I frankly don't quite understand the need to call an executive session of the city council anything other than that and not a committee meeting of the whole. From my observation I see no difference unless it is an inside procedural difference.
For the past 2 meetings the mayor has called for a Committee Meeting of the Whole at 6:30 PM and the Public Meeting of the City Council to take place at 7:30 PM. Now for the past 5 years there have been more than the average number of Executive Sessions of the council members, usually occurring after the regular council meeting was done. Residents frequently questioned the need for so many and Ald. Potthoff tonight states that most of those meeting minutes mostly relating to collective bargaining would be released to the public in the coming weeks.
Tonight Ald. Perez questioned why are we now having Committee meetings of the whole that are occurring an hour before the regular council meeting, he asked why the change and why weren't they held as previously later after the regular meeting since it appears that the press is now coming at 6:30 PM as are numerous residents and they have to sit and wait for an hour before the members return to the chambers.
The mayor appeared to get rather defensive about his choice of timing of the meetings and why they are now called the Committee Meeting of the Whole.
Can anyone tell me the difference between the types of meetings? Yes I have researched the term and up to this point have not find a difference in what takes place other than a name. This was a term used in the US House of Representatives in years past but they no longer meet as a committee of the whole.
Ald. Waldorf did say they discussed in the meeting the plans to go out for a hire of a city engineer with a P.E. degree and it will be referred to H.R.
A lively discussion occurred between Ald. Perez and Ald. Potthoff regarding the payroll investigation and the need to make it right with the rest of the public works employees with an equal pay raise for them to compensate for the unfair pay given to 2 employees.
93 comments:
The Committee of the Whole allows the council to discuss and debate items before presenting them to the full council for an official vote. It sounds silly, since the same people will be at both meetings. So, this is possibly Harl's way of getting a feel for an issue before actually talking about it in a council session. Or maybe it is a way to avoid discussion at the council meeting, since each council memeber have already talked about it and may not want to discuss it in detail again. So they might not talk about an issue at all and go right for a vote with no discussion. Also, it is interesting to note that committee meetings are not recoreded - only council meetings. So if all the disucssion is in the committee meeting, nobody will be able to watch the video to see what each memeber says.
The same OMA rules apply and they should not be in closed session untless they qualify.
Is Mr. Pothoff denying wages to city employees? We should all get our 2% or maybe we are bring discriminated against since we don't kiss the mayors butt!!!
Pay up since you didn't penalize the mayor or the employee it's evident there was special treatment outside the wage ordinance
I ask the council members to either authorize back pay or no confidence vote the mayor and ask for his resignation now but if not in less than a month the referendum will not be just a referendum on lowering alderman in will be your pink slip
How did the possible social media ordinance play out? Did the council vote to not allow freedom of speech? Thanks Waldorf for wasting our tax dollars on unnecessary attorney fees.
The closed meeting minutes from the finance meetings are on line and available on the web site. These have been posted for a few weeks.
Instead of at least attempting to contribute some sort of meaningful initiative to improve the city of Peru, Waldorf wastes our tax dollars by authorizing corporate counsel to create an ordinance designed to limit Free Speech in Peru. Now there's another classic Peru aldermanic blunder. Waldorf has become dillusional and apparently sees he and his family as "Royalty", and therfore he should be sheltered from any form 0of criticism. Somebody should inform this putz that restricting civil liberties, even in Peru, is not going to win you any admirers.
What a dufus!
I am a fan of Rodney, but the last idea about back pay for employees is CRAZY.
Are you sure the term isn't meeting of the a..hole?
Lois: The executive session minutes that alderman Potthoff was referring to were the Finance Committees and not council minutes.
4:41 AM - we don't have a parliamentary government, there is no such thing as a "vote of no confidence." They could however censure him - or maybe they could just do their job and swear out a criminal complaint.
In my opinion this meeting is being held at this time because the mayor is trying to discourage citizens from coming to the regular council meetings by making them sit for an hour before it starts.
