July and August Local Government Updates

Reminder: 2026 Midterm Elections in Less than 90 Days! 

For county government updates (including news on indictments, nursing home beds, homelessness strategies, and more) please see our latest Champaign County government updates here.

City of Champaign:

The City of Champaign is working on its own local “Homelessness Prevention Blueprint.” The proposed draft from June is available here starting on page 32 of the PDF. There was also a recent Study Session on Housing Needs Analysis and Strategy, with the final draft of that available here.

There is an ongoing campaign to get City support and funding towards a Champaign County Reparations Commission. This is being led by the Champaign-Urbana Reparations Coalition.

There is also a growing organized opposition to Flock and other AI based surveillance systems in the area, with the City of Champaign’s systems a major focal point. You may have already seen an increase in signage, social media posts, and local articles in opposition to the systems around town.

Illinois Public Media had coverage of the completed improvements in the Garden Hills Neighborhood involving drainage and Hedge Park. Phase 2 of the Neil Street Plaza project will begin soon. The City passed its Fiscal Year 2026/27 budget at the June 16th City Council meeting. The C-U Reparations Committee started what is to be a monthly advocacy for the City to support a reparations commission for Champaign County at that same meeting.

The City Council also extended an additional year of funding for the Strides low-barrier shelter. This is in collaboration with the City of Champaign Township who operates the shelter, but does not have sufficient revenue for those operating costs.

City of Urbana:

The News-Gazette had an overview of the new surveillance approval process approved by the Urbana City Council this week. That article highlighted Councilor Shirese Hursey’s opposition. Her full remarks are available from the meeting video here.

Dr. Stephanie Renae Stewart-Cockrell was appointed to the vacancy in ward 5 at the June 22nd Council meeting. Grace Wilkins announced her upcoming resignation last month. It’s unclear when she will make the decision final. She was at the most recent City Council meeting on August 3rd, in spite of earlier reports that she was likely to step down towards the end of July.

There had been some audio issues with the City Council meetings and there had been an announcement that council, board, and commission meetings would no longer be livestreamed due to those issues. This issue was resolved with a work around by the time this had been reported, however. The city is continuing to livestream the same meetings and recordings are still available a few days after each meeting (usually with some helpful sound adjustments for the quieter parts).

There was a presentation on the proposed Philo Road Ahead Initiative at the June 8th City Council meeting (video link here). C-U Citizen Access had detailed coverage of the initiative and properties at issue.

There was a great deal of coverage, back in June, over a proposed landmark designation of the old Urbana Civic Center and its possible future use as an MTD transfer station. The landmark designation proposal failed, and the MTD appears to be moving forward to apply for federal funding for the transfer station project. A June 17th News-Gazette article had a helpful overview of the issues surrounding the decision and numerous links to related articles and opinion pieces.

The debate over a proposed apartment project in a West Urbana neighborhood had raised concerns about disparities in zoning, planning, and investment. This particular item was pushed to July 13 for further discussion and a vote, which passed.  There was a large focus on protecting the “character” of neighborhoods, which has some historically problematic ties to previous segregationist policies and rationalizations locally. An example from a 1939 Champaign County Realtor's ethics guide, for example linked character to maintaining racial and ethnic purity of neighborhoods:

The language was softened to a "colorblind" wording after World War II, though the actual policies remained effectively unchanged for decades longer.

There is a very preliminary draft report for the Alternative Response Task Force. It was discussed at the June 25th Stakeholder Meeting. It was noted repeatedly that this preliminary report is still missing several sections expected to be in the final report.

The City Council approved the “community engagement and violence prevention office” at Sunnycrest Mall. The News-Gazette had a brief overview of the concept and the opposition by two Aldermen. There was an Urbana Police presentation at the March 23rd City Council Meeting on the proposed office and team (video of that presentation here).


Other Local Government Updates:

• METCAD: C-U Citizen Access raised concerns about ambulance response times in Champaign County compared to the Eight-Minute Standard.
  
