A quorum was present at the monthly meeting of PHA Board of Commissioners. Two topics for community concern included one resident with issue of mistaken identity affecting her status with PHA and Rhonda Sexton, union bargaining representative, regarding employee contract issues related to Taft redevelopment.
Two residents of PHA completed Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) Program that enables them to increase their income and reduce reliance on welfare and rental assistance. Both are in process of purchasing a home for their family. Jackie Newman, Executive Director of PHA, gave overview of Taft redevelopment project status. The new housing development will be names Provident Pointe, with ground breaking scheduled on October 6. Reports to Board were approved by consent agenda. A resolution was approved to accept revisions to Administrative and Occupant Plan which will change eligibility to allow persons without crime record in past six months to apply for housing, as well as maintaining records of denial for review by state Criminal Justice Board. Kadar Hefner announced selection of CEO search firm, Organizational Leadership Edge, to find applicants for PHA Executive Director position. Board approved this action. Resolution passed to approve FY2022-2026 5 Year Plan and FY 2022 Annual Agency Plan which are posted on PHA website. The 5 Year plan has 45-day public comment period. The Board discussed current lack of Resident Councils at PHA sites and effort to promote these. Latasha Perry, Board member, cited the benefits of these to address common issues and share information with residents. Councils have rules process and elections to elect residents to individual council. Board adjourned for closed session to discuss collective bargaining issue. Connie Romanus, Observer The Peoria City Council approved 14 items on consent agenda, with one pulled for discussion related to lobbying expense for city. Councilor Kelly asked for clarification of expense for two lobbyists in Springfield. City Manager Urich reported that with amount of state and federal funding anticipated, each lobbyist has expertise that would benefit city. Contract with Turning Strategies approved in amount $3,680 per month.
Follow up from City Manager and Community Development Director on elimination of various business licenses/regulations in city identified seventeen items that are no longer pertinent. An additional 17-18 more items anticipated to be identified. Manager Urich complemented Director Dulin, city staff for their work on this, as well as Councilman Cyr for his identification of this for small business owners. City manager also reported that $1.4 million from Department of Commerce distributed to more than 100 local businesses, in addition to $1.3 million DEA funds. Representatives of Downtown Advisory Committee (DAC) made presentation to Council with recommendations on restoration of two-way streets in downtown area to increase economic development, pedestrian safety and compliance with sewer overflow plan. Riverfront Master Plan 2020 identified to resolve flooding, parking issues, ensuring green space and coordination with Peoria Park District, as well as coordination with Main Street redevelopment efforts. Wayfinding pilot with signage to help visitors get around easily last item covered in presentation. Funding efforts to include federal funds, grants, and public-private partnerships. Councilor Jensen asked that public meetings be advertised so community engagement and input can occur. Community Development Director Joe Dulen presented 2020 census data for city to Council and potential impact on current council districts. Census results reported population in city as 113,150 residents, a decrease of 1.6% from 2010 census. Mayor Ali will appoint Redistricting Committee to meet to begin to address the proportioning of district boundaries based on census results. This process will begin after budget sessions completed with goal to conclude by March 2022. Director Dulen stated that the city has access to software to run scenarios for proportioning districts. Councilor Ruckreigel was recognized for his work in leading the census efforts. Connie Romanus, Observer The Peoria County Election Commission met on Tuesday, September 14, with all present but Commissioner Sandra Burke arriving a few minutes late.
The commission approved a three year contract with SOE Software for online election judge training. They provided training during the COVID-19 lockdown and were found to be very useful. There will still be in person training, but the additional online feature will aid with training on the new voting system. Peoria County State’s Attorney’s office will work out contractual issues. Two proposals had been received that day in response to the Request for Proposal for a new voting system. They were from Election Systems & Software (ES&S), the nation’s largest vendor, and Hart InterCivic. Director Tom Bride wants both vendors to come to Peoria early in October to present to the evaluation committee. He is hoping that the committee will present their choice at the November commission meeting. The decision will then go to the Peoria County committee in December and the full County Board in January. A discussion was held about new mail drop boxes. Political party leaders were concerned about security. Director Bride wants to procure boxes through this year’s budget; number and placement can be discussed next month. Also discussed was return postage for Vote by Mail. If a ballot comes back with inadequate postage, the Commission is required to pay it. However, 40% of mail-in ballots in the last election were returned through the drop boxes, so there was no charge. The Post Office will be reminded to put a postmark on those envelopes, even though they have postage paid printed on them. Unfortunately, during the public comment item, members of the public were allowed to ramble on about supposed issues that occurred in other jurisdictions. —— Irene Pritzker, Observer The Peoria County Board met Sept. 9, with all members present.
