Cutting vandalism off at the source
04/13/2015
Aaron Eades
FARMER CITY — City leaders are trying to stop vandalism, but the way they want to do it might be considered a little radical. They’re considering cutting off power to people’s homes.
Officials say one group causing problems doesn’t have an incentive to stop and nothing is getting through to them. Now, they’re working on a new idea which could leave vandals in the dark. In what’s usually a quiet town, one idea is making noise.
“I’ll have to take the blame for it if it goes south.”
City manager Larry Woliung came up with a new approach to fighting vandalism. It’s something Farmer City has seen plenty of.
“Over 40 residents last year had their tires slashed.”
Tires repaired, graffiti painted over and broken windows fixed. Mayor Mike Jenkins is tired of paying for repairs. And, he says he knows who is to blame.
“It’s a very small group of adolescents. What we are seeing is a lack of respect for authority.”
City officials say the problem is alive and well, but making arrests and pressing charges isn’t doing the trick.
“The juvenile laws are very friendly to juveniles. And a lot of the time, we do not have the teeth to make anything stick.”
“With a juvenile court system, it’s awfully hard to get stuff done.”
That’s where Larry comes in.
“After we’ve tried everything else, we cut your power.”
If you live in Farmer City and your son or daughter is guilty of vandalism, you’ll be asked to pay restitution. If you don’t, the city wants to add it to your power bill. And, if you can’t pay that, it’s lights out.
“The million dollar question is, ‘Can we do it?'”
The answer is “maybe,” because the city owns its own power plant, which puts it in charge of the bill.
“Farmer City’s unique. It’s one of the smallest communities in Illinois that has its own electrical generating station.”
The city attorney is looking into whether it’s legal or not. If it is, the city council will make a decision. Woliung says someone has to pay and claims this option is better than passing the cost onto taxpayers.
“The entire population shouldn’t have to pay for just that small group.”
Woliung says having offenders do community service isn’t working either. Police say the best way to fight vandalism is to keep them informed, but they all agree, something has to change.
“Nothing is happening and the problem keeps continuing. The city needs something to put a little teeth behind their bad actions and our ability to protect and preserve our community.”
City officials are exploring other options as well. Mayor Jenkins says there isn’t a curfew on the books and, regardless of the power decision, he’d like to see one in place.
Other towns in the area have also dealt with vandalism. Gibson City says it’s had problems in its parks. Leaders are considering putting up security cameras. Mahomet Police say their strategy is to make sure the village stays informed by using social media to tell everyone what to be on the lookout for.
