Editor’s Note: The following editorial was written and submitted by Frederick E. Smith, a resident of the East Bluff. It’s a response to Councilman Tim Riggenbach’s Spotlight article that appeared in the Journal Star over the weekend. The views expressed by guest contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the editor.
I read yesterday’s comments by Councilman Riggenbach in the Journal Star and honestly had to wonder if we were looking at the same EVGC TIF. There were many half-truths that need to be cleared up if this TIF is to be considered fairly.
Yes, the City of Peoria has established a Citizens Advisory Council that serves at the pleasure of his honor the Mayor. This council consists of two City representatives, one County representative, one District 150 representative, two OSF representatives, and three members at large, one from each of the affected City Council areas, who are also appointed by the Mayor, and not by their respective Neighborhood Associations. This Advisory Committee “shall only serve in an advisory capacity to the City Council.” So not only are the neighborhood representatives outvoted 2 to 1 by the government and business members, but the committee itself lacks any authority whatsoever as to the outcome of the decision to implement the TIF. [East Village Growth Cell Committee Project Charter November 23, 2010]
And yes, Tim, State Law is very specific about the requirements to establish a TIF, and also about how the funds may be used once it is established. As confirmed by Corporate Counsel Randall Ray at the “TIF 101” meeting when Mr. Combs from Springfield spoke, the City Council may use TIF funds from one area to pay for projects in other areas, at their discretion. In other words, the City Council might decide to use TIF funds to pay off other things, like the failed MidTown Plaza TIF you mentioned. Once enacted, the area residents who are paying the bills (myself included) will have no say in how that money is spent. There is no guarantee that the money will end up going to the projects you mentioned, like the rehabilitation of private homes on the East Bluff. And speaking of that, since we already live in a Special Service Area where the East Bluff Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. (a 501 (c) (3) organization that intends to spend 48% of it’s 2011 budget in salaries) receives a sizable amount of tax dollars ($64,987.24 in 2009, up from $57,972.76 in 2008, the 2010 budget is not on file yet.) to provide low interest housing improvement loans to residents of the East Bluff (which according to the Board of Directors at their last meeting they have not done for the last two years), will these funds be added to the TIF funds instead, or will we be asked to contribute duplicate taxes to the City in order to complete the $42,585,488.00 in infrastructure needs and the $22,000,000.00 in rehabilitation of public and private fixtures as described on page 16 and page 1 of Appendix E of the Teska report? (By the way, Tim, if my banker was off by $10,414,512.00 in his estimates, I would be changing banks pretty quick.)
Last, but certainly not least, is the claim that no big project is pushing the development of the EVGC TIF. One look at the map shows the boundaries were deliberately drawn to include OSF St. Francis Medical complex and the entire Knoxville business corridor in the TIF. If this was only about the East Bluff, why not just stop at the Glen Oak border, go up Armstrong to Pennsylvania and straight across to Knoxville? Oh, wait, that would include the White School property that was recently acquired by OSF, wouldn’t it? The fact of the matter is that OSF intends to be a major player in the way this project is run, and will definitely require a substantial amount of public money to “improve” the area around OSF. Why else are they deserving of two seats on the Advisory Committee? Why else have they been vocal and present at every meeting? Their interests may have nothing to do with the desires of the residents of the East Bluff. Their interests haven’t been publicly aired, and until they are, we have no idea of how much money they will expect, or what they intend to do.
Yes, there is a possibility that the TIF might “turn around” the East Bluff area, make into the neighborhood we would like it to be, but the key to that is transparency and honesty, not half-truths and sleight of hand descriptions.
You NAILED it right on the head!!!
Like that senile old president once said “There you go again”. Fred, if you keep this up, your head is going to pop off man. You really need to bring it down a notch Fred. No one on here see this like you do. You want to play and they won’t let you play. So, you get angry and start on your geopolitical diatribe. Eat some pie man.
Had a nice slice of Lemon Meringue last night with dinner, thank you very much. Hmmm. You seem to think it is just fine to have the truth hidden away or decide things without all the facts, EB. Personally, I have had it with cronyism, back room deals, and half-truths. Like I said in the earlier blog and repeated here, we don’t know what OSF’s role is supposed to be, but we are supposed to trust that they are some benign, benevolent force for purity and light. Personally, I think they are overrated. We have two other medical facilities in town, so if they want to take their football and go home, no big deal. Not like the game is going to be called.
Also you seem to think this is a personal vendetta. As one of the homeowners on the Bluff who will be royally screwed over by the TIF (not will be, has already been with the “Blighted” assignment…my property value has already depreciated.), I not only have a right to play, I am acting in self defense.