Watching the mayor during the council meetings, anyone can see how disengaged he is from what is taking place. Perhaps the earlier meeting is what allows him to know at least some of the information about to be discussed and then Alderman Potthoff can basically conduct the formal council meeting.
Also where is the employee handbook since the employees themselves don't have a copy.
These committee as a whole meetings start at 6:30 and are held before the regular council meetings. I wonder why they can't be held after the council meeting like closed sessions used to be held.
10:00 That's funny, I remember when the talk was to start the regular meeting earlier and the majority of the aldermen were against an earlier time for one reason or another. What has changed?
4:41 Your living in Disneyland.
Living in crooked Peru. Bunch of phony's! Liars! If one lies they'll cheat. If one cheats they'll lie. If one cheats and lies, then they will steal.
At the wages 4:41 is receiving from the city he /she can afford to live in Disneyland. Disneyland pays minimum wages Peru pays maximum wages and benefits without layoffs and has no seasonal work for its full timers.
Being that a employer owes its employees a safe and non violent work place what measures have been taken by department heads in Peru to assure everyone that this environment presently exists. What disciplinary guidelines are there in the instance that someone or something hinders these disciplinary guidelines.
11:14 Good point. And now they are unhappy. 4:11 let us know when they plan on coming to the city meeting to demand this extra pay. I want to attend my 1st city meeting and watch this one.
My son works for the city. I sure hope Alderman Perez pushes for the employees to get their back pay that's deserved. Us tax payers would be liable for that debt but now we have to pay for this mayors corruption.
A cost us taxpayers will never forget.
Keep up the good work alderman perez.
Why are they hiring so many new firefighters , seems to me we could cut back there to many new guys.
Are new hires forced to join liberty ?
It's a volunteer department paid for each call they go on. In actuality the full time fire chief should have been hired as a full time engineer. Peru has four full time fire engineers that man the station 24/7 with each working a shift. When a call is dispatched whoever is working hops in a fire truck and go to the location of call. These fire engineers(just a title-don't believe any college degree is necessary or required) make very good money. The full-time appointed fire chief should have been hired as the title fire engineer/could have been one of the four. Why didn't king and Harl think of that when one engineer was hired not so long ago? Because king wanted one of his buddies to get hired. From what I've heard. In the long run Harl has cost taxpayers many thousands of dollars. Funny-he's frugal isn't he?
10:19 I too remember when some of the aldermen said they didn't want council meetings started even at 7:00 because it would be inconvenient for them. Now they're available at 6:30? Once again it's all about themselves and the heck with what would be most convenient for the average citizen.
I thought former Road Commissioner said N Pulaski St was city, so it was township all the time, He LIED surprising he is probably looking for the liberty retirement party
What is wrong with scheduling a city meeting for 6:30 when it is not open to the public. The regular city council meeting is scheduled on the agenda for 7:30, which it has been in the past.
Is it scheduling or transparency that is bothering people.
Finally a city alderman admits and I quote from tonight's newspaper " 2 wrongs do not make a right." Thanks Alderman Potthoff you finally answered the question. So what will happen now. If done properly the council should ask for the mayor's resignation and to repay the amount paid to the city employees. Not only did they receive extra pay during a pay freeze,this helped their retirement as it is based off their yearly salary. If none of this happens the city employees should as a whole file a grievance against the city administrators for the same pay as the individuals received during this time frame. As I have stated before I am not afraid to sign my name. If anyone feels different fine , then sign your name if you have the guts. This problem needs to be addressed further and finally finished.
6:32 the problem is it starts as a closed session meeting with plans to be an open session meeting whenever the closed session is over. So people who want to be present for the open part of the committee as a whole meeting don't know what time to show up. The last two meetings were supposed to have an open session, but the closed session lasted the full hour, and so no open meeting. It makes the council and mayor look really stupid and arrogant, like nobody's time matters but their own. I've come to believe Scott Harl's middle name is Arrogant!
