This blog is maintained for the sole purpose of allowing the people of Peru and those interested in the cities of the Illinois Valley to express their views.
“It doesn’t take a majority to win, just a tireless minority that will keep starting brush fires in the mind and hearts of their fellow men.” Samuel Adams
Saturday, November 02, 2013
AGENDA JOINT PUBLIC HEALTH & SAFETY & PUBLIC PROPERTY COMMITTEE MEETING MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013 TIME: 6:30 PM
So now there is so little business for these two "Secondary" committees that they find it necessary to conduct a "Joint Meeting"? A joint meeting with one lonely little insignificant item on the agenda is an indication that this city has little or no real business for at least half of its "working" committees. Apparently Harl has assigned all but the most mundane and meaningless duties(aka Discuss Metting Room in basement)to the control of his most trusted minions in the Public Works and Finance Committees. How interesting it is to see how easy it can be for a mayor to maintain control over a wide array of city issues simply by taking an area of jurisdiction away from a committee he cannot control and assigning that issue to a committee that he has total control over. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm! How conveeeeeeeenient! Lets add this up. Peru has four committees in all. Two of which seldom if ever actually have any real cause or business that requires an actual meeting. Then we have the "Big Two" committees of Finance and Public Works where pretty much everything else is manipulated and maneuvered by our open and honest mayor. So much for the balance of power. These facts along with the recent decision by the council and mayor to reduce the number of meetings by half while maintaining the same compensation for the aldermen makes one wonder why we need 8 of these guys or gals. With the number of regular council meetings cut in half and only two of the four committees making 99% of all the important decisions, maybe we should consider trimming back the size and shape of our local government. All indications are Peru could really use some "downsizing" in the number of aldermen as well as some streamlining of the committee structure. Consider some of the more successful communities around like Ottawa, Utica, and Princeton whose Commission form of governemnt elects only four at-large representatives. Perhaps there is some mechanism in the Compiled Statutes of the State of Illinois that allow for restricting the number of aldermen in cities under 100,000, as well as providing for electing some of those aldermen at-large. I think that is an idea the community as a whole might just rally around. What do y'all think?
Your posting tells me that just maybe you have caught sight of a petition being circulated or heard it from a friend. Yes people are working to restructure the type of government Peru has but remember this cannot all be done at once. Definitely 2 many aldermen at present
I think the whole city council and mayor are useless . I think we should get ride of all of them and put people in their that care about Peru and where we want too be in the future , not how much we can put in their pocket's or free bee's . The people should come first ! But not in the present councile or mayor's eye's . Just my thought's , you may agree or disagree i don't care . BUT THIS CITY NEED'S HELP BIG TIME !!!
I'm not surprised to hear that committee meetings are being combined. It's been fairly apparent to me for 10-15 years that the majority of the aldermen representing Peru are there in name only and do very little except attend the monthly meetings and walk around their neighborhoods during election time. In the last three years, the only aldermen who have shown any concern about my concerns have been Rodney Perez and Jim Lukosus.
I mention this lack of involvement because an alderman from the 3rd ward was approached this summer by a citizen of that ward who was concerned about the deterioration and lack of homeowner responsibility on various properties. As a nearby resident in the 4th ward, I also provided input. To make a long story short, that alderman said that complaints about properties should be directed to the police department.
Perhaps I'm mistaken, but wouldn't an alderman be aware of property ordinances/violations within his ward? To pass the buck to the police department seems cowardly or uninformed. The position of Building and Zoning Inspector has been a joke for years, with the exception of when Boro walked the neighborhoods.
Is there a job description for an alderman? Does he/she have an specific responsibilities to the citizens of Peru? I'm hard-pressed to understand the lack of work that seems to go with this position.
A alderman is the steward of his ward and would be the first person to approach in ward problems unless the situation is a emergency. No one has yet to mention that the previous Assistant Building Inspector also appointed himself as person in charge of taking all straw polls of cty business and often used these polls as a excuse for his decisions. Will Peru's Fire Chief also be the Ambassador of Straw Polls. Everyone thought it was such a good idea to keep the SPW on to orientate the new C.E.SPW but the Assistant Building Inspector did not even get a opportunity to congratulate the full time Fire Chief before he was gone. Why? What is the official reason that the previous individual was replaced and why in as tough economic times as our city is in why sweeten a good job even more rather than giving as many a opportunity to make a living. From $14,000 to $84,000 pay raise in one night is sugar (sugar=insanity).
