A lot of recent coverage has been over a possible ceasefire resolution regarding the conflict in Gaza and the approval of the Hope Village tiny homes project. This post starts off with crime updates (with rates continuing to decline) and the new chief of the Urbana Police Department calling for increased crime analysis, technology, staff, and funding to prepare for the next cycle of crime.
The Urbana Police Department reports seeing a one percent decline in violent crime in 2023 compared to 2022, as well as a nine percent decline in property crime...But Boone, who was sworn into office in July, noted that Urbana’s downswing is part of a national trend in which a pandemic-era uptick in crime across the county is now subsiding...Whether it be adding more sworn staff, civilian analysts or license plate readers, the Urbana Police Department will need funding from the city if it is going to update its operations into the state Boone said it needs to be.
More charts and data are available on the UPD's facebook page here. WCIA had an overview of the crime statistics here. Below is more information and coverage about the December City Council meetings where police funding was a primary topic, especially for public comment.
The News-Gazette's continuing series on local guns being allegedly "lost" or "stolen," has included some examples in Urbana from unlocked vehicles and realizing they were missing from their cars and homes.
Calls to Support a Ceasefire Resolution:
The News-Gazette covered some of the public input for and against a ceasefire resolution by the Urbana City Council at the 1/8 City Council meeting:
Over the objection of Mayor Diane Marlin, this week’s Urbana city council meeting included a 14-minute presentation and brief Q&A calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East.
And then came the two-hour public comment period, during which one of Marlin’s reasons for not wanting the item on the council agenda at all — the divide it would cause in the community — played out.
Of the 35 residents of Urbana (and several from Champaign) who stepped up to the microphone to let their opinions be heard, nine objected to the city passing a formal resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, many agreeing with Marlin’s contention that “this is not city business” and noting that a ceasefire would only benefit Hamas militants.
That full article here. There was additional coverage of the public input that continued into the 1/16 Committee of the Whole here.
Without wading into the debate on the ceasefire resolution itself, I would like to highlight the arguments on the role of the city government presented at these meetings. Generally, those in support of the resolution took a broad interpretation of the City's role as a representative body and democratic institution. While often admitting that the City lacks the authority to change foreign policy, it can take a symbolic position on matters important to its constituents. They point to varying precedent of the City in doing so.
Many in opposition to the ceasefire resolution took a narrow view of the City Council's role to focus on issues more directly related to City business. They point to the Council's own statement of purpose and a litany of other conflicts, foreign policy issues, etc. the Council has remained silent on. They viewed the community as too divided for the City government to take a stand in the name of the entire community, regardless.
There were folks on both sides of the ceasefire resolution who suggested room for compromise on the language, including Rabbi Alan Cook (1/19 News-Gazette coverage, video) and Allen Axelrod (in a 1/21 Letter to the Editor).
Hope Village "Tiny Home" Approval:
From 1/3 News-Gazette Coverage:
After one last impassioned round of objections by some residents of Champaign-Urbana’s oldest African American subdivision, the tiny-homes-for-the-homeless project known as Hope Village is a go.
At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Urbana aldermen signed off on the final development plan and subdivision plat for the first-of-its-kind development of permanent supportive housing in north Urbana for people who are medically fragile and chronically homeless to live and get the help they need...
Like during December’s marathon meeting, those who spoke out against the project Tuesday focused on the disruption it will cause in the neighborhood, given that the access road in and out of Hope Village will be Carver Drive, one of the subdivision's main roads.
That full News-Gazette article on the 1/2 meeting here and coverage of the 12/18 meeting here. WCIA had similar coverage of the 1/2 meeting here and the 12/18 meeting here. From the News-Gazette's December coverage highlighting the interests at odds on this project location:
“I’ve lived in this community 50 years and every single effort to provide housing for homeless people has been met with bigotry,” said former council member Esther Patt, director of the Champaign-Urbana Tenant Union. “The completely irrational belief that once a person becomes homeless, they become bad. Lousy neighbors.”
“We’re not a piece of dry mucus to be flicked off your fingers at your will — and will not be treated as such,” said Jacqueline Curry, who spoke of north end residents’ desire to “be heard and not ignored” about the impact the project would have on the Carver Park neighborhood.