I am a city employee and know I work a lot harder that either of the two that got the raises the rest of us were denied. Talk about hostile work environment there was almost a fight between an employee and one of the special ones last week. Were all mad and want our raises. The mayor did this now let him fix it.
It feels like Peru is in a bad
marriage and the spouse has been cheating and there are no I am sorry statements, nothing but arrogance. Until this happens nothing can move forward because the lie hangs over everything.
There is too much anger for this relationship to be able to get along. Distrust is an awful thing and that is where the city is now.
Read the Paper and oh my!! I'm glad and very thankful there's at least one city official willing to stand up for city employees. Those employees got jipped out of wages and the city leaders should compensate accordingly. It's clear other aldermen know Mayor Harl cheated the system so before a lawsuit of thousands of dollars get wasted on attorney fees the city should fix it sooner than later.
If there truly is fighting and bullying taken place that will create more law suits. Alderman Perez deserves praise for standing up for those employees. If the rest refuse to fix that than they are as guilty as the mayor.
9:07, I like the way you expressed the city. A lot of people who are married are in bed with someone else. And lie lie lie. Kinda like you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours in politics. What has become of peru? Use to say I was proud of my city. Sometimes you have to pay the piper. HARL PAY THE BOYS/GIRLS. MAN-UP. Take responsible for you actions in not following our ordinance.
I asked the current r c and he said pulaski isnt his! So i think him and the city are lying to each other. Go figure
Once again the garbage & the re-cycle went in the same hopper. Does Peru not care ? Was the contract bid with a re-cycle plan / pick-up that is being ignored by the scavenger ? Another lucky bidder who operates without any oversee.
Mr.Hart and others,
Yes, I agree that all the employees should be paid for work not performed.
Let the employees run the city and the taxpayers pay the price.
Those statements come from the same mentality that the problem originated from.
The City is short $250,000 for the road repairs and now want to give the employees back pay? What? Who? Is this another Harl move?
Anon 9:41 Just Think, If Chamlin engineered as a professional and made sure road projects were done right the city wouldn't be short anything. How many times do tax payers have to pay to repave a road that continues to explode? Sycamore Dr should not need replacing every year. That's Bad Bad engineering. Just a financial money tree for Chamlin. They should guarantee their work. A crack and small pot hole is one thing but road explosions annually is due to poor work. Figure that one out. The employees need to be compensated what Harl stole from them
Why do you think Harl is dragging his feet into hiring a SPW? He's probably buying time so the
Financials look a little brighter with not having that salary on books. Maybe that salary that would have been paid out for a SPW can be towards paying thoses émployees that got the shaft. How's that for some common sense thinking?
10:14
it sounds like a bad idea to me and besides the chief of police is eyeing up that money!
Are there not streets that are worse off then sycamore street? Don't forget Harl appointed Jeff King as one of the temporary SPW . Amazing, was told that Mr. King lives on sycamore street. How ironic is that? That he lives on a street that needs repaired.
@10:14 go on line and see what we have been paying for a building inspector and spw. In November and December. Who's collecting that pay when those positions are vacant and police and fire chief are supposed to be doing it with no pay increase. Where's that money going??
328 aprox 1100 feet of Pulaski Street is Peru Twp road. The city has all the rest. I would like you to show up at the next Twp meeting if you disagree. I think your statement about the RC is bs.
Here are a couple things that are accurate. Sycamore is just getting large potholes repaired and not being reconstruction. Sorry you cant claim some special treatment. Watch video when posted. Bernabei and King are not getting extra pay. Just call city clerk and confirm. The city is currently saving the SPW pay/benefits of over 10k a month which is a good thing. Current system is working very well. I commend the mayor and all 8 alderman for not rushing into spending money they don't have to spend. Great idea to advertise for an engineer. If they can find the right person look at all the savings but just let them handle the engineering and building things that cost so much money. Like the old saying 'if it isn't broke don't fix it". Looks like to me that public works in the city is moving along very well. Been a few tough months and most people have to agree it has been handled great. looks like when you have a plan with the right people good things happen. As a taxpayer I am glad they di not knee jerk reaction and go out and hire new super just because a few bloggers like to create controversy. Also talked to road super Debo who said Pulaski is township owned road and he will repair it this year. Said 328 poster never talked to him. Go figure!