  
• MTD: The C-U MTD board had to redo its annexation vote for areas that would allow a link for local bus routes to Carle at the Fields in Southwest Champaign. There was a technical violation of state law that prohibits meetings on election day (one of the public hearings for the annexation fell on the day of the March primary). There was a new annexation Public Hearing on June 22nd. The board approved the annexation at its June 24th meeting.

June Local Government Updates

[Update 6/11/2026 at 8:17am: The Alternative Response Task Force meeting today (6/11) was canceled and rescheduled for June 25, 2026 at 3:30pm (see notice here). It's listed as a "Focus Group Session" and will likely be scheduled at the IMC again.

There were also delays and movement on a couple of the Urbana City Council items mentioned when this report was written last week. The UPD engagement center at Sunnycrest was approved, and the apartment development in the West Urbana neighborhood was postponed until next month.]

There is a separate post highlighting some of the local Juneteenth events, as well as some other event information for June and in general here. 

Issue highlights:

Gun Violence: There have been numerous incidents of gun violence in recent weeks. The Police Chief Updates at the June 10th Community Coalition meeting will likely be the best source for more general updates. That meeting starts at 3:30pm, but will also be available online as early as the next day at this link.

Homelessness: Both the City of Champaign and the CSPH (Champaign County Continuum of Service Providers to the Homeless, operating out of the Regional Planning Commission) are developing strategic plans on the issue. The CSPH process involves the national consulting firm Homebase and is working towards “a community-wide plan to achieve functional zero homelessness by 2028.” 

A draft version of the City of Champaign’s Homelessness Prevention Blueprint was included in the Study Session report on May 26th (starting on page 32 of the report here). The City’s planning already includes a proposal for a new “homelessness and community services manager” position. The position and its duties are expected to evolve, with decisions on permanently funding the position after the initial three years. I’d expect the final vote(s) on the finalized blueprint to happen with the Fiscal Year 2026/27 budget votes this July.

Aging Care: There will be a public hearing on an application by Advocates for Aging Care for 120-licensed skilled nursing beds, as part of its efforts to address the local need. The hearing will be held at the Savoy City Council Board Room (611 N. Dunlap) on Tuesday, June 9th from 1:00-4:00 pm. Those wishing to submit a letter of support must submit them no later than June 20th. AAC's flyer is information, regardless of your views on the topic (click to enlarge):

Champaign County Health Care Consumers has a lot of additional information on the project being proposed and discussed at this Public Hearing here. 

Municipal and other Local Government:

City of Champaign: See the highlight on the homelessness blueprint above. There is additional information on the homelessness blueprint and public input efforts at the Engage Champaign website here. The C-U Reparations Coalition will be attending city council meetings in both Champaign (6/16) and Urbana (6/15) this month. They will be pushing for the cities to support establishing and funding a Champaign County Reparations Commission for African Americans. Like many modern reparations movements, the efforts are aimed at education and addressing harms that are often far more local and recent in nature.

There were positive updates, both organizational and financial with the City of Champaign Township and the Strides Center earlier this week (that video presentation is available here). The Council also recognized Gun Violence Prevention Week with a proclamation highlighting local organizations and organizers attempting to implement the gun violence prevention blueprint.

City of Urbana: Chaundra Bishop has passed away. Last month’s report noted that she had resigned for health reasons related to her extended battle with cancer.

There will be a vote at the next City Council meeting for the final approval of the “community engagement and violence prevention office” at Sunnycrest Mall. The News-Gazette had a brief overview of the concept and the opposition by two Aldermen. There was an Urbana Police presentation at the March 23rd City Council Meeting on the proposed office and team (video of that presentation here).

There has been a controversy about a possible apartment complex project in a West Urbana neighborhood. Smile Politely has had a couple articles on it, including one that took a stance in favor of supporting the project and another opposed. Local officials like Danielle Chynoweth have come out publicly in favor of the project as a necessary step towards addressing the general housing shortage and its impact on affordable housing as well. Alderman Christopher Evans has posted a four part opposition on social media (example from Smile Politely comments on facebook here: part 1 of 4).

