Some Surprising Numbers

I will be taking the following and posting it again once or twice before the election on April 7. These numbers are too important to get lost within the blog.

My mayoral opponent has been beating the drum of "they're spending too much money" almost since the day he left office in May 2005. There was a reasonably well drawn cartoon in the Examiner, showing dollars flying out of the top of the Observation Tower, and lying around on the ground. To my opponent, I'm certain, that was meant to show that we were throwing money around like there was no tomorrow. To me, it showed that we were bringing more money in. Go figure.

Well, I have some important news for my opponent, his followers, and everyone else in the Village of Peoria Heights. When comparing how much was spent, to how much was generated in revenue, my opponent oversaw more spending, percentage-wise, in his last 4 years than I have in the past 3.

That's right. I'll say it again. "When comparing how much was spent, to how much was generated in revenue, my opponent oversaw more spending, percentage-wise, in his last 4 years than I have in the past 3." And, it's true. I hate to burden you with numbers, but they're a necessary evil in this case. Figures don't lie (for the most part), and they certainly don't lie here.

These numbers are gleaned from the budgets and the audits performed from fiscal year 2001-2002 to fiscal year 2007-2008 (the latest we have).

From fiscal year 2001-2002 to fiscal year 2004-2005 (the last one under my opponent), the Village revenues totalled $10,573,803.00. The expenditures for the same period totalled $10,239,130.00. Again, this is over a 4 year period. The net result? 96.83% of the revenues received were spent.

From fiscal year 2005-2006 (my first) to fiscal year 2007-2008 (the latest we have), our revenues have totalled $8,816,669.00. Our expenditures have totalled $8,466,338.00. Again, this is over a 3 year period, because we only have audits for these three years. The net result? We have spent 96% of the revenues generated. Isn't that something? The guy who has been pounding the drum for nearly three years about how we are "spending the Village into the Stone Age" actually oversaw more pumping out of the dollars than I have.

Now, let me clear something up. I don't think that a proper measurement of how good a mayor and a board of trustees are doing is how much they're putting "into the bank." We already have three fine banks in the Heights. We are here TO GET THINGS DONE. At the best price possible, but mostly TO GET THINGS DONE. And yet, somehow, my opponent feels that we've been spending too much on silly things like: curbs, sidewalks, police squad cars, fixing roads, alleviating drainage problems, marketing, brightening up Christmas... you know, silly things like that.

The point is this: I guess he wanted as much money put away as possible, because... just in case he might get back in, well you know, that Streetscape was going to cost at least $5 million dollars...

But, in the end, here it is: he oversaw more spending. Period. I guess what we have to make clear is that there is a huge difference between he and I as to what we wanted (and want) those Village general funds to be spent ON.

More on that later.

The New Police Station

Actually, the police department will be moving into what is an "older" building, probably in early to mid-Spring. Some might ask, "Hey, what do we need a new police station for? The old one's worked fine since 1974." The answer is simple: It really hasn't worked "fine" for some time now.

It's a different Peoria Heights than the one that existed in 1974. For that matter, it's a different Peoria, Central Illinois, Illinois, United States, and WORLD than what was with us in 1974. That's a no-brainer. Our police force has had to increase in size, scope, and vision. Crimes are different, more involved, and sometimes just plain meaner, and what is necessary to fight them, or just as importantly, keep them OUT of the Village, requires more room.

The police station we have now is archaic at best, dangerous at its worst. There is no holding area for suspects that protects not only the police, but also the public. The police work out of what is basically 3 larger closets. That's it. There are two offices in the basement for the Deputy Police Chief and the Detective, and they are just about the size of large closets, as well. The time had come to increase the size of the police station, dramatically. And, the time really had passed many years ago.