11:25. WHAT? rob Peter to pay Paul. TRANSFERRING FUNDS FROM ONE ACCOUNT TO ANOTHER POSSIBLY TO GIVE EMPLOYEE ONE CHECK FOR COMBINED POSITIONS? A way to confuse taxpayers? Very obvious who scratches each other's backs.
Why for building inspector(zoning officer not
listed) under payroll $3,022.26. ????? Is that for a month? 2 months? If per month, that's $36, 267.12 a year. Under fire payroll is over $18,000, is that pay for the 4'fire engineers and fire chief? ESDA was 0 dollars. ESDA was a position included when Harl appointed fire chief king full time.Why no amounting exams monthly? Prior to appointment that was approx. $1,900 per year.' I think taxpayers are being fooled in the accounting methods that the city uses. There needs to be an audit.'
Already have plans to attend 1132 as i live on that road. Im not to hide and bash to former rc. I am about today and now. And as of now nothing has been done.
anon 11:52 AM Did you think to ask Debo, the current road commissioner why this short span of road dividing Pulaski between a northern and southern section has been allowed to remain a township responsibility.
I have always heard that the township road commissioner did not have enough road mileage to exist without this short span if the city took it over so a previous Mayor did not allow the city to take it as a favor to a previous road commissioner.
How many times I have heard "if it isn't broke don't fix it". All the places I have heard this are now shut down. Those that did their preventive maintenance and updating are still going.
Could you identify the current city officials who will be intelligent enough to identify the right person to hire a city engineer. It will not be either alderman who make the public Works Alderman Committee. They didn't know a great city engineer when he was staring them in the face. This young man has unlimited potential and the ambition to modernize Peru. By the way quite a bit of money was approved by the council and invested in computer updating and programming at the request of the previous city engineer. Is this programming being used now, by whom and in relation to what. If this programming is so good how are we saving money by not having a city engineer utilizing it for its intended purpose? What will the private consulting engineering firm cost Peru this year? I've been told altogether it is normally $600K to $800K per year.
This year will be the year to direct government expenditures towards the airport as our council has already squandered most of its money and has very little left.
1246 the reformers made it a point in the election that part of Pulaski street needed repaired by the Township. The former RC said the township did not own it. Big Joe said the city had to fix it.
this city- past- present- future- is quickly going in the dumps
wow. are we really talking about former politicians.... get real- whether your hated or liked the past r c- he is no longer in office- time to look forward- these questions for the current r c will be asked at the next meeting.
Sorry this is off subject. I was talking to a friend of mine the other day. My friend had a friend that told him the story. Actually, I couldn't believe it. Anyway, there house was being appraised , appointment set-up, the appraiser shows up. Another person was with the appraiser, it was Mayor Harl. The appraiser asked if it was ok for Harl to follow him because Harl was thinking about get his appraiser license. My friend made it seem like this was in the last year, recent. The homeowners knew who Harl was and couldn't believe it! The appraiser didn't have the professionalism to call first regarding Harl, just showed up with Harl at appointment time and asked homeowners. Where are these people's etiquette? That's an invasion and intrusion of a person home. Like I said this is a story I heard. From a very reliable source.
amen 355
4:31 PM
I have also heard the same from several people and believe it to be true.
Who does Mayor Harl think he is going uninvited by the homeowners to do a walk-thru with an appraiser? My friends had Harl show up with an appraiser at their door. My friend and his wife were absolutely shocked. They were taken aback at the door and they walked right in. Very tacky and disrespectful to the homeowners because it is their home!!! I'm sure there were empty houses that could have been used if needed. Shame again on you Mayor Harl.
