Category Archives: City of Peoria

City of Peoria, Peoria Public Schools

Note to Cahill: Plenty of construction jobs available

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I know School District 150 Treasurer Guy Cahill hasn’t been able to sleep for worrying about the fate of construction workers once the Upgrade 74 project is done. So I hope today’s Journal Star put his mind at ease:

The reconstruction of Sterling between I-74 and Reservoir Boulevard is one of several Peoria projects that had been put off until after the four-year interstate overhaul…. But now, Peoria officials are ready to jump-start several new construction projects. Therefore, a lot of jobs are open such as builders, contractors, electricians, and more.

That includes reconstructing Fire Station 13 at Gale Avenue and Reservoir, and improving Pennsylvania Avenue near Wayne Street next to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center.

Since the construction workers are taken care of, maybe Cahill and the school board can stop pushing for $60 million in new school construction and look seriously at renovating its existing buildings where needed.

City of Peoria, Elections, Peoria County, Voting

Is this a case where city/county cooperation could help?

Jennifer Davis reports in a front-page story today that the city can’t use their fancy new electronic voting machines for the council primary and election because they can’t handle so-called “bullet voting”:

The new electronic voting machines that the city spent millions on last year can’t count cumulative votes at the precincts, which is required by state law.

Peoria has a rather unique style of cumulative voting that only occurs every four years during at-large council elections. Voters can give all five votes to one candidate; or one each to five; or some combination in between. Some say it is that so-called “bullet provision” which makes our cumulative voting unlike any other nationwide.

Before the city and county went to electronic voting machines, they used a paper ballot which was counted with optical scan equipment. The difference between the county and the city, however, was that the county counted the votes at the precinct level — that is, they had counting machines at each polling place — whereas the city took all the ballots to the main election office and counted them all centrally. The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) requires that votes be counted at the precinct level, not centrally.

So, the question I have (and I haven’t called anyone to ask) is what happened to the machines the county used to use? Did they sell them? If they still have them, are they capable of counting cumulative votes? If so, could the city borrow them for their city council election, if there are enough to cover all the polling places?

I just wonder if this is a case where the city’s cooperation with the county would help, instead of having to go to the state to get special legislation passed.

I also wonder why this is just being discovered now, mere months before the city council election. Who dropped the ball on that one? One would think the election commission would have had the ability to count cumulative votes as a basic requirement of any new voting machine they considered; even if they couldn’t find any machines that offered that functionality, why was no back-up plan put in place? Now, all their hopes are pinned on passing emergency legislation.

City of Peoria, Form-Based Code, Heart of Peoria Plan

Low attendance at LDC public hearing

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Everyone was surprised by the low attendance at the public hearing for the new Land Development Code (LDC) for the Heart of Peoria area. The public hearing portion of section 6 — which covers the form-based portion of the code — has closed now, although some deliberation by the Zoning and Planning Committees will continue at the Dec. 6 meeting. There are four form districts: Renaissance Park (West Main Corridor), Sheridan-Loucks Triangle, Prospect Road Corridor, and the Warehouse District.

While the hearing was sparsely-attended, there were a few concerns raised. Two property owners expressed concern about the boundaries of the West Main Corridor, one of whom said that the boundary bisects a single parcel of land in some places. Planning and Growth Director Pat Landes explained that any bisected parcels are errors in the map drawing and would be corrected as they are identified. However, anyone wanting to add parcels to the form district would need to do so after the LDC is adopted under the provisions in the code.

I suggested for the record that parking requirements be amended to require bicycle racks — nothing fancy, just somewhere to lock up one’s bike. I also suggested that the transect illustrations be modified to show examples of streets with bike lanes and city bus pull-off lanes as suggested by frequent commenter Mahkno. However, the commissions approved those sections without any changes; they might have had a better chance of being modified if more people had attended and spoken in favor of such provisions.

The Warehouse District Association distributed their request in writing. They requested the LDC require “minimum square footages of dwelling units be established.” The association argues that without this safeguard, “developers can produce a dwelling that encourages transient behavior by simply not providing enough space to live adequately.” They also point out that minimum square footages are required elsewhere in the code outside the form districts. The association also requested that residential group living be subject to special use review; the code as currently written permits residential group living as a standard use.

