Urbana City Council Updates

Looking forward to next year's municipal elections, Mayor Marlin will not be running for a 3rd term according to Illinois Public Media. This post, however, is more of a round up about current business before the board and recent news coverage. It's been a while since our last City of Urbana Updates earlier this year.

The Daily Illini has a had a great deal of meeting coverage on what we've missed (agendas, minutes, and video links available here on the city website):

• March 18th City Council Meeting: Coverage of the compromise ceasefire resolution, public comment, and text.
  
  
• March 25th City Council Meeting: Included debates about plastic bags and potential taxes on their use at stores.
  
  
• Tuesday April 9th Cunningham Township Annual Meeting: which included its own referendum, including one on the Gaza conflict.
  
  
• May 27th City Council Meeting: Coverage of the City's financial plan and discussion of the role of social services in it. More on this meeting's dispute on appointments was covered in the News-Gazette and highlighted later in this post below.
  
  
• June 3rd and June 4th Committee of the Whole Meeting. The most recent City Council meeting was a Committee of the Whole meeting that was overwhelmed by public opinion on police hiring and alternative responder model issues. The meeting was continued the next day after it had initially gone on for a few hours. The first day of the meeting made it through item F. 6. (the police staffing presentation) before it was recessed. More coverage on those issues later in this post below.

Redistricting:

As with other local government bodies, the latest Census information has led to a new proposed ward map for the Urbana City Council as well. From Illinois Public Media:

Starting with the spring 2025 municipal elections, the new map will set boundaries for the next decade for the seven wards represented by the seven aldermen and alderwomen on the Urbana City Council...

The Census lowered Urbana’s population count from 41,250 in 2010 to 38,336 in the new Census, a population drop of about seven percent. Marlin says the decrease in population translates into a roughly $750,000 decrease in state and federal tax revenues coming to the city every year.

Marlin says the lower census count is not due to an actual decrease in Urbana’s population, but to a pandemic undercount of University of Illinois students. She argues that this is evident in the census data, which shows the greatest population losses in and around the University of Illinois campus. Students dominate the population in that area, and many of them went off campus during the time the census was taken, because it was also the peak period of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

That full article here. The City's web page for the ward map details is here.

Police Budgets:

One of the more hotly contested aspects of the budget has to do with the City's long term plans with policing, crisis intervention, and alternative approaches to police calls for certain situations. Previous consulting recommendations focused primarily on more traditional staffing needs for the Urbana Police Department. From Illinois Public Media:

The national consultant hired by the city of Urbana has released its first report evaluating the police department. In this report, BerryDunn, a national consulting firm, recommends hiring more police officers, which would cost the city millions and involve raising taxes. 

According to the report, more than 64% of calls for service don’t involve criminal activity. Those calls, activists argue, don’t need a police response. Instead, many residents want Urbana officials to establish alternative responses for these calls, involving domestic violence experts, social workers and mental health professionals.

That full article is available here. The News-Gazette had additional coverage earlier this month here and a more recent update from last week. Excerpt from that update:

The latest report from a multi-phase review of the city’s public-safety services said the city stands to benefit from developing alternative methods for how its police and fire agencies respond to calls for service.

The “Essential Calls for Service Report” from BerryDunn, a national consulting firm the city hired in 2023, determined that expanding supplements to the Urbana Police Department’s response model — like telephone units, online reporting services and co-response teams — could help free up officers to answer more urgent calls and provide appropriate resources for those in crisis.

The assessment ties into the first phase of BerryDunn’s review, which recommended that Urbana police hire seven sworn officers and six non-sworn community-service responders, a potential 22 percent increase in the agency’s staff levels.

That full article here.

[Update 6/10/2024: The News-Gazette had even more coverage on this issue in today's paper here. It covers last week's City Council meeting and some of the disagreement on the police portion of the budget. Excerpt:

Police department officials presented proposed staffing increases as part of last week’s budget discussions, which started Monday night and continued into the wee hours of Tuesday after the council voted to take a recess due to the late hour.

