East Peoria to consider referendum on term limits for elected leaders

EAST PEORIA ( 25News Now ) - An East Peoria City Council member wants to hear from voters whether there should be term limits for elected officials in the city, but it's not clear if the current mayor and other commissioners will back the idea.

A staff report said Commissioner Michael Sutherland asked for an advisory referendum on the April 1 ballot asking whether the mayor and commissioners should be limited to a maximum of 12 years in office or three, four-years terms.

The proposed ordinance is scheduled for a first reading Tuesday night, but Mayor John Kahl told 25News he'll be calling for an immediate vote. The mayor said he's holding off on making comments about the issue until the meeting.

The longest serving commissioner is Dan Decker, who's been in office since May of 2007. Commissioners Sutherland, Seth Mingus, and Mark Hill have held their respective posts since May of 2019, and are now serving their second, four-year terms.

Kahl became mayor in May 2019 after serving four years as a city commissioner.

The city council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m.

The meeting will be streamed on the city's Facebook page and the East Side Community Media's Facebook page.