I really can't put into words the appreciation I feel for everyone who helped us score such a resounding victory. Everyone who voted; put up one or more of our signs in their yards; came to the fund-raiser; gave out good vibes... you all know who you are, and everyone had a hand in the outstanding final outcome.
We now have to put our noses to the grindstone once again. The faith that the voters showed in us will make us work even harder towards maintaining and improving Peoria Heights. Once this economy turns around, I believe even more opportunities will open up for the Village, and we will be poised to take advantage of them.
Congratulations to Bob Hill, Sherryl Carter, and Scott Owen for winning their Trustee positions. Congratulation also to Shauna Musselman for winning a second term as our Clerk.
I'm going to maintain this blog, as I think it's a good way to pass information out about what's going on in Peoria Heights. I will try to post something new and interesting at least once a month, hopefully more often.
Thanks again to EVERYONE who was involved, in any way, with this campaign! You know who you all are, and your support will never be forgotten.
Thanks- Mark
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
More Desperate Measures
I just received a phone call from a resident who had received a phone call from... well, let's just say it's someone I recently referenced... and she told them that "Mark Allen is going to raise taxes on you."
Uh, no. I'm going to say this again, just for her benefit:
We're $190,000.00 AHEAD in the General Fund, than we were in February 2005, when Mr. Carter was in. No one is raising Village taxes in the Heights. Certainly not me. Certainly not the Board of Trustees.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess. It sure is sad when the desperation leads to plain old lying.
Uh, no. I'm going to say this again, just for her benefit:
We're $190,000.00 AHEAD in the General Fund, than we were in February 2005, when Mr. Carter was in. No one is raising Village taxes in the Heights. Certainly not me. Certainly not the Board of Trustees.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess. It sure is sad when the desperation leads to plain old lying.
Happy Talk from Trustee Pendleton
I was able to hear the phone message sent out from Trustee Andrea Pendleton, and again, she should get into reading fairy tales at the library. 'Cause that's what her diatribe is.
Once more, throwing out "higher taxes," "spending the Village away," etc. etc. etc. Here is a clue for Mrs. Pendleton:
We're $190,000.00 AHEAD of where we were after February 2005. I know you don't like to hear that, but it's true. Believe me, if we survived you and Earl's spending on Tower Park ($780,000.00) and Poplar Lane Park (sorry that I'm bringing that up again) in the amount of $225,000.00, we can survive the increased spending we've made on drainage issues; curbs and sidewalks; full-time paid ambulance staff; you know, silly things like that.
I'm not sure if we could have survived the $5 million you wanted to spend on Streetscape, and I hope we don't find out.
More of the same from Mr. Carter and Mrs. Pendleton. Fear mongering; fact twisting; fact ignoring; same old same old.
Once more, throwing out "higher taxes," "spending the Village away," etc. etc. etc. Here is a clue for Mrs. Pendleton:
We're $190,000.00 AHEAD of where we were after February 2005. I know you don't like to hear that, but it's true. Believe me, if we survived you and Earl's spending on Tower Park ($780,000.00) and Poplar Lane Park (sorry that I'm bringing that up again) in the amount of $225,000.00, we can survive the increased spending we've made on drainage issues; curbs and sidewalks; full-time paid ambulance staff; you know, silly things like that.
I'm not sure if we could have survived the $5 million you wanted to spend on Streetscape, and I hope we don't find out.
More of the same from Mr. Carter and Mrs. Pendleton. Fear mongering; fact twisting; fact ignoring; same old same old.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Big Flier from the People's Party
Well, just when I think that Earl Carter has finally gotten enough sense to stick to the facts, he sends out this huge flier entitled "Mayor Mark Allen... the illusion of success." Geez. Okay, once more he reads what he WANTS to read, and ignores the facts. Here are the facts:
1. EVERY cent paid towards the new fire department ladder truck WAS PAID under our administration. Period. I never said that we ordered the ladder truck. Carter's administration did that. What I stated was that every cent towards it (over $350,000.00) has been paid since I got in office. Once more, let's review what I placed in our pamphlet, in the section "Over the Past 4 years:"
"$350K paid on new ladder truck."
That's all that was written regarding the ladder truck.
And, it's still a fact, Earl.
2. "Painting of the Observation Tower." Earl, it was done under our administration. I didn't say that I came up with the idea. It's routine maintenance, albeit expensive maintenance. But, again here is the fact: it was voted on, approved, and paid for under OUR administration. Again, a simple fact. It was painted in July and August, 2005... three months after you left office. And, it was paid for after the painting was completed. You still weren't in office.
That's a fact, Earl.