Boone said he is requesting the following new positions, which are currently included in the city’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2025:

• One deputy chief to oversee operations
• One training sergeant
• Three patrol officers
• Two non-sworn community service responders
• One social worker “in support of alternative response models”
• Three community engagement officers]

More Budget Items:

The City of Urbana, unlike the City of Champaign, appears set to absorb the loss of the State grocery sales tax revenue, according to the News-Gazette. The City Council will also be looking at its financial plan, with approval of that plan coming up at their June 24th meeting. Excerpts from the Daily Illini:

According to the proposed budget, investments will be made in public safety and public works, such as 911 services like fire, EMS and police, as well as city infrastructure. Other investments will be used to support the mayor and city council’s strategic goals. 

In addition, the budget proposed a local motor fuel tax rate increase, with all tax revenue to be dedicated to transportation infrastructure improvements.

The budget also proposed investments into research of the connection between the maintenance of housing and community well-being and occasionally crime. Council members also seek to increase funding for nuisance abatement, or the elimination of harmful property conditions.

That full article with a lot more additional information and links here.

Appointment / Reappointment Disputes:

Disputes about appointments continued to plague the Council. People familiar with the Urbana City Council will be very aware of a years long crusade to remove City Manager Carol Mitten from city government by more openly left-wing board members and public commenters. From the News-Gazette Meeting Minutes feature:

Things took a turn for the awkward at this week’s city council meeting after Alderwoman Grace Wilken, as she did in 2022, motioned that Mayor Diane Marlin‘s recommended one-year reappointments be voted on individually and not lumped together.

Chris Evans took it from there, reading from lengthy prepared comments all the reasons he wasn’t supporting the appointments of City Manager Carol Mitten, who was sitting just down the table at the time.

That full article here.

More City of Urbana News:

• Kathy's Mailbag answered a question about ambulance contracts with the City.
  
  
• The News-Gazette had some updates on the fire station projects back in April.
  
  
• Urbana joined other local government bodies in supporting a program to expand flight service out of Willard, according to the Daily Illini back in March.

City of Champaign Updates

Danny Iniguez of District 3 (map) announced his resignation last month, which will create a vacancy on the board. The City Council has 60 days from May 14^th to fill the seat temporarily until the results of the 2025 municipal elections in the Spring. The process was laid out in a staff report here. Interviews for applicants (the application deadline has already passed) will be conducted on this Tuesday, June 11^th. The News-Gazette had an overview of the appointment process and the three applicants yesterday:

One of the two Unit 4 school board members who resigned in frustration in March — and one of the 28 who applied to replace him — are among three applicants for the District 3 vacancy on the Champaign City Council.

The three will be interviewed at Tuesday's study session for the seat vacated by Danny Iniguez, according to the council agenda made public on Friday.

It's a short-term assignment that expires on May 6, 2025.

That full article here. A final vote on the appointment to the City Council would be as soon as the following week, with the selected appointee sworn in immediately afterward. There is a separate Unit 4 Updates Cheat Sheet post here.

Recent Meetings Coverage:

The Daily Illini had coverage of the most recent City Council meeting on June 4th this week. Excerpt:

On Tuesday, the Champaign City Council held its weekly discussion, primarily focused on passing a number of resolutions related to infrastructure improvement. 

The meeting began with the introduction of three new members of the city staff. 

Following this, a proclamation was made by the council on the topic of raising awareness of state-wide and national gun violence. 

More at the full article here. The Daily Illini also had coverage of the May 28th meeting here, which included updates on the Garden Hills drainage project.

Grocery Sales Tax:

The City of Champaign, like many local governments, is looking at a way to deal with the loss of grocery tax revenue with the latest changes in the State budget. The News-Gazette laid out the problem and the City Council's dilemma earlier last month:

As the budgeting process continues, Champaign city leaders are divided on how to make up $2.7 million in revenue that will be lost if Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposal to eliminate the state’s 1 percent grocery tax moves forward.

