Federal Government Move to Peoria?

Australian Shooter Magazine



Gotta love the closing comment!

Australian Shooter Magazine

An email sent to me which is sad but I pass on with a little "TIC" humor.

Good idea. The Federal Government would be more centrally located. We have a lot of "big" box empty buildings that could be rehabbed. We have a strong National Guard, lot's of activities, even nationally known, Big Al's, a gambling boat across the river, including National Softball tournaments across the river, yes we too, have a river and not least we could use a boost in stimulus money and more jobs. Plus many of us are in favor of "qualified" people having "the right to carry" so most D.C. politicians would eventually be safe here.

Here is the email:

An interesting letter in the Australian Shooter Magazine this week, which I quote: "If you consider that there has been an average of 160,000
troops in the Iraq theater of operations during the past 22 months, and a total of 2112 deaths, that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000 soldiers.

The firearm death rate in Washington, DC is 80.6 per 100,000 for the same period. That means you are about 25 percent more likely to be shot and killed in the US capital,
which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the US, than you are in Iraq.

Conclusion: "The US should pull out of Washington."

Shut Bel-Wood Down? Not Hardly

One Peoria County Board member keeps telling other board members that the state will shut Bel-Wood down soon if sprinkler systems are not installed. Most probably not. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sent out a Guidance to Surveyors rev.22,12-15-06 that states under section 483.70(a)(8)(i) and (11), A long term care facility must install an approved, supervised automatic sprinkler system in accordance with the 1999 edition of NFPA 13, 'Standard for the installation of Sprinkler Systems', as incorporated by reference, throughout the building by August 13, 2013'. (4 years from now)

According to a friend of mine who spent many years working for the State of Illinois, inspecting Bel-Wood more than 20 times, says as long as the state is notified the County has the plans to do the installation and is moving forward on the project is usually satisfactory. The worst scenario, he says, would be a fine.

His observations on his visitations to B-W were that most problems were not physical but were operational. He feels most of the problems will remain even if a new building is built). He also believes that retrofitting the building would be adequate and that it would not cost even $22 million, up to $27-$29 million now????. (The latest projected cost for a new B-W now up to is $41 million, $38 million would need to be borrowed)

As an almost 9 year veteran of the County Board and having served and serve now on the Health and Environmental Committee, I felt that we hired the wrong manager back in 2002 and said so over the strong recommendations of our administrator. He was gone in 3 1/2 years. Too late. No one was calling attention to our committee that the building was in terrible shape, and, by the way, why do the private pay and Medicare people stay there when their are 400 empty beds in the community (these figures from our B-W Administrator in March, 2009) if B-W is in such "bad condition"?

Seven months after our present administrator was hired, he was quoted in the JS on 12/30/2007, "By 2010, all health care facilities, including nursing homes, must have sprinklers". Not a true statement at all. He was also quoted in the same article as saying that B-W had 25 Life Safety Code violations issued by the Illinois Department of Public Health, yet we were not fined for these violations, but were fined for violations that evidently started in 2008 and in May the County Board was notified we were going to pay a $10,100.00 fine for violations at Bel-wood. He was also quoted that B-W had made a $1 million profit. Public facilities not not make "profits" when they are supported that year by $2,890,000 in property taxes, both direct and indirect.

Hmmmmmm.

Bel-Wood has a long history of "operational problems". There is no guarantee a new building will cause these problems to go away. B-W was recently fined $10,000 despite the fact that we installed a new B-W Administrator within the last two years.

The State of Illinois would close Bel-Wood and boot all the residences out are "scare tactics". Plus put them where? That's also why we have elected representatives in Springfield to act on the counties behalf. Look how quickly we got a new bill passed to allow the new "facility sales tax".

It was a miracle.

Hmmmmmm.

Representative Aaron Schock Requests Meeting with Peoria Public Park Superintendent and Park Board President

On February 28, 2009, Congressman Schock requested a meeting with Superintendent Noble and President Cassidy, to ask that they compile a list of "shovel ready" projects for the stimulus package.

The list composed was as follows:

Pimiteoui Bike Trail (Kellar Branch. This project includes the construction of a six mile section of bike trail on the Kellar Branch railroad through Peoria. Total request - $1.8 million

Grand View Drive Bluff Watershed and Roadway Stabilization - $1.8 million

Glen Oak Parking Lot Improvements. This project includes construction of a lighted pervious concrete parking lot for 125 cars to meet the needs of activities within historic Glen Oak Park and an expanded Peoria Zoo. - $750,000.00

Glen Oak Park Open Space Acquisition. The project would include the acquisition of 12parcels located adjacent to historic Glen Oak Park. The included scope includes the necessary appraisals, platting, demolition and restoration of open space. Plenty of room for lots of pork here. - $1.2 million

New Peoria Park District Administrative Offices and Community Center located at 6017 N. Knoxville Ave. - Renovate an existing facility to provide a new, consolidated, and efficient administration building for the Peoria Park District. Architectural work has been completed, and this project would have been put out for bid for 2009 construction, but has been delayed by the state of the economy. - $2.9 million

Proctor Center, which the park said was underutilized and needed a lot of work has already received $212,500.00 as part of a matching grant. Grant from who? The state?

