Peoria County Officials & Services Directory 2019 - 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS Brief History .............................................................................................. 2 Schedule of Elections ................................................................................ 4 Important Election Dates ........................................................................... 5 Voter Information ...................................................................................... 7 National Officials ....................................................................................... 8 State Officials .......................................................................................... 10 State and National Services ..................................................................... 13 Elected County Officials .......................................................................... 15 Appointed County Officials ..................................................................... 18 Municipal Officials .................................................................................. 21 Township Officials .................................................................................. 28 Library Officials ...................................................................................... 36 Park District Officials .............................................................................. 41 Fire District Officials ............................................................................... 43 School District Officials .......................................................................... 47 Other Service Districts ............................................................................. 53 Population Statistics ................................................................................. 56 Valuation Statistics .................................................................................. 57 County Services Directory ....................................................................... 58 1 BRIEF HISTORY OF PEORIA COUNTY BRIEF HISTORY OF PEORIA COUNTY Peoria is the oldest settlement in Illinois. The city and county take their names from the Peorias, one of the most populous natives of the area. The Peorias were a peaceable and tractable people; many were converted to the Christian Faith by the French Missionaries of the day. The first Europeans to see the Peoria region were Louis Jolliet and Missionary Pere Jacques Marquette in the summer of 1673 during their expedition along the Wisconsin, Mississippi & Illinois Rivers. By 1691, the French settled in Peoria, making it the first European settlement in Illinois. Little changed over the next 100 plus years, even after the British regime in Illinois, which began in 1765 and ended with the conquest of George Rogers Clark in 1778. However, the French continued to hunt and trap game in the area. The first official residents of the area were Abner Eads, Josiah Fulton and five other persons who came from southern Illinois. Peoria County was established by an act of the state legislature on January 13, 1825. For the first several years, Peoria County extended all the way northeast to include what is now the City of Chicago. On March 8, 1825, the first county commissioners officially named the City of Peoria as the county seat. The first courthouse was a 20' X 20' log cabin that was rented by the county for a dollar per day. The current L-Shaped building was constructed at a cost of $4 million dollars and was dedicated by Lady Bird Johnson on September 22, 1965. Today the Peoria economy is very diverse. Probably the first major industry in Peoria was the manufacturing of agricultural implements, starting in 1837 with Tobey and Anderson Metal Plow. By 1909, Mr. Murray Baker helped to attract Pliny Holt to Peoria for the purpose of opening a tractor plant in the area. Thanks to Mr. Baker's efforts, the Holt's Tractor Company, later known as Caterpillar, became the area's largest employer and one of the nation's largest exporters. The world's firsts in Peoria are: In 1889 the Keystone Steel & Wire Company in Peoria County produced the first woven wire fence in the world; in 1941 the U.S. Agricultural Laboratory at Peoria developed a way to mass produce penicillin; and in 1892 Charles Duryea, a tinker and cycle maker, built the first gasoline-powered automobile in Peoria. Abraham Lincoln visited Peoria on seventeen different occasions. During Lincoln's "Great Debate" with Stephen A. Douglas in 1854, Lincoln's speech helped to establish his career and is considered a landmark regarding the issue of slavery. This great event is honored by a statue of Lincoln on the Main Street & Jefferson Street corner of the Peoria County Courthouse. In 1899 President 2 BRIEF HISTORY OF PEORIA COUNTY (Continued) William McKinley became the first sitting U.S. President to visit Peoria by attending the dedication of the Soldiers & Sailors Monument on the courthouse plaza. By the late 1980's, the need for an expansion of the current courthouse was addressed with an addition for the courts and Circuit Clerk's Office that nearly doubled the square footage of the courthouse. This addition was completed in 1990 and included 9 additional courtrooms, bringing the total to 14 courtrooms and offices for the circuit court clerk, court administration and probation. Today Peoria County has twenty townships, four cities and eleven villages. Peoria County covers an area of 629 square miles and has an estimated market value of real estate, excluding tax-exempt property, totaling over ten billion dollars. Peoria County's population totals 184,000. Finally, a visitor to Peoria cannot help but appreciate the scenic view from the bluffs along the Illinois River to the downtown city skyline. The county has been blessed with many assets. No wonder that in 1910, President Theodore Roosevelt, riding along Grandview Drive, called it "The World's Most Beautiful Drive". Dear Peoria County Resident: Peoria County remains a very desirable community to live in for persons of all ages. One reason for this is the fact that government in Peoria County works. Inquiries from citizens seeking solutions to problems are a daily occurrence in county government offices. PEORIA COUNTY -AT YOUR SERVICE is a reference directory developed with this in mind. This directory contains the names, addresses and telephone numbers of your elected representatives on the national, state, county, township and municipal levels. We also have included a section of frequently asked questions in an effort to aid our citizens in finding the correct office or official able to assist or address your concerns. We invite you to visit the Peoria County website for additional information as well as updates to this directory at: www.peoriacounty.org. In addition, the Peoria County Clerk's Office is happy to assist in finding any additional information you may require. Please feel free to call or visit our office. Rachael Parker Peoria County Clerk Room 101 / Peoria County Courthouse 324 Main Street Peoria, IL. 61602 309-672- 6059 E-Mail: [email protected] 3 SCHEDULE OF ELECTIONS SCHEDULE OF ELECTIONS EVEN-NUMBERED YEARS General Primary Election: held on the third Tuesday in March Nomination of; Election of: Federal Officers Political Party Officers State Officers (Democratic State Central Committeemen, Legislative Officers Precinct Committeemen, Delegates to Judicial Officers National Conventions) County Officers General Election: held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November Election of: Retention of: Federal Officers Judicial Officers State Officers Legislative Officers Judicial Officers County Officers ODD-NUMBERED YEARS Consolidated Primary: held the last Tuesday in February Nomination of: Municipal Officers Township Officers Consolidated Election: held the first Tuesday in April* Election of: Municipal Officers Township Officers Park District Officers Library District Officers School District Officers Community College District Officers Fire Protection District Officers Special District Officers Regional School Any unit of government may schedule a special election or referendum pursuant to the authorizing statute. *If election date conflicts with Passover, the election is then scheduled the first Tuesday following Passover. 4 IMPORTANT ELECTION DATES IMPORTANT ELECTION DATES MARCH 17, 2020 GENERAL PRIMARY ELECTION Voter Registration Last Day: February 18 Mail-In, DMV, or Deputy Registrar March 1 Online at State Board of Elections website Grace Period: Feb. 19 – Mar. 16 In person at Election Commission Election Day: At polling place or at Election Commission Voting Methods* Domestic Vote by Mail: ** February 6 – March 12 Early Voting: February 6 – March 16 Grace Period: February 19 – March 17 NOVEMBER 3, 2020 GENERAL ELECTION Voter Registration Last Day: October 6 Mail-In, DMV, or Deputy Registrar October 18 Online at State Board of Elections website Grace Period: Oct. 7– Nov. 2 In person at Election Commission Election Day: At polling place or at Election Commission Voting Methods* Domestic Vote by Mail: ** September 24 – October 29 Early Voting: September 24 – November 2 Grace Period: October 7 – November 3 * See Voter Information on page 7 for a description of the voting methods. ** Vote by mail ballots may be requested starting 90 days before Election Day. Ballots are mailed starting 40 days before election. 5 IMPORTANT ELECTION DATES (Continued) FEBRUARY 23, 2021 CONSOLIDATED