The city does not need to spend $100,000 on a training room for police and fire in the basement of city hall. First off there is a new "brand new " upstairs of the fire station with a training room. The police have a room also in the police station. Give that money to the pool!
10:22 Another ambassador in Peru? You will have to contact the A of DS before that can be implemented. You see with so many ambassadors in the city now, they may become territorial like the aldermen, and this may spark a riot, then the police will have to be called from their new training facility in the basement. It could get ugly. Any thoughts or remarks on this A of DS? ps...I am one of your biggest fans!
Peru has the finest training facility in the country for a town of 10,000. Why would the city spend the money to build a inferior training room when its police and fire department can join the Peru YMCA at a corporate rate? What corporation in our area has a private training room? Everyone has their wants and their needs and their come a time in which they have to realize which is which. Expand the trend and down the road someone will propose that they get paid when working out or are they already doing this during normal shift times on the clock (sorry, I forgot that the city does not have a time clock for its employees).
Yes @10:22 The A of DS has copy rights to the title of Ambassador. He is not only the first to use the title he is a unpaid volunteer without any personal gain. The next ambassador represented himself using city funds, city property, city equipment and city representatives for his own enjoyment while creating a hardship for many others under the disguise of Ambassador of Pickle Ball. The last ambassador like the second seems to have disappeared without the sentiments of any city loss. But yet the question is still unanswered if the full time fire chief will also be granted the responsibility of straw polls. How and if necessary to include the title of Ambassador of Straw Polls in his already abundant job description should be assigned to perhaps a combined Committee Meeting of Public Works and Finance with the invitation granted to the A of DS to express his own sentiments and future ideas for DS.
A of DS here. I appreciate the consideration, but have already inquired about the Ambassador of Straw Polls in the past. I withdrew my application when they explained that there were in fact no poles made of straw actually being considered to attract more deer to our inner city residents.
I believe everyone is well aware I tend to try to keep out of the politics and remain positive, while many of these comments seem focused on trying to change things in a kind of nasty radical way. Remember, the actual word Alderman comes from the Yiddish Antler Man, which was reserved for those who would try and draw deer in to be killed for feasts, wearing antlers and being deerish.
I think all of our aldermen and Aldernot men try to keep that spirit of serving the community alive. Sure some focus on trying to maintain democracy while other prefer our current benevolent Dictatorship , but all of them have your best interests at heart if your interests are in line with theirs.
So rather than reduce the number, we may want to consider raising the number and making it a volunteer position. Then, we could fill the vacant buildings with Antler Men and increase our representation. For a town the size of Peru I would guess a good forum could be around 4,000 at large reperesentatives?
If , as many suspect, the reperesenataives get special treatment or incentives, think of the increase in local revenue! If our government is the problem, why don't we all become the government and tell the few who don't want to volunteer as Antler persons what they should do. We would no longer need to sell tickets to the concerts, as the council itself would be a decent sized crowd. We could park each others cars!
You may think I am a dreamer, but there was a day not long ago when deer roamed the area freely without any grown men and women making a racket in the bushes. Deer Spotting has grown, and I think if we all become the ruling council, only good and cooperation will come of it.
The mayor could make all of us donate to his campaign and he could then build the pool himself.
Justin, I know you are not a fan of bigger government, by why not look at it as a smaller governed?
Don't just think outside the box. Break the box apart and hit somebody with the wood! That's the Peru way!
You just showed that you have no comprehension of the concept of a joke. The A of DS suggested that we expand the government to 4000 aldermen He or she knows you hate big government and suggested that you think of it instead as less people governed. It was a joke.
Is the training room for physical training (exercise)? Or is it for classroom training? If they need exercise, take the cars away and make them walk thier beat.
This wasn't in the budget to spend $100,000 on a training room but the mayor says it was budgeted. He's a liar!! A useless liar wasting our money to keep his buddies employed.
$100,000 for the PPD to have a training room. Sure if it was for Ohio State football team but they fill a stadium of over 100,000 every home game. The PPD should use the YMCA at corporate rates. None of the PPD will be limited by the YMCA facility.
25 comments:
have a meeting to discuss one idea?
So now there is so little business for these two "Secondary" committees that they find it necessary to conduct a "Joint Meeting"?
A joint meeting with one lonely little insignificant item on the agenda is an indication that this city has little or no real business for at least half of its "working" committees.