We looked into the cost of adding on to Village Hall, not only for the police, but also the Fire Department. The cost of doing so ran around 3-4 million dollars. We're talking almost near Streetscape money here. That was unacceptable. The former Williams Brothers office building had been up for sale for several months, and would fit the police needs nicely. We were able to purchase it for $495,000.00, a much cheaper option than adding on to Village Hall. On top of that, Tom Williams Sr. gave us a deal that made it even more enticing. Payment over 5 years, with NO interest charge! We cannot thank Tom Williams, Sr. and Williams Brothers enough for this thoughtful gesture.

The next time you have a chance to talk to a Peoria Heights police officer, ask him or her what this new police station will mean for their safety; their ability to do their job; and for morale. Chief Dustin Sutton and everyone on the force has worked hard and long to make our police department a model of consistency and pride. The least that they deserve is a proper facility to do their work from.

"The Garbage Can Conspiracy" Innuendo #1

The Peoria Heights Examiner carried a fine photo of the front of my house on garbage day sometime in March 2007, although the photographer was too lazy to get out of the car to shoot it. What it showed was a couple plastic cans of garbage, and a couple plastic bags of garbage (neatly tied, mind you) beside them. Everything looked relatively acceptable (for garbage, anyhow).

An ordinance had been passed a few months earlier, that was meant for the storage of garbage. In other words, it was not meant to address things being set out on garbage day, only on those days leading up to it. We didn't think it was a good idea to have foodstuffs in plastic bags, sitting outside on a Tuesday, waiting for garbage day on Friday, and a hungry raccoon. That was all it was meant to address.

Well, our Village Attorney went a couple steps further, and the language pretty much made it sound like no matter what was set out on garbage day or any day leading up to it, the garbage had to be in a plastic container. Like if you were going to set out a card table for pick-up, you would have to saw it down and fit it into a plastic garbage can. Obviously, that was not the spirit of what we wanted. I will plead "guilty" to not reading the ordinance as closely as I should have. However, I thought that the ordinance was written up to cover all possibilities, so didn't think anything further about it. I figured that our Village Attorney wrote it; it must be right; and we were only addressing the STORAGE of the garbage leading up TO when it is set out. But, rather than contact Village Hall or me, and ask a few questions about the ordinance, the crack reporter and photographer at the Examiner felt that he had a "gotcha!" on me, because I had set out plastic bags ON GARBAGE DAY.

We got this resolved; we had to change some of the wording in the ordinance, so that this sort of problem could be avoided in the future. The "innuendo" came in that the Examiner inferred that I was being given a "pass" on my plastic bag law-breaking, and everyone else was getting hammerred on it. Not so. Only one person received a citation and a fine for the transgression of putting plastic bags out on garbage day. Me.

I insisted on having the code enforcement officer issue the citation, and I paid it. No one else in Peoria Heights received a citation and a fine for this. A little poorer, and a little wiser; but a little more money in the Village coffers, as well.

Village Revenues Continue to Grow

In a very suspect economy, the revenues within Peoria Heights have continued to grow. Revenues topped 3 MILLION dollars for the first time in the Village for fiscal year 2007-2008. In a community that is bounded on 3 sides by Peoria, and 1 side by the Illinois River, we have to continue to work not only harder, but also smarter, at making sure our revenues continue to grow, if at all possible. That is why the TIF area is so important. That is why it is so important for IDOT, at some point, to allow us to make Galena Road into what it is: an urban street. There is room for commercial growth along Galena Road that will not have a negative impact on neighborhoods. But, until IDOT lowers the speed limit to a reasonable rate; and also puts in one or two signal lights, Galena Road will continue to be a basket case.

I've worked hard at trying to convince IDOT to do the "right thing," but so far, it has turned a deaf ear to my pleadings, along with those who live on or near Galena Road.

Back to the revenues:

Our total revenues came to $3,136,182.19 for fiscal year 2007-2008. In the three years that we’ve been in office, our Village revenues have increased by 26% ! This is not by accident. We’ve taken a proactive stance with working with our businesses; having the Music Fest, Old Glory Days; working with the Peoria Heights Chamber of Commerce to bring more business into the Heights, which brings in more sales tax revenue. It’s working, and we’ll continue to make it work, so that more can be done for Peoria Heights.