While some city council members feel the best approach is to raise the home-rule sales tax, others are interested in alternative options, such as establishing a packaged liquor tax...

Proceeds from the grocery tax go entirely to local municipalities, and the question of how to fill in the gap was the focal point of Tuesday’s budget discussion.

That full article here. The News-Gazette had a more recent update showing that the council was "leaning towards" increasing its own grocery sales tax rate at their May 21st Study Session on the budget (the staff report from that Study Session is available here).

Downtown Plaza and Downtown Entertainment District Updates:

Most of the other policy news coverage this month involved development of the downtown Plaza and the downtown entertainment district centered on Market Street. The News-Gazette had coverage of some of the State grant funding being used for the Plaza project. The News-Gazette also highlighted local concerns about the Plaza project's impact on businesses in that area.

The Daily Illini had coverage of the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Downtown Entertainment District here. There was also News-Gazette coverage on the recent City Council vote to increase security for the downtown entertainment district and the context of the recent highly publicized shooting on Market Street. Similarly there were also local business concerns about the downtown entertainment district's impact. WCIA had a brief overview of "The Beat" initiative to highlight and attract entertainment and customers to the downtown entertainment district. More at The Beat website here.

Other City of Champaign News:

• A portion of Park Street was ddesignated in honor of Reverend Claude Shelby, community organizer and retired long-time pastor of the historically Black Salem Church.
  
  
• The City allotted additional funding to 40 North to expand its Friday Night Live entertainment project according to the News-Gazette. 
  
  
• The City's Plan Commission is looking at updating the land use rules for large solar arrays. Currently such installations require a special use permit be approved each time.
  
  
• The Plan Commission was also looking at approving a possible large scale data center at the University's Research Park, according to the News-Gazette.
  
  
• The City launched an interactive tool to compare historic maps of Champaign from the 1880s to 2024, according to WCIA.

Unit 4 Updates: Board Appointments

The Regional Office of Education appointed two new members to the Unit 4 Board of Education to fill two vacancies due to resignations. This was after months of disagreements on the process with the remaining board members. The News-Gazette had an overview of the process and the appointed officials last week last week:

The retired CEO of the Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club and a local business owner who ran in the last election will fill the two vacant seats on the Champaign school board.

Regional Superintendent Gary Lewis brought an end to a monthslong saga Friday when he announced the selection of Sam Banks and Mark Holm to fill the seats vacated in March by Jamar Brown and Mark Thies.

They’re short-term positions, expiring in April, when the seats currently held by board President Gianina Baker, Heather Vazquez and Bruce Brown will also be on the election ballot.

That full article here (and some previous coverage of the Regional Office's process here and here). Illinois Public Media had similar coverage here and WCIA also had brief coverage on the new appointments.

A lot has happened since our last Unit 4 update in early April. At that time we had a Cheat Sheet post laying out the controversies heading into the local appointment process. That process fell apart as disagreements arose between two board members and a three member majority of the remaining (five of seven) Unit 4 Board of Education members. There was an initial meeting establishing some details of the appointment process, but that fell apart when the remaining process details were decided by the Board President without an additional public meeting of the Board.

The dispute resulted in the minority members using the parliamentary tactic of blocking a quorum to delay the process so that the Regional Office of Education would have to take over the process. From the News-Gazette last month:

The saga that has been the Champaign school board since two members resigned in frustration two weeks apart in March is about to enter a new phase — a do-over in the effort to find replacements for Jamar Brown and Mark Thies.

As was expected and is mandated by state statute, Regional Superintendent of Schools Gary Lewis — not the five remaining members of the Unit 4 board — will assume control of the process starting Monday, which will mark 60 days since Brown stepped away.

That full article here with a lot of additional information on the disputes. Some of the clashes appeared to go beyond process and policy and into the personal. The News-Gazette reported on the Superintendent's correspondence that the disagreements arise from "sheer hate," while others point to her remarks as exemplifying the leadership issues they're taking issues with.

