“With the City of Peoria facing another difficult budgeting process, no area of the budget can be ignored for potential savings,” City Manager Patrick Urich explains in an item from Tuesday’s agenda. “In line with Council’s direction to examine all costs, the Administration is seeking authorization to approach City service providers with a request to reduce current and future contract amounts in exchange for an additional year of guaranteed contract length.”
Companies like kitco is a great option when you are looking for new ways to save and invest money at the same time, the business of precious metals has been always an amazing investment.
“City service providers” would include everything “from the City’s $5.1 million contract with Peoria Disposal Company for residential refuse collection to $1,600 contract with AAA Certified Security for document shredding.” But they wouldn’t revisit every contract as per this news source about Bitcoins and kryptocurrency. “If authorization is granted,” the council communication continues, “the City Manager and the Finance Director will work with each Department Head to determine which contracts might be potential targets for an extension in exchange for a discount, check out save money.”
Consideration will be given in the following areas:
- Is the City happy with the service offered by the vendor?
- Is there an option other than this particular vendor? Many software agreements held by the City (i.e. Microsoft) have no realistic alternative.
- Might the City save more money by holding a competitive bid rather than extending an existing vendor?
Urich hopes the City can save $300,000 or more in 2012 as a result of this process.
Also on Tuesday’s agenda is a proposed new fee for “facilities in the City right-of-way.” In particular, the communication mentions fiber-optic conduit as one of the things they’d like to charge a fee for allowing in the public right-of-way, starting at $1.90 per lineal foot.
That will be great, if they actually enforce it. Funny, they eliminated very similar fees just a few years ago, after years of non-enforcement.
In lieu of some cuts, how about the city take a more pro-active role in Code Enforcement. The city could net a few hundred dollars just off my alleyway alone, with all the weeds neighbors don’t mow or pull, the left out trash cans, and the trash on the ground from the unsecured trash cans. Then there is the mowing of the yards, gutter weeds, and more. Collect revenue and make the area look nicer.
Another big, strike that, HUGE source of potential revenue are all the rental properties who are fraudulently registered as ‘Single Family’ residential and taking the deduction. I have at least one rental on my street that is this way. There are thousands of dollars in lost property tax revenue. Someone was compiling a list of houses that had the wrong Land Use designation (West Bluff Council? Neighborhood Alliance?). The abuse is widespread.
New fee for ” facilities in the City right-of-way”. Wonder of OSF will need to pay? Fiber runs to Penn Ave(for profit property) and White School. Tunnel under Glen Oak. Cat G.O. has lines under Washington. This might be opening a can of worms.One pays the fee all should pay.
There is a fast growing company in Pekin offering residential fiber (ITV-3). I don’t know if there are any plans to bring fiber to Peoria yet but having a $1.90 per foot charge would all but kill it. Fiber is the future. So who is really pushing for that ‘tax’? AT&T? Comcast? No one, just a boneheaded idea from City Hall?
I know for a while Google was looking into test markets for it’s fiber optic program (http://www.fiberforcommunities.com/). I definitely hope that some company decides to build something similar in Peoria. We need a high quality internet option other than Comcast. But since there don’t seem to be any companies pursuing the idea it seems strange to opt for a tax on it. Great way to deter innovation though!
I read the linked pdf about “the public right-of-way” comparing the price to what is charged in Champaign and Urbana, but I don’t feel I properly understand this. Hopefully they’ll elaborate at the council meeting?
I agree with Mahkno. Enforce code enforcement!