It needs to be kept in mind that about 90% of the revenues for Peoria Heights comes from sales tax. Very little comes in from property taxes. So, we have to keep working at maintaining and improving a vibrant commercial district, but also have to balance that with maintaining and improving our infrastructure and neighborhoods. We're all in this together. I believe that we have balanced these needs very well over the past three and a half years.

Just Some of the Things Happening in the Heights Over the Past Four Years

Resurfacing of Forest Park Drive
Painting Observation Tower
Labor Agreements with the Public Works Employees and the Police Department
Tower Park Music Fest
Old Glory Days
Duryea Days
Recycling Program in the Heights
Resurfacing of Monroe Avenue
New Ornamental Streetlights on Prospect
New Ordinances and Increased Enforcement
Police K-9 Unit
School Resource Officer Returned to our Schools
New Parking Spaces on Kelly Avenue
Changes in “No Parking” Areas to Create Additional Parking Spaces
Renewed Partnerships with Dist. 325 and the Chamber of Commerce
New Christmas decorations for Village and Tower Park
New Elevator Car Interior at Observation Tower
New Police Building
Over $400 Thousand Spent on Curb and Sidewalk Program
Establishment of the TIF District
Prospect Road Enhancements
24/7 Ambulance Service
New Street Sweeper Purchased
Automatic Front Doors Installed at Village Hall
New Police Vehicles
Columbus/Moneta Drainage Problems Fixed
All Payments Made on New Fire Dept. Ladder Truck (Over $550 Thousand)
School Caution Lights Installed on Glen Avenue
Finish Out of the Village Hall basement for EMTs and Volunteer Firepeople
Crosswalk Caution Signs along Prospect
Installation of Street Lights for Safety of Residents
Neighborhood Watch Meetings
Town Hall Meetings
Joining the Peoria County Economic Development Council
Joining the Heartland Water Resources Council


By having the festivals and the events in Peoria Heights, we not only bring people into our Village as customers, we also provide opportunities for our residents to gather together. Often, we see friends we haven’t seen for some time at these events. It’s a way of bringing the Community together again. This is an area that had been ignored for several years before the new administration came in.

Peoria Heights Examiner "Half-Truth #1"

At a Board of Trustees meeting, not long after I took office, Trustee Andrea Pendleton, out of the clear blue, asked to read a correspondence from a "citizen," and I told her that was fine. She then went on to read a complaint from this "citizen." She had not checked with me beforehand as to what the correspondence involved. I assumed it was just going to be an informational type correspondence. Remember... "assume nothing."

To quote the collectors edition of the Peoria Heights Examiner from the 2007 election:

"After Trustee Andrea Pendleton read a postcard from a resident at a Village Board meeting complaining about dead trees in front of our new grade school and about weeds along a road near the school, Mayor Allen did not like hearing that. As a result this is a memo he sent out a few days later:"

It goes on to quote my memo, which reads as follows:

"Proper Procedure For Introducing Correspondences At Trustee Meetings:

1. If there is a correspondence of any type you (Trustees) want introduced at a Trustee Meeting, it must be given to Administrator Horstmann first... NO exceptions. That correspondence will be reviewed by Admin. Horstmann and myself to see if it should be read at a meeting, or given to the proper authority to be further handled.

2. After review and acceptance, the correspondence will be given to Village Clerk Musselman to read, NO exceptions.

3. If a Trustee wishes to read the correspondence himself/herself at a meeting, please make that request when the correspondence is given to Admin. Horstmann for view along with myself. Authorization to do so will be given by myself.

4. If these procedures are not followed, and a correspondence is brought forth at a Trustee Meeting without previous authorization, I will immediately gavel the proceedings and have an Executive Session to further discuss the matter.

Mark B. Allen, Mayor"



Couple problems here: One, a Trustee should NOT be reading a complaint at a meeting. The person making the complaint should appear in person to register that complaint. Just my opinion.

