Will Peoria be the new East St. Louis?

October 13, 2009
By Billy Dennis

So, the media is inundating us with dire predictions. The City of Peoria has even less money than we thought. So we have to do all or some of the following: Eliminate even more police and firefighters (include closing afire station), cut the public works department again, or find a new “revenue steam” (which is as dishonest way of saying “raise taxes.”)

Here’s my suggestion. Before cutting services or raising any taxes — Hell, before we even talk about cutting services or raising taxes — let’s finish gutting the worthless crap out of the budget.

We need to stop giving giving downtown businesses cozy deals on parking spaces on city owned parking decks. If they need the parking, they ought to pay for parking.

We need to sell the Gateway Building. No one wants to buy it? Fine. Close it. That thing is drains money from the city budget. If people need to rent a place for weddings and fund-raisers, I hear the VFW halls and big church buildings sometimes rent their facilities.

And we need to close the city’s economic development office. Seriously. Director Craig Hullinger is retiring anyway. Let’s send the people who work in this office into the private sector. The money we use for their salaries can be used for firefighter salaries — or used to pay off the debt on the Peoria Civic Center, which is what the HRA tax was supposed to be used for anyway.

If the city were to eliminate this waste, taxpayers would be willing to consider new taxes. I’m certainly not willing to see Peoria become the kind of urban dystopia that East St. Louis has become, and that’s where we’re headed if we continue to gut essential services like roads, police and fire.

Folks, this recession will not last much longer. Incoming sales taxes will increase. Corporate taxes will increase. But what’s the point if this city decays so much due to decay.

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9 Responses to “ Will Peoria be the new East St. Louis? ”

  1. Neil Johnson on October 13, 2009 at 1:31 am

    I am all for cutting government waste. All of the ideas listed above have merit and should be seriously considered. However, using the possibility of fewer firefighters to scare people into thinking that is was turned East St. Louis into what it is today is at best short-sighted and without a doubt misleading. Leave the scare tactics with the Nixonians and the Dixie Democrats where they belong. Our country needs to continue the process of raising the level of discourse in the political arena and we have a responsibilty to start on the local level.

  2. Billy Dennis on October 13, 2009 at 1:34 am

    It’s scary, but this IS what happened to East St. Louis. The middle class left, which is what happens when services are not funded.

  3. AnotherExJSer on October 13, 2009 at 4:08 am

    I continue to be amazed by how sensitive Peorians are to fire station closures while the rest of the city goes to hell. Some of this is the result of the firefighters union’s clout; they have friends in high places.

    It could be worse than East St. Louis: You can’t see the Arch, and there will be more road construction.

    • Billy Dennis on October 13, 2009 at 4:20 am

      AnotherExJSer: “I continue to be amazed by how sensitive Peorians are to fire station closures while the rest of the city goes to hell.”Here is why. The parts of the city that are “going to hell” are the parts of the city that need fire protection the most because of the age of the homes and the lack of fire-resistant construction and safety features like smoke detectors and sprinklers, and the increased likelihood of arson.

  4. AnotherExJSer on October 13, 2009 at 5:04 am

    What is your assessment, Billy, of how well fire-protection resources are allocated to protect the parts of the city most at risk of fire? I really have no idea, but I’m interested in your view.

  5. Mahkno on October 13, 2009 at 8:07 am

    East St Louis’ problems are bit more complicated that simply cutting basic services.

  6. Elaine Hopkins on October 13, 2009 at 10:02 am

    The schools are the key. If they’re appealing, the middle class will stay and renovate the interesting old homes throughout the inner city. If not, they will flee.

  7. Elaine Hopkins on October 13, 2009 at 10:06 am

    In regard to Peoria becoming East St. Louis or worse, read this column from today’s New York Times:
    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/opinion/13herbert.html?_r=1

  8. Emtronics on October 13, 2009 at 5:16 pm

    According to an email I got from a city councilperson, Peoria is 15th in the nation as a place to do business. How can we not fail with news like that?
    LMAO