Daily Archives: July 18, 2007

State of Illinois

Two pieces of advice for Emil Jones

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Emil JonesFrom the Bloomington Pantagraph:

As state lawmakers near a deal, Senate President Emil Jones credits himself for ensuring customers will see discounts on their soaring electric rates.

Jones said Tuesday at the Capitol that consumers wouldn’t see the benefits of a $1 billion rate relief package — the details of which are being finalized — if he hadn’t stopped the rate freeze that House Speaker Michael Madigan and others pushed to provide consumers relief.

I’ve got two pieces of unsolicited advice for Mr. Jones:

  1. Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched. Nothing has passed yet, and in politics anything can happen.
  2. Don’t break your arm patting yourself on the back.
General News

Consumer prices increased 5.2% in Q2

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Up Arrow GraphThe Bureau of Labor Statistics reports today that consumer prices increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 5.2% for the second quarter of 2007.

This brings the year-to-date annual rate to 5.0 percent and compares with an increase of 2.5 percent in all of 2006. The index for energy, which rose 2.9 percent in all of 2006, advanced at a 27.8 percent SAAR in the first half of 2007 [emphasis added] and accounted for about 48 percent of the advance in the overall CPI-U during that period. Petroleum-based energy costs increased at a 48.3 percent annual rate [emphasis added] and charges for energy services rose at a 5.5 percent annual rate.

The food index rose at a 6.2 percent SAAR in the first half of 2007 and contributed about 17 percent to the overall CPI-U increase in the first six months. Grocery store food prices increased at a 8.0 percent annual rate in the first half of 2007, reflecting acceleration over the last year in each of the six major groups. [emphasis added] These increases ranged from annual rates of 14.8 percent in the index for dairy products to 5.5 percent in the index for other food at home.

Tell me something I don’t already know. Every month when I pay bills, I’m painfully aware that energy, petroleum, and grocery prices are all skyrocketing. And the money left at the end of the month keeps shrinking and shrinking. It’s depressing, frankly.

Peoria PlayHouse

Peoria PlayHouse forges ahead in programming, fundraising

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PlayHouse LogoFrom a news release:

Peoria PlayHouse forges ahead in programming, fundraising

July 16, 2007, Peoria, IL – Working with partners from the Peoria Park District to the Peoria Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership School, the Junior League of Peoria is bringing The Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum, to be located in the Glen Oak Pavilion, ever closer to reality.

  • Programming at the Shoppes at Grand Prairie and Prairie Air Show provide education and fun for area children.
  • Fundraising on track with 30% of funds raised; a gift from Jackie and Curtis White establishes The Peoria PlayHouse Endowment Fund; area children participate in Pennies for the PlayHouse.
  • Facilities plans preserve historic Glen Oak Park pavilion while providing space for five permanent and one temporary exhibit, as well as educational and administrative spaces.

Continue reading Peoria PlayHouse forges ahead in programming, fundraising →

Annexation

What happens when the “bread crumbs” end?

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puzzle piecesThe Journal Star reported yesterday that some residents just north of Peoria are trying to preempt annexation to Peoria by annexing themselves to Dunlap. Not a bad idea. Peoria’s population keeps moving north, and the city keeps chasing them via annexation:

For Peoria, annexation is simply following the bread crumbs of development.

Pat Landes, the city’s director of planning and growth management, says the city is just responding to developers’ requests; policy dictates the property be contiguous, and those seeking annexation conform to certain guidelines such as how the property is to be developed.

But here’s my question: what happens when Peoria runs out of annexation opportunities? The “bread crumbs” will end someday, just like it ended at the borders of West Peoria, Peoria Heights, and Bartonville. Communities will incorporate or annex themselves to surrounding communities to avoid being annexed into Peoria, and eventually we’ll be, for all feasible purposes, boxed in. Then what?

Well, of course, we’ll have to start focusing on how to improve and more efficiently use the land we already have. We’ll have to start thinking strategically about infill development. We’ll have to start pursuing regional partnerships to share the costs of certain resources (we’re starting to see that already with the airport taxing authority being extended to all of Peoria county and negotiations between Peoria and West Peoria on sewer repair costs). I could go on.

But the next question is, are we pursuing those things enough right now? Or are we pinning all our growth strategies on annexation? Is there a 50-year vision for Peoria and, if so, what does it look like?