Mayor has placed on the agenda that we go out for referendum with an increase in property taxes to build a swimming pool in spite of the fact that the Friends of the Peru Pool do not want this done. The votes on this could be routine or possibly interesting depending on the integrity of the council members.
Also Dept Supervisor of the Electric Dept. Jim Potthoff is retiring and the city will seek an electric dept superintendent/engineer to replace him.
14 comments:
Next Monday, October 7, 2013, the Peru City Council will vote on a proposed referendum regarding the swimming pool. It will ask Peru taxpayers if they want an increase in their real estate taxes to pay for a new swimming pool. The Friends for Peru Pool committee thinks the city can come up with the money in other ways besides raising property taxes. Mayor Harl was planning on finding $200,000 to pay for a bike path, so that right there tells us there is money that can be found in the budget. The council awarded a $3,000,000 contract to TEST without going for bids. Who knows if that could have saved some money that could have been used for the pool. The new gambling machines are generating money that is going to the city. What will that money be used for?
Please call your alderman and ask them to vote "no" for the referendum. Ask them to find alternative ways to fund an outdoor swimming pool. It can be done, the mayor and council just have to be open to new ideas and suggestions.
Sherry Lierly Mayszak
Calm down, it's just a referendum. When the ballots come out you can just vote "no"
10:03. That is exactly what Harl wants. He wants it so FFPP can never again stop a project he wants like the bike path. I spoke at the podium about being continually told the pool was a want and not a need. Was the bike path a want or a need? Harl was willing to push the bike path thru at a cost of $200,000. In his mind, if a referendum fails, he will be able to tell FFPP to get lost.
A Quote from Vice President Joe Biden about economics and history:
"When the stock market crashed, Franklin D. Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the, you know, the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's what happened."
Anon 10:03 Your answer is not reaching the depth of Sherrys' comment.
It has become evident that when certain individuals or people who are in favor of these individuals want something the city finds ways of financially supporting this something. For example the Mayor will look at the Treasurer and ask "How are we going to pay for this Gary?" and Gary will respond "We will write a check".
It has also become evident that when certain individuals or people who are in favor of these individuals do not want something the city cannot financially support this something therefore they retort to the built in loser "we will have to raise property taxes so lets include it in a referrendum".
Personally I am not in the favor of building a swimming pool at this time.
But I do see a problem within the swimming pool dilemma which is much greater than the orginal problem. For lack of any other name I have to call it Political Manipulation.
If Harl and the majority of the city council were really interested in a fair referendum on funding a pool, which of course they are not. But, if they were they would not "rig the game" by adding a question about raising real estate taxes on the ballot.
If they were fair minded and ethical leaders, which they are not, they would simply have the referendum question ask the public "Should the city of Peru fund the construction of a municipal pool at a cost of $ Million dollars? What Harl is doing is so blatantly obvious and demeaning to how elected officials should conduct city business it is embarrassing to us all.
Harl and his ethically challenged minions continue to move further and further way from any semblence of representative governemnt.
Someone needs to lead a charge against this "anti-citizen / anti-democratic" regime Harl has put together.
Hey, I like Minions! Dont lower them to the sleazy standards of our mayor and his "on their knees" buddies.
Sherry, the ffpp just need to have the right person ask for the pool and their wish will be granted. I wonder who was asking for the bike path.
The Ambassador of Pickle Ball!
a once great alderman told me "a public pool is never meant to make maoney, however it is a service that this communitee should provide!" how can we be the "leader of the Illinois Valley without a pool?
Once again a pool is a luxury that this town cannot afford!! Why would we put that burden on future generations?? We have various facilities in the area that residents can utilize. With the money that is projected to complete the project every citizen of Peru could receive a membership to the YMCA!!!
8:38 For one year..everyone gets a membership. Then what? A pool is there for many generations, for many families, for so many memories. We just agreed to put the burden of spending 800 k in useless fees on a no bid bid, and it is justified because , because... Well just cause that how it always was?
Well under that reasoning, there was always a pool, so get a new one up. Now. Do it.
If they put in a pool now, there won't be money available to overspend on the TEST contract and the resurfacing of the walking path at Baker Lake. How would Harl win re-election if he can't keep his buddies happily employed? How can he move up the political ladder if his budget doesn't look as good as it does without a pool?
Sherry, are you still on the pool committee? Last few times you were on then off, then on, then off. How do you think the taxpayers should pay for the new pool if you won't support the proposed referendum? A pool committee member not supporting the referendum won't look to positive for the those who will vote "yes"
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