Heights Village Hall reports first known COVID-19 case

A person who attended the Saturday, Aug. 1 special Peoria Heights Village Board meeting has tested positive for the coronavirus. 

“We are alerting members of the public so that they can take measures to protect themselves and those close to them, should they feel a need to,” said Village Administrator Dustin Sutton. He added that he is confident the Village has taken the follow-up steps necessary to ensure the safety of employees and visitors alike at Village Hall, to the extent possible.

All of those in attendance at that Village Board meeting – convened to discuss fire service options moving forward – have been notified of the potential COVID-19 contact, said Sutton. The person diagnosed was masked and practicing social distancing. That person is now in quarantine and will not be present at Village Hall during the duration of it. Village Hall has undergone a deep cleaning. 

“This is a pandemic from which central Illinois is not insulated, so there is a certain inevitability to a situation like this, whether in a publicly accessible local government building, a private sector business or within the confines of someone’s home,” said Sutton. 

“Our commitment to transparency here at the Village of Peoria Heights compels us to keep our constituents informed, and that’s what we are doing now. We urge everyone to act responsibly, for their sake and others’, and to try to stay healthy.”

Zoning Board of Appeals will meet Monday, August 17, 2020

PublicNoticeBadge.png

The Peoria Heights Zoning Board of Appeals will meet Monday, August 17, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 4901 N. Prospect Road, Peoria Heights, Illinois.  

The purpose of the meeting is to consider the following requests:

1. Variance application by William J. Andrew seeking a variance to permit construction of a corner yard fence with a setback variance on the property located at 1204 East Lake Avenue, Peoria Heights, Illinois, 61616 (PIN No. 14-27-130-001), which property is currently zoned R-2 (Medium Density Residential District).

2. Site Plan review and variance application by PH Samuel, LLC seeking approval of a Site Plan with variances for lot size, rear setback and a front yard fence, for proposed residential development of the property located at 1324 East Samuel Avenue, Peoria Heights, Illinois, 61616 (PIN No. 14-22-402-027), which property is current zoned R-3 (Multiple Family Residential District).

Additional documents and information are available at the Village Administrator's Office in Village Hall and/or by calling 686-2385.

Heights Village Board to hold special meeting on fire service

PublicNoticeBadge.png

The Peoria Heights Village Board will hold a special meeting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1 at Village Hall to discuss the future of fire service in the community. 

With Fire Chief Greg Walters to retire from the otherwise volunteer fire department in November, and with volunteers increasingly difficult to find, Village leaders are exploring various alternatives for this critical provision of public safety at a reasonable cost.

The three options now before the Village Board are employing a crew for dayside coverage with volunteers on call for weekends and after-hours shifts, contracting with the City of Peoria for fire service, or creating a fire protection district with the tax base to support it. 

Walters will be present to share his recommendation and to answer questions. Representing the City of Peoria will be its fire chief, Tony Ardis, who will detail his proposal, as requested by the Village.

“This is not where I thought we would be today, by any stretch of the imagination,” Walters said at the July 21 Village Board meeting. “What set us back was COVID-19 … We had a plan to move forward. When the world stopped turning for three months, it stopped us in our tracks.”

Walters said he appreciates the “anguish” being felt in some quarters but expressed confidence that a shared “baseline of information” would help decisionmakers get to a conclusion that would be in the best interests of the community.

“Everybody needs to be on the same page,” he said.

Mayor Michael Phelan commended Walters and called for a meeting where “we can devote nothing but our full attention to fire,” where participants can “respectfully listen to each other and arrive at some solution.” The date of the chief’s departure is fast approaching and “I’m concerned what happens when that comes. We want to be, as a board, prepared for that.” 

Saturday’s meeting is for information and discussion only, with no action anticipated. Social distancing is being practiced. The wearing of masks is voluntary but encouraged.

click for release…

Transportation, Mobility, Community Facilities, & Infrastructure Webinar

InfoBadge.png

Join us for the Transportation, Mobility, Community Facilities, & Infrastructure Webinar for the Peoria Heights Comprehensive Plan!

 This webinar will provide an overview of recommendations for motorized and non-motorized travel, parking, circulation, and linkages between key areas of the Village and surrounding areas. The recommendations will incorporate “Complete Street” policies to ensure a consistent design with all users in mind including drivers, public transportation riders, pedestrians, and bicyclists as well as people of all ages and abilities. Recommendations will be guided by previously discussed goals, policies, and land use recommendations. 

 The webinar will take place on:

Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at 6:00 PM.

Use the following link to register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8156591079669647374

Savings for Peoria Heights residents

Savings for Peoria Heights residents

Peoria Heights residents will be getting a one-time $20 credit on their monthly water bill in the coming months as part of the Village’s ongoing effort to soften the landing of the pandemic that hit everybody this past spring.

Residents do not have to do anything to trigger the credit, said Village Administrator Dustin Sutton.

“In a perfect world, I’d love to give the residents more -- $100 – but at this point we have to be fiscally responsible,” said Sutton. “I know it’s minor to some, it’s major to a lot.

“I wanted this to follow the same footprint as the stimulus grant for the business district as far as ease of use,” continued Sutton, adding that he wished to spare residents the red tape that comes with a lot of other credits. “I think it’s a good gesture … We’re in a position with water with a surplus. This is an amount we can afford.”

All told, the total cost to the water department will be $51,200, said Sutton.

Meanwhile, another item that residents and businesses need to be looking for in the mail is an aggregation contract with Good Energy that allows that company to represent them, through an agreement with the Village, to go out and shop for the best price for electricity. The last time the Village did this was in 2016. This time the contract is for 18 months.

Again, if residents agree with allowing Good Energy to use its bulk buying power on their behalf, they need do nothing to make that happen. If they want to opt out, however, they must respond, in which case the default purchaser will be Ameren. Ameren got out of the energy supply business years ago and is an energy distribution company. It buys energy at market price and sells it for that same price with no mark-up. Nonetheless, that price “is absolutely going to be higher,” said Village Attorney Mark Walton.

“You have the potential to save a lot of money by going with an aggregate because they get the lower prices,” concurred Village Trustee Diane Mariscal.

Water bill non payment information

In March of 2020 due to Covid-19, the disruption of water service for non payment of water bills was temporarily suspended. As of July 7th we have lifted that restriction. We will continue to work with our residents in regards to payments if needed. If you need to set up a payment plan or wish to speak with us regarding the payment of your bill please contact the water office at:

309-686-2375