The next stakeholders session of the Alternative Response Task Force will be June 11th at the IMC from 3:30 to 5pm.

MTD: Last month’s report pointed out that the C-U MTD board will redo its annexation votes for areas that would allow a link for local bus routes to Carle at the Fields in Southwest Champaign. There appears to have been a technical violation of state law that prohibits meetings on election day (one of the public hearings for the annexation fell on the day of the March primary). There will be new Annexation Public Hearing on Monday, June 22nd at 5pm, held at Curtis Road Church of God in Champaign

METCAD Staffing Shortage Updates

There have been some recent public concerns on social media and in the News-Gazette about the staffing shortages at the METCAD dispatch center. From the News-Gazette "My Turn" article:

METCAD needs 33 full-time dispatchers to be fully functional. It currently has only 17.

These 17 dispatchers are being forced to work an unsafe and excessive number of hours. Already, the number of dispatchers available in the 911 center on each shift has decreased to below what is needed to perform their essential tasks.

That full article here. At this morning's METCAD Policy Board meeting, METCAD Director Ralph Caldwell, Jr. acknowledged the accuracy of the staff shortage, but denied that it was impacting the functionality of the dispatch center. WCIA had coverage of this morning's meeting here.

More on that meeting below. But first, a quick explanation for those unfamiliar with our local dispatch system...

What is METCAD?

METCAD is our countywide dispatch center for emergency services, including 911 calls. It is an intergovernmental collaboration. From a previous Cheat Sheet post description, which appears to still be fairly accurate after all these years:

Champaign County's METCAD system handles calls for 25 Fire Departments including Champaign and Urbana Fire Departments as part of its emergency dispatch services. This is on top of their services to 12 area police departments. It's an impressive collaborative agency with employees of the City of Champaign, an Urbana location, in a County building, and U of I phone systems. Its board has administrative and public safety representatives from local governments, the University of Illinois and rural representatives of police and fire departments.

I'll need to double check the total departments served at my next METCAD tour. The website currently appears to list 10 police and 23 fire departments as opposed to 12 and 25 respectively. 

October 3rd, 2024 Meeting:

In the weeks before this month's meeting, a local citizens group, describing it as the concerned spouses and family members of METCAD employees, had made public appeals to address the staffing shortage. It shared a list of concerns and criticisms of the current administration, including some claims disputed by the administration. An example from brief WAND coverage last week:

Concerned METCAD Spouses reached out to WAND News regarding the dispatch staffing levels. The group, which is made up of spouses, significant others, and immediate family members of dispatchers, says that staffing levels are at a crisis point with only 17 out of a possible 33 full time telecommunicators employed.

However, METCAD leadership said that number isn't totally accurate...

According to Caldwell, there are currently 10 telecommunicators in training with 6 substitutes, 4 nonbargaining unit members, and 3 traveling telecommunicators in addition to the 17 full time employees.

That full blurb here. WCIA had a longer article and video segment, which included a bit more explanation on the supplemental:

[METCAD Director Ralph Caldwell, Jr.] said dispatchers are being asked to work 12-hour days. They’re filling in the gaps however they can.

“We reinstituted our sub program, so we have six people who previously worked here full time, left and then came back to work part time,” Caldwell said

METCAD Operations Manager, Betsy Smith, said supervisors are also helping with calls. To be fully staffed they would need 33 dispatchers. Smith said the long hours make it tough to keep workers, and many dispatchers see their job as a stepping stone to their preferred career, like becoming a first responder.

That full article here. The meeting itself started promptly at 8:30am at the ILEAS Training Center in Urbana (agenda). The September meeting minutes were approved and will likely be up on the METCAD Policy Board meeting documents page here soon.

