Excerpts from the pjstar.com:
The quarterly financial report at Tuesday’s Peoria City Council meeting turned into a call for further cuts at city hall. City Manager Patrick Urich told council members that the city was in danger of not being able to put $2 million back into the city’s general fund, a move needed to ensure the city has the liquidity it needs to get good rates when it gets bonds in the future. Revenue wasn’t flowing in as the city expected in the first quarter.
The fire department, already down 10 positions, is burning through its overtime budget at a rapid rate. Fire Chief Ed Olehy told council members that the department has already used up 90 percent of what was allocated for overtime. Olehy outlined cutback plans that the department has under consideration. If all 10 slots were filled, it would take nine weeks to get them on the street.
Urich said he plans to come back to the council at the June 26 meeting with a $3.5 million reduction plan — one that would enable the city to shift $1.5 million to the fire department and $2 million to the general fund.
