One of the very unfortunate consequences of the economic downturn is the layoff of code enforcement personnel. Peoria, Illinois is facing the layoff of about 1/3 of its staff. I’ve had the good fortune of doing a number of training days in or near Peoria. As with many cities, it struggles hard to prevent blight. I fear a spiraling down effect in cities and towns where budget cuts leads to weaker enforcement which leads to more problems in neighborhoods that are already struggling. The inspectors I work with are already doing as much as they can to deal with problem properties. What will some of these towns and cities look like in 10 years because of the decisions we are making today?