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Our Culture

At the Peoria Park District we bring together passionate individuals who are focused on enhancing the quality of parks and recreation experience for all those who live, work and play in our District. Learn more about our fun, dynamic and innovate work environment below.

Our Mission

We contribute to healthy and vibrant communities by responsibly using our resources to offer high quality parks, recreation, and education experiences to those who live, work, or play in our District.

Our Values

Building on our commitment to our PRAISE model for customer service, we agree to uphold the following values in our work. We will be:

Professional: well-trained and proficient at all levels of our organization.
Respectful: considerate of others and honest in our interactions; focused on opportunities for collaboration.
Accountable: transparent and responsible for our decisions and their short- term and long-term impact on our District, our community, and our environment.
Innovative: open to new approaches that achieve better outcomes and that make our District more financially secure while promoting sustainability of our resources; as we support innovation, we will prioritize environmentally sensitivity in all of our activities.
Safe: proactive in providing safe spaces and places for those who work, learn or play in our District parks and facilities.
Equitable: focused on equitable access to parks, facilities, and programs that promote healthy and active lifestyles across our diverse community, while also prioritizing a workforce, both internally and through collaboration and contracting, that looks like the communities we serve.

“I love the people that make up the PPD and being a part of a group that is constantly trying to better our community!”
– Jacob, Parks Division

“At Peoria Park District I feel like I matter and my voice is heard!”
– Kadar, Business Division

Employee Benefits

At the Peoria Park District, we aim to create a culture that values and supports each other, those we serve and our community.​ In doing so, we must provide a well-rounded myriad of benefits that speak directly to those values and shows our staff we care about them, their families, and total well-being.  Peoria Park District is proud to offer competitive pay, a wide-variety of amazing benefits and other employee incentives.

All employees get access to our amazing system of parks and recreation within the Peoria community. Free workouts at the RiverPlex, free visits to the Zoo, free rounds of golf and so much more are available to all Peoria Park District employees. View those employee benefits by clicking “All Employee Benefits” below.

I love all the natural areas and our focus on preserving those areas
– Regan, Peoria Zoo

Full-Time Benefits

In addition to the all employee benefits above, our full-time staff receive a robust and very generous benefits package. Below is a comprehensive overview of those benefits. Please note, a full benefits package overview will be provided when hired. To learn more within each area, simply expand the benefit by clicking the plus sign.

Work/Life Balance

  • After 90 days of service: 5 working days – 40 hours
  • After 1 year of service: 14 working days – 112 hours
  • After 8 years of service: 19 working days – 152 hours
  • After 16 years of service: 24 working days – 192 hours
  • After 2 months of service: 1 day/month, up to 10 working days.
  • 1 year of service: 10 working days – accrual up to 10 days – 80 hours
  • 2 years of service: 10 working days – 160 hours
  • 3 years of service: 10 working days – 240 hours
  • 4 years of service: 10 working days accrued up to 90 working days – 720 hours
  • Day before New Year’s Day
  • New Year’s Day
  • Martin Luther King Day
  • Memorial Day
  • Juneteenth Day
  • Independence Day
  • Labor Day
  • Veteran’s Day
  • Thanksgiving Day
  • Day after Thanksgiving Day
  • Day before Christmas Day
  • Christmas Day

All full-time members of the Peoria Park District, and their dependents* get to experience all the amenities the Park District has for free, or at a reduced cost! That means free visits to Peoria Zoo, Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum, RiverPlex and free rounds of golf! Major discounts on classes, sports, camps, rentals and more! For a full list, click “All Employee Benefits” above.

*For the definition of dependents, please consult the PPD Policy Manual or click the “All Employee Benefits” above.

Health & Wellness

A very robust and comprehensive medical insurance program is available 30 days from date of employment. The yearly rates for those programs are:

PPO RATES ($1,500 deductible w/ $1000 HRA)

Coverage LevelEmployee Portion/Monthly
Employee $109.79
Employee + Spouse$224.74
Employee + 1 Child        $155.80
Employee + Children      $218.94
Family                               $329.26

HMO RATES (no deductible)

Coverage LevelEmployee Portion/Monthly
Employee $89.72
Employee + Spouse$180.70
Employee + 1 Child        $125.94
Employee + Children      $76.52
Family                               $257.36

*Spousal surcharge rates may apply. Please ask HR for more information.