Pork barrel and earmarks and if you can find any real stimulus in any of these projects, please explain your definition of stimulus.

USTA - Peoria Futures - The Clubs at River City - July 11-19

Great tennis. Some of the best men players in the world and some who have or will play in major tournaments soon. This is the 29th year of this OPEN format. Players from 20 or more countries are participating. Free gate with bleacher seating including two sections with shade.

When you consider that some of these players are ranked as high as in the 400's, consider the caliber of play by looking at major league baseball who have 800 players in their systems.

Tournament directors are local well known tennis players, Ron Murphy and Chris Doscotch ably assisted by Martha Burdess and Margo Grimstead and family among a host of others.

See you there..

My Peoria County Board Election Planks - 2000

Listed are the "issues" on which I based my successful run against Zan Ransburg in the Republican primary for my 2000 election to the Peoria County Board. I defeated Democrat Jim Graves in the General Election. Since then I have reelected twice and twice elected to terms as Vice-Chairman of the County Board.

My priorities, in order, were as follows:

1. Reduce property taxes; we reduce the levy but property values are supposedly rising and so are property taxes. Personnel costs and benefits are rising. We had a budget of $80 million in 2000 and a budget of $122 million for 2009. Success?

2. Bel-Wood Nursing Home still has major problems which need to be addressed: Success, no. Three years into my first term, I helped promote a successful referendum to raise property taxes to MAINTAIN Bel-Wood. 2003 property taxes to support BW were $681.000. In 2004, these taxes rose to $1,461,552. By 2008, these taxes had risen to $1,750,609. From 2002 through 2008, BW has collected $15, 349.538.00 in property taxes and indirect taxes plus $300,000.00 from the Counties General Fund for maintenance but BW's condition continued to deteriorate. In 2004, the first year the direct property taxes from the referendum were collected, B-W was $4,395,868.00 in debt even though retirement (IMRF) and FICA costs of $772,246.00 were deducted from Bel-Wood operating costs for the first time that year. In 2005, Social Security and Medicare costs were also deducted from B-W operating costs. These INDIRECT costs that should have appeared in Bel-Wood's operating costs as indirect taxes amounted to $1,222,000 in year 2008. From 2002-2008, these indirect taxes totaled $6,535,818.00, combined with direct taxes, all collected from property tax payers, make it appear Bel-Wood is operating close to break even. Operated like a business, which it is, it is losing millions of dollars each year.

Board members say, but this was all approved in the referendum.

Not true at all. Board member Mayer is quoted as saying, "we could not use the taxes from the referendum for any other purpose. True, but we could remove the tax from the tax payer rolls. But I'm probably the only "politician" who ever suggested removing a tax from your property tax bill. We could have also used this $15 million plus to MAINTAIN Bel-Wood; we didn't, as the 2003 referendum read.

Bel-Wood in 2008 was subsidized by a total of $2,971,245.00 alone. Yet Democrat Allan Mayer said Bel-Wood was making a profit and Republican Carol Trumpe said Bel-Wood was breaking even. When Bel-Wood is heavily subsidized its easy to say it is breaking even or making a profit.

Part of the referendum funds totaling the aforementioned $14+ million meant for maintenance went to pay off this $4+ million debt. Now the County Board has voted to build a new BW at a cost of approximately $41,000,000.00. With only $3 million in the BW building fund, $38,000,000.00 will need to be borrowed over a 30 year term. Figuring 5% interest will drive the total amount paid out to build B-W to approximately $75,000,000.00 over 30 years. Administration projects that by year 2042, BW property taxes collected will amount to $4,500,000.00 a year. Administration predicts that revenues and property taxes rising at 3% a year will allow BW to operate yearly at break-even or better. The County Board majority, concurs.

We are going to build a $41 million new B-W that will compete against the private sector. B-W mission was to be a "safety net" for the poor.

Where the new B-W will be built is still to be determined. The old B-W will be renovated and used for some other county purpose, one possibility being used by the sheriff for overflow now existing at the county jail.

3. Facilities Maintenance: Success? Yes but only after too long a period of time. My platform read: " If elected I will call for the creation of a Facilities Manager to oversee maintenance of all county owned buildings. The county has invested millions in buildings, but has no centralized PREVENTATIVE maintenance program.

