Our revenues for this fiscal year (May 1 to the present) are lower than the previous year's revenues (for the same period) - off by roughly 7%. That's really quite good compared to other municipalities. I've read about a number of cities where their revenues are down from 10-40%. All in all, we're holding up very well. Our biggest problem is something completely beyond our control - that Illinois workers are just not able to earn as much, obviously due to the high unemployment. Our portion of the state income tax payments has decreased markedly; down by almost 25%. Hopefully, this situation will turn around (for a whole bunch of reasons) much sooner than later.
That being said, the coming fiscal year (May 1, 2010 to April 30, 2011) will be a somewhat tighter time. We will still be doing additional curb and sidewalk work - we plan on budgeting around $75,000.00 for that. Lower Prospect Road, from the RR tracks to Lake, will be milled and overlaid, but that will be finished with stimulus money left over from the previous year. I don't see any other major projects coming down the pike for the coming year, unless a second round of stimulus money is put out, which would give us additional options.
The past several months have been pretty busy, actually. Upper Prospect Road was done; we put around $100,000.00 into curbs and sidewalks; a bucket truck was purchased; extensive work was done on Cox Avenue, due to a culvert being near collapse; a parking lot was purchased on Duryea; we had a new salt bin built, one that is about two times larger than the old one, which was falling apart; amongst the normal day to day activities.
This coming fiscal year will be under the microscope, as the economy really hasn't done any true rebounding at all (I think everyone knows that). We are still quite sound financially - about $1.5 million in the black, in the general fund, and I'd like to see us get to around $1.6-1.7 million by the end of the fiscal year (April 30).
We hope to have positive news about the Kellar Branch Trail being given the green light soon; and that will open the door for our beginning the plans for a trailhead building in the Heights. We have a $390,000.00 grant that will go toward the construction of it; we will need to match it with an additional 30% in order to receive the grant; so we're looking at a building that could be around $550,000.00 plus in total. It should serve as a community building, as well. We have begun the process of the vision for this building, and I think it will be the "magnet" for the folks on the trail that we need it to be.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Ambulance Service Ordinance
This past Tuesday, the Board of Trustees passed an ordinance that requires any outside ambulance service to contact our own service, should they receive a direct call (not 9-1-1) to come to the Heights. The reason? We need to know what situation one of our citizens may be in. Is it a cardiac, or just a sprained ankle? Is it stroke related, or a minor cut to the head? In virtually ever circumstance, the Peoria Heights ambulance is going to be closer (sometimes a LOT closer) than any outside emergency service.
It would appear that passage of this ordinance would be a slam dunk. For those of you who might not know, Peoria Heights now has an Advanced Life Support (ALS) crew that is available around the clock. In other words, we offer virtually anything that any outside agency could offer regarding emergency treatment. So, for the safety of our residents, we NEED to know what emergency situation might arise within our corporate limits. Yet, somehow, the proposed ordinance became a sticking point for two of our trustees - Andrea Pendleton and R. Scott Owen. Trustee Owen had spoken with a representative of AMT (Advanced Medical Transport), and had reportedly been told that AMT might do away with the mutual aid agreement we have with them, should the ordinance be passed.
Trustee Pendleton stated that she felt the ordinance would take away the "choice" one has to have call whichever ambulance service one wishes to call.
This is not the case. The person can still call AMT if he/she wants to, it's just that AMT will need to call us to tell us the situation, if it is a direct call to AMT. (A 9-1-1 call comes directly to the Heights).
This ordinance was already passed by municipalities like Washington; East Peoria; Pekin, etc. some time ago. We're not creating a new concept here. And yet, somehow, it now was making a big hoo-hah, particularly to the two dissenting trustees.
In the end, the ordinance passed 4-2, with Trustees Pendleton and Owen voting against.
Maybe I'm mistaken, but it seems to me that the vast majority of the residents of Peoria Heights want to have HEIGHTS services. We now have a top-notch ambulance service, and yet there are those who seem to want to throw roadblocks into its path. I'm at a loss to fully understand the reasons why. Trustee Pendleton has consistently voted against everything having to do with the full-time paid ambulance service. She has stated that the Village will not be able to afford it in the long term. There is nothing so far to back up that theory.
I appreciate the positive and forward thinking of those trustees and residents who have embraced the ALS full-time service. We have dedicated, top of the line emergency personnel; a service we can be infinitely proud of.
And, we should be.
It would appear that passage of this ordinance would be a slam dunk. For those of you who might not know, Peoria Heights now has an Advanced Life Support (ALS) crew that is available around the clock. In other words, we offer virtually anything that any outside agency could offer regarding emergency treatment. So, for the safety of our residents, we NEED to know what emergency situation might arise within our corporate limits. Yet, somehow, the proposed ordinance became a sticking point for two of our trustees - Andrea Pendleton and R. Scott Owen. Trustee Owen had spoken with a representative of AMT (Advanced Medical Transport), and had reportedly been told that AMT might do away with the mutual aid agreement we have with them, should the ordinance be passed.
Trustee Pendleton stated that she felt the ordinance would take away the "choice" one has to have call whichever ambulance service one wishes to call.
This is not the case. The person can still call AMT if he/she wants to, it's just that AMT will need to call us to tell us the situation, if it is a direct call to AMT. (A 9-1-1 call comes directly to the Heights).
This ordinance was already passed by municipalities like Washington; East Peoria; Pekin, etc. some time ago. We're not creating a new concept here. And yet, somehow, it now was making a big hoo-hah, particularly to the two dissenting trustees.
In the end, the ordinance passed 4-2, with Trustees Pendleton and Owen voting against.
Maybe I'm mistaken, but it seems to me that the vast majority of the residents of Peoria Heights want to have HEIGHTS services. We now have a top-notch ambulance service, and yet there are those who seem to want to throw roadblocks into its path. I'm at a loss to fully understand the reasons why. Trustee Pendleton has consistently voted against everything having to do with the full-time paid ambulance service. She has stated that the Village will not be able to afford it in the long term. There is nothing so far to back up that theory.
I appreciate the positive and forward thinking of those trustees and residents who have embraced the ALS full-time service. We have dedicated, top of the line emergency personnel; a service we can be infinitely proud of.
And, we should be.
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