Second, and here's the important part: What the Examiner somehow failed to mention is that the complaint read by Trustee Andrea Pendleton was a FORGERY. That's right. Sort of an important tidbit of info to not pass along, don't you think? That's why I wrote the memo I did: the FORGED name was of a respected business owner in Peoria Heights. That respected business owner in Peoria Heights DID NOT WRITE THE COMPLAINT. It was FORGED, and Trustee Pendleton read it aloud, along with the FORGED name.

At the next Board of Trustees meeting, that respected business owner showed up, in tears, and asked WHY anyone would read such a complaint without FIRST checking to make certain it was real. It was left to me to apologize for the Village, for a FORGED complaint that I had nothing to do with the reading of, while Trustee Pendleton did not even say "sorry."


Now, do you think I might have had a good reason to write the memo? A Board of Trustees meeting is for Village business. We have a "Comments from the Audience" section, where people who want to air their grievances can certainly do so. I have no trouble or problem with those who dissent... just do it above board, without surprise at a public meeting, and try to do it with a REAL complaint, not a FORGED one.

Again, a "half truth." It just isn't convenient for the folks at the Peoria Heights Examiner to tell the WHOLE truth, because it doesn't further their "crusade."

Peoria Heights Examiner "Lie #1"

I'll keep these as short and sweet as possible.

Bear in mind, what I am writing in response to each of these allegations is an absolute FACT; and can be verified by simply going by Village Hall and getting the information; or contact me and I will forward the info to you from the minutes; or any other verification to show that it is a FACT. Even though these responses might be almost two years late, I hope that they will show how the Peoples Party periodicals were not only filled with "half-truths, innuendos, and outright lies" in 2007, but will more than likely be even more chock full of the same in 2009.

POLITICAL FICTION#1- The Peoria Heights Examiner (Peoples Party "newspaper") stated that shortly after I took office, certain department heads received "40% raises."

FACT: The department heads would have loved this one to be true. In actuality, the Police Chief and the Village Administrator received 10% raises. That's a bit lower than the 40% raises that the Examiner threw out there.

Now, if the Examiner had stated that the department heads had received 40% raises over a THREE year period, it would have been closer to the truth. But, it did not state that. And, the third year of that three year period had not even occurred yet. What did happen was that the department heads received 10% per year, over a three year period.

Why? Because all of the statistics showed that the Peoria Heights department heads were not only near the bottom of salaries for the size of our community in Illinois, they were virtually AT the bottom. Unacceptable. We'll go one step further however. Even if the Examiner had done it over a three year period, the raises would have been 33% OVER A THREE YEAR PERIOD. STILL NOT 40%. Even with these raises, our department heads are in the bottom third of salaries for similar sized communities in Illinois. But, at least we're doing better there.

Someone at the Examiner needs a new calculator... AND a conscience.

A "Blog" For Good Reasons

I'm putting this blog "up" mostly to respond to the almost-certain onslaught of "half-truths, innuendos, and outright lies" in the next several weeks, from my spirited opponent in the mayoral race; but also to give information regarding the positives going on in Peoria Heights over the past three and a half years.

Two years ago, the "Peoria Heights Examiner" appeared in people's mailboxes, just a couple of days before the Trustee election. Thus, there was virtually no time to respond to those "half-truths, innuendos, and outright lies" it contained. It masqueraded as a community newspaper, but it was nothing more than a partisan political party rag. This time around, I hope that folks will check into this blog, no matter when the paper (or whatever else will be sent out) arrives; this will allow me at least a CHANCE of getting the facts out.

In the coming weeks, I will address some of the items that were in the first issue of the "Peoria Heights Examiner." A number of people I've spoken to did not read it, threw it away immediately, or simply knew what it was all about and lined the parakeet cage with it. HOWEVER, I'm not taking a chance this time. I'll point out a number of the "half truths, innuendos, and outright lies" in the first issue; and then address what will likely be even nastier this time around. Please "check in" all the way up to the election on April 7. And, as always, feel free to contact me at 686-2385 with any concerns you might have regarding the Village of Peoria Heights.


Thanks- Mark