At the first Facility Meeting in 2001 under "Goals and Objectives", reads, 'Investigate in conjunction with the County Administrator the need for a Facility Manager for the oversight of all County property'.

Barbara Mantz Drake, then Editor of the JSEB asked me why I would want to spend money for a new position when the county was short of cash. I explained the necessity of a PREVENTATIVE maintenance system but neither she, the county board or County Administrator Urich were convinced. Approximately a year later a major water pipe break caused well over $500,000 damage to the courthouse, plus untold dollars in lost time. A preventative program would have caught the problem.

Yet it wasn't until September of 2006 that a suggestion was made, "Ms. Van Beek is asking the Health Committee's consideration in providing Bel-Wood with a Maintenance Supervisor saying that the building had a 'number of significant maintenance issues that need to be addressed'." She further stated that "Bel-Wood needs someone who can manage issues on a day to day basis".

Too late. Bel-Wood had deteriorated enough for the consultants to tell us it would be less costly to build. That decision in my eyes is very much debatable.

I'm informed by our lead maintenance supervisor, Scott Bishop, that we have a preventative maintenance system running today.

4. Computer Services: My issue was that "the county should explore developing its own specialized computer staff rather than relying on an outside vendor which has cost taxpayers millions". We did go in-house and the system has been extremely successful.

5. Financial Services: My issue was "The county has an annual budget of nearly $80 million but has no financial officer. No business can operate efficiently without such a position. the county should immediately take steps to hire a financial officer". It took until 2008 to do so. The move appears to have been successful.

I've enjoyed most of my 8 1/2 years on the board. I have 18 month to go and am not running for reelection. I wouldn't run again even if I had the energy. I've enjoyed seeing much progress made by the board but we are now venturing down avenues I do not support. I agree with our financial support of Springdale Cemetery but that should some day come to an end. I thoroughly disagree with our soon-to-be ownership of the Peoria Riverfront Museum. I believe that most if not all county government, should not be in the nursing home business. That is a specialized business that is far more complicated than from the "old days" when it was truly a "safety net" for the poor. Now it will be a $41 million and possible more facility in direct competition with those who pay property taxes to support it.

Peoria County Comprehensive Land Use Plan

This Plan, approved by the County Planning Commision will be presented to the full board on August, 13. Copies are available for review, 3rd floor, Peoria County Courthouse, Planning Department.

More Government Spending to Stimulate the Jobless

From WEEK-TV - "The state of Illinois is starting the process of notifying some 2600 employees that they may be laid off to help balance the state budget.

In Chicago, Governor Pat Quinn says the layoffs are part of the "shared sacrifice" Illinois Government is undergoing.

Illinois began the new budget year July 1 without a spending plan in place."

Here in Peoria we have a lot pf spending plans in place, all of them may not affect the tax rate but they will increase the amount of money you pay in sales taxes and property taxes. Want a list of them? Reread some of my blogs in 2009 or read the news more closely.

One clue - Tomorrow night, the County Board will hire retiree Mark Johnson at a rate equivalent to $108,000 a year to help the county plan the new museum. If you haven't been paying attention, the county will soon be the museum's new owner for at least the next 25 years.

Another clue - When the Library Board stops digging up the dead, they will start spending the $27,000,000.00 most of you voted to give them to build a library for the Dunlap people who already have there underutilized new library.

Another clue - The Peoria County Board approved a new Bel-Wood when the cost was thought by most of the board and the JS reporter to be $27-29 million. How about $41million of which only south of $3 million is in the Bel-Wood building fund? Some board members accuse me of mis-leading the public because there will be no new taxes, (at this time) just a lot MORE of your property tax dollars rising from $1,750,000.00 in 2008 to $4,500,000.00 by year 2042. Peoria County taxpayers also subsidized B-W, at least $1,222,000.00 last year and $......... by year 2042. I'll fill in that figure tomorrow when I get the estimated amount from our county financial officer.

Administration says, no problem to pay of the loan, $72,000,000.00 total, we expect (EVA) property values will go up 3% a year, every year for 30 years.

I'm not a believer. Oh, well, who seems to care as long as your money is paying for a "safety net for the poor". $72 million estimated so far. Plus and plus. A reminder, over 50% of the registered voters in Peoria, do not own their homes. Another reminder; one county board member pays no property taxes, one pays under a thousand dollars and one recently had his real estate taxes cut in half. My own property taxes, $7,000, (all property taxes are a matter of public record) are considered low by some yet I am the 2nd highest property taxpayer on the county board. That includes one who planted at least 700 acres of corn this year and is the recipient of government subsidies as are a majority of farmers.

All these figures are a matter of record and can be corrected by anyone who can prove my figures wrong.

