Human Resources: Public Service

"I feel public service is important because it is an opportunity to be part of a working class that is helping to shape issues affecting the health and welfare of our community and our world for the present as well as future generations."

- Virginia Pearl, 23 years, County Administration

"Having grown up in and being a product of Peoria, it is both an honor and a privilege to be in the service of this community. People who worked in public service jobs had a tremendous influence on me as a child. The mailman who delivered in my neighborhood, several of my teachers, my Grade School principal, and a tough-but-fair police officer all taught me by their example that treating people with respect and dignity makes all the difference in how they feel about you and how you feel about yourself. In our work, we have the opportunity to put folks in contact with persons in positions of authority who treat them with respect and protect their dignity while holding them to our expectations. We are so very lucky to have these opportunities."

- Steven Kossman, 10 years, Probation and Court Services

Public services are those services considered so essential to modern life that their universal provision to citizens by local, state or federal governments is virtually guaranteed. Examples of public services provided by the County of Peoria include public safety, emergency management, care for the aging, vital record keeping, and highway maintenance. Peoria County Government employs more than 1000 civil servants who provide services to approximately 183,000 citizens.