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Rock Island officials seeing changes and challenges
Posted Online: Nov. 03, 2009, 9:32 pm
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By Brandy Donaldson, bdonaldson@qconline.com
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ROCK ISLAND -- The city has seen a lot of new activity this year. Rock Island's new mayor and two new aldermen are welcoming a list of new projects and prospects constantly developing for the city, according to officials. A fresh batch of issues and challenges also have risen, Mayor Dennis Pauley and City Manager John Phillips told The Dispatch/Rock Island Argus editorial board Tuesday. "There's really a lot going on when it comes to revitalization and modernization in the city right now," Mayor Pauley said. More than two dozen businesses, he noted, either opened, expanded or relocated to Rock Island in the last year, including the Quad City Kidney Center, Harvest Wood Products, Ganson's Bakery and Coke Midwest. To better serve residents, city officials have a variety of projects on deck to expand services and amenities. They include a $3.5 million expansion of the Rock Island Fitness and Activity Center and a $3.1 million expansion of the Martin Luther King Center. New and better green spaces also are planned throughout Rock Island, including the renovation of historic Douglas Park and new parks in Old Chicago and across the street from the King Center. Schwiebert Riverfront Park -- the $12 million downtown development formerly known as Armory Park -- also is expected to give The District a significant shot in the arm, Mayor Pauley said. His list of city opportunities also includes new housing efforts and businesses planned downtown where a new restaurant is slated to open later this month. "There is a lot of interest in the downtown right now and a lot of excitement from people wanting to do things," he said. That excitement extends beyond downtown, he said. Jumer's Casino and Hotel brought new life to the southwest corridor of Rock Island, Mayor Pauley said, with the $151 million project creating 700 jobs and helping to promote further development in that area. The development news comes as violent crime is down in Rock Island. Recently, Mayor Pauley created the 20-member Safer Communities Task Force to tackle the issue head-on. That group and its mission, Mayor Pauley said, has been accepted favorably. "There is a lot of good going on there. We've heard a lot of comments saying it was about time we focused on crime," he said. "We can't eliminate crime," Mayor Pauley said. "The intent here is to reduce crime as much as possible, highlight it and start to focus on it so people understand crime is as much their responsibility." There are things, however, he wants to correct. A concern he's heard of the task force is the lack of Hispanic representation. "We have been looking for someone," he said. "If someone wants to step up, I'd love to have them." Although Rock Island is making great strides, Mayor Pauley said it also faces significant hurdles. Fighting negative perceptions always is an uphill battle, and crime is still an issue, the mayor and city manager agreed. Rock Island also is facing a $2 million revenue decrease that must be balanced before the next fiscal year. "We're not suggesting we have a shortfall of $2 million, because we will not have a $2 million budget shortfall by the time we get a budget in place," Mr. Phillips said. "But that (revenue decrease) is the challenge we face." State revenues, such as income and corporate replacement taxes, are down and expected to keep dropping, Mr. Phillips said. State-mandated police and fire pensions also are taking a greater chunk out of the city's budget, with a projected $750,000 increase there alone next fiscal year, Mr. Phillips said. The city's pension cost now is close to $35,000 per active firefighter, and just below $25,000 per active police officer. All these budgetary issues must be tackled before next fiscal year, Mr. Phillips said. 
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