Residents press Peoria council on library funding, tax ideas and allegations of misconduct

During the citizens’ opportunity portion of the March 12 meeting, three speakers raised distinct concerns.

Anthony Wall Raven, a city employee and president of ASME Local 3464, urged the council to address what he called stagnant funding for the Peoria Public Library. Raven said the library’s budget has remained “about $7 million” for more than a decade and that low pay has led to high turnover among library staff, degrading services such as outreach and the bookmobile. He asked the council to meet with library employees, the executive director and the library board to discuss retention and compensation.

West Bluff resident Jonathan Avolta warned the council about a potential future loss of grocery-tax revenue and urged staff to consider alternative revenue measures that he argued would be less regressive than a grocery tax. He suggested options such as a vacancy tax, taxes on nicotine products or selected convenience-store items, and taxes on drive-through restaurant sales. Avolta also criticized a city police recruitment advertisement styled like a video game, calling it “extremely foolish.”

Harrison Estep accused city officials from prior administrations of fraud and misconduct involving legal staff and asked to meet with city leaders before filing a federal lawsuit. Estep said he had documents he would leave with the clerk and requested a meeting; the council noted there was no executive session scheduled and the meeting adjourned.

The council did not take immediate action on the requests during the meeting; several council members signaled willingness to meet with employees or constituents to discuss the issues further.