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City council allocates $50K for Peoria Grown, approves future pay raises for mayor, council members

Peoria City Hall
Joe Deacon
/
WCBU
Peoria City Hall

A nonprofit organization that aims to address food insecurity issues in Peoria will receive $50,000 as part of the city’s revised 2025 budget.

Council member Denise Jackson’s proposal to add the contribution to Peoria Grown into the city’s spending plan passed narrowly by a 6-5 vote during Tuesday’s special meeting for budget discussions.

“They have done a great job in terms of providing healthy alternatives to folks that really, really need it,” said Jackson. “If you would Google, there are studies all around that talk about when people are not able to have basic needs met — food, shelter and clothing — crime tends to go up.

“So we’ve got to make sure that we’re at least providing assistance to those who are most vulnerable in our communities.”

Jackson’s plan moves the $50,000 out of the $700,000 intended for clearing vacant lots as part of the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) program. City manager Patrick Urich estimated each lot clearing costs about $10,000, so the program would be reduced by about five lots in 2025.

“It just seems to me that Peoria Grown has opportunities, whether it's through the CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) program or the United Way, that there’s other opportunities for them to receive funding, while the lot clearing program is something that’s clearly on us,” said council member Tim Riggenbach, who was joined by Denis Cyr, John Kelly and Zach Oyler in opposing the change.

“I would encourage my colleagues that we stay committed to this program that we put forward last summer and see that to fruition before we change course in midstream.”

Jackson’s similar proposal to give another $50,000 from the lot clearing allotment to the Western Avenue Greenway failed, also on a 6-5 vote, with Cyr in favor, but Kiran Velpula and Mike Vespa against it.

“We need to help the Greenway project; they’ve been limping along for a long time, and if it goes under, guess what? The city is going to have to assume responsibility for it,” said Chuck Grayeb.

“Both of these issues, I would be opposed from the standpoint of reducing vacant lot clearing,” said Oyler. “I think this problem is going to get bigger, not smaller, as we continue to take on more properties through the land bank and the demolition program.”

Riggenbach and the others opposed to Jackson’s motions said providing funding to an organization in this manner is outside the city’s established process and sets a potentially troublesome precedent.

“We can’t just arbitrarily start delegating or designating funds with skipping a process,” said Bernice Gordon-Young. “I think it is unfair, and it doesn't take away from the great work that they’ve done, but I think we are really creating a problem by going outside of the policy, or at least the procedures that we have in place.”

Compensation increases

The council also approved 2% annual raises for the mayor and council members beginning in 2027, along with equalizing the salaries of the city clerk and city treasurer as of next May, with 2% raises to start the following year.

“I have, for a long time, felt that we need to ensure that we have some compensation for people serving our city, because I do not believe in the concept of noblesse oblige — that only the people who are well healed should be able to serve in these offices,” said Grayeb.

“So I have no heartburn with this and I’m willing to support it, although I know that it tends to be radioactive. But it’s not an extravagant increase — 2% is hardly keeping up with the cost of living.”

Compensation for the mayor, clerk and treasurer have remained the same since 2020, while district council members haven’t received a raise since 2017, and the pay for at-large members has gone unchanged since 2015. Mayor Rita Ali noted the salaries will remain unchanged for two more years.

“We’ve had a pretty long-standing position, since I’ve been here, that we have not changed it, and so I would object to any increases for the mayor or the council in these future years,” said Oyler.

The raises for the mayor and council members were approved by an 8-3 vote, with Cyr, Oyler and Riggenbach opposed.

“Contrary to belief, no one is getting rich being on the city council, I will say that. We are fulfilled with the joy of serving our constituents,” said Andre Allen. “But I think, again, offering a compensation that is attractive, to ensure that we have a diversity of talent, skills, experiences, reflecting the constituents of the city of Peoria.”

The changes setting the clerk and treasurer salaries at $123,529 as of next May 7, with subsequent annual 2% raises, was approved on a 9-2 vote with only Cyr and Riggenbach opposed.

Homeless funding

The council unanimously approved the staff’s request to reduce the amount to be set aside for addressing homelessness by $76,000. Urich explained that the city needed to repay Peoria County that amount following an audit of the abandoned Cure Violence initiative.

“That just reduces, on the bottom line, what’s left in terms of the final payments, and would thus reduce the amount that we have available for homeless fundings by that corresponding amount,” he said.

The budget draft had included $942,000 for providing capital investments and support services to assist the unhoused population.

“This will leave us with $866,000 of funds available for discussion with the community about what we can do to address encampments going forward,” said Urich, noting the city intends to hold a special meeting about homelessness issues on Nov. 19. “This is a start; obviously, it’s not going to be the end-all.

“What we’re really trying to do with this is (to) have some dollars that we can come back to council with a plan, once we’ve had this engagement, and say, ‘Here’s where we think that we can go with addressing these issues in in the next year.’”

With all the budget motions completed, Urich said there is no need for a special meeting on Nov. 5 and the staff will prepare the final document for a vote at the Nov. 12 regular meeting.

Contact Joe at jdeacon@ilstu.edu.