June proved an eventful month as the Heights ushered in Summer 2025:
Village Administrator and Police Chief Dustin Sutton retired from that latter post, and Chris Ahart, a longtime member of the Heights Police Department and deputy chief, was appointed to succeed him. Sutton is staying put as Village Administrator.
Meanwhile, Jodie Brackney was named to the Deputy Police Chief position, becoming the first female in the Department’s history to ascend to that high rank.
The Village Board voted to not renew Dan Decker’s contract as fire chief, and Tony Ardis, retired from the Peoria Fire Department and formerly its chief, was appointed by Mayor Matt Wigginton to step in as Fire Chief on an interim basis.
Ardis’ name and work, said Wigginton, is “synonymous with professionalism.”
The Village Board approved amendments to the 2018 Tax Increment Financing (TIF) agreement between the Village and PH Samuel, LLC that “cleaned up” some concerns regarding the original contract, including a limitation on developer incentives and a removal of exclusive parking there. The original developer, Katie Kim, had proposed the redevelopment of an entire residential block of Samuel, which never came to full fruition.
The developer’s TIF reimbursement will be capped at no more than $6,613,000 for the work that was done, with TIF-eligible project costs now at $2,084,757. Meanwhile, any deed restrictions on properties no longer owned by the original developer will be removed. But getting the most attention were concerns regarding parking in front of 1310 E. Samuel Ave., which restricted parking spaces on public property there for private use and which originally had not been recommended by a consultant or by the Zoning Board.
One resident, Cathy Stevenson, a former member of the Heights Zoning Board, said it was “deeply concerning that taxpayers may now be asked to subsidize parking deficiencies that were known and flagged seven years ago, prior to the groundbreaking.”
Trustee Sarah DeVore agreed, arguing that “no other business in this community gets exclusive (parking) rights on public property.” She also said she was troubled that the Village hasn’t been following consultants’ recommendations on a variety of fronts. “Why would we spend over a million dollars to do all these studies and not take advice from the professionals?”
Ultimately, both parties agreed to remove the exclusive parking rights from the agreement. The Board also voted unanimously to allow seven diagonal parking spots on the south side of Samuel and four parallel spaces on the north side, all unrestricted and available to the public.
Community Development Director Wayne Aldrich told the Board that he would be taking an extended medical leave and that engineer Mark Lee from Farnsworth Group is taking his place in the interim. Lee has been a municipal engineer and served for many years on the Zoning Board in Galesburg. His mother was a Peoria Heights public schoolteacher.
The Tri-County Regional Planning Commission announced that the Heights will be getting an additional $75,000 plus for new sidewalks and other public accommodations on Glen Avenue, on top of the approximately $760,000 in federal funds that had already been approved for that project. The total expenditure on the project will come to about $1.1 million.
The Board approved a temporary handicap parking spot in front of the property at 1107 E. Moneta, which is where a member of the disabled community lives, after first debating the placement of a permanent handicap spot at that location. Anyone with a state-approved handicap placard can park there, not just the resident at that address.
Trustee Brandon Wisenburg noted the demand for on-street parking spots in some neighborhoods of the Heights and expressed reservations about establishing a new precedent that potentially could be abused. Ultimately, the Board agreed and unanimously voted to extend the handicap parking spot for 60 days so that a more permanent solution can be found.
The Board approved a measure regulating and licensing bodyworks establishments, or massage parlors, to bring the Heights in line with surrounding communities. Wisenburg emphasized that the ordinance “is not intended to be punitive or weaponized in any way.”
The Board approved the purchase of a new police vehicle at a cost of $39,417. The Police Department is switching from Dodge Chargers to Durangos. It is a budgeted expense.
The Board approved the addition of two paid holidays, Juneteenth and Casimir Pulaski Day, for administrative employees.
Bradley University opened its A Matter of Taste Kitchen at the former Peoria Heights Pump House, 1201-03 E. Kingman Ave. The university is leasing the building from the Village for a shared commercial kitchen and business incubator.
“I hope this is the tip of the iceberg with future partnerships with Bradley,” said Wigginton.