There has been heated debate among local activists, especially many within the local Black community, about the role of white supremacy and racism in the criticisms of the Black women leaders of Unit 4 as Superintendent and the Board of Education president. This has been especially directed at the Unit 4 Families for a Smarter Solution group that formed during the last Unit 4 "Schools of Choice" reorganization proposals. Some local media has viewed the group as having both valid concerns, but also some arguably problematic ones. Another local media outlet has depicted the group as anti-desegregation or anti-equity, which appears to be strongly disputed within the group's facebook page.

There is a local history of school segregation and reactionary politics against reforms and desegregation efforts here, but the degree to which the past is replaying a role in the current situation, I leave to the reader to determine. One can find much agreement, at least in principle, on many of the desegregation and equity goals among the opposing factions (both on the Board and their constituents).

There appears to be a general consensus that the district is facing ongoing and persistent problems that pre-date the current Black leadership of the district, but there is a dispute about how much opposition is reasonable versus a racial double-standard. 

The newly appointed school board members will be sworn in at the next Unit 4 Board of Education meeting on June 10th.

Cell Phones:

The News-Gazette also highlighted various local and area policies on cell phones in schools. It also published a variety of views on the issues and complications involved with setting a cell phone policy in public schools as part of its Meeting Minutes feature. An excerpt from the article from a local Unit 4 parent and activist, Rita Conerly:

As a mom, having my older kids carry a cellphone to school is important to me for several reasons.

Firstly, it provides a means of communication in case of emergencies or unexpected changes in plans. Secondly, it allows me to stay in touch with them throughout the day, ensuring their safety and well-being. Additionally, having a cellphone can facilitate learning by providing access to educational resources.

That full article here. This follows a previous Meeting Minutes article looking at the district cell phone policies last month here.

Gun Violence Reduction Blueprint Funds:

There was a bit of an update last month on the City of Champaign's additional ARPA funding to the school district to collaborate on programs looking to deal with gun violence and its underlying causes from WCCU:

In 2022, Unit 4 was offered over $526,000 through the blueprint to fund their own gun violence prevention programs. But in September of 2023, the City of Champaign shared that the Unit 4 school district turned down the money. Unit 4 at the time said they turned down the money to focus on academic and social emotional support.

That changed shortly after a shooting right next door to Booker T. Washington Elementary School this fall. The shooting left parents asking Unit 4 why they had not taken money for gun violence reduction from the City.

In December of 2023, Unit 4 ended up taking money from the Gun Violence Reduction Blueprint, though for a lesser amount than the original contract. The original contract gave the Unit 4 school district $526,620 to use towards gun violence reduction programs. However, the new proposal with a $91,000 reduction brings the district's new total to $435,000.

That full article here. WCCU had a recent article on ongoing concerns about gun violence near Booker T. Washington school here.

Other Unit 4 News:

• With Champaign Police staffing issues slowly being rectified, Unit 4 has approved a new contract for School Resource Officers for next school year, according to the News-Gazette. 
  
  
• The former principal of Booker T. Washington school, a central figure in recent board divisions and accusations of retaliation by the district administration, is now at Rantoul Schools, according to the News-Gazette.
  
  
• Three Novak Academy students receive Resilience Scholarship, from the News-Gazette.
  
  
• The News-Gazette also reported on the CU Schools Foundation presenting this year's Mann-Hankel Award.
  
  
• There was a Meeting Minutes feature comparing various graduation costs for local school districts.
  
  
• There was a Kathy's Mailbag question that looked at the evaluation process for the Superintendent of Unit 4. The Board President also had a recent "My Turn" piece in the paper on what the school board does. That article elicited a response from the local NAACP president.
  
  
• There have been a number of concerns about Special Education students, their needs, staff issues, and more at recent Unit 4 school board meetings and in public criticism on social media. WCIA had an overview of these concerns in a recent article here. One of those stories was highlighted in the News-Gazette Guest Commentary last month.
  
  
• Promise Healthcare received grant funding towards establishing a health center in collaboration with Unit 4 schools, according to the Daily Illini back in April.