The next public hearing meeting will be Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 5:00 p.m. at City Hall. At that meeting, the committees will hear testimony regarding the remaining sections of the LDC. Those sections cover the remainder of the Heart of Peoria area.

City of Peoria, Form-Based Code, Heart of Peoria Plan

Public Hearing on Land Development Code tonight

My last post has triggered some very interesting comments and excellent suggestions for Peoria. As a Heart of Peoria Commissioner, I’d like to invite everyone who commented and anyone else with an interest in the new Land Development Code (LDC) for the Heart of Peoria area to attend the public hearing which begins tonight.

For those of you who don’t know, the Land Development Code is being proposed as a replacement for the current zoning ordinance just for the Heart of Peoria area. If you’re not sure what the boundaries of the Heart of Peoria area are, you can click here to see a map. The Planning and Zoning committees are holding joint hearings on the new code so that you can, as the city’s press release says, “voice support and concern, and educate [yourself on] what the Land Development Code means to business, development, and property owners within the Heart of Peoria Area.”

The hearing will start at 5:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 419 Fulton St. The LDC is a large document and thus the hearings will span multiple meetings, so you’ll have more than one opportunity to comment on the code. After adjourning tonight, the hearing will reconvene on Nov. 29 and Dec. 6 at the same time and place. If further meetings are necessary, they will be added in Jan. and Feb. 2007.

The LDC is available as a free download from the City of Peoria’s website and the Heart of Peoria website. I hope you can all come out and go “on the record” with your support, ideas, concerns, and suggestions. Your input is crucial to making this code successful for Peoria.

City of Peoria, Voting

No signature required to vote in Peoria?

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I discovered this morning that there’s a new process in voting. It used to be that the election officials there at the precinct had a book with a page for each registered voter with a digital copy of your signature printed on the page. They would tear out the page, have you verify your address, and sign the sheet. Then they would compare the signatures.

Today, upon walking in, I had to print my name and address on a small pre-printed form, and then show it to the election official, who then verified that I was registered to vote in that precinct. No signature required.

I wonder why they eliminated the signature requirement? It seems like someone with felonious intentions could pretty easily look up registered voters who don’t regularly vote, then walk into those persons’ polling places all over Peoria and cast a vote as that person. Shouldn’t there be some sort of verification that you are who you say you are? I know the signature verification wasn’t much, but at least it was something.

UPDATE: I called the Peoria Election Commission and was told that they were doing it wrong at my precinct. Apparently your signature is required. You’re supposed to sign in the poll book next to your name. They told me they would call my precinct to make sure they’re requiring signatures.

City of Peoria, Traffic

The Future Northmoor Road

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Northmoor Road of the Future

They say a picture paints a thousand words, so here’s what a five-lane road looks like with school children crossing in the middle with the help of a crossing guard. What do you think? Is that what you want Northmoor Road to look like? Would you want your children crossing the street in this picture?

Some would say that it’s no big deal — just put up more traffic lights or speed humps to control the speed of traffic. But as the “Safe Routes to School” website explains (emphasis mine):

When slowing or ‘calming’ traffic, the right design invites the right driver response. The guiding principle of traffic calming is to influence motorist speeds and behavior through good design whenever possible, rather than by traffic control measures such as traffic signals and STOP signs.

Hat tip: Beth Akeson

City Council, City of Peoria

I stand corrected… again

Dang. I tell ya, it would be a lot easier to write these things if I didn’t have to get my facts straight all the time. “The Rest of the Story” is back and had this comment on my last post:

The utility tax/franchise fee would only be placed on water only – no other utility. Currently, Illinois American pays nothing for use of the public right-of-way, however, damages it the most (ie. water leaks, etc.).

Since no one is suggesting a fee to be added to AmerenCILCO bills, I’m afraid I’ll have to retract Van Auken’s award for “most ill-timed revenue proposal” and give it back to the reigning champion, School District 150 (PBC funding). My apologies to Ms. Van Auken.

However, I stand by my previous statement regarding the likelihood of not-for-profits paying this utility tax/franchise fee. “The Rest of the Story” makes a good case:

Approximately 65% of the the properties pay 100% of the real estate tax. This approach would make the non profits particpate in the cost of providing needed services.

I wholeheartedly agree that it makes perfectly logical sense. I just don’t believe it’s going to happen. The three hospitals alone are going to have the council in a pressure cooker on this issue, not to mention all the other charities, churches, foundations, etc.

