Joe Biden's visit to Peoria wasn't cheap

Over the weekend, the Peoria Journal Star published an article detailing the amount that Vice President Joe Biden's recent visit to Peoria cost taxpayers. Biden's visit Peoria at the end of March, as part of a fundraiser for the Center for Prevention of Abuse, ended up costing city tax payers over $41,000. Most of the money was spent on security detail. The cost of Biden's visit is newsworthy because it brought up a question of whether the city should be reimbursed for the visit. Some members of Peoria's city council believe that Peoria should be reimbursed, noting that taxpayers should not have to pay as well as the city's deficit last fiscal year. Others believe that the city should pay regardless and it should not be an issue. It seems like if politicians or dignitaries had to cover their own expenses, they would be less likely to visit the city. I believe that it is also necessary for Peoria to provide the proper security so that famous guests feel welcome here. Also, the city council should definitely work on having a reimbursement procedure in place or a method of handling the visits of public figures to the area.