The Village of Peoria Heights and Fire Chief Dan Decker have parted ways.
The decision to not renew the fire chief’s contract came in a 5-1 vote at a special meeting on May 24. Trustee Jennifer Reichert was the lone dissent.
Mayor Matt Wigginton has appointed former Peoria Fire Chief Tony Ardis, a 27-year veteran of that department, as the Village’s temporary fire chief and said “his name is synonymous with professionalism.
“I am not going to have our fire department move backwards. … I take public safety seriously. I've spoken to Chief Ardis and he feels the same way. We are moving forward with a strong department, and I look forward to all of our firefighters learning under his leadership … I expect excellence from this department.”
Ardis assumes his new post starting today.
There was significant mixed opinion about the Village Board’s action regarding Decker, with members of the audience including some firefighters defending Decker’s performance from the time he was hired by the Village in November 2023.
In a letter to the Board, Decker himself indicated that he found the Board’s decision “surprising” and “alarming” and said he had not received any negative performance reviews. He added that since coming to the Heights, he often had “felt handcuffed” in trying to handle the move from a volunteer to paid fire department. The Board pulled back on that transition late last year after the costs of doing so soared.
Meanwhile, several audience members made their way to the podium to express their disapproval of the Board action, including a couple of former fire chiefs. The gist of their support was that the ranks of the fire department had been replenished, that staff morale had improved, that some long-neglected equipment and building needs had been addressed, that local emergencies are being dealt with and that Decker should have been given a remediation plan to address any perceived shortcomings before being dismissed.
Police and Fire Commission Chairman and former Fire Chief Greg Walters accused the Board of a “misinformed decision” and said Decker “has done an exemplary job.”
“Are we better today than when Chief Decker took over? Hell, yeah. Hell, yeah,” added Police and Fire Commission member Jeff Shields.
For its part, the Board acknowledged that “decisions like this aren’t easy,” in the words of Trustee Nate Steinwedel. But ultimately the Board had concerns about communication and accountability, specifically regarding the budget, training and equipment needs.
Firefighters face life-threatening situations, and “we need to be confident we’re giving them every tool,” said Steinwedel. “Right now, we can’t say that.”
Trustee Sarah DeVore defended the Board and said its support of the fire department should be beyond question, noting that the fire budget had increased more than 300 percent, from $264,000 to nearly $1.1 million, in her six years at Village Hall. Ultimately, too many promises were just not panning out, she indicated.
Reichert was the lone Board trustee to oppose the non-renewal, saying that “he (Decker) does bring stability, which is something over the last few years we have not had.
“I just can’t find anything we can’t fix by working with him. No leader is perfect. … I haven’t given a second thought to the fire department and feeling protected in the last year and a half.”
Steinwedel complimented firefighters at Tuesday’s meeting, saying they had “done a commendable job” in the face of the uncertainty of the last couple weeks. “To Chief Ardis, I look forward to working with you, I appreciate you standing up in this time of need with our Village, and I hope your tenure here is marked with wisdom, unity and your commitment to serve," he added.
Ardis addressed the Board briefly, saying he intends to “move the department forward in any direction we possibly can.”
In other action or discussion this past month:
The Village Board unanimously approved a new four-year contract for Village Administrator Dustin Sutton.
The agreement will pay him $150,000 annually in the current fiscal year, with 3 percent increases thereafter to $163,909 in fiscal year 2029.
Sutton has held a dual role in the Heights, serving as both village administrator and police chief. He will be retiring from the police department later this year.
Village government said goodbye to Mayor Michael Phelan and to longtime Trustee Jeff Goett, while welcoming new mayor Matt Wigginton and trustees Teresa Symmonds, Nate Steinwedel and Jennifer Reichert. Appellate Judge William Holdridge administered the oaths of office.
“Yeah, I think I’ve done enough,” said Goett, adding that it was time for “new blood.
“I didn’t realize how much an education this was.”
Wigginton said when he and his wife were searching for a community in which to settle down, “we knew instantly this was the place we wanted to raise our kids,” whom he addressed personally in the audience: “Thanks for letting Dad do this.”
He also thanked Phelan for going “out of his way to make sure this was the smoothest transition possible.”
In his first official act, Wigginton made new committee assignments, keeping DeVore in her Administration position and Trustee Beth Khazzam on Economic Development. Symmonds will oversee Water, Reichert the Village Assets and Neighborhoods Committee. Steinwedel will serve as a liaison to the Fire Department and Trustee Brandon Wisenberg to the Police Department.
The Board approved a bid of $147,132 from RA Cullinan & Son for road sealcoating in the Village.
Lead line replacements have been approved by the IEPA and are ready to begin. More than 220 lead lines will be replaced this year, starting south of Lake Street, followed by 300 in 2026. These service lines run from the water main to individual homes. These will be installed at no cost to the homeowner.
“Every lead line will be replaced in the Village eventually,” said Public Works Superintendent Chris Chandler.
The Board approved the renewal of its contract with Cardinal Infrastructure for federal government lobbying services at a cost of $18,000.
“They know which doors to open and help us open them,” said Community Development Director Wayne Aldrich. “Even though we’re a small community, I think we have great advocates in D.C.”
The Village Board unanimously approved the purchase of a shipping container for the creation of a street seat in front of Feels Like Ohm, 4606 N. Prospect Rd. The bill comes to slightly more than $5,300.
Phelan noted that it was consistent with what the Village had done for other downtown restaurants, that the street seats had become a distinguishing characteristic of the Heights, and that it had allowed those restaurants to increase seating capacity at little cost to them while benefiting Village coffers with additional sales tax revenues.
The Board accepted the resignation of local businessman Kevin Shields from the Peoria Heights seat on the Metropolitan Airport Authority and appointed former Mayor Michael Phelan to that post. Mayor Matt Wigginton accepted Shields’ resignation “with regret.”
The Board approved the installation of a chain link fence with privacy slats along 460 feet of the Sherman’s Warehouse property. The fence will prevent trash from flying onto the Rock Island Greenway recreational trail abutting the property.
The Board approved the dates of Nov. 28-29 and Dec. 5-6 for use of Tower Park by the annual Kringle Market.
The Board approved the closure of Prospect Road from Kelly Avenue to Seiberling Avenue for the Mt. Moon Music Festival on Saturday, Aug. 30. The vote was 5-1, with Wisenberg in dissent.
The owners of The 33 Room, 4541 N. Prospect Rd., are partnering with the Mt. Moon Collective for the third straight year but the music festival has grown to the point that the organizers would like to take it to the street in front of the Pabst Building. The festival celebrates primarily local talent and has raised some $15,000 for central Illinois charities since 2022. This year, some 1,000 concertgoers are expected to attend.