Apparently Harl has assigned all but the most mundane and meaningless duties(aka Discuss Metting Room in basement)to the control of his most trusted minions in the Public Works and Finance Committees.
How interesting it is to see how easy it can be for a mayor to maintain control over a wide array of city issues simply by taking an area of jurisdiction away from a committee he cannot control and assigning that issue to a committee that he has total control over.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
How conveeeeeeeenient!
Lets add this up. Peru has four committees in all. Two of which seldom if ever actually have any real cause or business that requires an actual meeting. Then we have the "Big Two" committees of Finance and Public Works where pretty much everything else is manipulated and maneuvered by our open and honest mayor. So much for the balance of power.
These facts along with the recent decision by the council and mayor to reduce the number of meetings by half while maintaining the same compensation for the aldermen makes one wonder why we need 8 of these guys or gals.
With the number of regular council meetings cut in half and only two of the four committees making 99% of all the important decisions, maybe we should consider trimming back the size and shape of our local government. All indications are Peru could really use some "downsizing" in the number of aldermen as well as some streamlining of the committee structure. Consider some of the more successful communities around like Ottawa, Utica, and
Princeton whose Commission form of governemnt elects only four at-large representatives.
Perhaps there is some mechanism in the Compiled Statutes of the State of Illinois that allow for restricting the number of aldermen in cities under 100,000, as well as providing for electing some of those aldermen at-large.
I think that is an idea the community as a whole might just rally around.
What do y'all think?
9:56 AM
Your posting tells me that just maybe you have caught sight of a petition being circulated or heard it from a friend. Yes people are working to restructure the type of government Peru has but remember this cannot all be done at once.
Definitely 2 many aldermen at present
I think the whole city council and mayor are useless . I think we should get ride of all of them and put people in their that care about Peru and where we want too be in the future , not how much we can put in their pocket's or free bee's . The people should come first ! But not in the present councile or mayor's eye's . Just my thought's , you may agree or disagree i don't care . BUT THIS CITY NEED'S HELP BIG TIME !!!
It's out there. I signed it!!!
Would this petition be to change to a council / manager government? If so - tell me how I can sign my name to it!
Is this petition to kick the big "H" out of office???
I'm not surprised to hear that committee meetings are being combined. It's been fairly apparent to me for 10-15 years that the majority of the aldermen representing Peru are there in name only and do very little except attend the monthly meetings and walk around their neighborhoods during election time. In the last three years, the only aldermen who have shown any concern about my concerns have been Rodney Perez and Jim Lukosus.
I mention this lack of involvement because an alderman from the 3rd ward was approached this summer by a citizen of that ward who was concerned about the deterioration and lack of homeowner responsibility on various properties. As a nearby resident in the 4th ward, I also provided input. To make a long story short, that alderman said that complaints about properties should be directed to the police department.
Perhaps I'm mistaken, but wouldn't an alderman be aware of property ordinances/violations within his ward? To pass the buck to the police department seems cowardly or uninformed. The position of Building and Zoning Inspector has been a joke for years, with the exception of when Boro walked the neighborhoods.
Is there a job description for an alderman? Does he/she have an specific responsibilities to the citizens of Peru? I'm hard-pressed to understand the lack of work that seems to go with this position.
A alderman is the steward of his ward and would be the first person to approach in ward problems unless the situation is a emergency.
No one has yet to mention that the previous Assistant Building Inspector also appointed himself as person in charge of taking all straw polls of cty business and often used these polls as a excuse for his decisions. Will Peru's Fire Chief also be the Ambassador of Straw Polls.
Everyone thought it was such a good idea to keep the SPW on to orientate the new C.E.SPW but the Assistant Building Inspector did not even get a opportunity to congratulate the full time Fire Chief before he was gone. Why? What is the official reason that the previous individual was replaced and why in as tough economic times as our city is in why sweeten a good job even more rather than giving as many a opportunity to make a living. From $14,000 to $84,000 pay raise in one night is sugar (sugar=insanity).
The city does not need to spend $100,000 on a training room for police and fire in the basement of city hall. First off there is a new "brand new " upstairs of the fire station with a training room. The police have a room also in the police station. Give that money to the pool!
10:22 Another ambassador in Peru? You will have to contact the A of DS before that can be implemented. You see with so many ambassadors in the city now, they may become territorial like the aldermen, and this may spark a riot, then the police will have to be called from their new training facility in the basement. It could get ugly. Any thoughts or remarks on this A of DS? ps...I am one of your biggest fans!