3. "Resurfacing of Forest Park Drive." Again, Earl, I'm not saying that I came up with that plan. Once more, it's maintenance... routine maintenance. You may find this hard to believe, but Forest Park Drive had actually been surfaced and resurfaced probably several times before even YOU took office as mayor. I know that's hard to believe, but I think it's true. This was not a novel concept, dreamed up just by you. However, once more, it was voted on, approved, and paid for under our administration. It was done over the summer of 2005, and you were still out of office then, Earl.
Special insert: Why does Earl Carter think he is so brilliant for "coming up" with routine maintenance projects? I'm pointing out what was spent over the past four years, and what it was spent on, as Earl keeps throwing out this "blowing money" thing. Have we blown money on the Observation Tower painting and Forest Park resurfacing?
If any of the above projects had been paid for under the Carter administration, they would not have shown up in our pamphlet. But, they weren't, and the citizens of Peoria Heights need to know what projects have been paid for over the last three years and eleven months, particularly when my opponent continues to beat that "they're spending too much" drum.
4. Please refer below to the posting on the new police station building. The cost of adding on to Village Hall was estimated at $170-220/SF. We bought the former Williams Brothers building for a bit under $100/SF. Apparently, Earl doesn't have a Radio Shack calculator like I have, because he still thinks that adding on to Village Hall would be cheaper. Why would it "make more sense" to add on to Village Hall for the Police Department when it would have cost so much more? More importantly, if that was the case, why wasn't it added on to, say, six or seven years ago under the Carter administration?
And, Earl, the financing is interest free. I don't know why you cannot understand that. Let me try and get it across one more time. The building was purchased for $495,000.00 over a 5 year plan, with NO interest to be charged. Will I need to repeat that again?
5. Earl and his Zip Code change.
That's great that you were the one in office when it came through. You said in the article you copied, that the Heights had been trying to get its own zip code for over 20 years, which would include a number of years under former Mayor Ray Picl. So, you were the lucky one in office when it finally came through. That's grand. Thanks for being here.
Did it ever occur to you, that in this instance regarding the zip code change, that you were taking credit for something that had been going on for 19 years before you, in your own words? You're sort of doing the horrible things you're accusing me of doing with regards to the painting of the Observation Tower; Forest Park Drive; and paying the money on the ladder truck. The difference here is that you did NOT pay any money to have the zip code changed under your watch; we DID pay for all of the above named projects under our administration... but, still, you puff yourself up and act as though you were the guy who got the zip code change done. Typical. Why didn't you thank former Mayor Picl for the 19 years that he had been pushing for the change? Again, typical.
That being said, the "economic impacts" of our own zip code are way overstated by you. I can get some numbers on that perhaps before the election. But, to think that the 61616 zip code is the main reason why we have record revenues is really narrow, and honestly, silly.
To see why, review the chart below showing how revenues were steadily going down under your leadership, Mr. Carter. If the zip code was the main component of our revenues going up, then why were they going down after the code was changed?
6. If you are the sole person responsible, Earl, for the record setting revenues we are having, why did the revenues continue going down the last few years of your administration? Once more, here are the facts:
Revenues:
2001-2002 $2,792,942.00
2002-2003 $2,717,354.00
2003-2004 $2,582,947.00
2004-2005 $2,480,660.00
Once again, it appears Mr. Carter doesn't have a Radio Shack calculator like I do, because it shows that revenues had dropped by $312,282.00 over the last 4 years of the Carter administration. Period. Facts. And, wonder of wonders, the new Walgreen's was already open, along with ALL of the other businesses that Mr. Carter "brought" in.
Give me a break, Earl.
You really love yourself, I know that. But, I have a "universal truth" for you to possibly contemplate.
Here it is:
Businesses did not locate in Peoria Heights, under your tenure, because of you.
I know that is a hard pill to swallow, but it's true. Here's what I'll tell you from our end: advertising the Heights has likely played a part in our increased revenues.
We broke revenues of $3,100,000.00 this past fiscal year. Compare that to the final four years of the Carter administration. Again, Mr. Carter doesn't like to deal with facts... because, in these instances, they show him to be grossly mistaken.
7. "Blowing Taxpayer's Money"
More factual mistakes from the People's Party hierarchy. Earl, if you had taken the time to read my blog, and also perused the minutes of the Board of Trustees Meetings, you'd find that the "40% wage increases" for the Department Heads is not even close to being true. Scroll down several postings, and read it for yourself. Why you keep running with this, I just don't understand. Oh, yes I do. You don't like the facts when they don't agree to your Fantasyland.
Four police cars were not purchased "immediately" when I took office. The following year, three squad cars were purchased because our fleet was falling apart. Why? Because under Mr. Carter's administration, money was needed for the $780,000.00 payout on Tower Park, and the $225,000.00 on the park in the flood plain (sorry, I know I had promised not to mention it again). Squad cars for police safety were apparently not considered to be a priority for Mr. Carter. Concrete in Tower Park was.
