Board of Trustees

Village of Peoria Heights Board of Trustees December 2, 2025 The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. Everyone stood for a moment of silence and the Pledge to the Flag. Upon calling roll, the following Trustees were present: Nate Steinwedel, Elizabeth Khazzam, Teresa Symmonds, Sarah DeVore, and Brandon Wisenburg. Trustee Jen Reichert was absent. Others present included Mayor Matt Wigginton, Village Clerk Stephanie Turner, Chief of Police Chris Ahart, Superintendent of Public Works Chris Chandler, Interim Fire Chief Austin Szentes, and Village Counsel Mark Walton. Trustee Symmonds made a motion to approve the Board minutes from November 18, 2025. Trustee Steinwedel seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-0. Mayor Wigginton opened the meeting to public comment. Hearing no public comment, Mayor Wigginton closed the meeting to public comment. Mayor Wigginton invited Trustee Wisenburg and Trustee Symmonds of the Sign Committee to join him with Superintendent Chandler at the podium for a presentation. He noted that Mayor Phelan had previously had a proclamation created for Ray Picl which Mayor Wigginton read to remind residents of the many contributions by Mr. Picl to the Village and community. Mayor Wigginton explained he had asked the Sign Committee to plan naming a road in honor of Mr. Picl. He presented the Picl family with the street signs for Honorary Ray Picl Way. Mayor Wigginton noted it was a small acknowledgement of Mr. Picl’s time serving as mayor and head cheerleader for the Village. Mr. Rick Picl came forward on behalf of the family and thanked the Village, the Village Board, and Village staff. He noted that his father had served as trustee for four years prior to mayor, and he had always tried to do what was right for the community. He stated it was a great honor, and his father would have been proud. Mayor Wigginton requested the family and Sign Committee find a time for an official unveiling as the signs are posted on Seiberling Avenue. Mayor Wigginton asked Mr. John Forster with Fishbeck to come forward to present his findings on the parking study. Mr. Forster explained the study focused on Prospect Road with intent to evaluate current parking as well as future plans. He provided details noting the Village has a good amount of parking available in core areas. He shared the parking had never exceeded 50% capacity in the core area during the time of their counts. He noted that Prospect Road could exceed 90% capacity, but there were always spots within a block or two. To demonstrate, he shared a heat map showing parking availability. He highlighted responses to a public survey noting the vast majority of respondents felt they’d parked within a reasonable distance and that they felt safe in the downtown area. He encouraged the Board to retain as many parking spots on Prospect Road as possible during the redesign. He noted the Village didn’t need to add parking spaces currently but should remain aware of any future development and its impact on parking. He also provided information regarding paid public parking as compared to free public parking. He recommended the Village adjust on street parking hours to 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. as well as enforce on street parking regularly to protect that parking. He also recommended the Village review its parking fine structure to discourage repeat offenders. He also encouraged adding a few 15 minute drop off zones for Prospect Road as well as an annual review of changes and developments. Trustee Wisenburg disagreed there was sufficient parking based on his experience living in the area. Mr. Forster cautioned the Village that creating a residential parking program to keep visitors from parking in the neighborhoods would completely change the findings. He noted based on the counts during the parking study that the majority of the parking spots are available during the day. Trustee Wisenburg spoke to Chief Ahart regarding parking enforcement. The Board spoke to Mr. Forster about balancing businesses’, visitors’, and residents’ needs with regard to parking. Mayor Wigginton thanked Mr. Forster for providing the Board with a lot of information to consider when developing policies. Trustee DeVore asked about neighborhood parking, and Mr. Forster stated there were approximately 600 spaces out of 2200 spaces. Trustee DeVore asked about signage and education for parking lots rather than on street parking. Mr. Forster spoke about the difficulty of the situation and encouraged parking enforcement. Trustee DeVore asked Mr. Mark Lee, consultant for the Village, about loss of parking spots with the Prospect Road redesign. Mr. Lee noted none had been lost yet. Mr. Forster noted in his last conversation with Hanson the parking spot numbers should be similar. Trustee Steinwedel asked Chief Ahart if parking enforcement continued as complaint driven. Chief Ahart agreed. The Board moved on to old business. Trustee Steinwedel made a motion to approve Resolution 2025-19: a Resolution of the Village of Peoria Heights Authorizing an Advisory Question of Public Policy Regarding Approval of An Agreement to Pay the City of Peoria Fire Department for Automatic Aid to Be Placed on the Ballot During the General Election to Be Held on November 3, 2026. Trustee Khazzam seconded the motion. Trustee Steinwedel noted it was for a nonbinding ballot question for public input. The Board approved the resolution 5-0. Hearing no additional old business, the Board moved on to new business. Hearing no new business, Mayor Wigginton asked for miscellaneous business. Trustee Wisenburg noted proudly that 93% of respondents had said they felt safe. He complimented the community, staff, and particularly the Peoria Heights Police Department that people feel safe in the Village. Mayor Wigginton agreed noting how visible the police officers are in the community. Trustee DeVore noted the Village had a recent agreement with the Chamber of Commerce for their new app. She suggested working with the Chamber to include some aspect regarding parking to the app. Trustee Khazzam agreed noting the Village should approach businesses who offer free parking in order to create partnerships. Trustee DeVore agreed noting her experience working downtown. Mayor Wigginton reminded the public that the Kris Kringle Market will continue the coming weekend. Hearing no additional miscellaneous business, Mayor Wigginton opened the meeting to public comment. Hearing no public comments, Mayor Wigginton closed the meeting to public comment. Trustee Khazzam made a motion to adjourn, and Trustee Wisenburg seconded the motion. The Board of Trustees voted 5-0 to adjourn at 6:41 p.m. ____________________________________ ______________________________________ Matthew Wigginton, Mayor Stephanie Turner, Village Clerk