Last night Ald. Waldorf read off a long laundry list of large expenses needed by the water and sewer department.
What should our priorities be?
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Are you in favor of the 1/2% tax increase?
I'm not sure how I feel about the tax increase for repairing our infrastructure. The timing is not good because we are all digging a little deeper into our pockets for everyday neccessities. Is this being done to impress any business considering a move into Peru? Is it for the people who live and possibly work here every day? Give us an idea of what your plan is before asking for funding.
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19 comments:
Have we cut back as much as we can and still function as a city? Have we cut corners and quit spending wastefully? It seems to me that meeting after meeting more and more money is being spent. Unless we've examined every way to eliminate wasteful spending I don't think the people need to pay again for the neglect that has occurred through the years. PERU NEEDS A PLAN!!!
If we can afford to pay the summer help $12.50, no, I am not in favor of a sales tax increase. My reason being that apparently we are not watching our money and putting it to the best use.
Lois, I would be in favor of the tax increase, if the city can prove it is cutting back in each department. But it seems like it is business as usual when it comes to spending money.
Raising the sales tax may kill the goose that lays the golden egg.
The city needs to take a good look at expenses. For starters - no more donations. Drop in the bucket, but every drop counts. No employee raises - I think this could be a significant number.
After that part is figured out - a wheel tax and residential street parking fee can be considered to fund street repairs. $100 per year per car wheel tax and $25 per year if you want to park in the street instead of your driveway.
Please remove the picture of the council. It is the wrong tribute to a great believer in the city.
9:58PM
I think I know what you mean but that is probably the picture that will be in city hall and city records.
Would you like the city to take a new photo when the Mayor chooses a new alderman? I would and believe I will suggest that be done.
But on the other hand we now have newly elected aldermen who deserve to be noticed, I will find out what they think.
Lois, maybe you could ask the the family how they feel about the picture.
4:13 and 5:41 p.m. - You both make a great point. Any tax increase should be the absolute last option considered.
Where is the cost cutting and belt tightening that the mayor asked the council to undertake almost two years ago?
What efforts have been made by the respective committees to reduce costs?
These questions must be answered before a tax increase is implemented.
Brian - Have you consulted your alderman, Dave
Pothoff about your "wheel tax" and your "parking" tax? I'm not seeing that idea
making it through committee. How
soon can we expect alderman Potthoff to make a motion for these taxes to be instituted?
You are correct about cutting spending, but what elected official other than the mayor has actually tried to do so?
Here we go again!
Mayor Harl is irresponsible with the money of OUR city. He does not know HOW TO RUN A BUSINESS and all HE KNOWS IS TO RAISE TAXES.
The Mayors comment is "lets raise sales taxes by half a cent with a sunset of 5 years".
I say, "what does the mayor know in 5 years that we do not know TODAY?"
I WOULD NOT VOTE FOR A TAX INCREASE.
What I WOULD VOTE FOR IS COST REDUCTIONS FOR 5 YEARS, PERIOD.
Lets face it , kowing this Mayor, Once taxes are raised there is NEVER A REDUCTION but ALWAYS SOMETHING TO SPEND THE MONEY LATER . I do not trust him because his speech and actions are not on the same page but are different. In fact, it is to STICK IT TO US, CITIZENS OF PERU.
Remember this for the next election.
He MUST GO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To address the city council picture question?
I would say , it really does not matter which picture is used to represent our city .
However it seems to me that if this current picture is compared to the picture taken when the mayor took office 2 years ago , one might say , WOW THE MAYOR AND OTHERS SURE HAVE PUT ON WEIGHT!
Do you think that the additional salary for the mayor ($30K+)and his full time job has PUT MORE STEAK AND POTATOES ON HIS PLATE.
He will get a heart attack if he continues on this path, but that is not for me to question. It is his life !
Steve - I don't consult Aldermen, I submit ideas to them. Unless you moved, Alderman P is your Alderman also. I sent the wheel tax idea to him yesterday and he is researching it. The idea is not the best, but it would provide funds fast and the money would not go into the black hole called the general fund.
And.... remember, OUR Mayor has been sitting on my $250 employee incentive for 10 months now. I sent the check on July 20, 2010. As I stated in my presentation, it only works if the executive pushes it hard. The executive, in this case, is either against or is not interested in cutting costs.
OK, the election has come and gone and why is there not a motion to reduce the number of city council meetings?
Why are we paying summer help $12.50 per hour?
Why are we allowing donations of up to $20,000? per year?
Let's trim our expenses a little more before we ask for tax increases.
Brian - I'm sure I know Alderman Potthoff well enough to know where that tax increase idea you submitted to him is right now, and it will never be openly endorsed by Dave Potthoff. You can bank on that.
As for the $250 employee incentive for cost-cutting ideas. For you to place total responsibility on any one individual for it's success or, as is the case it's failure, is just unfair. I was there when you floated the idea to the entire city council as a program for all to participate in. How then can you blame it's failure on one individual?
Maybe the real question should be, why are you looking for blame in the first place? It was your idea.
Brian: No matter what you call it, government's answer to all money problems is to always find a way to tax the people. Well, the people say it's time for government to own up to its' mistakes and take charge of their own expenses and live within its' means. We have to learn to survive on a budget - so should government.
Brian that check is stale. It won't even be cashed.
Police agreement and donations topics for Peru council
Posted by wlpo on May 22, 2011
While some cities have stopped making donations to local non-profits, Peru continues to set aside $20,000 in the budget for such things. That’ll be one of the things they’ll talk about at their council meeting Monday evening.
The council could also approve an agreement with the Ottawa Police Department that would allow the Peru Police Department to provide and receive help from Ottawa officers.
The Peru City Council meets at 7:30pm Monday.
Shame on Peru City Council if they vote tonight in favor of 20,000 for donations, when just last week Mayor Harl is considering a sales tax increase. And shame on the same council if they vote in favor of the agreement with Ottawa. We have surrounding towns that have great police departments. If Peru already has agreements with Oglesby, LaSalle, Spring Valley, please make that public. It makes us look bad to think we have passed everyone else up and went straight to Ottawa.
Lois, I think your 10:08 comment should have its own heading. These are very important issues that will be discussed tonight and the word needs to get out.
6:17 - It was cashed about 3 days after I sent it to the city.
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