And, Earl, a budget IS a guide. You never followed a budget in your entire 8 years exactly. No municipality CAN follow a budget exactly. That's the way it is. But, somehow, in your Fantasyland, things were different under you. We have a budget. You say it's "illegal" for us to use a budget as a "guide"? If so, you broke the law during your years as mayor, too.
There doesn't seem much more I can add to this silliness.
Oh, and I thanked Trustee Pendleton for getting the lower population figures that allowed us to pay less for recycling. I appreciated that she did so. But, per usual, that's not good enough. I am evil because I didn't get the information before she did.
In fact, I never did "bristle" over the lower population figures that Trustee Pendleton had obtained from the County (who came up with the "bristle" description, anyhow?). What I DID "bristle" over was Trustee Pendleton's insistence on spending $400.00 more for a phone survey about the desires for a recycling program, when we already had hundreds of HAND-WRITTEN survey responses, heavily in favor of the program. We agreed to the unnecessary phone survey, which showed about 85% in FAVOR of a recycling program in the Heights.
8. American Tower Corporation
This is a good one. In his flier, Mr. Carter states that "the Village has already received $75,000.00" for the leases. And, guess what? Mr. Carter listed that $75,000.00 as a DONATION to the Tower Park changes. You know, the ones that cost us $780,000.00. Additionally, in order to do so, Mr. Carter agreed to accept $50,000.00 up front for the tower on Toledo for the first 10 years of the lease; and to accept $25,000.00 up front for the tower off of Gardner Lane, for the first 5 years of the lease.
The actual lease costs are $8,400.00 per year for the tower on Toledo. The lease payment is $7,500.00 per year for the tower off Gardner Lane. Again, using my Radio Shack calculator, that tells me that the lease payments over 10 years for the Toledo tower should have been $84,000.00, instead of the $50,000.00 that was accepted. The lease payments for the Gardner Lane tower should have been $38,500.00 for the first five years of that lease, instead of the $25,000.00 that was accepted.
Why did Mr. Carter insist on having the $75,000.00 up front, instead of taking the $122,500.00 that would have been paid out on the leases as originally conceived? Again, that $75,000.00 was listed as a donation for the Tower Park changes.
9. "A Dictator Operating on a Whim"
Well, I was waiting for the "libelous" nature to come forth from this circular. The statement that I was responsible for the "stealthy conversion of the old library into a methadone clinic" is it.
The old library building is privately owned. It was the decision of the owner of that building to lease it to the methadone clinic. I have no more control over what goes in there than I have as to what goes into any other privately owned building in the Heights. We had our Village Attorney check into whether or not we could keep this from happening, and we were advised that we would be opening the Village up to a possible multi-million dollar lawsuit if we tried to stop it. Mr. Carter knows that.
But, now that the printed statement is in my hands, I know that my attorney will be more than happy to run with this one.
10. "Keep on rockin' Pendleton"
An editorial from the Times-Observer regarding the "heroic" actions of Trustee Pendleton calling into question everything that is done under my watch. Here's a fact:
You do not have to have competitive bids for any project under $20,000.00.
The bid from Krumholz Brothers for an improvement along Prospect Road was $11,275.00, well under the bid threshold. Additionally, Krumholz had been the low bidder in a few other projects in the Village, and was certainly known for being very reasonable in their costs. Why Krumholz? Because they had done a couple other similar projects along Prospect Road; we were happy with their work product, and wanted it to be in line with the other projects.
Another interesting factoid: Krumholz Brothers did the landscaping at Poplar Lane Park. They were used by the Carter administration.
Why do you not have to get more than one bid for a project that is under $20,000.00? Because there is a cost factor in getting bids. You have to advertise in the newspaper to go out for bids. You have to pay your engineering firm to review all of the bids. And, because all of that is done, it extends the time space that the project can be done in. So, by throwing everything out for bid, it costs the taxpayers more money.
The bid was voted 5-1 in favor of acceptance of the bid by the Board of Trustees.
11. Boulevard Avenue is a Peoria street?
There is a "gentleman's agreement" regarding the maintenance of Boulevard Avenue, and it is to be done by Peoria. However, the curbing, storm sewer line, and sidewalk installed were strictly on the Peoria Heights side of Boulevard, and certainly could not be considered to be "routine maintenance." It benefitted only Peoria Heights businesses and one resident. This area was a basket case regarding drainage, and had been long neglected. The cost was split between Peoria Heights and Peoria. That's right: Peoria paid for half of it, even though it was strictly on the Peoria Heights side. It had very little to do with the actual street; the vast majority of the work was the curbing, storm sewer line, and the sidewalk put in.
