The Cheat Sheet is playing catch up on local government news this month, as sometimes happens. It takes a lot of time and effort for people to attend meetings or catch up with the videos, dig through local news coverage, and follow up with various passing or failing votes. The process of catching up can be useful to anyone wanting to get up to date on a local government body, however. There is a post at the Champaign County Cheat Sheet on the process of catching up on using the County Board as an example that could be helpful. Depending on your time limits, it can be a cursory search for local news coverage or the deepest dive.
The City of Champaign government had a busy month this June. Some of the local news coverage highlights include:
- Honoring fallen officer Christopher Oberheim who was killed in the line of duty responding to a domestic violence call in May. This was the City's first in-person meeting since the early days of the pandemic.
- In coverage of the same meeting, the delay in City fine increases was once again delayed.
- Looking for public input and proposals on how to spend the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding the City will be receiving for pandemic related relief.
- A meeting was filled with "Back the Blue" activists demanding more support for law enforcement from the City Council and Mayor. More background here. More coverage from WCIA including a video segment here. Video of public comments at the Council meeting is available here.
- City facilities will be reopening due to changes in the pandemic situation.
An overview of the ARPA fund details is available in a Study Session report from earlier this month here. Video of that Study Session, presentation and discussion is available here. The Fiscal Year 2021-22 budget and 10 year Capital Improvement Plan were approved at the June 15th regular meeting. There was public input and Council discussion on the budget vote during the meeting available here.
The June 22nd Study Session involved drainage issues and improvement projects along the Boneyard Creek. As the Study Session report and maps make clear, drain issues and investment choices around them have a high impact on historically Black neighborhoods in town (click to enlarge):
Recent heavy rains and flooding in Garden Hills, in which there are also drainage improvement plans over the next several years, are an ongoing reminder of past policy ramifications.
Links to City Council meetings and Study Session videos, agendas, and reports.
- June 1 regular City Council meeting: agenda, minutes, video.
- June 8 Study Session on ARPA funding: report, video.
- June 15 regular City Council meeting: agenda, video.
- June 22 Study Session on Boneyard Creek improvement projects: report, video.
Updates on April and May meetings are still a work in progress, but hopefully will be up and linked here soon!
