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Pekin now has the power to remove homeless campsites on public property

Pekin Police Chief Seth Ranney explains to Pekin City Council members Monday about how Pekin police officers will enforce a new city ordinance that bans homeless campsites on public property.
Steve Stein
/
WCBU
Pekin Police Chief Seth Ranney explains to Pekin City Council members Monday about how Pekin police officers will enforce a new city ordinance that bans homeless campsites on public property.

Homeless campsites are no longer allowed on public property in Pekin. Neither is the storage of personal possessions.

Those are the main enforcement tools of an ordinance passed unanimously Monday by the Pekin City Council.

What to do about homeless campsites set up in recent years along the Pekin riverfront and other parts of the city has challenged city officials.

The door was opened to bring the ordinance to the council when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision last month that cities can ban people from camping and sleeping in public spaces.

"We knew the Supreme Court decision was in the pipeline, but we've been taking steps to solve the homeless campsites problem by hiring a social worker in the police department and working with area agencies like the Pekin Outreach Initiative," said City Manager John Dossey.

"We need to address the unsightly and unsanitary conditions in these campsites while at the same time making the people there aware that there are resources to help them. Homelessness is a complicated issue."

Council member John Abel said he's glad the city is finally able to get a handle on the homeless campsites problem.

"Many residents have told me that's their No. 1 concern in the city," he said.

Pekin police officers will have the responsibility of enforcing the ordinance, and just as importantly connecting the homeless living in the campsites with resources that can help them find housing and/or employment, or address mental health or drug addiction issues.

Pekin Police Chief Seth Ranney said his department will create policies on how to enforce the rules in the ordinance.

"That's one of our top priorities," he said. "I'd say the policies will be in place in six weeks at the most. I'd like it to be sooner."

Ranney said his officers can enforce the ordinance on county and state land in the city.

"We don't want the campsites moving from one place to another in the city," he said.

Price tag for Pekin's purchase of Lutticken Farm property: $14 million

Pekin will spend $14 million over the next four years to purchase the 1,000-acre Lutticken Farm property.

The council voted 4-3 Monday to approve the purchase, with those in favor saying the land is needed to ensure Pekin's future growth, and those opposed saying the money should be spent on ongoing road projects like the Court Street and Derby Street improvements, future road projects, and other necesssary expenditures.

City Manager John Dossey said residential, commercial and retail projects are anticipated in the Lutticken property, which is bounded generally by Illinois Route 98 and Sheridan Road on the north and south, and McNaughton Park and California Road on the east and west.

Josh Wray, the city's economic development director, said city staff conservatively estimates the fully-built value of the property will generate about $5 million annually in real estate tax revenue, and about $3.5 million annually from revenue sources like sales, income and utility taxes, and permits and licensing fees.

Mayor Mary Burress broke a 3-3 tie to approve the purchase. Council members John Abel, Karen Hohimer and Chris Onken also voted yes. Council members Rick Hilst, Dave Nutter and Lloyd Orrick voted no.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grow our city," Onken said.

"I want our city to grow. We have been stagnant," Burress said.

Nutter said he likes to be proactive, but the $14 million should be spent "to fix the roads we have, and used on projects we haven't even talked about yet."

Hilst said he has concerns about the additional expenses attached to developing the land and he thinks the city is taking on too many projects at once.

"Plus, I don't think buying this property is a priority with residents," he said.

Orrick said developments on the property are all theoretical at this point and an economic study should be done to assure residents that they're getting a good return on the city's investment.

Dossey said the purchase price for the property includes zero-interest $12 million financing from the property owner in addition to the $2 million the city will pay in the 2024-25 fiscal year.

The council also approved by a 5-2 vote creating the option of the property being placed into a TIF district.

Wray said a TIF district would give developers an incentive to locate projects on the property, and allow the city to be paid back the purchase price for the property and legal fees by moving TIF money into the general fund.

Hilst and Orrick voted against the TIF district idea.

Richwoods Christian Church gets the green light to sell its building to the Clanahan Wellness Center

The former Richwoods Christian Church building at 2221 N. Parkway Drive in Pekin has been vacant since 2020. That apparently is about to change.

By a 4-3 vote Monday, the council approved a zoning change from R-3 (single-family residential) to OS-1 (office service district) requested by the Peoria-based church that will allow it to sell its building to the Clanahan Wellness Center for a chiropractic clinic.

The Clanahan Wellness Center is currently located at 105 N. Parkway Drive.

Mayor Mary Burress broke a 3-3 tie with her yes vote. Also voting yes were council members Dave Nutter, Chris Onken and Lloyd Orrick. Council members John Abel, Rick Hilst and Karen Hohimer voted no.

Hohimer said she didn't think the clinic should be located in a residential setting. Hilst expressed concerns about spot zoning, echoing an opinion expressed by resident Steve Sangalli during public comment.

The city's Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously recommended the zoning change.

Council given more responsibilities, asks for more time to study TIF grant recommendations

In other actions Monday, the council:

  • Unanimously approved dissolving the city's Historic Preservation Commission and giving its responsibilities to the Zoning Board of Appeals, and dissolving the City Tree Board, Human Rights Committee and Mayor's Advisory Committee for Persons with Disabilities and giving their responsibilities to the council. City Manager John Dossey said the changes will reduce unnecessary government bureaucracy, increase efficiency and bring important issues directly to the council instead of filtering them through a committee.
  • Voted unanimously to delay decisions on seven recommended TIF grant awards for business improvements until the Aug. 12 meeting so council members could study the recommendations and visit the businesses. The awards were recommended by the city's Economic Development Advisory Committee from among 15 applicants.
  • Discussed allowing downtown restaurants to use public parking spaces in front of their buildings for outdoor seating. City staff will continue to explore the proposal from the city's Economic Development Advisory Committee, including addressing safety, stormwater, accessibility, reduced parking and downtown character issues identified by the staff and council members.
  • Unanimously approved an annual contract with Itasca-based DACRA Tech for $33,230 to use its software that aids in the issuance and adjudication of traffic and city ordinance violations, and the administrative adjudication process.
Steve Stein is an award-winning news and sports writer and editor. Most recently, he covered Tazewell County communities for the Peoria Journal Star for 18 years.