This was a good thing, and we appreciate Peoria and Mayor Ardis' help in getting it done.
12. There was never a vote by the Board of Trustees to "keep" our old engineering firm. There was a vote to "table" the decision to turn them loose. After that vote was taken, it was determined that the engineering firm we had been using for years was an "at will" employee; one that we did not HAVE to use. It wasn't just me who had been having difficulties with the old firm. I don't want to get any more into that, because it serves no purpose. Let me just say that we are getting great service from the engineering firm we've been using over the past couple of years.
In the end, it should be noted that there never was that vote to "keep" our old engineering firm. Another half-truth from the fine folks in the People's Party hierarchy. No, make that an outright lie.
You know, this "sort-of newspaper" appears to me to be nothing but desperate grabs for "power" in Peoria Heights; willing to say anything, willing to print anything, "forget the facts, and full speed ahead." The two-page write-up about all of the great things that Mr. Carter did while in office is just fine. Nobody ever said that everything he did was wrong. He did some good things, particularly in his first four years of office. Similarly, I believe we have done a number of good things in our four years, but Mr. Carter would never admit to that.
No political office is owed to anyone. No one has a "divine right" to a political office. Competition should be expected. The problem comes with the "half-truths, innuendos, and outright lies" that the People's Party hierarchy employs to try and keep, or get back, that "power." The citizens of Peoria Heights deserve much more than that sort of political tomfoolery. We moved on four years ago... we need to keep moving forward.
I would appreciate your vote on Tuesday, and your votes for the Independent candidates for Trustee, who are:
Sherryl Carter (no relation, whatsoever, to Earl)
Robert (Bob) Hill
R. Scott Owen
Thanks- Mark
1. EVERY cent paid towards the new fire department ladder truck WAS PAID under our administration. Period. I never said that we ordered the ladder truck. Carter's administration did that. What I stated was that every cent towards it (over $350,000.00) has been paid since I got in office. Once more, let's review what I placed in our pamphlet, in the section "Over the Past 4 years:"
"$350K paid on new ladder truck."
That's all that was written regarding the ladder truck.
And, it's still a fact, Earl.
2. "Painting of the Observation Tower." Earl, it was done under our administration. I didn't say that I came up with the idea. It's routine maintenance, albeit expensive maintenance. But, again here is the fact: it was voted on, approved, and paid for under OUR administration. Again, a simple fact. It was painted in July and August, 2005... three months after you left office. And, it was paid for after the painting was completed. You still weren't in office.
That's a fact, Earl.
3. "Resurfacing of Forest Park Drive." Again, Earl, I'm not saying that I came up with that plan. Once more, it's maintenance... routine maintenance. You may find this hard to believe, but Forest Park Drive had actually been surfaced and resurfaced probably several times before even YOU took office as mayor. I know that's hard to believe, but I think it's true. This was not a novel concept, dreamed up just by you. However, once more, it was voted on, approved, and paid for under our administration. It was done over the summer of 2005, and you were still out of office then, Earl.
Special insert: Why does Earl Carter think he is so brilliant for "coming up" with routine maintenance projects? I'm pointing out what was spent over the past four years, and what it was spent on, as Earl keeps throwing out this "blowing money" thing. Have we blown money on the Observation Tower painting and Forest Park resurfacing?
If any of the above projects had been paid for under the Carter administration, they would not have shown up in our pamphlet. But, they weren't, and the citizens of Peoria Heights need to know what projects have been paid for over the last three years and eleven months, particularly when my opponent continues to beat that "they're spending too much" drum.
4. Please refer below to the posting on the new police station building. The cost of adding on to Village Hall was estimated at $170-220/SF. We bought the former Williams Brothers building for a bit under $100/SF. Apparently, Earl doesn't have a Radio Shack calculator like I have, because he still thinks that adding on to Village Hall would be cheaper. Why would it "make more sense" to add on to Village Hall for the Police Department when it would have cost so much more? More importantly, if that was the case, why wasn't it added on to, say, six or seven years ago under the Carter administration?
And, Earl, the financing is interest free. I don't know why you cannot understand that. Let me try and get it across one more time. The building was purchased for $495,000.00 over a 5 year plan, with NO interest to be charged. Will I need to repeat that again?
5. Earl and his Zip Code change.
That's great that you were the one in office when it came through. You said in the article you copied, that the Heights had been trying to get its own zip code for over 20 years, which would include a number of years under former Mayor Ray Picl. So, you were the lucky one in office when it finally came through. That's grand. Thanks for being here.
