OUTSTANDING WARRANTS CLOGGING UP SYSTEM

This month marks one year since Mayor Jim Ardis took office, ousting
his predecessor in large part because of a campaign of open
government. We asked Ardis if, along those lines, he would be willing
to answer questions offered up by readers.

Unfortunately, we had only a few queries. We've listed them and
Ardis' responses below, withholding names when asked. But, for future
reference, Ardis can be reached at: JARDIS@ci.peoria.il.us or on his
city cell phone at 678-4758.

Felony arrest warrants

Q: On 5/7/06, there were 336 felony arrest warrants in Peoria County.
Most of these criminals probably live in Peoria. Along with fire
protection and emergency medical service, what is more important than
the arrest of these criminals to the taxpayers of Peoria? We have
CrimeStoppers to help find the unknown criminals; why can't we have a
citizen reward program for tips to apprehend the known ones? It seems
the only time these professional criminals are arrested is incidental
to a traffic stop or if the feds dump money on the city for a
short-term manhunt.

- - Paul O'Donnell, Peoria resident

A: CrimeStoppers has been and will continue to be an effective tool
for helping law enforcement identify criminals. Anonymous tips as to
the whereabouts of fugitives from justice are always welcome and
acted upon by our police department. We simply don't have the
manpower and jail space to locate, arrest and incarcerate those with
outstanding warrants. Many wanted on warrants have more than one
outstanding. These people are responsible for clogging up our court
system because they don't show up for their court hearings.

Misdemeanor warrants are another huge concern. In many cases, our
judges are overwhelmed by the number of misdemeanor cases they are
scheduled to hear. On many days they number over 300! We have got to
provide more opportunities for community service work in lieu of
fines to get these offenders out of the system and provide service
back to the community picking up litter, painting church halls,
school walls, etc.

Pension benefits

Q: One question I would like to ask the mayor is, why does it cost
twice as much for retirement benefits than it costs to run the city?
I noticed this on my tax bill I got yesterday.

- - Bob Voss, Peoria resident

A: Mr. Voss, if you look closely, your bill probably contains pension
benefits for about eight taxing bodies. The city of Peoria is only
one of those bodies. You're also likely paying Peoria County, ICC,
Peoria Township, airport, transit district, Peoria Park District and
the school district you live in. Pensions and other retirement
benefits are and will continue to be a major drain on city, state and
federal resources. Please understand that the city of Peoria provides
police and fire protection, public works, and all other functions of
city government for just 11 cents of your tax dollar. The other 89
cents goes to other taxing bodies. I'm proud of the service the city
provides our citizens for that 11 cents.

Code enforcement

Q: I seem to remember the city doing something to crack down on
boarded-up houses, but it doesn't seem anything has changed. Peoria
is still a mess. Why can't the code enforcement department be run
like it was under Gary Sandberg?

- - Anonymous

A: I'm not sure if Councilman Sandberg would consider ever going back
to that position, but I know that our current code enforcement
director and his team do an outstanding job considering the obstacles
they're facing in Peoria. The rental inspection program costs us
about $400,000 a year and a considerable amount of time to
administer. If this program were fine-tuned, perhaps our code
enforcement officers would have more time to pro-actively serve the
city. I'm not necessarily advocating that idea, but everyone needs to
understand that with limited financial resources and bodies, much of
our time is spent being reactive.

Police protection

Q: If cops can (and do) confiscate cars used for drug trafficking,
why don't we do the same on crack houses and other property to push
drugs in the community? If the city can find the money to reopen a
firehouse, why not put that money into police protection? Me and my
neighbors fear crime more than fires.

- - Anonymous

A: Many people think that our fire department is one-dimensional
(fire suppression). We have one of the most well-trained fire
departments in the state, and in the country, for that matter. In
addition to fighting fires, they respond to medical emergency calls,
haz-mat situations, emergency river rescues from our dive team,
high-angle rescue and confined space rescue, to name a few.

Our multi-functional fire department provides our citizens with a
level of protection few cities our size could hope for. Unless you
experience one of these emergencies, you may feel they're not
necessary. But when you do, you can rest assured that our
firefighting professionals will reach your emergency quickly and in
most cases in five minutes or less.

I am very concerned about crime as well, and I am hopeful that the
council will prioritize that concern with me in the '07 budget."

Recycling program

Q: In my opinion, Peoria has a very poor recycling program. Are there
any plans under way to improve that, and what can we as concerned
citizens do to help?

- - Anonymous

A: My family participates in the recycling program offered by Waste
Management. Recycling is a very expensive program, and, frankly,
participation in the community is not that strong. The market for
recyclables is weak as well. As a concerned citizen, I would
recommend that you encourage your neighbors and friends to become
more involved in recycling efforts if you feel so inclined.

Compiled by Jennifer Davis