One presentation and three proclamations preceded regular business. The owner of Trefzger’s Bakery and developer Katie Kim thanked the board for a $589,000 Keystone Fund loan that partially enabled their building renovation and relocation to Peoria Heights. Trefzger’s was able to repay the loan in full with interest ahead of schedule. Several Board members commented this was an excellent use of funds and look forward to similar business loans in the future. Proclamations recognized National Rail Safety Week, National Preparedness Month, and the 20th anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001. One citizen offered remarks and a petition related to requested use of American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) funds available to the county to improve broadband internet service in rural Peoria County. An email from Beth Crider, Regional Superintendent of Schools, was read supporting this use of ARPA funds. The regular agenda was short with the seven items on the consent agenda passing on a 17-1 vote with no discussion. Two items were pulled from the consent agenda for discussion. One requested approval of the Farnsworth Group and the other of River City Construction for preliminary consultation on the Health and Human Service Campus project. The county is exploring consolidation of these services at a remodeled Health Department site on Sheridan Road, or relocation of services to another existing site, or construction of a new facility. Following discussion both passed on 17-1 and 16-2 votes, respectively. One resolution was approved on a 17-1 vote accepting a grant agreement that funds independent contractor attorneys who serve as appointed Guardians ad Litem in juvenile and neglect court. A second resolution approving the collective bargaining agreement between the county and the Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council-Corrections unit also passed on a 17-1 vote. A proclamation was approved on a 15-3 vote extending the Declaration of Emergency due to COVID-19 in Peoria County. ——— Jim Runyon, Observer The Board of Commissioners of PHA held its regular meeting Sept. 7, with quorum present. Several members of the public attenders to express concerns regarding conditions of PHA housing family of seven scheduled to move into before end of September.
The Gardner family of seven has been assigned to Taft temporary housing and conditions of 2-unit location include mold, water damage, uncovered electrical outlets, as well as other issues. Mrs. Gardner was present in addition to Karrie Alms, Elaine Hopkins, Lawrence Maushard, and Allison Galvan. Community members expressed concern regarding lack of communication to Gardner family regarding when unit would be available, checklist to ensure repairs completed and perceived lack of respect from PHA staff. Comments took 30 minutes of allotted time at beginning of board meeting. Mr. Maushard called for dismissal of Chairman Carl Cannon and CEO Jackie Newman. Ms. Alms stated she had filed complaint this date with U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as 2022 PHA plan was not available for review, in addition to lack of digital access to plan information. Elaine Hopkins spoke on behalf of American Civil Liberty Union (ACLU) and member of North Valley Neighborhood association regarding locked gates at Taft complex over past year. She cited incident where emergency responders were not able to respond to call due to access issues. She has requested documentation under Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Chairman Cannon expressed appreciation for comments and told group issues would be addressed. Consent agenda was approved without discussion. Resolutions approved to upgrade flooring in common areas at Sterling Towers and Taft Homes redevelopment final closing documents. A Rector and Reeder & Lofton representative gave presentation on FY 2020 financial audit. Positive review with comments for improvement in turnaround of units and how wait list managed. One finding related to financial reconciliation reporting, with operation improvement plan developed. Financial employees recognized for improvements in operations and cooperation during audit. Note: WCBU reporter Hannah Alani interviewed Jackie Newman on September 16,= about Taft redevelopment: https://www.wcbu.org/local-news/2021-09-16/q-a-interim-peoria-housing-authority-director-jackie-newman-answers-questions-on-taft-redevelopment ——— Connie Romanus, Observer Peoria City Council passed its consent agenda with no discussion and moved on to new business on Aug. 24. Councilor Andre Allen discussed pavement preservation project coming up for Rolling Acres in District Four. Councilor John Kelly complimented the First District tours taking place on Saturdays through September sponsored by Councilor Denise Jackson and Alex Sierra, Peoria Park District trustee for the Southern District. Tours start at Trewyn Park at 10 a.m. and tours area by bus to show needs of the area to all interested residents.
City Manager Patrick Urich reported citizen response to on-line survey on how to use Covid Relief Funds was very good, with 836 people completing survey, as well as giving comments. City staff will compile responses which will be reported to Council at September 7 meeting. The Council will hold a policy session September 6 and introduce the budget process for upcoming year. There was one citizen who addressed the Council: Lashandra Riley spoke in favor of saving Harrison School building which is scheduled for demolition. She also asked what can be done to provide grocery service on south side of Peoria, citing issues for residents with transportation and quality of foods available for reasonable cost. Mayor Rita Ali offered to meet with Ms. Riley to discuss these issues after the Council meeting. ——— Connie Romanus, Observer The Peoria County Board held its regular meeting face-to-face Aug. 12. All were present except Chairman Andrew Rand and Member Matt Windish; three members participated via phone— Rachel Reliford, Brian Elsasser and Paul Rosenbohm. The regular agenda was very short with the seven items on the consent agenda passing unanimously with no discussion.