Same thing happened to us, almost a year ago. No call to ask, just showed up.
Where is the video from Monday's meeting?
1152 what relative of you to the mayor ? Talk about a lot of garbage in your statement-there is in sugar coating anything this city is a joke how very sad
Current RC is a great guy, you will get an honest answer from him. That's a fact 439 and 355!
Harl is getting his appraiser's license so he has something to do when he doesn't get re-elected next time. If he went with Doug Biederstedt, how did he get away with fraud with only a slap on the hand?
Harl and Mueller have both been trying their hand at appraisals . I guess they're gonna take over for Doug B.
Maybe Boss Harl knows his chances at the Senate are dwindling as the controversy grows in Peru. Looking for something simpler. And I don't know why Mueller is doing it.
Is mueller related to the attorney in ottawa? Do lawyers hire or suggest appraisers for real estate transactions? Or do real estate companies or banks? Maybe there is a correlation here in getting business. Not a bad way to supplement income. Referrals happens in business transactions all the time.
Very in appropriate to enter someone's domain/home like this. Homeowners should never be put on the spot at their front doors in which they pay a mortgage and pay property taxes. Very unprofessional.
Who does Harl think he is? So Lois, not an isolated incident regarding home appraisers/with Harl tagging along if you heard the same thing.
So glad my family doesn't live in peru. What a bunch or corruption.
In tonight's News Trib Mendota has a job opening ad for a city worker. Why doesn't Peru advertise job openings when they have them?
Why would a alderman believe that the rest of the city workers should receive over $500,000 back pay to make it right for them because some management people were improperly compensated. If I was a alderman I would be interested how I could make this right to the taxpayers.
Why doesn't the alderman suggest that those improperly paid return their over payment to the city. If so much was taken out of each ones pension or pay per month I think this would be more than fair to them. You know when you gamble and lose you lose the entire pot. Why wasn't this investigation started off by the state police? Everyone agrees that the States Attorney used the Judges opinions to get off the hook. Why when the judge was hired only to investigate did he give any of his personal opinions? Another decision not made that by all who did not want to make it even though it is their responsibility and they are highly paid to do so.
No offense 702. His honesty has already failed less than a a year in officd.... According to my f o i. He already has 2 employees working for him after he quote..'ill do it all
By myself'. Im not questioning his manners. But again, all to be answered at the next meeting when i attend.
10:11 Peru is a great place to live. Please don't judge our community by what you read here. While we have a weak mayor and certainly issues like any other community, all of the conspiracy theories and rumors here do NOT paint an accurate picture at all
Call it a BUNCH of corruption but it must be realized that when enough people rebel it can be stopped because the corruption is feed by a few who have obtained the proper positions in the area to prosper from it. Because the corruption has a longevity of such extent those involved have become very proficient at what they do and the corruption with many has actually been utilized by the practitioners as bragging rights. The power of this small group is the main reason that anonymous is so often utilized on the blog because of the fear of retaliation. Although the number directly involved in corruption of the area is small it has many associations including relatives, friends and business associates plus the main sponsors which are the ones who patronize it and financially support it.
Presently the blog is the only opponent in the area which freely expresses open opposition. The local newspaper and radio station prefer to only report the good and avoid the bad and serve no local investigative purposes.
This small group does not share its wealth and is directly the reason that Peru has not shown business development with the result that the city has become known as a closed shop.
12:44 That Alderman would only believe that back pay is due for the benefit of votes from the workforce. It really makes you wonder who he represents.
Lets all go to the next City Hall meeting and demand back pay for all city workers. I bet the council will agree with Alderman Perez.
Anon 8:16 What exactly do you believe makes Peru such a great place. Most of its citizens do not care to become involved in the community outside of their own home life. In the majority of situations where there's smoke there's fire. Since I believe it should be a much greater place to live I question what age group you are in because most people who go away don't come back. Peru reached a population of 13,000 not that many years ago but has diminished to 10,000 again.