Geopolitical diatribe? Hmmmm. You sound like an English major. Too bad you didn’t take a little logic while you were at it.
Now, besides attacking me personally, you have anything useful to contribute to the conversation? Facts? Figures? Background?
Thought not.
Fred
EB Voice is a TROLL probally works for OSF or Riggenbach.
You are on the right path I spoke to some other Bluffers today and they are as digusted with this mess as the rest of us CRAZIES that speak out about the issues.
“I’d rather laugh with the sinners than hang with the saints, the sinners are much more fun.” – Billy Joel.
Actually, I have a suspicion of who EB Voice is, not that (s)he would have the guts to admit it. But that is no big deal. What is a big deal is how many of us show up tomorrow night to voice those opinions. The bigger the noise, the harder it is to sweep this under the rug, and there are several issues that need to be examined. Let’s get a handle on this one first, then work on the next one.
C’mon, Eye…come to the meeting tomorrow…hell, I might even buy you a Starbucks afterward. I know Marty will be there, and hoping that Sarah Partridge and Karrie make it as well. It promises to be entertaining if nothing else. But we might actually make some headway. You never know, OSF might actually spill the beans and tell us what they are really up to.
I will be there BUT I don’t plan on playing well with others since they are talking about OUR money. Can’t wait to see if our councilmember sit through the meeting texting like he did at the last one. I know this for a fact since I sat right behind him as was reading some of it.
Eye & Fredrick The meeting will be this.
“This meeting will be devoted to a workshop session for the development of a residential program concept. The meeting will be facilitated by Ross Black, Assistant Director of the Department of Planning and Growth Management”.
Not a Q&A.
Marty, doesn’t mean you can’t ask questions (why this, why that) on topic, of course. Just means they want to direct the meeting in a certain way. Audience may have other ideas. Not saying we should disrupt anything, just remember it is the citizens who run the government, not the other way around. This TIF committee represents the government, not the people of the East Bluff. It was appointed by the mayor with a specific agenda, and that agenda did not include asking any of us what we want. One look at the makeup of the board should tell you that.
The TIF is taxation without representation, pure and simple. I believe that has caused problems in the past. As a matter of fact, I believe I remember learning about a tea party in Boston. You recall that?
This is not my first Rodeo with the city on there workshops. Don’t look for answears. Sure I agree the whole TIF system is broken but the meeting will be about “residential program concept”. How can we develop a program with old census reporting, no detailed resident reporting, a known amount of revenue that will be put in. What revenue will be diverted to OSF / Developer. No basis just putting lipstick on another pig. Feel good meeting. Look at the advisory council makeup How many live in the hood?2?
Why is there few homes for sale in the EB? can we say Crime? poor housing and code enforcement? The bluff looks like a pigpin trash, parking everywhere and anywhere garbage galore in the aley. People stuck and upside down on there home. Throwing money at problems will not solve anyting. Look to what was done ,Built a new school and has that created a waiting list for students? housing? Look to Midtown Plaza, But the city will explain that away. Special service district tax becoming a rental housing busness.
Brown Eye in the Sky, Fred and Martin, I will see you there.
EB Voice;
my eyes are blue.
Martin&Fred;
Should I bring a list of things I would like to see in the area or is this meeting just so they can say they had one.
Eye.
Bring Ideas. Be prepared for a “White Board” with notes as to what we want to do in and with a residential program then there will be rating system for what we come up with. No other discussion on other Isues until the end of the meeting. Hope you get a soft seat to sit in.
Bring Ideas, attitudes, and notepaper. Be prepared to state facts, not opinions. They can try to color things with soft strokes and pretty language, but the facts make all that go away.
“Don’t think of it as work. The important thing is just to have fun.” Eric Stratton, Animal House
“facts make all that go away” Not in Peoria goverment. For that matter all goverment.
“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, `I`m from the government and I`m here to help.” RR.
make sure to ask for ornamental lighting….its key trust me
Outsider: Why are you so opposed to infrastructure improvement? Do you like dark, crumbling streets and sidewalks?
nope. I just think that using costly infrastructure improvements, ie ornamental lighting versus standard, as a way to sell inner city improvement, which the city seems to do and then not get results, is counter productive. Think columbia terrace for a fairly recent one. Real change in these neighborhoods will not come until there are REAL incentives to move into them not just a pretty street light, slower traffic or on street parking. Reference previous post on this topic for over the top projections linked with new urbanism/infrastructure improvements.