Two rezoning petitions were approved without opposition. One permitted a tavern to open within the Madison Park shopping center and the other waived a public water supply in favor of a private well in a single lot subdivision in Rosefield Township. A third rezoning request in Radnor Township was denied on the recommendation of the Land Use Committee and the Zoning Board of Appeals. The petitioner had requested rezoning to permit the creation of a buildable lot. However, it was denied since the lot would have been located in a flood plain. The only other item of new business was a resolution from the Executive Committee recommending approval of $200,000 to settle a legal case related to a fall by a nursing home resident. It was approved on a vote of 15-0, with one abstention. A proclamation was approved on a 13-3 vote extending the Declaration of Emergency due to COVID-19 in Peoria County. ——— Jim Runyon, Observer On August 10, 2021, Council spent much time discussing whether or not to charge fee to businesses who currently dispose of old tires.
The City currently spends many staff hours removing old tires that have been disposed of improperly, especially by unknown persons on the south side of Peoria, as well as incurring cost of disposal. The resolution put before the Council would have required all businesses that dispose of tires to register and pay $50 fee in addition to keeping records of tire disposal for review by the city staff. One area of concern was providing means to cover cost of staff time, both administrative and legal, in enforcing this measure. General feeling was that fines charged for improper record keeping and illegal disposal would help cover City costs. City Manager Patrick Urich will reach out to the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office to collaborate with prosecution of illegal dumping. Councilor Sid Ruckreigel asked Urich to reach out to the Peoria County Board to collaborate efforts on management of tire disposal as this is an issue for the County, as well. It was recognized that most businesses follow proper disposal. A substitute motion removing the fee was eventually passed 7-4, with Councilors Beth Jensen, Denise Jackson, Chuck Grayeb and Andre Allen voting no. Interim Community Development Director Joseph Dulin reminded the Council of the Tireless Project. This project collects unwanted tires from city residents throughout the year. Residents can dispose up to 20 tires, with the first ten free, then $1 per tire. Businesses may not participate. The schedule for the year can be found at www.appreciatepeoria.com/opportunities. The next scheduled day is October 30. —— Connie Romanus, Observer The annual meeting began with Chief Judge Kate Gorman swearing in newly reappointed Commissioners Matt Bartolo and James Manning. New officers included Jim Manning as chairman, Mark Ketterer as vice-chairman, Sandra Burke as treasurer, and Matt Bartolo as secretary.
Executive Director Tom Bride gave an update on the Request for Proposal for a new voting system. He has received valuable feedback from the county’s IT department. He is trying not to have it look like they are after a particular company. He expects to send out the Request within a week. During the next two weeks, he expects to be answering questions, and should be getting proposals in a month. Staff and the County will then go over them before a recommendation is brought to the Board. Final payment should be made after the June 28 election to ensure that the system works as projected. Funding for the system comes from the County’s capital fund, not the Commission’s budget. Placement of voting drop boxes was deferred until next month. Director Bride wants to hold discussions with party leaders as to placement of the boxes. He prefers to have them located in public buildings. Under New Business, Dr. Pinto announced that he will be moving from the area this fall. Judge Gorman is aware of this and will need to name a replacement for him. Under Public Comment, Director Bride very capably explained to a skeptical observer that no voting systems in the United States are connected to the internet. Irene Pritzker, Observer A quorum of the Board of Commisioners of PHA was present. Jackie McGavin, Housing Voucher Specialist, was introduced as new employee. Jackie Newman, CEO reported staff continuing to complete HUD required documents to meet deadline for financing of Taft redevelopment project this month. The next phase will be demolition of existing structures prior to start of new construction of homes. PHA staff continue to meet with local building trades and training of eligible residents for project.
Chairman Cannon asked Lt. McCall, Security Chief, to report on incident that occurred near Taft location in early hours past weekend resulting in gunshots in area. Concerns expressed over coverage hours of security staff contracted by PHA, as well as proximity of liquor store nearby. Current security staff shift ends at 1:00 A.M. Lt. McCall to report back on issue. During Community Comments, two residents of River West complex shared concerns regarding disruptive behavior of non-residents, gunshots in area and litter. Safety issues included recent incident of 15 youths walking through complex, kicking in doors, threatening behavior. They also expressed concerns about lack of lighting in area between buildings. Chairman Cannon responded that he would work with PHA staff and Security to investigate this issue and identify strategies to manage issue. Chair Cannon will also meet with new Peoria City Police Chief. CEO Newman encouraged residents to call local police for incidents. In other business, the Board approved updates to PHA Board Policy Manual to be compliant with Illinois and Federal law regarding asking residents about income status and hours worked. Collection loss write-off of $32.172 for uncollectable rent payments. CEO Search Committee will be reviewing vendors for applicants. The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, September 7, 2021 at 4:30 P.M. Connie Romanus, Observer |
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