Tag Archives: Treasurer

Could District 150 be getting their act together?

This is promising:

[Morton Mayor Norman] Durflinger, former superintendent of Morton Unit District 709 and who also sat on the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University, was hired as the interim treasurer for District 150.

Joining Durflinger as the district’s interim controller is Brock Butts, former Tremont superintendent. The pair will be paid a combined $500 a day, until District 150 is able to find a permanent replacement for the vacancies, made Feb. 17, when the School Board approved putting treasurer/controller Guy Cahill on administrative leave. That contract officially will end in April.

Additionally, the School Board approved hiring Michael J. McKenzie, a certified public accountant, to fill a new position: chief accountant and director of internal audits and external assurances. He will be paid $90,000 annually.

I don’t know about you, but this certainly helps my confidence level in the school board. It looks like they’re making a serious effort to get the finances under control and finally address auditors’ concerns that have been ignored for several years. This is the best news to come out of 3202 N. Wisconsin in a long time.

Mayor, Treasurer candidates face public questions

Monday night at Prince of Peace Missionary Baptist Church, candidates for Mayor of Peoria and City Treasurer gathered to answer questions from the public. Running for mayor are Jim Ardis (incumbent) and General Parker. Several residents — mostly from Peoria’s older neighborhoods — asked questions of the candidates.

A resident of the South Side of Peoria wanted to know what the candidates were going to do about the deterioration of the South Side. She said she was tired of litter, poor schools, gangs, and the way she felt the South Side is generally neglected by the City. Mayor Ardis said that the majority of police and fire resources are focused on that area now, but that more resources can be shifted there “as needs dictate.” General Parker said he advocates going to a system of neighborhood police officers and would require police officers to live in the City. He said the problem with enforcement is that there’s a mutual “us vs. them” mentality between the police and residents of the South Side. By having neighborhood beat officers, officers become part of the neighborhood community and trust can be built between the officers and residents.

Bill Ordaz, a near north side resident, expressed frustration with the City’s code enforcement department. He cited specific instances when he had called to report serious code violations, only to be told that the offender was given a verbal warning or that his complaint was invalid. Mayor Ardis said that he believed over 90% of code enforcement is complaint-driven, so the officers don’t have the time to be proactive. Nevertheless, he said that the council members are working with the Director of Inspections to get as much production out of the code enforcement officers as possible. He suggested citizens talk to their neighbors directly to ask them to take care of violations. General Parker said he agreed that the code enforcement officers were good workers, but that it sounded like someone “dropped the ball somewhere” and he would do an efficiency check of the code enforcement department if elected.

Karrie Alms, another near north side resident, complained that storm brush had still not been picked up on her street. When she called the Public Works dispatch at 484-8867, she was told that the city’s policy was to start brush pickup in the north and work their way south. Mayor Ardis said that wasn’t true — that pickup actually went by garbage pickup route, not north to south. General Parker said it would make more sense for pickup to start at the river and work out from there, since the older neighborhoods have larger trees and thus more debris after major storms.

Diane Vespa, a North Peoria resident, asked if there was any point at which the city could step into the public school issue. General Parker made some general statements about the importance of the school system being strong in order to be able to get people to move into the city, but gave no specific recommendations as to what the city could do. Mayor Ardis said that the City had extended a hand to the school district more than any other council in the last 20 years. He cited the establishment of the Glen Oak Neighborhood Improvement Zone, the Peoria Promise program, and the educational liaison to District 150. He also said they had the opportunity to have education reform expert Paul Vallas come to Peoria, but that the offer was rejected by District 150.

Next came questions for the candidates for Treasurer. The current Treasurer, Reginald Willis, is retiring, so there is no incumbent in that race. The candidates for Treasurer are Patrick Nichting and Gary Shadid.

Gary Shadid started by giving his experience and qualifications: Bachelors in accounting from Arizona State University, CPA, work for various accounting firms including KPMG, the establishment of his own practice (Martin & Shadid). He said his motivation for seeking this office is that he’s (1) qualified, (2) experienced, and (3) loves and cares for this city.

Patrick Nichting then gave his qualifications: City Council member for 12 years, endorsed by two previous treasurers, trustworthy (i.e., he will deliver what he says he will deliver), and 26 years experience owning and operating his own business (Panco).

Both candidates said they would quit their full-time jobs if elected to the office of City Treasurer.

Cahill out, but who’s in?

So, right after I left town for the weekend, the rumor about District 150 Controller/Treasurer Guy Cahill leaving was confirmed. Figures. It will be made official Tuesday night at the regular school board meeting. The agenda reads:

17. TERMINATION OF CONTROLLER/TREASURER CONTRACT
18. APPOINTMENT OF TEMPORARY CONTROLLER/TREASURER

So, the question is, who’s going to be filling in temporarily? School board members are tight-lipped, citing confidentiality of personnel matters.

You might be interested to know that, according to District 150’s bylaws (2:110), a school board member can serve as treasurer:

The Treasurer of the Board shall be either an elected member of the Board who serves a 1-year term or an appointed non-Board member who serves at the Board’s pleasure. A Treasurer who is a Board member may not be compensated.

I believe Jim Stowell would qualify for this position. At least in the interim, this could help the school district save money while they’re looking for a permanent replacement for Mr. Cahill, since a board member can’t be compensated, but anyone else they appoint would have to be compensated.

Council to look at raising their salary

The council next Tuesday will consider raising the salaries of the mayor, district and at-large council members, city clerk, and city treasurer positions. I can’t actually say “raising their own salaries,” because the new salaries won’t take effect until after the next election. In other words, if they pass this increase, they’ll only get the raise if they get reelected.

Here are the proposed salaries and car allowances:

Position Salary Car Allowance
Mayor $32,400 $475/month
District Councilman $14,000 $400/month
At-Large Councilman $14,000 $400/month

The City Clerk and City Treasurer salaries are the same, and would increase by 5% each year as follows:

Period Annual Salary
May 5, 2009 to May 4, 2010 $94,264.80
May 5, 2010 to May 4, 2011 $98,978.04
May 5, 2011 to May 4, 2012 $103,926.94
May 5, 2012 to May 4, 2013 $109,123.29

It’s funny — in a private company, salaries are something that is kept secret among the staff. And generally, most people don’t disclose their salary to others. But if you work for the city or some other public body, your salary is public knowledge. Everybody knows. Your co-workers, your friends, your neighbors. They all know what you make. That has to feel a bit awkward at times.