West Peoria News for December 2009

Sharon McBride

The West Peoria Residents’ Association will have their annual Christmas Party on Sunday, December 6th at 5:00 p.m. at the Franciscan Recreation Center. Santa will arrive at 5:00 p.m. Entertainment by the “9 to Five” vocal group, sing-along with the Mayor, Flynn’s Irish Dancers and refreshments will be a great way to start off your Holiday Season.

The West Peoria Neighborhood Watch will not have a December meeting. The next meeting will be Wednesday, January 13, 2010, 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. Guest speaker will be Lt. Hartwig, with the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department. He will give some instructions on self-defense. Deputy James Middlemas will give an up-date report on criminal activity in the area. The West Peoria Residents’ Association will meet Thursday, January 21, 2010, at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. Guest Speaker to be announced.

In recognition of outstanding contributions to the union construction industry, especially by improving labor-management relationships in Central Illinois, the Tri-County Construction Labor-Management Council presented the 2009 Construction Person of the Year award to Mayor Jim Dillon.

The 2010 Census will take place in mid-March. It is a count of everyone living in the United States and is mandated by the U.S. Constitution to occur every ten years. One of the biggest concerns from citizens regarding census data is the confidentiality of information collected. At times there is concern that information provided on the Census form will be shared. That is not true. The Peoria Complete Count Committee would like to dispel some myths associated with the Census. This month the Committee is focusing on the privacy and confidentiality of census data. Individual answers from the census are protected by law (Title 13 of the U.S. Code, Section 9) and are strictly confidential. It is illegal for the Census Bureau, or its employees, to share personal information gained through the census process with any other government agency. That includes law enforcement, IRS, Welfare, FBI, Immigration, etc. Your information is used to produce statistics and your answers cannot be used against you by any government agency or court. All Census Bureau employees take the oath of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect the confidentiality of the data. The penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment up to five years, or both. No court of law, not even the President of the United States can access individual responses. With $400 billion allocated every year to communities throughout the nation based on population counts, the census is an essential funding tool for our communities. It is vital that everyone be counted.

The Better Business Bureau cautions us about giving info to census workers. With the U.S. Census process beginning, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises people to be cooperative, but cautious, in order to not become victims of fraud or identity theft. The first phase of the 2010 U.S. Census is under way as workers have begun verifying the addresses of households across the country. Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers will count every person in the United States gathering information about every person living at each address including name, age, gender, race, and other relevant data. The big question is – how do you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a con artist? The Better Business Bureau offers this to help you.

If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, that person will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice. Ask to see the identification and badge before answering any questions remembering that you should never invite anyone you don’t know into your home. Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if that individual claims it is needed for the U.S. Census. No matter what you may be asked, you only need to provide the information of how many people live at your address. While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, you don’t have to answer anything about your financial situation. The Census Bureau will not ask for Social Security, bank account, or neither credit card numbers, nor will employees solicit donations.

West Peoria Storm Damage alert: From January 1st thru March 31st – The West Peoria Street Department will pick up storm debris. The City of West Peoria’s first priority is public safety. After the storm has passed the area, cleanup will begin. The City asks residents for their cooperation in this effort. Residents are asked to follow these steps in assisting with debris collection:

All limbs and debris must be placed at the curb (not in the street) within five days following the storm; place small limbs and debris in 30-gallon biodegradable paper yard waste bags, weighing no more than 50 lbs or; place small limbs and debris in 32-gallon garbage cans with handles, weighing no more than 50 lbs. Large limbs must be tied in bundles using rope or twine. Limbs must be cut to 4’ in length and be 2″ in diameter or less. The bundles can weigh no more than 50 lbs. All large limbs must be placed at the curb with the cut ends pointed in the same direction.

If these guidelines are not followed, the City of West Peoria will not remove the storm debris and it will become the responsibility of the home owner. If the storm debris is not removed, the homeowner may be subject to a fine for code violations. No bagged or piles of leaves will be collected by the City during storm clean up. Finally, residents are asked to please be patient with the cleanup schedule. Collecting all of the debris will take time. Debris pickup is a team effort and your cooperation is necessary to ensure that cleanup is as fast and efficient as possible.

From April 1st thru December 31st limbs and debris from storm damage will be picked up by Waste Management as part of their Yard Waste Service. Yard waste is collected curbside once a week on Fridays. Maximum container size is 32 gallons. Maximum yard waste bag weight is 50 lbs. Large limbs must be tied in bundles using rope or twine. Limbs must be cut to 4’ in length and be 2″ in diameter or less. The bundles can weigh no more than 50 lbs. All large limbs must be placed at the curb with the cut ends pointed in the same direction.

Remember that all streets in West Peoria are emergency snow routes. The following is the snow route/ parking code: All streets within the corporate limits of the City of West Peoria are hereby designated as emergency snow routes. It shall be unlawful to park any vehicles on these streets at any time within twelve (12) hours after a snowfall of two (2) or more inches. Where there has been a snow forecast of two (2) or more inches for any calendar day, it shall be unlawful to park any vehicles on any of these streets for that calendar day.

The Street Department Manager shall be authorized to take the necessary actions to have those vehicles which are parked on streets designated as snow routes in violation of the provisions of this Section towed away in order to permit the clearing of snow from the snow routes. The payment of any and all charges incurred as a result of such towing shall be the responsibility of the vehicle’s owner. (City Ordinance Section 3-3-5)

In addition to, or in lieu of towing the vehicle, the owner or leassor of the vehicle shall be fined $25.00 for first offense and $50.00 for second offense. For the third offense, the fine may be up to a maximum of $750.00. In all events, each day the violation exists shall constitute a separate offense.

The Street Department Manager asks you to not shovel the end of your driveway until the plows have been down your street. This will save you the trouble of having to shovel again. 1) It is against City Code to shovel your snow into the street. Doing so only slows down the process of clearing the streets. 2) This City Code also applies to raking leaves or landscape debris into the street. When it rains this causes the storm sewers to back up.

If you see a zoning code violation: Please email: code-zoning@cityofwestpeoria.com or phone Mr. Dan Sullivan at: 674-1993 or 370-1142. The Code Officer’s hours are: Monday-Tuesday: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Wednesday-Thursday-Friday: 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. All information is confidential. You do not need to give your name when you report a violation.

Still need a gift for someone and not sure what to get? The West Peoria Lions Club has Dining Tour Books that make great gifts. They also have 100% soy candles and soaps and can make gift baskets for you of the soaps and candles. Just give a call at 673-6207. Proceeds go to help fund Lions International hearing and vision programs.

The West Peoria Lions Club says thank you to the community for their continued support during the year. Remember the Club recycles glasses, sun glasses, hearing aids, keys, ink cartridges, cell phones, aluminum cans, and tabs. Give us a call and we can pick them up.

As many of you will agree, 2009 has been an interesting year. As it winds down and the holiday season is upon us, I wish you all a healthy and happy holiday season. Think of the good things that happened this past year and don’t dwell on the bad or unpleasant. We are still living in an excellent community with a caring spirit that continues in both good and bad times. Best wishes for a blessed and safe holiday.