Did it ever occur to you, that in this instance regarding the zip code change, that you were taking credit for something that had been going on for 19 years before you, in your own words? You're sort of doing the horrible things you're accusing me of doing with regards to the painting of the Observation Tower; Forest Park Drive; and paying the money on the ladder truck. The difference here is that you did NOT pay any money to have the zip code changed under your watch; we DID pay for all of the above named projects under our administration... but, still, you puff yourself up and act as though you were the guy who got the zip code change done. Typical. Why didn't you thank former Mayor Picl for the 19 years that he had been pushing for the change? Again, typical.
That being said, the "economic impacts" of our own zip code are way overstated by you. I can get some numbers on that perhaps before the election. But, to think that the 61616 zip code is the main reason why we have record revenues is really narrow, and honestly, silly.
To see why, review the chart below showing how revenues were steadily going down under your leadership, Mr. Carter. If the zip code was the main component of our revenues going up, then why were they going down after the code was changed?
6. If you are the sole person responsible, Earl, for the record setting revenues we are having, why did the revenues continue going down the last few years of your administration? Once more, here are the facts:
Revenues:
2001-2002 $2,792,942.00
2002-2003 $2,717,354.00
2003-2004 $2,582,947.00
2004-2005 $2,480,660.00
Once again, it appears Mr. Carter doesn't have a Radio Shack calculator like I do, because it shows that revenues had dropped by $312,282.00 over the last 4 years of the Carter administration. Period. Facts. And, wonder of wonders, the new Walgreen's was already open, along with ALL of the other businesses that Mr. Carter "brought" in.
Give me a break, Earl.
You really love yourself, I know that. But, I have a "universal truth" for you to possibly contemplate.
Here it is:
Businesses did not locate in Peoria Heights, under your tenure, because of you.
I know that is a hard pill to swallow, but it's true. Here's what I'll tell you from our end: advertising the Heights has likely played a part in our increased revenues.
We broke revenues of $3,100,000.00 this past fiscal year. Compare that to the final four years of the Carter administration. Again, Mr. Carter doesn't like to deal with facts... because, in these instances, they show him to be grossly mistaken.
7. "Blowing Taxpayer's Money"
More factual mistakes from the People's Party hierarchy. Earl, if you had taken the time to read my blog, and also perused the minutes of the Board of Trustees Meetings, you'd find that the "40% wage increases" for the Department Heads is not even close to being true. Scroll down several postings, and read it for yourself. Why you keep running with this, I just don't understand. Oh, yes I do. You don't like the facts when they don't agree to your Fantasyland.
Four police cars were not purchased "immediately" when I took office. The following year, three squad cars were purchased because our fleet was falling apart. Why? Because under Mr. Carter's administration, money was needed for the $780,000.00 payout on Tower Park, and the $225,000.00 on the park in the flood plain (sorry, I know I had promised not to mention it again). Squad cars for police safety were apparently not considered to be a priority for Mr. Carter. Concrete in Tower Park was.
And, Earl, a budget IS a guide. You never followed a budget in your entire 8 years exactly. No municipality CAN follow a budget exactly. That's the way it is. But, somehow, in your Fantasyland, things were different under you. We have a budget. You say it's "illegal" for us to use a budget as a "guide"? If so, you broke the law during your years as mayor, too.
There doesn't seem much more I can add to this silliness.
Oh, and I thanked Trustee Pendleton for getting the lower population figures that allowed us to pay less for recycling. I appreciated that she did so. But, per usual, that's not good enough. I am evil because I didn't get the information before she did.
In fact, I never did "bristle" over the lower population figures that Trustee Pendleton had obtained from the County (who came up with the "bristle" description, anyhow?). What I DID "bristle" over was Trustee Pendleton's insistence on spending $400.00 more for a phone survey about the desires for a recycling program, when we already had hundreds of HAND-WRITTEN survey responses, heavily in favor of the program. We agreed to the unnecessary phone survey, which showed about 85% in FAVOR of a recycling program in the Heights.
8. American Tower Corporation
This is a good one. In his flier, Mr. Carter states that "the Village has already received $75,000.00" for the leases. And, guess what? Mr. Carter listed that $75,000.00 as a DONATION to the Tower Park changes. You know, the ones that cost us $780,000.00. Additionally, in order to do so, Mr. Carter agreed to accept $50,000.00 up front for the tower on Toledo for the first 10 years of the lease; and to accept $25,000.00 up front for the tower off of Gardner Lane, for the first 5 years of the lease.
The actual lease costs are $8,400.00 per year for the tower on Toledo. The lease payment is $7,500.00 per year for the tower off Gardner Lane. Again, using my Radio Shack calculator, that tells me that the lease payments over 10 years for the Toledo tower should have been $84,000.00, instead of the $50,000.00 that was accepted. The lease payments for the Gardner Lane tower should have been $38,500.00 for the first five years of that lease, instead of the $25,000.00 that was accepted.