City Council, City of Peoria

Winner of “Most Ill-Timed Revenue Proposal”: Van Auken’s 5% Utility Tax Idea

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The Journal Star reported Thursday that Second District Councilwoman Barbara Van Auken has an alternative plan to a property tax increase:

Another option for raising revenue comes from Van Auken, who wants to replace the $6-a-month garbage fee with both a 5 percent utility tax and 5 percent franchise fee on water bills.

“My goal in this budget is to get adequate police and fire protection for the 2nd District and to replace the garbage tax with a source that is more fair and equitable,” Van Auken said. “I want to see where my colleagues are on it. The mayor and I have discussed it, and he has spoken favorably of the idea because it spreads the cost throughout the community – not just the residents who pay the garbage tax and not just the residential and commercial, as it is with the property tax.”

I appreciate “outside-the-box” thinking as much as the next guy, but honestly, I can’t think of a worse time to suggest this revenue-raising idea. Surely Van Auken is aware that electricity rates are going up 55% in January. Is proposing the city tack on another 5% a good idea right now?

I’m going to guess that the logic behind this is that, since it would apply to not-for-profits, businesses, and residents, the cost would be spread out more and thus, coupled with the 5% franchise fee on water bills, this whole plan would be cheaper for residents than the current $6 per month garbage fee. Maybe, but I’m not buying it until I see the numbers — with and without not-for-profits included.

Why without not-for-profits? Because we all know the chances of a tax on not-for-profits passing are about 10,000 to 1. Every health-care provider, every church, every fine arts organization, every college and university, and every charity — to name just a few of the institutions affected — will be out in force to put the kibosh on that idea. Of course, there will be exceptions, but I predict if this idea starts being pushed, the push-back will be enormous and the city will back down.

I’ve e-mailed Ms. Van Auken asking for clarification on her plan; when she writes back, I’ll post her response as a follow-up to this post.

City of Peoria, Traffic

Northmoor widening unwarranted

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Jennifer Davis reports in the Journal Star today that plans are moving forward to “widen and improve” Northmoor Road:

The proposal would be to make Northmoor Road three lanes from Allen Road to Rosemead Drive, which is basically across from the Exposition Gardens entrance. Northmoor would then become five lanes from there until Sheridan Road, and then go back to three lanes from Sheridan to Knoxville Avenue.

I agree that Northmoor needs to be improved — meaning they need better drainage, curbs, sidewalks, etc. But what is the justification for widening it?

There are two nearby east-west routes that have higher traffic capacity — Pioneer Parkway to the north and Glen Avenue to the south. Those east-west streets have a high volume of commercial businesses, which justifies the higher-capacity, five-lane roadways.

Northmoor, on the other hand, provides more than adequate access to the schools (Northmoor-Edison, Richwoods High) and residential areas that lie along its path. The justification for widening Northmoor is clearly not to provide better access to anything along that corridor, but to provide an easier throughway for those wanting to travel from the east side of town to the west side.

In other words, they want to make it a cut-through — a shortcut through a primarily residential area with two schools and lots of little kids. That’s not a good enough reason. To encourage more people to use Northmoor as a cut-through by accommodating faster traffic flow is unwarranted. They wouldn’t let motorists use Prospect Road between Knoxville and Lake that way, so why should they let motorists use Northmoor that way?

The road is already a through street and has a 30 mph speed limit. If anyone wants to use it instead of the larger, faster east-west routes, they have that choice. The city should improve the street, but keep it at its present width for the safety of the residents and school children.

City of Peoria, Insight Communications, Television

Cable franchise agreement still in the works

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Insight Communications’ cable franchise agreement with the City of Peoria expired six months ago, but renewal of the cable operator’s franchise has yet to be signed. I asked City attorney Randy Ray on Monday (10/23) what the status was, and he had this to say:

We have just completed 3 lengthy conference calls. Our attorney is working on a draft. There will be at least one more conference call. We hope to have an agreement in 30 days or less.

It remains to be seen how much longer franchise agreements like these will last. Just this month, California became the latest state to enact statewide cable TV franchises (joining Indiana, Kansas, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia), and lawmakers on Capitol Hill are still contemplating national franchise agreements.