Dental insurance effective 30 days from date of employment at an 8% cost share to the employee.

Coverage LevelEmployee Portion/Monthly
Employee $3.34
Employee + Spouse$6.70
Employee + 1 Child        $4.78
Employee + Children      $6.26
Family                               $9.34

All full-time staff receives a $200 indemnity reimbursement vision benefit as part of the health benefits package.  The employee plus their spouse and/or dependents who are enrolled in the either medical plan receives up to $200 per person per year for vision coverage to cover the cost for exams, contacts, glasses etc.

Each medical plan comes with prescription drug coverage.  On the PPO plan, participants utilize CVS pharmacy for their prescriptions.  On the HMO plan, participants utilize Walgreens pharmacy for their prescriptions.  Prescriptions under both medical plans allow participants to pick up their prescriptions in a retail location or request maintenance prescriptions via mail-order delivered to their home.

Allows employees to set aside money on a tax deferred basis (prior to federal and state income taxes, social security and Medicare taxes, and IMRF contributions) for the payment of qualifying medical, dental, and vision expenses as well as day care expenses.

All full-time members of the Peoria Park District, and their dependents* get free admission to the RiverPlex Recreation and Wellness Center and Greater Peoria Family YMCA as well as 50% off all personal/small-group training and sports performance at RiverPlex. The RiverPlex is a state of the art, medically-based fitness center is fully equipped with a Fitness Floor, AquaPlex, Spin Studio, Climbing Wall and more! For more information visit https://riverplex.org/

*For the definition of dependents, please consult the PPD Policy Manual or click the “All Employee Benefits” above.

Retirement

  • Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF)
  • Employee contribution: 4.5% of gross salary (tax deferred)
  • Employer contribution: fluctuates as determined by IMRF (2022 = 4.39%)
  • Social Security: Participating
  • Allows employees to save for retirement through income tax deferred contributions
  • AXA Equitable administers this program and offers several different investments options

Bonus/Incentives

  • $225 annual wellness bonus provided no sick time recorded November 1ST to October 31st – No compensation is paid for any unused sick time.
  • PATH (Positive Activities Toward Health) Wellness Program is available to all benefits- eligible employees and covered spouse or partner at no additional cost to you, and you also can earn up to a $400 incentive award each year.
  • Permanent full-time personnel who have completed the following years of service will be awarded on the last payroll in November.
  •  5 years or more of service:  $250
  •  8 years or more of service:   $350
  •  12 years or more of service:   $450
  •  16 years or more of service:  $550
  •  20 years or more of service:  $725
  •  24 years or more of service:   $825
  •  28 years or more of service:  $925
  •  32 years or more of service:  $1,025
  • *Employees will have that sum pro-rated should they retire before the last payroll in November

Additional Benefits

100% employer paid equal to approximately 1x’s the annual salary.

Available under terms and conditions of IMRF.

The Peoria Park District is proud to partner with Workplace Solutions to offer our employees free, 24/7, confidential support in the following areas:

  • Counseling: For assistance in dealing with emotional health, grief, stress, substance abuse and more.
  • Work-Life Balance: For assistance including adoption, child care, senior housing, pet care, home maintenance, etc.
  • Legal and Financial Fitness: For assistance for everything from financial planning, real estate, credit review and debt management to divorce, estate planning, identity theft and small claims.

All full-time employees after one year of service (unless other arrangements have been made as a condition of employment) are eligible for consideration for participation in the Park District’s Educational Program.

Reimbursement is defined as tuition only. The District will reimburse approved classwork on a sliding scale based on student performance with maximum reimbursement rates set annually at the average cost of tuition hours at selected regional state schools.

Grade of A = 80% of tuition; Grade of B = 60% of tuition; Grade of C = 40% of tuition; Grade of D = No reimbursement; Grade of F = No reimbursement. *excludes fees, books/materials and other items etc.

Reimbursement shall be limited to eight (8) credit hours per semester. This program is subject to fund availability.

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