The Peoria Heights Zoning Board of Appeals will meet Monday, March 15, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 4901 N. Prospect Road, Peoria Heights, Illinois.
Water main break on Sciota
Repairs are being made to a water main in the 600 block of Sciota Ave. Residents in the surrounding areas many experience temporarily discolored water. The discolored water poses no health or safety risk and should clear up in a few hours. There is NO boil order in effect. If you have any questions or would like to request iron remover for stained laundry, please contact the Water Department at 309-686-2375, ext 1.
Board gets first look at the fiscal year 2022 budget
The Peoria Heights Village Board got its first look at the fiscal year 2022 budget this week, along with a status report on the current year’s finances. “Encouraging” may be the best word for it, given the circumstances of the last year.
The proposed operations budget is balanced and anticipates spending and revenues at right about $4.1 million.
The budget blueprint for the coming year arrives on the heels of an FYI 2021 budget with a projected surplus topping $600,000. That is remarkable given the Village’s dependence on sales tax revenues, in a year when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered many local businesses for periods of time. That result is due, in part, to constant budget monitoring and fiscal discipline, but in fact revenues have significantly outperformed expectations for this year.
All in all, expenditures in 2022 look to go up about 2.7 percent – fundamentally a cost-of-living increase – over the current year’s actual spending. The biggest increase is in the fire department, owing to the first-ever employment of a paid fire chief and weekday on-call firefighter. The largest part of the budget, about 47 percent, continues to be the police department, followed by general administration at 18 percent and the street department at 14 percent.
Over the last three years, the Village has made significant progress in building up its fund balances, a cushion against future financial crises. Indeed, cash on hand is expected to top $1.9 million in 2022. That’s about six months of annual spending, which puts the Heights in the “best practices” category.
In a definite assist to that bottom line, the Village will see a sizeable increase in grant funding from other governmental bodies, rising from about 1 percent to 5 percent of the total budget.
Meanwhile, the Village intends to begin squirreling money away for some major upcoming capital projects, specifically a couple of large water mains. The whole idea is to move forward on some critical capital needs without accumulating debt.
“We have to start working on the Village infrastructure,” said Trustee Brandon Wisenburg, adding that what’s appropriate for homeowners in stressing the importance of maintaining their private properties also holds for the Village in terms of investing in public property.
“Small improvements add up to big improvements, especially sidewalks and streets and parks,” he said.
Other trustees agreed, arguing for an ongoing capital budget that puts curb and sidewalk and streetlight upkeep on a regular schedule.
“Because of being good fiscal stewards, we are getting ourselves into a position where we can start talking about ... a sidewalk program or doing more improvements to the water infrastructure,” said Mayor Michael Phelan. “As policymakers, we need to identify some bigger capital projects that are four to five years out.
“We’ll get there and we’re on our way,” said the mayor, who along with trustees had high praise for those who crafted the budget, specifically Village Administrator Dustin Sutton and Village Bookkeeper and Clerk Stephanie Turner.
The budget blueprint unveiled this past week is a draft, which means changes can yet be made. A final Village Board vote will come later this spring. The 2022 fiscal year begins on May 1.
Prospect Road to be blocked for community events
This coming spring will see Prospect Road closed through Peoria Heights’ downtown on two occasions, both for community events that draw a significant number of visitors.
Heights officials will barricade Prospect between Seiberling and Marietta on Wednesday, March 17, otherwise known as St. Patrick’s Day. Downtown’s main artery also will be off limits to vehicles between Glen and Seiberling on Saturday, May 22, the date of the Heights’ Fine Art Fair.
Traffic will be rerouted to Columbus, where the speed limit will be reduced. Residents in the neighborhoods affected will be notified in advance. Signage will redirect traffic. Additional police will be out and about.
The festivities were canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic but had proved popular in previous years.
Closing off Prospect entirely “is the safest way,” said Village Administrator Dustin Sutton. A partial closure during the Fine Art Fair in 2019 did produce some safety issues, he said, which Village officials would like to avoid this time around.
St. Patrick’s Day will be “a scaled-down” event this year due to ongoing COVID-19 mitigations, said Billy Blasek, co-owner of W.E. Sullivan’s Irish Pub, who is working closely with the Peoria County Health Department. Capacity will be limited
inside the bar, but also outside, where entrances will be limited and staff and extra security will be monitoring the crowd size with clickers, said Blasek.
“Once it gets to a certain point, we can’t let anyone else in,” he said. There will be plenty of tables and chairs and free roaming will be discouraged in an attempt to comply with physical distancing guidelines, he said.
