Champaign City Council and Unit 4 Updates

The City Council addressed marijuana ordinance enforcement, bringing it in line with Urbana's fines. WCIA had a video segment and an article with some reactions:

Not everyone okay with new fine
...
Last week, the city council voted to drop the fine for marijuana possession from $350 to just $50.

It brings the city's penalties in line with Urbana, but now, if police in Champaign catch an underage smoker, or bust an adult for a minor alcohol violation, they could end up paying four-to-seven times more than a teenager caught with weed...

The same fine discrepancy now applies to being in the wrong place with the wrong beverage. Standing in our station's back garage, I can hold an open container of beer, but if I were to talk out into the parking lot, the city could fine me $250.

Compare that with getting caught with a joint of pot anywhere. Now, the fine for that is $50.

"I think that was an unintended consequence."

Council member Greg Stock molds young minds as a teacher at Centennial High School. Stock doesn't think the new fine makes sense.

"It's like, wait a minute. If I'm 16 and I'm smoking a tobacco cigarette, I'm going to get a $205 fine. If I'm 16 and smoking a marijuana cigarette, I'm going to get a $50 fine."

Full article with video segment here. The News-Gazette had coverage of the City Council meeting and vote here. The Council is still struggling on how exactly to fully enforce their fines due to the quashing of warrants earlier in the year, however. More on their continued concerns on enforcement of ordinances here.


The Council also passed some referendum related resolutions this week. From the News-Gazette:
Champaign council OKs agreements on South Side, McKinley Field projects

At their last meeting of the year Tuesday, city council members unanimously signed off on agreements with the Unit 4 school district concerning projects at McKinley Field and South Side Elementary School, part of the district's $183.4 million referendum work to revamp aging facilities.

Council members first voted on an amendment to remove two waivers that would have allowed taller-than-allowed light poles around the field and the use of chain-link fencing between McKinley Field and homes to the south. Now, lighting will be restricted to 15-foot-tall poles — with LED lights that can be programmed to turn on and off at set times — and privacy fencing will be built on the south side of the field.

Full article here along with some coverage of disagreements between Councilor Fourman and the Chairman of the school board. The separate governing bodies both have the community in mind, but their slightly different priorities can lead to some clashes and compromise to cooperate. Voters and representatives alike can be very passionate about local government objectives and constituencies. The Unit 4 school board had also hired a new PR chief and approved some referendum matters this month:

Champaign school board approves 40-year PR vet as communications head
A 40-year veteran of public relations is slated to begin working for Unit 4 next Monday, "shoring up" a communications department flooded with responsibilities related to the district's 2016 referendum, board President Chris Kloeppel said.

John Lyday received the board's approval for the chief communications officer position early Monday evening. The position's approved annual salary is $119,893.

"I have about 40 years of experience in public relations — almost 20 in public education," Lyday told the board after the vote. "I am now going to be passionate about Champaign Unit 4. I'm looking forward to it, and I can't wait until Dec. 17."

A 1976 Northwestern University grad, Lyday has held various positions across the state, including stints as the director of group communication for the Tribune Company and associate executive director for the Illinois Association of School Boards...

The board also approved all of its referendum-related items, including:

— Design development cost estimates for McKinley Field ($6,604,515) and relocation of Central High School's storm and sanitary systems, guaranteed by O'Shea Builders to not exceed $1,060,435.

— Two contracts for abatement work at the high schools — $99,970 with Environmental Assurance LLC for Central and $76,312 with Thornburgh Abatement for Centennial. Much of that work will take place over the district's winter break, officials said, with the goal being to finish it prior to the Central expansion project's groundbreaking in the spring.

Full article here.