The proposed Peoria Riverfront Museum is poised to get $5 million more of our tax dollars if Gov. Quinn signs Senate Bill 1181 into law. It includes this provision:
Sec. 213. The sum of $5,000,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Capital Development Fund to the Department of Natural Resources for capital grants to Peoria County for costs associated with construction and development of the Peoria Riverfront Museum.
Now, based on a July 21 Journal Star report, “Officials are trying to bridge a $5 million gap in public and private dollars still needed.” So, this $5 million infusion of cash from the state should finally get the museum fully funded, right?
Surprisingly, no. According to this new Journal Star report, “The museum project presently has a funding gap of about $6 million, and $5 million from the state would nearly close that, he [Jim Richerson] said.” How can we explain this discrepancy? Was the report in July incorrect? Or did the museum lose $1 million between July and October? If the latter, how was the money lost?
It’s worth pointing out again that during the time leading up to April’s referendum, museum officials assured everyone that the remaining $11 million would be raised through private donations, aided largely by the CEO Roundtable. Now they are seeking to plug these gaps with more public money — that is, more of our tax money.
At the same time, according to yet another Journal Star report, the state’s spending plan “reduces or eliminates funding for dozens of other [educational] programs. Agricultural education, for instance, will lose half of the funding it got last year, leaving it with almost $1.7 million. Funding for early childhood education is being cut by a third, and bilingual education programs will see a 25 percent reduction.”
But they’ve got $5 million for a museum in Peoria! Priorities, you know.
Why aren’t they distributing these funds to municipalities to account for economic downturns in sales tax? This would keep employment numbers up instead of unemployment lines longer. Also, is’t the State of Illinois running a deficit?
It would very interesting to do a comparison of what the anticipated funding of this project was when it was first proposed to what it has become today. It would be interesting to see what the total size and scope of the project was when it was first proposed and what it has become today. I think that we would all be shocked at what it was first supposed to be and what it has become.
Museum supporters, feel free to jump in and explain this latest public telethon for the museum. For some odd reason, I thought the “public” part of this financing was over.
Once again, I have to ask: If this is such a wonderful project, why is there such a battle to raise the shortfall in funding? I thought we were already told this wouldn’t be a problem?
I don’t understand what your problem is in figuring out the math on this project. 2 and 2 = 22 not 4. Its that simple. No matter how we add it up their projections will always be different and the only ones that count. Those of us that raised our voices in opposition to the museum did so because of this very thing, the flawed plan. We are not against museums, just the lousy planning and accounting for this one. But regardless of what happens to Peoria and its citizens these nuts are going to have their museum. The fact that we are going to pay for it over and over again in taxation has nothing to do with it. They rule and their math is the right way and the only way. There are many of us who can’t get the money to keep our houses safe, but we can have a museum regardless of anything else. The whole thing is disgusting and deceitful. First there is an 11 million dollar gap, then when 5 million comes in from the State a supposed 6 million dollar gap is filled. Boy I would surely like to be able to do that with my income and my bills. Take in $2,000 and make it turn into $3,000. Guess I went to the wrong school and got the wrong education on addition.
C.J. , my PRM blog last week also covered the results of a recent Peoria County Survey. Hope you and all your readers take time to read it.