Peoria is hardly alone in battling the crippling effect the recession is having on city halls throughout the U.S. and, especially, Illinois. Local and county governments throughout the state are scrambling to find ways to generate enough money to stay afloat during these tough times without sacrificing public safety, road construction and basic services that range from inspecting structurally unsound buildings to picking up stray dogs from neighborhood streets. "It's far worse than anything I've seen," said Larry Frang, executive director of the Illinois Municipal League. He's been with the league since 1974.
Locally, growth cities such as Washington are holding off on hiring new employees until the economy begins to show signs of recovery. East Peoria is contemplating scaling back its Festival of Lights events. Pekin recently introduced two new taxes on packaged liquor and food and beverages. In Peoria, the city's $10 million deficit has city officials pondering what can be done to restructure government. That means the public can expect immediate changes to the way yard waste is collected, library services and local arts awareness.
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