The Pekin City Council voted down a motion to receive and file a study of markets for Asian Carp. The study looked at a market for human consumption of the fish:
The four-to-two vote that ended up rejecting filing the study carries no legal consequences for the council. But those against building a processing facility in Pekin, like councilman Mark Luft, say the vote sends a message that a carp plant would take away from other economic development:
“I don’t think it would draw any other businesses in, I don’t think it’s an anchor business. I don’t think it’s something people run to, I think it’s something people run from.”
Commissioning the study cost $7,500. Pekin Mayor John McCabe voted in favor to file the report:
“Why wouldn’t we at least receive it? I mean, that’s like telling the taxpayers we’re just going to do a lot of studies and never look at any of them and we just keep throwing money away.”
The study says 38 companies have explored building potential processing plants and related facilities in the region.