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April 7, 2022
Peoria introduces $783M budget proposal BY LAUREN SANDERS
Peoria Times Contributing Writer
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New capital improvement projects and 24 new full-time positions contribute to a $783 million proposed operating and capital budget for the city of Peoria. It marks a 12.7% increase from the prior year. “We always have funding sources for everything here, and I’m always really proud of that,” said Mayor Cathy Carlat. “I know that a lot of places have these big books full of wonderful projects, and they are not funded.” Peoria City Council reviewed the proposed budget plan for the fiscal year 2023 on March 30. The budget focuses on seven livability initiatives. “We wanted goals that were not going to continue to change but also were mean-
ingful that you could live with that made sense,” said Jeff Tyne, Peoria city manager. The seven livability initiatives are: Superior public safety: The majority of Peoria’s general fund is dedicated to public safety and the FY 2023 budget reflects the city’s ongoing commitment to public safety. The city will continue to invest in new technologies to preserve life and property. Examples include a new command vehicle for high-stress public safety incidents, additional body-worn cameras, vehicle technology equipment, investigative equipment for crimes against children, specialized software for background investigations, training supplies, and surveillance devices. New vehicles, contract staff and crime predictive technology will allow sworn police officers to engage in proactive policing activities more effectively.
The fire-medical budget continues to invest in critical equipment, including a utility task vehicle and trailer to support emergency response at Lake Pleasant, operational equipment, medical supplies, and extrication equipment. A new, four-person medical response unit will be added to lower response times and alleviate pressure from Peoria’s three busiest fire stations. A medical billing specialist will support the addition of a sixth ambulance. The CIP also includes two new fire stations to accommodate the growing North Peoria area. Economic prosperity: The recommended budget includes investments in many economic development initiatives and SEE BUDGET PAGE 3
Peoria Fire offering free mobile vaccines people, we’ll start going out. The plan is to do this every Wednesday and just schedule people as they call in.” Schroeder said the Peoria Fire-Medical Department recommends the program for individuals who are homebound for medical reasons, or people who face transportation issues and can’t travel to the pharmacy or a clinic.
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Peoria Times Executive Editor
The Peoria Fire-Medical Department is offering COVID-19 and flu vaccines to Peoria residents in their homes. “We’re scheduling them from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, based on demand,” said Peoria Fire-Medical Department engineer Jenn Schroeder. “As soon as we get a small handful of
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