It was interesting to read DeWayne Bartel's endorsement of the $35 million for libraries and his interview with Councilman Gary Sandberg. Most interesting was that a reliable source told me that Sandberg announced his resignation as council library liason.
DeWayne says the delay of a vote last night was "only about a decision over location". Surely it couldn't be that Gary didn't have the 6 votes he needed to dump $35 more million dollars on the property tax payers who reside in the City of Peoria
I suspect it will be an interesting council meeting on June 24. It may all boil down to common sense.
There are only two sure things I'm told; death and taxes. I might add "big" egos and facts that get in the way of intelligent decisions.
My challenge to meet with me at Lakeview Library and show me a library "bursting at it's seams", inadequate parking and people using computers for "intellectual development." You know you can't or you would. Invite Mike Bailey, who lives in tazewell County and doesn't pay Peoria property taxes. People who own computers say they use the libraries computers because everything is "free".
I say a lot of young people are using the free library computers because they don't want their parent or parents to see what use they are making of these unsupervised computers.
2 comments:
Here's my question: as a property tax payer who thinks it is a good idea to have a fully tax supported new library, how do I stop government from picking my pocket to pay for an airport that I don't use and never will? Why do I have to subsidize CAT execs flying to and from business meetings and middle class SUV drivers who want to fly down to Naples for Chistmas? I'm looking at my property tax bill right now:
Library $172.03
Airport $112.30
Airport Pensions $ 6.44
Maybe somebody will post a response telling me how valuable the airport is, maybe it creates jobs (Fedex, UPS, etc.), maybe people fly into Peoria who otherwise might go somewhere else, I'don't know. Maybe Merle will tell us why the airport is so "vital" to the area. Still, I don't use it, therefore I shouldn't have to pay for it. Right? Wrong. My point is that, just like the airport, or the transit district, or the park district, or the civic center, the library is a governmental service that, while anyone could say we don't actually need and shouldn't support with taxes, but we still have them. Why? Because we the people, through our legislative bodies, say that we would rather live in a community that has these things than one that doesn't. I may think that the airport is a waste and the library is tax money well spent; well we've got both, so tp you and me both I say; live with it and quit wining about how high your property taxes are. If you don't want to pay for these things, just move.
People are moving and new arrivals are buying in areas surrounding Peoria.
I seldom use the airport. For the areas I visit, it is much cheaper to fly out of Bloomington.
As to $35 million for libraries we already have 8 area libraries to use. Only one, Lakeview, is what I would call busy. I visit them all and observe. Maybe you haven't read my 15 blogs and 2 letters to the editors on the subject.
We have far greater priorities for property taxes than more unsupervised computers in public libraries.
And more romance books that can be owned cheaply at used bookstores, Walmart and library and museum book sales.
As to property taxes, you haven't seen anything yet.
Wait and see.
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