Why did Mr. Carter insist on having the $75,000.00 up front, instead of taking the $122,500.00 that would have been paid out on the leases as originally conceived? Again, that $75,000.00 was listed as a donation for the Tower Park changes.
9. "A Dictator Operating on a Whim"
Well, I was waiting for the "libelous" nature to come forth from this circular. The statement that I was responsible for the "stealthy conversion of the old library into a methadone clinic" is it.
The old library building is privately owned. It was the decision of the owner of that building to lease it to the methadone clinic. I have no more control over what goes in there than I have as to what goes into any other privately owned building in the Heights. We had our Village Attorney check into whether or not we could keep this from happening, and we were advised that we would be opening the Village up to a possible multi-million dollar lawsuit if we tried to stop it. Mr. Carter knows that.
But, now that the printed statement is in my hands, I know that my attorney will be more than happy to run with this one.
10. "Keep on rockin' Pendleton"
An editorial from the Times-Observer regarding the "heroic" actions of Trustee Pendleton calling into question everything that is done under my watch. Here's a fact:
You do not have to have competitive bids for any project under $20,000.00.
The bid from Krumholz Brothers for an improvement along Prospect Road was $11,275.00, well under the bid threshold. Additionally, Krumholz had been the low bidder in a few other projects in the Village, and was certainly known for being very reasonable in their costs. Why Krumholz? Because they had done a couple other similar projects along Prospect Road; we were happy with their work product, and wanted it to be in line with the other projects.
Another interesting factoid: Krumholz Brothers did the landscaping at Poplar Lane Park. They were used by the Carter administration.
Why do you not have to get more than one bid for a project that is under $20,000.00? Because there is a cost factor in getting bids. You have to advertise in the newspaper to go out for bids. You have to pay your engineering firm to review all of the bids. And, because all of that is done, it extends the time space that the project can be done in. So, by throwing everything out for bid, it costs the taxpayers more money.
The bid was voted 5-1 in favor of acceptance of the bid by the Board of Trustees.
11. Boulevard Avenue is a Peoria street?
There is a "gentleman's agreement" regarding the maintenance of Boulevard Avenue, and it is to be done by Peoria. However, the curbing, storm sewer line, and sidewalk installed were strictly on the Peoria Heights side of Boulevard, and certainly could not be considered to be "routine maintenance." It benefitted only Peoria Heights businesses and one resident. This area was a basket case regarding drainage, and had been long neglected. The cost was split between Peoria Heights and Peoria. That's right: Peoria paid for half of it, even though it was strictly on the Peoria Heights side. It had very little to do with the actual street; the vast majority of the work was the curbing, storm sewer line, and the sidewalk put in.
This was a good thing, and we appreciate Peoria and Mayor Ardis' help in getting it done.
12. There was never a vote by the Board of Trustees to "keep" our old engineering firm. There was a vote to "table" the decision to turn them loose. After that vote was taken, it was determined that the engineering firm we had been using for years was an "at will" employee; one that we did not HAVE to use. It wasn't just me who had been having difficulties with the old firm. I don't want to get any more into that, because it serves no purpose. Let me just say that we are getting great service from the engineering firm we've been using over the past couple of years.
In the end, it should be noted that there never was that vote to "keep" our old engineering firm. Another half-truth from the fine folks in the People's Party hierarchy. No, make that an outright lie.
You know, this "sort-of newspaper" appears to me to be nothing but desperate grabs for "power" in Peoria Heights; willing to say anything, willing to print anything, "forget the facts, and full speed ahead." The two-page write-up about all of the great things that Mr. Carter did while in office is just fine. Nobody ever said that everything he did was wrong. He did some good things, particularly in his first four years of office. Similarly, I believe we have done a number of good things in our four years, but Mr. Carter would never admit to that.
No political office is owed to anyone. No one has a "divine right" to a political office. Competition should be expected. The problem comes with the "half-truths, innuendos, and outright lies" that the People's Party hierarchy employs to try and keep, or get back, that "power." The citizens of Peoria Heights deserve much more than that sort of political tomfoolery. We moved on four years ago... we need to keep moving forward.
I would appreciate your vote on Tuesday, and your votes for the Independent candidates for Trustee, who are:
Sherryl Carter (no relation, whatsoever, to Earl)
Robert (Bob) Hill
R. Scott Owen
Thanks- Mark
The People's Party "Barrage"
Well, I've heard several updates from folks regarding the People's Party fliers, propaganda, and what-not that is arriving in their mailboxes today. From what they've read to me, it's pretty much what I expected, and pretty much what I've already responded to numerous times throughout this blog. One report I had was that the Observation Tower cartoon has appeared again, with money flying all over and around it. It's not a bad drawing, and I'm sure it wasn't cheap for the People's Party, so it's good that they've "recycled" it. I also heard that there were allegations along the lines of "don't trust this administration, they're liars." That's a good one, if what I heard was correct.