Peru as the rest of LaSalle County is basically a retirement community.
331 it's all about dollars spent compared to what Big Joe spent in a year. The new RC is spending a lot less per month than Big Joe. Big Joe should have fixed Pulaski but wouldn't because he claimed it was City of Peru. Big thumbs up for Big Joe, part time Little Joe and full time Dooley.
11:22
Have you checked the totals lately? and they are only going to get worse with the clueless persons ruining all the equipment i heard.
Agree 1122. And i agree with past person. Not about the past and what could have and what did happen. Its about now!
1159 we have had more snow this year than the last 5 years combined. If the old Rc was still there Dooley would have had a lot of OT and Little Joe would be considered full time too. You clearly have no clue that costs this winter are higher for all cities and Twps due to the large amount of snow. You and your family need too Grow up and enjoy retirement.
9:59 Peru never had a population of 13,000. In more modern times, it was down to 9,300 in 1990. In 2010 it was 10,300. I love Peru and I am voting NO on the ballot issue.
1159? Huh?
I also heard the road commisioner contracted an outside party to salt for them? If thats true i am irate as a peru citizen. Again, another issue i will bring up at the meeting.
Did the temporary appointed by Harl SPW have something to do with this hiring for salting and snow removal???????answer please? Who hired these companies?
242 can't wait for you to open your mouth at the meeting. Trustee Bernabei just might give you a mouthful of intelligent answers that you might not like. The city is out sourcing grass cutting. I'm sure your against that too.
Dont be rude 1119. I just want answers is all
I am against that 1119
Outsourcing grass cutting. Isn't there a company who does that and also owns land surrounding the airport? I heard this. Don't know if true. Wonder if bids are looked at so company can underbid to get the job. Yes people, this is how business works. Sealed and double sealed bids? Only opened when all are present. Transparency and honesty is a start.
No one ever comes to twp meetings 2:42 and who cares as long as within a couple years my taxes go down..big joe screwed us for years and he handed out work to his kid...just in year in sure we saved money with joe not driving around
Like dems still blaming bush. The point is when we are told one thing, we dont want to be lied to. I am attending just to remind him of what he said and to get some answers.
Heard that a landscape company from spring valley will be doing the mowing for the citizens of Peru. Our taxes dollars going to spring valley. Not one company from Peru cutting one blade of grass.
@2:55. If that's true, what will Russ Schmitt do this summer? I always saw him cutting grass. Will his job be eliminated?
LOWEST BID SHOULDNT ALWAYS GET THE JOB. QUALITY COUNTS ALSO. Some projects shouldn't just go to the lowest bid. Jack Frost might have lowest bid, but doesn't do quality work. Jack Frost is just a name i made up.
I thought summer help mowed grass? Outsourcing would save on budget. Payroll and insurance. This is a good way to start.
Great way to start! In the recent TEST non-bid contract for $3,000,000 only Rod Perez of the city council voted against against it. If F.Ch. King and P.Ch. Bernabei were on the council it would have been a 7-3 vote looking at their vote on cutting grass.
The mowing bids weren't even discussed yet . how do u know a valley company getting them ?
Spring Valley - Isn't that were the Peru squad cars were being detailed? dOr has that been stopped since last year?
Maybe the owner of spring valley company mentioned to someone. Maybe he's tight with someone in peru who has a big part in decision making. Yes, that's how business works. Hopefully our city will hire a company who does quality work. This is on the agenda for a 10 o'clock am meeting today. Just says discussion.
Anon 9:18 Your comment about someone being tight with someone in Peru who has a big part in decision making and that's how business works.
Yes you are correct but in private business and the majority of public business procedures there are roadblocks which limit poor business practices which Peru has never established and if established has not followed their own ordinances i.e. competitive bidding and cost analysis.
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