“We do understand what kind of crowds these bring,” said Sutton, especially in a year where there is likely to be a lot of pent-up demand due to the pandemic. “Even though we’re all excited about the event, we don’t want it to get out of hand.”
Meanwhile, the Village will donate $5,000 to the Peoria Heights Arts Collaborative, which will go toward various Fine Art Fair basic expenses.
Heights requiring doors on home garages
From here on out, all residential garages in the Village of Peoria Heights must have retractable, overhead doors.
The Village Board amended the code to require garage doors at its meeting on Feb. 16, predominantly expressing concerns about public safety. Doorless garages can be unsightly and an invitation to animals and other potential nuisances, according to the majority. Trustee Sherryl Carter cast the lone dissent.
Existing garages without doors will not be grandfathered in, said Village Administrator Dustin Sutton, though enforcement will be complaint driven.
“We will work with them,” Sutton said. “We understand it’s a little bit more difficult to have a garage door installed ... We’d give them the same courtesy we do with any new ordinance.”
The new regulation does not apply to carports.
“It is an issue,” said Sutton. “Believe it or not, we do receive a lot of complaints on it ... It’s an ordinance I support.”
Zoning Board will meet March 15, 2021
The Peoria Heights Zoning Board of Appeals will meet Monday, March 15, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 4901 N. Prospect Road, Peoria Heights, Illinois.
Village Hall closing early
Village Hall will close at 3:30pm on 02/15/21 due to inclement weather.
2/15/21 Zoning Board Meeting Cancelled
The upcoming Zoning Board meeting on Monday, February 15th, has been cancelled.
Village Board fills Mass Transit Board seat
Christopher Ahart, deputy police chief in Peoria Heights, has been appointed to fill the Village’s seat on the Greater Peoria Mass Transit District Board.
He succeeds Joan Krupa as the Heights’ representative on the five-member GPMTD Board.
Ahart has been employed by the Heights Police Department for 22 years, starting as a police officer and working his way up to sergeant, detective and ultimately to deputy chief in 2012. He also serves as a member of the Peoria Heights District 325 School Board.
“I had a long list of people. We’ve got a deep team here in Peoria Heights that I considered,” said Mayor Michael Phelan.
But in the end, the mayor chose Ahart because “we all know Chris. We want someone that’s going to represent us very well on the board. But as I thought about it, Chris has a real unique perspective as deputy chief. He certainly
understands the transportation needs here, which are a very important part of what this job does.
“But also his role as a School Board member gives him a good understanding of the people in the community that are in need ... I want to keep in mind that we don’t forget the customers of this service ... I think he’ll be an outstanding representative of Peoria Heights on the Greater Peoria Mass Transit District.”
The vote to approve Ahart’s appointment was unanimous, with Trustees Diane Mariscal and Sherryl Carter absent.
In other news, Heights Street Superintendent Mike Casey announced that the Village will be receiving $405,000 through the state’s Rebuild Illinois capital plan, which will be distributed over the next three years. The priority for those funds will be Forest Park Drive, as it’s overdue for surface work and serves as an artery from Prospect down to Galena Road, with a couple of nursing homes along the way, he said.
Finally, the Peoria Heights Arts Collaborative wants to bring back its annual Arts Fair in May following a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19. The fair previously has drawn thousands of visitors, and as such, the Collaborative is asking for the closure of Prospect Road from Glen to Seiberling on that date – with traffic rerouted – and a donation from the Village to help with the costs of hosting the show. The latter will in part be returned to the Village through tax revenues generated by visitors who eat and shop in the Heights during the event.
“People are yearning to get out,” said Barb Milaccio, a leader of the effort. “I feel like our attendance will just be huge, I really do – supporting the businesses, supporting the artists.”
“We asked the business community and the art community to step up and take ownership of this, and you have,” said Phelan. “I’m personally ready to kick off a lot of events in Peoria Heights in 2021. I think these types of events distinguish us from other communities ... These are affordable, normally free events for residents to come and enjoy.”
The Village Board will take up the requests at its next meeting on Feb. 16.
Freezing temps can cause frozen pipes...Be prepared!
The forecast between now and Valentines Day is downright chilly!
Here are some cold weather tips to help prevent frozen pipes:
Locate and insulate pipes in or near exterior walls or unheated interior spaces (attics, basements, garages.)
Locate and exercise shut-off valves leading to the water meter.
Let cold water drip from a faucet served by exposed pipes to prevent freezing during cold snaps.
Keep the heat no lower than 55° F or winterize the pipes if you’re planning to be away during cold weather.