All of the postings I've made are backed up with hard numbers, and actual facts. There's not much more I can do regarding that. The People's Party depends upon emotions; throwing around catch phrases like "budget," "TIF," "wasteful spending," etc. etc., hoping that some of it will stick. This coming from the mayoral candidate who advocated and spent $780,000.00 for the Tower Park changes, and was planning on dumping at least $5 million into Streetscape.
I was prepared to answer and respond to the Heights Examiner #2. For whatever reason(s), the People's Party hierarchy has chosen to fire out fliers instead. Economics? Maybe. To make it harder for me to respond? Possibly. No matter what questionable, emotional items their fliers give to you, I only ask that you take the time to read through my blog as much as possible. The facts are the facts. I know that the People's Party hierarchy doesn't like that; but, it is what it is.
If anything else really strange pops up, I will respond. However, I'm betting most all of their allegations have been answered earlier in the blog. I've certainly enjoyed putting the facts out for all of our citizens to read, understand, and hopefully use when making their choice on April 7. And, as always, if you have any questions, please call me at 688-6869. I thank you all again, and remember...
VOTE!
All of the postings I've made are backed up with hard numbers, and actual facts. There's not much more I can do regarding that. The People's Party depends upon emotions; throwing around catch phrases like "budget," "TIF," "wasteful spending," etc. etc., hoping that some of it will stick. This coming from the mayoral candidate who advocated and spent $780,000.00 for the Tower Park changes, and was planning on dumping at least $5 million into Streetscape.
I was prepared to answer and respond to the Heights Examiner #2. For whatever reason(s), the People's Party hierarchy has chosen to fire out fliers instead. Economics? Maybe. To make it harder for me to respond? Possibly. No matter what questionable, emotional items their fliers give to you, I only ask that you take the time to read through my blog as much as possible. The facts are the facts. I know that the People's Party hierarchy doesn't like that; but, it is what it is.
If anything else really strange pops up, I will respond. However, I'm betting most all of their allegations have been answered earlier in the blog. I've certainly enjoyed putting the facts out for all of our citizens to read, understand, and hopefully use when making their choice on April 7. And, as always, if you have any questions, please call me at 688-6869. I thank you all again, and remember...
VOTE!
Friday, April 3, 2009
A Few Quick Facts Regarding Budgets and Stuff
1. We are $190,000.00 AHEAD of where we were in the General Fund, in comparison to the February 2005 Treasurer's Report (see full posting below).
2. In fiscal year 2004-2005, the Carter administration was OVER its budget in 23% of the line items. We are over the budget line items in about 10%.
3. Over the past three fiscal years, we have not gone over the total budget, not even once. In fact, we have been well UNDER the total budget in each of those fiscal years.
Fiscal year 2005-2006, the total budgeted expenditures were $2,909,512.00.
$2,701,810.00 was spent; so we were $207,702.00 UNDER the budget.
Fiscal year 2006-2007, the total budgeted expenditures were $3,365,792.00.
$2,563,986.00 was spent; so we were $801,806.00 UNDER the budget.
Fiscal year 2007-2008, the total budgeted expenditures were $3,579,496.00.
$3,099,681.00 was spent; so we were $479,815.00 UNDER the budget.
The difference will likely be more narrow for 2008-2009, but we don't have those final numbers in yet.
The point of all of this is...? Well, just because it's budgeted doesn't mean it has to be spent. A budget is a GUIDE. The proof is when the Board of Trustees votes for something, and actual money is SPENT. And, this is the normal way of doing a budget, because if you make it too tight, it can be too constricting in a very fluid environment: namely, government.
We are $300,000.00 AHEAD of where we were supposed to be at this point in the "money on hand" department from last year's budget. Still, this upcoming fiscal year will be a very interesting year to manage, due to the economy and what effect it might have on our revenues. The upcoming budget is very expansive, but again is simply a guide. Many things have been BUDGETED for that likely will NOT have money spent on them, just the same as in the past. That is the nature of the beast called "The Budget."
2. In fiscal year 2004-2005, the Carter administration was OVER its budget in 23% of the line items. We are over the budget line items in about 10%.
3. Over the past three fiscal years, we have not gone over the total budget, not even once. In fact, we have been well UNDER the total budget in each of those fiscal years.
Fiscal year 2005-2006, the total budgeted expenditures were $2,909,512.00.