In fact I would argue that many of the homes in the east bluff probablly need to be removed before you will see improvement. Infrastructure should be one of the last things to be addressed once it is decided what blocks of that area even need to stay standing. People buying into the area, or single family households, should be given tax incentives for x amount spent on renovations and improvements on existing structures. Businesses locating into those areas should get tax deferal incentives because quite frankly the customer base is not there to support the kind of businesses the city wants to see locate into the EB.
All it would take is the city willing to actually follow through with a project and something might change but the people that run peoria are like 5th graders with ADD they cant focus on one thing long enough to actually get anything done.
@outsider now – Got to admit some of the things you say make sense, but if you want to get to the heart of the problem, you have to look at who is in the houses. We had a chance at the TIF meeting to send a statement on eligibility last night that was heard, I think. Rental properties will not be eligible for the TIF funds. Now, unless anyone has any delusions that we actually did anything last night, remember that the City Council and the Mayor have the right to veto anything that was said. But the fact that several people did show up and participate does at least say that some of us care. Ross, Bobby, and Shannon tried to run a decent meeting, and did a good job of it, but the facts remain that the TIF Advisory Committee and its “advice” are simply that. What the TIF ultimately looks like will be up to the council, under the guise of state law.
5th graders with ADD…..hmmm….not bad, not bad at all. But I think you are underestimating them. They have an agenda, to be sure. But we don’t know what it is.
The simple answer to correcting rental filled areas is to make renting less profitable. One thought would be taxing multi family housing at the same rate as any other commercial property. These arnt homes they are profit boxs for slum lords so make them pay a higher rate then the old lady trying to live next door.
Two, and an easy solution because it also generates revenue, is to actually enforce not only the city code but also the national building code. As a tradesperson I can drive around and see blatent violations of both. In the city of peoria peeling paint is a code violation. Broken windows are code violations. Damaged siding is a code violation. Loose mortar is a code violation. Plywood or OSB material is not an approved exterior cladding unless stamped or marked as such. They sound nit picky but if the city applied the same sort of blanket code enforcement tactic that they did with police, concentration in target areas, I think there would be potential for a turn around. Small fees add up and either A make landlords reconsider their trade or B it at least is an improvement to the property and neighborhood.
Many neighborhoods throughout the US have set up programs for tax free building materials, 5 yr tax exemption, facade rehabilitation grants all for single family homeowners and buyers looking to rehab in down and out neighborhoods that have historically significant homes. Look at the state of NC and Virginia both are very forward thinking on these topics.
Upping taxes on muti-family housing is done now, it is called the non owner ocupied rate on a tax bill.
@outsider, good suggestions and very interesting thoughts. Wish they were there at the beginning of all this, but right now the only way to look at those alternatives would be to lobby the council members and get them to vote down the TIF. I’m game, if you are. But we would have one major obstacle, and that is OSF. They are the ones who will benefit enormously if this TIF goes through. About two articles back, I outlined a plan where OSF would be able to cheap property through the gentrification of the Near North Side and the East Bluff. Now that was all conjecture on my part, not a shred of evidence to back it up, only OSF’s continuing failure to speak up as to why they are included in this TIF in the first place, and the immediate impact of declaring homes in the TIF area “blighted”. Property values are taking a hit, and will continue to do so.
There are plenty of “conspiracy theories” that could be applied to this TIF, but for now, we need to find a way to gain control of the monies, at least to get them in the public view so we can scrutinize the way they are spent, and hold the spenders accountable for their actions. Or, the alternative, get the Council to vote down the TIF and look to the City to do what you have suggested. Personally, I think your way is better.
Edit is not working, C.J. In the above article the 4th line down should read “I outlined a plan where OSF would be able to obtain cheap property….”
Folks; The East Village TIF will be approved tonight wish I could be there to see the worlds largest rubber stamp used. And it just so happens Susan C. Wozniak wil get a proclamation from the Mayor for her retirement from OSF. And so it goes…Hi Speed railroad for a developer to get cash.
At the risk of repeating myself, I ask again: Where are the East Bluff neighborhood associations? Have the associations taken a formal position on this proposed TIF? If so, what are the positions? If not, why not?
Conrad, not to sound disrespectful, but all the neighborhood associations in the world were not going to stop the approval of this TIF. There are certain large employers, business owners and developers who are going to basically get whatever they desire from this City. The only say-so we have as citizens is to vote out those who vote against their constituents.
I totaly agree, Mazr ,and perceive no disrespect. The Council has no problems rolling over associations. However, I do think it important that associations rule on issues that affect them.