RESIDENTS TALK GARBAGE FEE AT COUNCIL MEETING Story and Photos by Publisher Ed Emmons Left: Resident Bob Kieser speaks to the Council Monday night and tells them hes against the garbage fee. At Monday nights City Council Meeting, many residents took the opportunity to speak about the garbage fee the City has stuck residents with even though garbage service is already provided in the taxes. In his remarks to the Council Kieser said he opposed the garbage tax. He went on to say that he believed their should be some kind of exemption for residents who have a hardship. Kieser who is running for City Council told the Council that it doesnt seem for those making $80,000 a year like $12 a month is very much money and who get a 3% raise every year but it is to those who have a hardship. To those residents who make ( a lot less than that like a close friend of mine who works at Walgreens, its a big deal). Someone needs to take care of these people, Kieser said. Its despicable to think that someones water is shut off because their poor. Kieser said he believes that the garbage fee should not be balanced on the backs of those who cannot afford it. He also believes that Department heads should cut their department by 3%, and if they cannot do that, they do not get their yearly 3% raise. Right: Resident Jim Mangan speaks about the garbage fee before Council Monday night. Pekin resident Jim Mangan also talked about the garbage fee. Its obvious now to everyone, that the designers of this plan intended it to be a FORCED COMPLIANCE on all residents, a sure way to EXTORT money from the public by making it part of the Waste Water Bill, Mangan said. He went on to say that he recommends that you agree tonight to revisit the issue at the next meeting at the very least, VOTE to end the payments by those not using the Garbage Service for any reason for one month or longer. There are many residents who spend winters out of state and dont use the service, but are forced to pay it. There are individuals who have vacant houses for legitimate reasons and are being forced to pay for it. The City has already agreed NOT TO CHARGE a Waste Water Fee for these residents, so why not apply the SAME LOGIC for NO GARBAGE SERVICE? Managing the billing service seems simple, residents call in stopping both services and you dont send them a bill, when they call back in for Waste Water service, you start billing for both services again. Left: Resident Christine Schott speaks before the Council at Monday nights City Council meeting. Resident Christine Schott also spoke about the garbage fee, saying, It is a fact every voice or communication with government represents 8 to 10 additional constituents. So looking around this room Id say we represent a good percentage of Pekin citizens, Schott said. Im here to ask you to rescind this $12 tax for garbage pickup as well as the $20 curb side tax for items you say are too large for regular pickup. You have the ability to do away with these taxes for the citizens of Pekin. You hit us very hard this year with the over $6 million remodel of the library, the 3% raise for union and non-union city employees, the waste water treatment project well over $40 million and with the 10% unemployment rate in Pekin, people are hurting, Schott said. She went on to say that Pekin is losing residents as they are moving away from Pekin. Now I dont believe in moving away or running away from the problems, I believe in fighting for change because this is my town and has been for over 60 years. Right: Resident Sally Johnson speaks to the Council Monday night about the garbage fee. Resident Sally Johnson said that no one likes the Garbage Pick up fee. You even want the people who are not having their garbage picked up to pay for it anyway. That sounds pretty desperate to me, said Johnson. She went on to say that she believes that the garbage fee should be put in a referendum and let the people vote on it, if you cant do that, we should take another look at Home Rule. We shouldnt have to pay for YOUR POOR CHOICES. Make your departments heads tighten their belts. Johnson also talked about the sewer project, saying that from 2013 to 2014 the City has 23 violations? Whose job is it to get this corrected? We already have $40 million in it so far. Johnson told the Council why they are not showing the faces of those speaking? You expect respect from us, but you show us no respect. She also thanked Council member Golden for bringing the garbage issue back up before Council. Left: Tremont resident Ann Witzig speaks before the Council Monday night. Even though Witzig lives in Tremont, she and her husband own houses in Pekin with tenants who cannot afford the cost of the garbage fee she told Council. The last time Home Rule was challenged in Pekin, (1987) a City Commissioner named Dave Tebben said, that More important than my election was the fact home rule was retained, It speaks well for the fact the people of Pekin are, by-in-large satisfied with their way of government. Tebben went on to say, On the other side, those voting against home rule are sending a message to those of us elected to be careful of ABUSING those powers. Its now up to us to use it wisely, said Witzig. We need to require our City Manager and City Council to manage effectively. Using HOME RULE they added waste water expenses which will have increased by over 100% to $5.24 per 1000 gallon usage by May 1, 2015. The recent request to initiate a $12 per month garbage fee is a whole lot easier than checking for waste in the operation of the City. Four (4) votes from the Council can make this a law. I have also heard through the grapevine that now their might be a rain water fee? I think thats really ridiculous. Mr. Golden and Mr. Orrick are correct in stating that HOME RULE is only as good as the elected Council members. What must be remembered is, just how often can the people trust Council members to be sensitive and do the right and smart things? If HOME RULE was repealed, the people would decide by referendum votes, if any and what types of language laws would have! Right: Bob Bramham speaks to Council Monday night. Bob Bramham starting off his remarks saying that he had decided to run for Council, and the reason why was because of whats been going on here. Bramham said, I and many others believe the current garbage fee is ILLEGAL and UNFAIR...and should be rescinded as soon as possible. If you feel that you cannot rescind due to budget concerns for this fiscal year, then I ask that the Council exercise its power and AUTHORITY...and vote at the next Council meeting, to put the garbage fee as a BINDING REFERENDUM on the February city ballot, and no later than the April ballot. By having a referendum early next year, it will give the City plenty of time to figure the current fee into or out of next years budget. Also by having this referendum, it will show respect for following the WILL OF THE PEOPLE. Left: Tremont resident Jerry Witzig speaks before the Council Monday night. Witzig who is not a Pekin resident has several properties in town, and said he agrees with the people about the garbage tax. We have renters who cannot afford to pay that, said Witzig. Witzig was there to change the subject. He said he begged the Council back in the summer to take care of some weed problems on the old Rafferty Building the City owns. He thanked them for taking care of them right away but told them their were other problems he raise that have not been concluded. He said right in the same area, now I have come to realize that theres certain areas of town, including you guys neglect, because you neglected to take care of any of that. Witzig claims that a fence that he says the city put up to conceal an area that the City owns but does not take care of, and where there is a electronics dump where their are TVs, Computers, etc, just dumped, the fence is in the road for a week now and the City has done nothing to remove it. The dump he speaks of is at the end of Cynthiana street. He told the Council members that if this dump or weeds were near any of their homes the problem would have already been taken care of. Also speaking at Monday nights meeting was resident Roger Alexander. He told the Council that he was born in Pekin in 1936. He ask the Council what they have against business, because everything they do seems to chase businesses out of Pekin? Everything at the industrial Park is NO PARKING. Where do you think those trucks are going to park while they wait for their loads with no parking? E. Peoria, Morton, etc. You have no respect for business. How soon until you come up with that you have to have a methane permit to eat Navy bean soup? Thats next. Resident Kathy Welchman also spoke to the Council. She told the Council she has been in Pekin her entire life. Im a poor working woman trying to keep my head above water, says Welchman. Every time I turn around theres new taxes, new charges, sounds like your double dipping with the garbage fee. Its getting ridiculous, I can hardly afford to live now. Think about it. Resident Barb Bramham told the Council she is against the ILLEGAL fee. If you like what you read here on the Pekin Rebel, please donate what you can. Anything is appreciated. Just go to Contact me and my address will show up. Thank you to everyone who shows up to address this Council. It takes a lot of guts to do that. People do not realize how tough public speaking is until you do it. I respect each of you! Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 01:58:59 +0000
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