$2,701,810.00 was spent; so we were $207,702.00 UNDER the budget.
Fiscal year 2006-2007, the total budgeted expenditures were $3,365,792.00.
$2,563,986.00 was spent; so we were $801,806.00 UNDER the budget.
Fiscal year 2007-2008, the total budgeted expenditures were $3,579,496.00.
$3,099,681.00 was spent; so we were $479,815.00 UNDER the budget.
The difference will likely be more narrow for 2008-2009, but we don't have those final numbers in yet.
The point of all of this is...? Well, just because it's budgeted doesn't mean it has to be spent. A budget is a GUIDE. The proof is when the Board of Trustees votes for something, and actual money is SPENT. And, this is the normal way of doing a budget, because if you make it too tight, it can be too constricting in a very fluid environment: namely, government.
We are $300,000.00 AHEAD of where we were supposed to be at this point in the "money on hand" department from last year's budget. Still, this upcoming fiscal year will be a very interesting year to manage, due to the economy and what effect it might have on our revenues. The upcoming budget is very expansive, but again is simply a guide. Many things have been BUDGETED for that likely will NOT have money spent on them, just the same as in the past. That is the nature of the beast called "The Budget."
Thursday, April 2, 2009
MFT Account and Waterworks Account
In February 2005, the Treasurer's Report had the MFT (Motor Fuel Tax) account balance at $436,076.58.
The balance in the MFT account for February 2009 is $160,536.13.
Why the drop, you might ask? Mostly, it's from one very large project that was completed in early fall 2005. That was the re-surfacing and additional work on Forest Park Drive. That cost $395,000.00 out of the MFT fund. Additionally, around $100,000.00 was drawn out of MFT last summer for the re-surfacing and curb work along Monroe Avenue.
The MFT fund consists of fuel tax monies we receive from the state; local taxes paid by our two gas stations; and other similar tax monies received, based on fuel consumption. NO money can be drawn out of the MFT account for ANY project, unless it is OK'd by IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation). We normally receive at or near $200,000.00-$230,000.00 per year for our MFT fund.
We also pay for our seal-coat program through MFT; along with road salt, paint for striping; and other such programs; ALL street related. In other words, the MFT account is down because we did substantial infrastructure work over the past 4 years; along with the obvious increases in road salt needed the past two winters.
The February 2005 Treasurer's Report regarding the Waterworks account stood at $718,824.35. Our February 2009 report has the account balance at $609,007.92. Why the drop?
This is mostly from one major item that was done in the summer of 2005. The re-painting of the Observation Tower cost $300,000.00, but obviously was desperately needed. That was paid out of the Waterworks account. Other maintenance items for our water system (far too many to list) come from this account, and we have done a number of improvements for our water system over the past 4 years. This includes replacing 2,000 feet of water main; installing shut-off valves in strategic areas in order to try to avoid boil-orders in the future when a water main ruptures; and improvements at both of our waterworks buildings.
It really does us no good to watch the accounts grow. It's far better to use the money to take care of maintenance problems that require immediate repairs and replacements.
The balance in the MFT account for February 2009 is $160,536.13.
Why the drop, you might ask? Mostly, it's from one very large project that was completed in early fall 2005. That was the re-surfacing and additional work on Forest Park Drive. That cost $395,000.00 out of the MFT fund. Additionally, around $100,000.00 was drawn out of MFT last summer for the re-surfacing and curb work along Monroe Avenue.
The MFT fund consists of fuel tax monies we receive from the state; local taxes paid by our two gas stations; and other similar tax monies received, based on fuel consumption. NO money can be drawn out of the MFT account for ANY project, unless it is OK'd by IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation). We normally receive at or near $200,000.00-$230,000.00 per year for our MFT fund.
We also pay for our seal-coat program through MFT; along with road salt, paint for striping; and other such programs; ALL street related. In other words, the MFT account is down because we did substantial infrastructure work over the past 4 years; along with the obvious increases in road salt needed the past two winters.
The February 2005 Treasurer's Report regarding the Waterworks account stood at $718,824.35. Our February 2009 report has the account balance at $609,007.92. Why the drop?
This is mostly from one major item that was done in the summer of 2005. The re-painting of the Observation Tower cost $300,000.00, but obviously was desperately needed. That was paid out of the Waterworks account. Other maintenance items for our water system (far too many to list) come from this account, and we have done a number of improvements for our water system over the past 4 years. This includes replacing 2,000 feet of water main; installing shut-off valves in strategic areas in order to try to avoid boil-orders in the future when a water main ruptures; and improvements at both of our waterworks buildings.
It really does us no good to watch the accounts grow. It's far better to use the money to take care of maintenance problems that require immediate repairs and replacements.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)