Posts Tagged ‘ Peoria City Council ’

Instead of worrying about Peoria’s image, let’s worry about Peoria’s reality

March 6, 2010
By Billy Dennis
Instead of worrying about Peoria’s image, let’s worry about Peoria’s reality

I thought I was in store for a puff piece when I saw this headline: City Councilman leads effort to brand region. But Peoria Journal Star reporter John Sharp actually made some phone calls and got some balance for his article on Peoria City Councilman Ryan’s Spain efforts to “brand” the city. I like this graph: “You...
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Another day, another scheme to save older neighborhoods

February 15, 2010
By Billy Dennis

Well, thank goodness they have a plan: A policy addressing the demolition of vacant houses should be considered to help stabilize the city’s deteriorating older neighborhoods, a new city plan looking into Peoria’s future says. The comprehensive plan, which will be introduced to the City Council on Tuesday, said the city should consider a new policy...
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Sandberg gets it: Debt, not economy, is cause of city’s problems

December 9, 2009
By Billy Dennis

The Peoria City Council today approved a $165.8 million budget that eliminated 69 jobs, a log of them from the police department: At-large Councilman Gary Sandberg criticized council members and city officials who have pointed to the slumping of revenue sources during the recession as the main culprit for the deficit problems. He said the...
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Go read the Peoria Chronicle

December 2, 2009
By Billy Dennis

C.J. Summers has some interesting posts recently. First, he makes the observation that it might be a good idea to hire a special prosecutor for Tyler McCoy.  And C.J. isn’t happy with the new water tax, considering it didn’t save any police officers’ jobs.
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PJS just can’t stop carrying water for politicians

November 30, 2009
By Billy Dennis

Sure, the Peoria City Council spent $16,000 to print a glossy and mail a glossy magazine full of old information that’s readily available elsewhere. But there’s nothing to worry about, says the Journal Star’s Word on the Street column. After all, the money was budgeted last year. And they aren’t doing it again this year. And some people...
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City reponds to AFSCME

November 25, 2009
By Billy Dennis

Press release: Date: November 25, 2009 Released by: Alma Brown, Communications Manager Subject: NEGOTIATIONS WITH BARGAINING UNITS The budgetary problems of the City of Peoria projected for 2010 have been well publicized since June, 2009. A number of formal and informal meetings have been held with represented employee groups during the past five (5) months. Many...
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No concessions, so no city council meeting tomorrow

November 16, 2009
By Billy Dennis

From a press release: Date:    November 16, 2009 Released by:  Alma Brown, Communications Manager Subject:   CANCELLATION OF COUNCIL MEETING Pursuant to  Rule 32 of the Council Rules, the Peoria City Council Meeting scheduled for November 17, 2009 is hereby canceled. The cancellation is due to the City Council’s inability to make budget decisions necessary to close the deficit and...
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Maybe it should be called ‘Word from the Inside’

November 16, 2009
By Billy Dennis

What’s a politician to do when the word on the street isn’t favorable? Complain to someone at Word on the Street, which is what Jim Montelongo when he started hearing people thought some of the stuff he was doing as a member of Peoria City Council was *gasp* politically motivated. Montelongo, a Republican, is the...
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Utility fees are an idea whose time has come … for the wrong reason

November 10, 2009
By Billy Dennis

My thoughts on the idea of utility fees: Utility fees are a much fairer way to tax residents for the services they use that property taxes. Property taxes affect only residential and commercial property owners. They do not affect the non-profits, like the huge mega institutions like Bradley University, the three hospitals and other big...
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Take notes Peoria: Eminent domain takes back seat to property rights in New Jersey

September 15, 2009
By Billy Dennis

Peoria knows a lot about eminent domain for private gain. They used it to build the half-abandoned MidTown Plaza. Well, one Long Branch, N.J. neighborhood fought back and the city caved in after along battle. “Today’s agreement finally ends this government-created nightmare that was imposed upon these Long Branch homeowners,” said Scott Bullock, a...
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The worm turns at city hall and blogs

September 9, 2009
By Billy Dennis

C.J. Summers has a pretty good blow-by-blow of Tuesday’s city council meeting. What was I doing? I was sleeping, after being up almost all night previously deal with with the nasty WordPress worm that’s going around I had three blog sites to upgrade. I’m done with the upgrading, but there’s still some work left to...
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Press release: City Hall news conference tomorrow

August 13, 2009
By Billy Dennis

Date: August 13, 2009 Released by: Alma Brown, Communications Manager, Subject: NEWS CONFERENCE Mayor Jim Ardis and Members of the Peoria City Council will be holding a news conference on Friday, August 14, 2009, at 10:30 a.m. The news conference will be held in City Council Chambers.
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City Council tackles their salaries

August 11, 2009
By Billy Dennis

George Jacob is upset that the City of Peoria cannot vote to reduce salaries of council. He says the statute was created to prevent office h0lders from increasing their salaries. Barbara Van auken says it’s a small matter because if their “teeny tiny salaries.:
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Animal restraint ordinance unlikely in Peoria

July 22, 2009
By Billy Dennis

Peoria city staffers were asked in May to report to the council on the advisability of a new ordinance requiring animal owners to physically restrain their pets onto their property. Current ordinance simply provides for fines for allowing animals to run at large. The report (available here in PDF format) is generally negative toward the...
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