Peru has the finest training facility in the country for a town of 10,000. Why would the city spend the money to build a inferior training room when its police and fire department can join the Peru YMCA at a corporate rate? What corporation in our area has a private training room? Everyone has their wants and their needs and their come a time in which they have to realize which is which. Expand the trend and down the road someone will propose that they get paid when working out or are they already doing this during normal shift times on the clock (sorry, I forgot that the city does not have a time clock for its employees).
Yes @10:22 The A of DS has copy rights to the title of Ambassador. He is not only the first to use the title he is a unpaid volunteer without any personal gain.
The next ambassador
represented himself using city funds, city property, city equipment and city representatives for his own enjoyment while creating a hardship for many others under the disguise of Ambassador of Pickle Ball.
The last ambassador like the second seems to have disappeared without the sentiments of any city loss. But yet the question is still unanswered if the full time fire chief will also be granted the responsibility of straw polls. How and if necessary to include the title of Ambassador of Straw Polls in his already abundant job description should be assigned to perhaps a combined Committee Meeting of Public Works and Finance with the invitation granted to the A of DS to express his own sentiments and future ideas for DS.
A of DS here. I appreciate the consideration, but have already inquired about the Ambassador of Straw Polls in the past. I withdrew my application when they explained that there were in fact no poles made of straw actually being considered to attract more deer to our inner city residents.
I believe everyone is well aware I tend to try to keep out of the politics and remain positive, while many of these comments seem focused on trying to change things in a kind of nasty radical way. Remember, the actual word Alderman comes from the Yiddish Antler Man, which was reserved for those who would try and draw deer in to be killed for feasts, wearing antlers and being deerish.
I think all of our aldermen and Aldernot men try to keep that spirit of serving the community alive. Sure some focus on trying to maintain democracy while other prefer our current benevolent Dictatorship , but all of them have your best interests at heart if your interests are in line with theirs.
So rather than reduce the number, we may want to consider raising the number and making it a volunteer position. Then, we could fill the vacant buildings with Antler Men and increase our representation. For a town the size of Peru I would guess a good forum could be around 4,000 at large reperesentatives?
If , as many suspect, the reperesenataives get special treatment or incentives, think of the increase in local revenue! If our government is the problem, why don't we all become the government and tell the few who don't want to volunteer as Antler persons what they should do. We would no longer need to sell tickets to the concerts, as the council itself would be a decent sized crowd. We could park each others cars!
You may think I am a dreamer, but there was a day not long ago when deer roamed the area freely without any grown men and women making a racket in the bushes. Deer Spotting has grown, and I think if we all become the ruling council, only good and cooperation will come of it.
The mayor could make all of us donate to his campaign and he could then build the pool himself.
Justin, I know you are not a fan of bigger government, by why not look at it as a smaller governed?
Don't just think outside the box. Break the box apart and hit somebody with the wood! That's the Peru way!
The mayor wants to spend 100,000 on a training room because it is for the UNION. ANYONE IN A UNION IS ACES WITH THIS JERK.
6:09 p.m. Are you referring to the reduction of alderman as a step towards smaller government?
Justin
You just showed that you have no comprehension of the concept of a joke. The A of DS suggested that we expand the government to 4000 aldermen He or she knows you hate big government and suggested that you think of it instead as less people governed. It was a joke.
Kind of like Peru.
Ah yes I missed a paragraph. Thanks for the progressive update.
A of DS, you crack me up!!! Love your posts!
Is the training room for physical training (exercise)? Or is it for classroom training?
If they need exercise, take the cars away and make them walk thier beat.
Seriously a %age could walk and/or bike certain locations.
YMCA PERIOD. My gosh, spend money on a weightlifting facility. What do they all wanna be now, body builders? Next thing, they'll be wanting a spa.
This wasn't in the budget to spend $100,000 on a training room but the mayor says it was budgeted. He's a liar!! A useless liar wasting our money to keep his buddies employed.
$100,000 for the PPD to have a training room. Sure if it was for Ohio State football team but they fill a stadium of over 100,000 every home game.
The PPD should use the YMCA at corporate rates. None of the PPD will be limited by the YMCA facility.
cant the police buy all their fancy extras with the drug money they collect and not have us tax payers foot the bill?
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