t have the chops to be in the venture capital business, and frankly, that’s not the purpose of municipal government anyway. They should stick to providing basic public services and stop financing private ventures.

Nation/World

It don’t mean a thing, that Energy Star rating

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Via the New York Times:

Does a “gasoline-powered alarm clock” qualify for the EnergyStar label, the government stamp of approval for an energy-saving product?

Like more than a dozen other bogus products submitted for approval since last June by Congressional auditors posing as companies, it easily secured the label, according to a Congressional report to be issued Friday. So did an “air purifier” that was essentially an electric space heater with a feather duster pasted on top, the Government Accountability Office said.

To the right is a picture of the “air purifier” that got an EnergyStar label. The report also finds that once a company is EnergyStar certified, it can download the logo and slap it on just about anything, even if they never submitted the product itself for certification. As for products that do get submitted, generally speaking the government just takes the manufacturer’s word for its energy consumption stats. For instance, according to a report on the Today Show, a refrigerator that carried the EnergyStar label used “twice as much energy as claimed.” They don’t do much, if any, independent testing.

So the whole thing is a sham. Are some products that carry the EnergyStar designation really more energy efficient? Sure. Just like some products that don’t carry the EnergyStar designation might really be more energy efficient than ones that do. Good luck figuring out which ones. It’s a crapshoot, which obviously defeats the purpose of having the designation at all. Naturally, instead of simply shutting down the operation (like they would if it were a private company), they’re going to “reform” it and “strengthen the program.”

And this is the government that some people want to put in charge of the nation’s health care.

Peoria Public Schools

Paying a cover charge to see public servants in action

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This sounds like an interesting event:

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and education reformer Paul Vallas will anchor discussions on education in Peoria next month.

The forum, pulled together by Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis, is meant to generate discussion on strategies for helping struggling schools and sharing experiences on what’s worked and what hasn’t.

Unfortunately, the organizers of the event, the Institute of Principled Leadership at Bradley University, have decided not to hold this at Bradley or City Hall or District 150 headquarters or some donated venue and open it free to the public, but instead hold it at the Civic Center and charge $50 to $175 to attend. Yep, if you want to hear the mayor talk with the Secretary of Education about your own school district, it will cost you.

I suppose part of the reason is so that taxpayers won’t have to foot the bill for flying in the speakers and putting them up for the night, and possibly for Vallas’ consulting fee if he’s not donating his time again. That’s fine, but it’s hard to imagine that those costs alone warrant ticket prices at the level of a Broadway show. For $175, I want to see Duncan and Vallas do an ice-dancing routine to Bolero. In costume.

The sad thing is that the Peorians most affected by District 150 are the ones who can least afford a $50-175 ticket, so they’re the ones who will be left out of this event. That’s unfortunate. I suppose it’s good for the Civic Center, though. At least the event isn’t being held in East Peoria.

City of Peoria, Museum Block, Peoria County

Peoria sends four reps and a lobbyist to our three reps in Washington … or their staff

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From Word on the Web:

Peoria County officials and a Peoria City Councilman are on their way to D.C. to meet with U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, and U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Roland Burris, or at least their staff … to discuss legislative agendas and projects the city and county hope receive federal funding.

Those officials are Scott Sorrel, Tom O’Neill, and Jimmy Dillon for the County, and Tim Riggenbach for the City. Peoria taxpayers are sending them as our representatives to Washington so they can ask our other representatives in Washington for federal money. Or they might just meet with their staffs — I guess they don’t have local offices or something. This comes on the heels of the County extending its contract with a D.C. lobbying firm to March 31, 2011, for $85,000. This begs the question, “How many representatives does it take to screw in a light bulb?” Meanwhile, the rest of us are living in an age of rapid communication — e-mail, internet, video conferencing, telephone. I wonder if there’s a way our government officials could tap into these mysterious new communication tools the way private companies are doing during this economic downturn.

But wait, there’s more. Look at what they’re requesting:

  • $900,000 for the City:
    • $500,000 to improve sidewalks/infrastructure around Harrison School
    • $300,000 to fix erosion issues at Springdale Cemetery
    • $100,000 for the Peoria Police Department’s drug market initiative program
  • $1,250,000 for the County:
    • $250,000 for a mobile dental clinic in partnership with OSF
    • $500,000 for engineering/design work to replace E.M. Dirksen Parkway
    • $500,000 for solar panels for Peoria Riverfront Museum
  • $1,100,000 in joint City/County projects:
    • $100,000 for a minority business incubator
    • $1 million for public safety radios

Total: $3.25 million.

All of the City’s requests are things the City should be doing with City revenues. But they can’t, of course, because they’re using City revenues to pay off the MidTown Plaza TIF bonds and Firefly Energy’s loan from National City (which could cost the City up to $3 million). And they’re trying feverishly to give Gary Matthews $37 million to build a hotel across the street from the Civic Center. The City squanders taxpayer money, then goes to the federal government for more taxpayer money to cover the basic services they’ve neglected.

As for the County’s requests, except for the road work, they’re all frivolous. Let’s jump right to the most egregious: the solar panels for the proposed museum. Ahem, the taxpayers are already kicking in nearly $40 million for the museum in local sales tax revenue, let alone all the “grants,” earmarks, and other pork barrel spending that’s being poured into this boondoggle. And now they’re asking for more taxpayer dollars?! What on earth are they doing with the millions of dollars they’re already confiscating from us?! For the love of Pete, another half a million dollars for the museum, so they can “save energy”? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!

If they want to “save energy,” why don’t they just take all the money out in cash, put it on the Sears block, and set it on fire? That way we can save the energy of actually building the museum and watching its inevitable fall into insolvency. Plus, we can waste all that money in 2010 dollars, instead of the more expensive future value of the money.

All I can say is, thank goodness we don’t get all the government we pay for.

City Council, City of Peoria

Liveblogging the City Council 3/23/2010

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Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to room 400 of Peoria City Hall, Council Chambers. It’s time for another Peoria City Council meeting! As usual, I’ll be updating this post throughout the evening, so be sure to refresh your browser to see the changes. Here’s tonight’s agenda (linkable version available here):

Continue reading Liveblogging the City Council 3/23/2010 →

Nation/World

“Better than nothing” now a national slogan

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I’ve joked before about numerous City of Peoria projects being defended on the grounds that they’re “better than nothing.” After listening to the health care debate in the U.S. House of Representatives on C-SPAN this afternoon, I’m disheartened to hear that this has evidently become a national slogan. After several representatives expressed grave concerns about the defects of the bill, the majority party conceded that this wasn’t the best bill, but it was better than nothing.

I guess that’s what America has come to now: a nation where we aspire to the lowest common denominator, to the “good enough.” It really says something when a political party has the Presidency and both houses of Congress, that they still can’t craft a bill on which they all agree without resorting to bribes and kickbacks. Even when we have a single party in power, they still can’t do any better than “good enough” or “better than nothing.” How can this be explained other than a startling lack of character on the part of at least some legislators?

As I write this, the votes are being cast. We’ll all know within the next 10-15 minutes whether this wonderful “better than nothing” bill passed.

UPDATE: The health care bill passed in the House, 219-212. You will all be required by law to buy health insurance now.