From this week’s Issues Update:
Senator Dick Durbin’s Office contacted the Peoria Police Department on Thursday, September 30, 2010, to inform them that the City of Peoria had been chosen to be one of the cities awarded funds under the 2010 COPS Hiring grant. Peoria was awarded funding for the entire request of 10 sworn officer positions, at a total cash value of $2,721,400. This grant will fund the salary and benefits of 10 officers for a period of three years, with the City being responsible for funding a fourth year. The application was for the hiring of 10 new positions, however, once the City has received and signed off on the formal documents, we will have the opportunity to request a modification to the grant wherein it will fund 10 current positions, thereby preventing layoffs. [emphasis added] It is worthy to note that Peoria received the largest allotment of all Illinois cities with the next highest being Waukegan at $2.2 million. It is also interesting to note that all applications from across the country were scored and Peoria finished with a score of 94.49 (out of a possible 100) placing Peoria at the 99.86 percentile. A meeting will be scheduled next week with Chief Settingsgaard and his staff to sort out the details.
So the City is going to take this grant and try to use it to pay for current officers instead of using it to add officers. And we may still have a net loss of three officers, according to Word on the Web’s coverage of last night’s City Council meeting:
Mayor Jim Ardis talked about the city’s operations budget. The 5 percent budget reductions would mean 13 fewer police officers, 15 fewer firefighters and two fewer employees in public works. The impact of fewer police officers, presumably, would be lessened by a federal grant.
Can we afford to keep cutting police officers?
10 sworn officer positions, at a total cash value of $2,721,400
I think I can do the Math…
$272,140 per officer. Where do I apply?
(I betcha some of that money ends up in a museum or hotel somewhere downtown…)
So there is a chance they will be denied the grant because it is not going for what it was intended. Maybe if the had code enforcemnet ride with PD they could get 2 for the price of one.
charlie, it looks like that cost is for three years, not one.
So as the city votes to cut 15 more firefighters and 13 more police the museum moves ahead. Its always nice to see are city/county leaders using tax dollars to build and fund their pet projects well the city as a whole burns to the ground with crime and decay.
bob, a little melo-dramatic, wouldn’t you say?
I think the museum supporters view it as a great thing for the city, not a “pet project”. Why do we always paint people who disagree with us in such a condescending manner?
You know, you can disagree with the museum supporters without painting them as evil and sinister. You can recognize that they want what is best for the area and disagree how to do that.
D150 the museum would be a GREAT idea if we weren’t the one’s stuck paying for it.
Who’s going to come see it and risked being robbed or if you get in an accident and need rescue who’s going to help you.
The police cuts are equal to almost one shift of officers and the FF cuts are the same as taking 5 crews and there engines off the streets.
I sent Settingguard a email and am waiting for reply to questions. I will post a blog once I get the info.
I am making no judgments on the viability of the museum here. I AM saying that those who support it are not sinister and evil, but people who want the area to thrive. The disagreement is over how to accomplish this goal. Demonizing those who disagree with us is the biggest “fault” of this website as I see it and shows a shallowness of thought.
Tangental, but I agree with D150 on this one. It’s not like the museum backers are laughing with a sinister smile as they flush money down a toilet; they’re doing the project because they feel this is in the best interests of the City and County of Peoria. Granted, we “know” they’re wrong, but regardless… 😉
Also, is there a reason then why the police department couldn’t just lay ten cops off, then rehire the exact same ten with the grant money into “new positions”?
Cj asked “Can we afford to keep cutting police officers?”
IMHO Yes we can cut officers if the crime and police services are at an acceptable level. If it is what we want in our community then cut away, but recent history proved that cuts were wrong and the city needed to call in the State police and Peoria County. If the State and county police are willing to take up our loss of officers cut away. But I don’t think either agency has unlimited funds or officers to work in Peoria full time and still cover the state and county.
So it all comes down to how much crime intervention we (or the powers to be) will tolerate.
For those who think I was using a condescending tone, feel free to park your car and walk down Wisconsin through the East Bluff past the Mexican grocery to the hill. This is a pet project. Ask any 100 people on the street what the biggest problems in Peoria are and see if even 1 brings up the need for a “world class museum”.
You missed my point completely bob.
In addition, I wouldn’t make that walk if we hired 50 more policemen for Peoria.
D150 Observer …. maybe Bob is saying that it is hard to imagine that someone would think that the museum is a more important quality of life issue than basic public safety? Do we have any responsibility to collectively work together so that Peorians can walk out into the public space and feel and be safe in Peoria?