There's both a unfortunate local history of treating homeless as a threat and also ignoring the Black community's voice in matters of community investment, planning, and more. Finding another viable location in Urbana for a project like this may be difficult or even impossible because other neighborhoods have more power to block it (or for the City to even risk suggesting it). Likewise the stigma of homelessness may also play a role that cuts across other divisions. It may be worth looking at how to quantify and address both issues going forward.
Police Funding:
Earlier in December the City Council heard proposals from the new Urbana Police Chief about additional funding to hire more officers and other matters. From Illinois Public Media's coverage:
Urbana Police Chief Larry Boone asked the Urbana City Council Monday night to amend the budget to hire four additional police officers.
The Council deferred the decision until a national consulting firm hired by the department releases a report with staffing recommendations...
In 2020, The Urbana Police Department, in collaboration with nonprofit C-U at Home, Rosecrance Behavioral Health Services, Carle Foundation Hospital and other Champaign County law enforcement units planned to create a program called One Door Crisis Response System, a co-responder model in which trained crisis workers would partner with police to provide care to people experiencing mental health crises.
However, the program was never launched. Administrative conversations about One Door stalled in early 2021, partially due to a lack of coordination among agencies as well as uncertainty about funding, according to reporting from Invisible Institute in 2022.
That full article here. The ongoing theme from activists is a demand for more funding for social services, programs, and solutions beyond more policing and jailing. The News-Gazette had an article previewing the meeting that included an overview of the Chief's spending proposals here.
The News-Gazette also had an editorial defending the new Chief against what they considered anti-police "vitriol," while not taking a stance on his funding proposals yet. They pointed to an upcoming study that may be worth considering before the City Council makes a decision on those.
Back in November, IPM had an article highlighting the BerryDunn study and the trend towards mental health and other professionals to handle certain situations where armed officers may be less ideal. Excerpt:
“We’re coming to understand that police departments may have taken on responsibilities that aren’t necessarily best suited for police response,” [BerryDunn law enforcement consultant Michele Weinzetl] said. “In some cases, it may be that the police shouldn’t go to it at all.”
Many police departments are dealing with unprecedented vacancy rates and tightening budgets, which cause them to struggle to keep up with call-for-service workloads, according to BerryDunn’s website.
However, the Urbana Police Department’s budget has been increasing steadily each year — rising over $2.5 million between 2021 and estimates for 2023.
That full article here. This is in addition to other community collaborations that Chief Boone had also proposed such as the "clergy patrol" (ride-alongs with clergy members) and working with landlords and improving living conditions, mentioned in the News-Gazette back in November.
Other City Government News:
- There was a presentation to the City Council on the Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report at the 1/16 Committee of the Whole meeting (jump to video). They highlighted what amounts to the executive summary beginning at page 14 (page 20 of the PDF).
- WCIA had a blurb announcing that the City of Urbana has begun its own process of redistricting City Council districts based on the 2020 Census data. As Illinois Public Media reported earlier in January, this redistricting won't be affected by any potential second Census count if one happens in Urbana. That would likely only impact funding for programs based on Census population counts.
- Community comes out to City Council meeting in support of a skate park in Urbana. The Daily Illini coverage includes the discussion on whether the Urbana Park District would be the first step towards implementing that idea. The News-Gazette had its own coverage of the skate park supporters in its Meeting Minutes feature here.
- Former Deputy City Clerk Darcy Sandefur was appointed to fill out the remainder of retiring City Clerk Phyllis Clark. More on Clerk Clark and her retirement in the News-Gazette here.
- The Daily Illini had coverage of the City of Urbana's portion of a IDHS grant to Champaign County to help provide support for asylum seekers.
- The Daily Illini had coverage of the 9/25 City Council meeting: Urbana City Council talks pride, streetlights and more. It noted the approval of funding the rebuilding of fire stations (a more detailed look at that grant and the approval process from the agenda packet starting on page 133 of the PDF). The News-Gazette and WCIA both had articles on the debate on possible better or more appropriate uses for this specific grant funding.
- Since our last update (it's been a while) there have been more delays with the Hotel Royer project at the site of the old Lincoln Hotel in downtown Urbana. The News-Gazette had updates on delays in June and July, and a City Council extension in its City Council coverage in its 8/4 and 9/1 Meeting Minutes article. WCIA had coverage of tax issues surrounding the project in November here and more delays in December here. The News-Gazette delay coverage in December pointed out that it looks like the first reservations aren't available until the end of June this summer.
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