East Peoria commissioner Seth Mingus said the decision to ban open burning this April wasn't taken lightly. Many communities across Central Illinois have canceled open burning due to concerns about COVID-19, a respiratory illness. But East Peoria was slated to go ahead with its regular spring burning session in April, until some citizens spoke up.
The commissioner said those concerns led to the decision to only allow open burning for one weekend at the beginning of the month."Taking everybody's health into consideration, and the situation that we were in, I think stopping it for the time being was appropriate, and was the right thing to do," Mingus said.
Mingus said the open burning ban isn't permanent. He said the city plans to bring it back in late spring or early summer if the coronavirus has passed by then. City intervenes in Kroger property tax appeal
The city of East Peoria is opposing a move by Kroger to knock nearly $900,000 off the value of their store on S. Main St. Kroger's East Peoria store is currently assessed at $1.5 million for property tax purposes. The store is requesting a new assessment of $666,000, a decrease of $879,000.
Commissioner Mark Hill said it's in the best interest of the city to oppose that move.
The city, local school districts, and other taxing bodies could lose substantial revenue if the change takes effect. The state Property Tax Appeal Board is set to take up the case.
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