Charles R. (Randy) Oliver - "This guy is an exceptional city manager", said Councilman John Morris. "He brings economic development expertise...." "He can hit the ground running here", added Councilman Jim Ardis. "I believe he is very results oriented, said Mayor Dave Ransburg.
Said Oliver, "The budgetary problems here are not uncommon. I think as a city manager, you have to have pretty thick skin."
That was around December 8, 2003.
On January 17, 2008, The JS says, "Time for a Change". Exit Randy Oliver. Council pays big bucks to hire a replacement search team.
Enter the always ready Henry Hollings to pick up an extra $10,000 or so to supplement his Caterpillar pension. He will be interim City Manager until the council ceases to pay him his monthly stipend. Most everyone on the council is glad Hollings is available because Hollings calls Peoria "a world class cit".
August 15, 2009, the JS says that newly hired City Manager Scott Moore, "City Manager to face real challenge".
Mayor Jim Ardis is quoted as saying, "I'm very excited to have a person like Mr. Moore who has a very extensive financial background to help us continue through these difficult times but who also has a track record of being a very good team player."
On November 10, 2009, the JSEB writes, "Peoria budget gambles with public safety, perceptions (I could have told the council that when they elected to make another boondoggle decision to fund new libraries to the tune of somewhere around $40 million). The article says that if Scott Moore gets his way more red ink would be added to the city's debt after the council had completed??the heavy lifting of getting a $14.5 deficit down to $643,000???
Really? Not hardly as the city deficit is estimated to be around $13 million next year. (JS, 2/2/11)
Shortly thereafter, the JS reports that Moore is job hunting in his old digs and later Moore exits his position and the city.
Reenter Henry Hollings to pick up another nice stipend for 3,4 5 months? Shortly thereafter, Peoria County Administrator Patrick Urich resigns his position to allegedly, job hunt, take his pensions and retire, become City Manager of say, a suburb of Chicago - who knows? I did and I predicted on this site he would soon be Peoria's new City manager with expanded duties and more power than any city manager in recent years.
And more salary, incentives, benefits than any city manager is Peoria's history.
On 2/2/11, the JS headline read "Urich starts in April". Mayor Ardis is ecstatic in announcing "almost to good to be true and thrilled". Ardis also said "Literally he can hit the ground running".
Some honeymoons last forever. This honeymoon, like most others, sounds to good to be true.
Good luck for the sake of this city whose future isn't quite as rosy as the IB and Peoria Progress publishes. Lest one forgets, the major portion of new construction ongoing in Peoria is tax-collecting construction, not tax paying construction.
Property tax payers in the City have yet to be hit with #150 new constructions costs (they will start to appear on your tax bill probably in year 2012-3. The new $51+ million BelWood County owned nursing home, if built, already collects $3 million a year in property taxes and the State of Illinois owes BW more than $2 million that may never be paid. I project the new PRM to lose approximately $2 million a year after the newness wears off. Then there is badly needed sewer and water main construction, higher health bills, higher insurance costs, less dependency on the Federal Government, rising grocery and fuel costs, and rising sanitary district taxes, in fact, expect all taxes to rise and keep rising unless all this construction attracts TAXPAYING entities.
I'd not count on it.
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