“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

Tuesday, November 05, 2013

Highlights of City Council Meeting November 4

It appears that the Friends of the Peru Pool have made some headway on a long discussed topic in Peru. Many people knew that maybe we could afford a splash pad but not a pool for many years as fund raising was slower than anticipated. Finally maybe a slight dent was made into the NO's and maybe the city will help the group try and get a grant. They did not offer any financial help from what I could ascertain from the News Tribune write up but helping with a grant is a maybe.

The city is going paperless and does that mean no hand outs for the public at city council meetings? It sounds like it.

Also the city is considering buying computer notebooks for the officials! The alderman just got a raise in pay, maybe they should be paying for their own.

It seems that much of the packet which is mailed or delivered to the aldermen will now be on online in the near future.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

I didn't see anything in the newspaper about raises for officials. Was that missed?

I thought the objective of the pool committee was to build a pool. The donations were for a pool not a splash pad. Can these people legally use the donations for a splash pad?

Peru Town Forum said...

10:33 AM
Never officially termed a raise for the aldermen. It was done in steps unnoticed by many. First this year the city has been paying them a salary that equals what formerly was the amount they received for 4 Meetings. Only the caveat is that little by little the number of meetings per month has been less but still at the same monthly salary and the calender for next year will show 2 meetings per month but at no decrease in amount of money received.

So the city by changing from a pay per mtg to a yearly salary avoids calling it an increase. I call the same salary for less work, a pay raise.

Peru Town Forum said...

10:33 AM

They may have to get the approval of the donors to use the money for another purpose than building a pool.

Anonymous said...

Doesn't all the officials have a computer at their disposal already? Waste of taxpayers money again.

Peru Town Forum said...

This would be because the city would go paperless and their packets would be on the notebook but I don't believe it would be that they leave them at city hall but would take them home.
BTW Connecting Point is in charge of this project of going paperless.

Anonymous said...

I call it 100% increase in pay. Didn't Harl want to cut meetings in order to save money?

Peru Town Forum said...

11:31 AM

Sure did but that was when he knew the votes were not there and once he got the votes to cut the meetings, he didn't and instead made them salaried. Now the aldermen really liked him and began seeing things his way.

Anonymous said...

Here we go again. Understand paperless, what about a malfunction, which will be an excuse at some point. Those who want to go paperless, do it on your own dime. I would think there are a few people who don't know how to use a computer. So, if taxpayers money is used for this purpose, then there would be no excuse for all those who have this mini computer not to answer questions on this blog that are asked directly of them! How many computers are at the fire department? Police department? Don't even tell me those departments are going to get one?

Anonymous said...

The present Peru administration and council just keep pecking and pecking as if their is no end to the citys money supply. As someone stated why kill the cat when you can skin alittle bit at a time. These people have been fully trained by LBJ's old buddy Billie Sol Estes.
Those who pay taxes should inquire about the debt the Peru Hydro Plant still has ($14,000,000.000 and what little each credit is worth im comparison to years ago.
A reduction of aldermen in Peru is a must plus the eventual hiring of a City Manager. Business is way too complicated for those that presently represent Peru.

Peru Town Forum said...

12:37 PM

I too see the need for a city manager in Peru but we need to take this in steps to get people who vote on agreement with it.

Anonymous said...

This loan from peru federal for $530,00" for 61/2 years at 2.5% interest for a fire truck. Is this loan for another new fire truck? Or is this for the pumper truck ordered from Florida that king and another went to Florida to supposedly take a look at a few months ago? Two weeks ago approximately, city is spending $84,000 for a yearly salary for Mr. King, now, city also spending approximately another $100,000 a year for new truck for 6+ years. IS LIBERTY FIRE CONTRIBUTING ANY DONATION FUNDRAISING MONEY FOR PURCHASES OF TRUCKS? THIS HAS BEEN ASKED MANY TIMES.

Anonymous said...

12:37

Take away the democratic process and have no representatives. And if you have any they should be elected by Lois. That would solve all problems.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm... I guarantee the price for the new tablets or notebooks will be well above what a normal business would pay. Better check that 'ol Harl Campaign fund donation list. I they even going to pretend to shop this purchase out?

Anonymous said...

Doesn't the Mayor of Toronto look like somebody we know?

Anonymous said...

Toronto Mayor
Did a press conference about one hour ago. He denied. Denied, denied until bang. Video of him doing crack cocaine. Pictures and videos don't lie. Kinda like all the other politician who denied, denied having extra-marital affairs, took inappropriate photos of themselves and put on social media, don't forget the conference in another country when a few solicited call girls and paid for it on taxpayers dime. Maybe Arnold will run for president also. Don't forget Chicago and George.

Anonymous said...

4:52. I thought the same thing. Could be Scotty's brother!

Anonymous said...

What is the cost of Peru city hall going paperless estimated at?
Hasn't the city had alot of problems with the video equipment that is used to record city council meetings? Understand that at times the failure of Connecting Points equipment has caused several of the council meetings to be not recorded. What was in $'s the amount of money the city has spent with Connecting Point in each of the last 3 years?

Anonymous said...

Connecting Point is nothing but a headache, I quit them a long time ago.

Anonymous said...

Asking the cost of the city going paperless is a outstanding question. Presently what are future plans and expenditures for each? It would be interesting to know the priorities of OUR city government.

Anonymous said...

I think the voting age should be 16 . That way, we could vote in 16 year olds for alderman and mayor. They have more common sense, and don't have the years of experience to lie. Just say' in'

Anonymous said...

Doesn't make sense to keep using connecting point when they can't get anything right!
Peru leaders are so dumb.
Harl must be related to them!

Anonymous said...

Toronto Mayor needs to go. This really should not surprise anybody that he has done cocaine once in a drunken stuper as he admitted. Really? Only once! A couple months ago there was an article that 1 in 6 adults smoke pot. Toronto Mayor needs to go to re-hab for his actions like sex-addicts go to re-hab. What a joke this world is. When will people start taking responsibility for their actions. Excuses, excuses, excuses.

Anonymous said...

I don't think he tried to make an excuse for it. He did have some trouble remembering though.... :)
And "rehab is for quitters" :)

Anonymous said...

what is going on with this city? spend spend and spend supposedly money they dont have. why do the alderman need tablets? i would bet they all have i phones no need for a tablet-they should have to pay at least 50% of the cost if not all of it. we need someone honest and responsible running the city not what we have right now

Anonymous said...

Did those missing meeting video's ever show up? If not, then we should never hire Connecting Point to do another project for the City if their equipment is still not working.

Anonymous said...

What is the estimated final cost for the city to become paperless? How much did the city pay Connecting Point for the equipment and labor to be able to record council meetings? Is it worth it?

Peru Town Forum said...

9:32 PM
The really important ones never were put out to view.

Anonymous said...

2:14 Lois, could you list the lost meetings and what was discussed, and more importantly what was embarrassing?

I think it would deserve its own blog caption... The lost meetings.

This group counts on just waiting long enough so the people forget. But it should be here, all summarized in one blog entry that does not go away. When it happens multiple times , the opposing candidates might want to send a copy of that blog to the newspapers (I know the news Trib will just laugh it off but some others might think it's worth showing )