The East Peoria City Council voted to conduct a comprehensive study of its aging wastewater treatment plants.
Some parts of the plants are 50 years old, with a useful life expectancy of about 40 years. That’s according to City Commissioner Tim Jeffers.
“We’re pushing it and we’ve repaired some of these things and gathered a few more years of use for them. But we’re to the point that you can’t afford to be wrong,” Jeffers says.
Jeffers says the study will cost as much as $204,000 and give a broad overview of the plants’ equipment condition and future compliance with EPA requirements.
EARLY RETIREMENT OFFERS
As many as 29 employees with the City of East Peoria could accept early retirement packages starting next year. The City Council gave final approval to the issue Tuesday. City Commissioner Dan Decker says the goal is to streamline service through attrition:
“We will be able to make some changes that will allow us to do the work with less workforce, but be able to get just as much done.”
Eligible employees for early retirement must be at least 50 years old, with more than two decades contributing to the state Municipal Retirement Fund. Early projections say the city could save nearly $3 million in ten years when comparing new wages to current pay and overtime.