When a person does not deal with safety issues, it can be challenging for that person to comprehend — to get their mind around it — whether it is unintentional or intentional or just putting one’s head in the sand or whatever the reason(s)!
When you live in a neighborhood where safety is absent or low — that is a BASIC quality of life issue. When we talk about museums, that is a quality of life issue too — however, not on the same scale. It is frustrating that the answer seems to be if you do not like your neighborhood than move — that tone is many times easier said than done.
And taxpayer money is really one big pot of money that has been conveniently divided into parts with basic or core services not being fully funded FIRST.
Bob — I know first hand about the neighborhood you described in your post. That is one of the reasons that people have flown the city — for safer neighborhoods in the ‘burbs’ and even out of Peoria County. Sad but true!
I truly believe and from talking with people, that until we concentrate on the basics — safety, infrastructure, schools, jobs — we will only be kidding ourselves that we will be able to rebuild Peoria. Not glamorous — no sizzle — just what needs to be done.
Karrie, thanks. I don’t quibble with anything you said.
My point was that some here take shots at museum supporters who want Central IL to flourish as much as you do. Criticize the museum, but respect those who disagree.
Sorry 150 Observer but if we can all agree that crime and schools are the two biggest problems in the city, and if you choose to see the city/county budget not as a source of revenue to address those problems, but as a piggy bank that can be tapped to pay pet for projects, you are not someone who is out to make the city a better place to live. I did not ask you to walk down some side street deep into the south side of Peoria, I ask you to walk down a major street in the heart of Peoria. You have made it clear that you simple do not care one way or the other if it is safe. Or at the very least do not care enough for the city to make it a priority. In your eyes if the schools are failing, crime is out of control, the streets are in need or repair, the city can not keep the streets clear of snow, code inforcement does not function, ect, ect, ect, all of that is tolerable so long as we get a new museum. I do not believe that this is an issue were “good people” can disagree, I think we can all agree as to that fact that crime and schools are the biggest problems, you seem to just not care. I would end by asking if you had nightly gunfire in “YOUR” neighborhood would you still support the museum over basic city services?
bob, please read what I have said. I am not a proponent of the museum. My only point is that proponents of the museum love the city as much as anybody, they just differ as to their stance on the museum. I think it is wrong to demonize them as many here do.
I do think economic development is crucial for Peoria. Without it, we will struggle with funds for all of the city’s needs.
and in 4th year ANOTHER $ 6.00 ADDED TO GARBAGE FEE AS BEFORE TO PAY FOR ADDED COPS FOR TROUBLED AREAS ? That fee is still there !What happens to surplus ? Ah yes into General fund to be pissed away !
Will someone break down the $ 90,700 per year cost per officer ?
Still the “WPA project ” Northmoor Rd. goes ahead ,next Sheridan Rd. total waste of funds. Who needs to get where in a hurry ? I can,at anytime of day, experience NO DELAY on Sheridan Rd. North or South.
Having the garbage fee collected by IAWC has wasted about $88,000 in administration fees (that was the number I was told). If we are going to raise fees — might as well put it a property tax increase and call it was it is … an increase and there would be more money per year for perhaps another police officer?
D150 Observer: Thanks for the dialogue. The challenge is that our elected officials keep telling those of us in older neighborhoods that the priority is older neighborhoods and funds are spent elsewhere. From decades of neglect, these “Heritage” neighborhoods are extremely stressed. Top priorities — from talking fact to face with people —- safety, basic services, jobs, schools, better public process and policy and in no particular order. Can you help me get a job? What can I do about this neighbor causing problems? What can I do about this or that problem? Whose idea was it to build a school in a park? Why did they close Woodruff? Where do these decisions come from that didn’t include the people? — over and over again, I hear this refrain.
Perhaps Bob would agree with my analysis?
The line was held for 7-8 years about no money from the county because the museum was not a ‘CORE service’ AND the county board members do not have the backbone to commit political suicide by approval a property tax levy increase of 17 cents / $100 assessed valuation to pay for a non-CORE service. Not at $6M nor $12M nor $24M nor $34.7M nor now $41M. Instead they were cooked like frogs in a pot of warm water … embracing / supporting the concept of a museum …. looking for a way to fund it from our near bankrupct if not bankrupct state … then looking for a way to change the statute to ‘give it to the people to decide’ … meanwhile a Peoria County commissed survey reports that 65% of the respondents are not for the proposed 1/4 cent sales tax increase … and you probably know the rest of the story.
Somehow, common sense was thrown out when their political courage failed …. safety, schools, long-term jobs —- that’s what we need to rebuild and revitalize Peoria and especially our ‘Heritage’ neighborhoods.