State of Illinois Sends Layoff Notices

White House Defends Lavish Independence Day Luau
With unemployment at 9.5 percent and a federal budget over a trillion dollars in the hole, many Americans were stunned by the lavishness of the White House July 4th celebration. Not content with traditional burgers and hot dogs, the Obama Administration had several tons of exotic food and flown in from Hawaii. Obama’s favorite chefs accompanied the food on the flight.
Press Secretary Robert Gibbs defended the extravagance as “a morale booster and a stimulus to the economy.” “Sure, the President could’ve made a show of economizing,” Gibbs observed. “But that would send the wrong message. More spending is what it will take to revive the economy. The Presi dent is just doing his part.”
“Besides, a spectacular and well-publicized party provides a vicarious sense of enjoyment for every American,” Gibbs continued. “Scrimping would demoralize the country. It is comforting to even the poorest of our citizens to know that the President isn’t being short-changed on America’s birthday.”
In related news, White House senior adviser David Axelrod said despite last year’s campaign promises, the Obama Administration won’t rule out a tax increase on the middle class. “You know, what we call the ‘middle class’ in America is really quite wealthy from a global perspective,” he pointed out. “The average per capita income in the United States is nine times the world average. So, these so-called tea baggers’ claims that Americans can’t afford to pay more just doesn’t jibe with the facts as I see them.”

Sure, just like a local union boss said, "spend our way out of the mess we are in. Thanks, Mr. President, sorry I can't afford to fly in.

Charter School in Peoria

Ten states have strong enough unions to ban charter schools. They are Alabama, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Washington and West Virginia. 26 other states cap charter enrollment. (Illinois has a cap on charter schools which leaders like Peoria's Glen Barton are attempting to lift). Yet success stories abound like the Harlem Children's Zone that I first blogged on 11/05/05. I later blogged on this school on 5/24/09. View Park Preparatory High School in L.A., where the public school graduation rate is under 50%, graduated every senior in the last three years and every one of them were accepted to college.

Stanford Economist, Caroline Hosby found out that in New York City students selected by lottery were significantly out pacing of peers who lost the lottery and were forced to return to district schools.

In L.A., the Inner City Education Foundation (ICEF), a charter school network announced plans to expand the number of public charter schools from 13 to 35. The waiting list (10/14/08, WSJ, was over 6000, Like KIPP, (I blogged on Kipp Schools, also on 5/24/09) Teach For America, D.C. having a tough road to hoe through the bureaucracies including the union, Governor Charlie Crist of Florida was quoted on 7/29/08, "charter schools are a great part of our success. Florida now ranks third nationally in the number of charter schools and fourth in the number of charter-school students. I am committed to championing school choice for Florida".

For all that is being done in Peoria, "School choice can only succeed where schools are free to run and staff themselves, attended by choice expected to meet high standards and accountable for their results." (Chester E. Finn, Jr., a senior fellow at Stanford University and author of "Troublemaker: A Personal History of School Reform Since Sputnik".

Twenty-five years ago a blue-ribbon panel alerted America in a report titled "A Nation at Risk", to a rising tide of mediocracy that threatened our very future as a nation. Yet we are still not made achievements we need to turn back this tide of mediocracy in the United States of America.

I could list dozens of success stories from Philadelphia to San Francisco. The question is whether Obama and his education czar will continue to buckle to the powerful education unions. Unions who helped elect Obama Yet through their actions often contradictory to their public posture, show that they often times do not have the kids best interests at heart. As long as administrations are bureaucracies and unions are militant toward change, this nation will be hampered to see a rise from mediocrity in most of our public schools systems.

At a rising cost to property tax payers, most who feel they are not getting what they are paying for.

How did the union gain their tremendous power over education? Unfortunately, due to apathy, bureaucratic administrations and weak school boards. After all, who wants a five year, non-paying school board job subject to constant criticism? Why serve on a 7 person board trying to work with an administration who has difficult time in making decisions.

The entire system has made little change from the 1940's and much of that change has been to the worse.

We'll see whether the local planned charter school can break away from our existing local bureaucracies.

Keep Spending

Some letters to the editors say one way to get out of a recession is to keep spending. Don't lay off any employees, in, fact, even add some. Sorry, the best way to get out of a recession is to stop government spending on non-priority entitlements and go back to the core missions of our governmental bodies. Layoff or fire non-essential workers. There should be no entitlement to hire someone for a job unless there is a real and proven need. Back in about 2003, Peoria County laid off about 40 employees. Somehow, we survived.

As one union boss suggested that "if you have a steady job, make a conscious effort to help someone less fortunate....."

How true. And if you have "real disposable" income, spend it on something worthwhile to our economy.

Many in our area don't have excess monies but still keep spending. And not just in the private sector.