Budget, Barrels and Bins

The News-Gazette had a couple city government blurbs today. The first for the City of Champaign's upcoming budget discussions (agenda here), highlighting some budget items:

Champaign's proposed city budget maintains police, fire staffing
Staffing at the Champaign police and fire departments would not decrease under the proposed fiscal 2018-19 budget, which the city council will get its first look at next week.

Among the budget’s line items:

➜ $171,000 to pay for firefighters whose grants run out in February.

➜ About $145,000 to hire police officers in anticipation of retirements.

➜ About $18,000 to make the police department’s property crimes unit a permanent project.

➜ $100,000 for police overtime.

➜ About $75,000 to staff the City Building front desk, including salary and benefits for the new hire and costs such as a desk computer.

➜ About $14,000 in public works overtime to cover special events.

➜ About $7,000 for demolition of nuisance properties.

The council will discuss the budget at Tuesday’s meeting. Final approval could come in June.

Link to that article here. Then there was a blurb for both City of Champaign and Urbana about a rain barrel and compost bin sale, with discounts for residents:

Rain-barrel, compost-bin sale set May 5 outside Urbana City Building
The city of Urbana, the city of Champaign, University of Illinois Extension and Faith in Place will sell rain barrels and compost bins for one day only.

The sale takes place from 9 a.m. to noon May 5 at the corner of South Vine and East Green street in the parking lot north of the Urbana City Building, which is at 400 S. Vine St.

Rain barrels, which include a leaf and mosquito filter basket, an overflow adaptor, a spigot and an overflow hose sell for $49, but Urbana and Champaign residents are eligible for a $25 rebate for barrels with proof of residency such as a utility bill.

A stationary compost bin sells for $46 and a tumbling compost bin for $205.

People who want to pre-order before the event can go online to rainbarrelfundraising.com/Urbana.

That article here.