Public Participation:

Family members of METCAD dispatchers criticized the administration and described the work environment as toxic. They pointed to the staffing shortage itself, but also other aspects that were affecting morale and retention in general. One speaker pleaded with the board to let him see his wife again, to let his kids see their mom again after nearly a year of non-stop overtime. Another former full-time METCAD employee explained the conditions that she believed forced her to take a reduced 20 hour per week part-time position instead.

Others pointed to many of the criticisms raised by the family group on social media or spoke to the issue of trauma in this type of work environment, and the need to have time away from the job to cope with it. They all stayed close to the allotted speaking time, with a little extra time for one speaker to finish reading the last bit of his written statement.

This took up about the first 20 minutes of the meeting.

Staffing Updates:

The last hour of the meeting was almost entirely dedicated to the staffing report and comments about the staffing shortage. Director Caldwell shared a great deal of information noting the national nature of the staffing crisis impacting 911 centers across the United States. He pointed to recent studies from 2024 and 2023 about staffing shortages, their reasons, and some recommendations to deal with the issue. There was an additional report about the issue in the State of Maine about similar staffing crises in 911 centers there as well.

He went on to dispute some of the criticisms in the newspaper and social media, the gist of which were covered in the WAND and WCIA articles published prior to the meeting.

For example, the director and others denied that local 911 calls were being diverted to other counties because of the shortage, with the exception of the area 911 outage in Champaign and Vermillion County roughly 7 months ago. WCIA had coverage of that outage and updates back in March here.

He appeared to mock "conspiracy theories" about the changed time and location of the meeting from the Champaign Public Library at 9am to the ILEAS Training Center in Urbana at 8:30am. He correctly noted that this change was not recent and had been in the works for a long time. Public confusion, however, is probably understandable as the meeting calendar still lists the meeting times and dates for this and upcoming meetings at the Champaign Public Library at 9am.

He noted that the Board is in the process of hiring a consulting firm to look at the staffing crisis and recommendations on how to alleviate the problem. He pointed out that the second proposal was received yesterday from another firm that responded to the request. They will be evaluating those proposals in the near future to decide on which one best fits the board's needs.

He argued that the current staff is well supported, pointing to therapy dogs, not canceling vacations, and staff recognition activities, among other things.

Additional Board and Director Comments:

After the Director's report, there were some additional comments that explained some additional measures that could help reduce call times and volume for the dispatchers, including the upcoming implementation of ASAP to PSAP (what is this?) next week.

A few board members requested additional information on some technical items, including the impact of "lift assist" non-emergency calls in Rantoul. Others looked for some specifics when considering the consulting firm's dive into the staffing issue and possible recommendations, such as cutting edge solutions.

Mayor Marlin reiterated the director's earlier support for reclassification of 911 dispatchers from clerical to first responders to help pave the way for higher pay and benefits. She and other board members thanked members of the public for coming out, showing interest, and working with them moving forward.

Champaign Public Library: Board of Trustees

The Cheat Sheet has never been able to cover much news coverage or do meeting write-ups for the area library board of trustees. It has generally been an overwhelming project just to keep up with some of the more prominent municipal and local government bodies in Champaign-Urbana (and at the County level too!) over the years. We've often had to do round up Cheat Sheets highlighting updates over several months to catch up on those! 

With our new collaboration with the League of Women Voters and the NAACP of Champaign County observer project, we will be able to share updates on far more meetings and more regularly.

Natalie Frankenberg is a LWV Observer who has been attending Champaign Public Library Board of Trustee meetings regularly for 15 years as of this month. This post links to those annual reports from April 2019, a two year 2020 and 2021 report, and her most recent multi-year report that covers meetings from April, 2021 through June, 2024.

  

The most recent report includes an explanation of how the Board of Trustees is appointed, its policy role, and other helpful details about when and where it meets. I've had links where appropriate:

The nine-member board meets on the third Wednesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. Since 2018, there is no scheduled meeting in December. Most of the meetings are held at the main library and twice a year they are held at the Douglass Branch. The meetings are open to the public and posted on the events calendar on the library website. All Library Board minutes, policies and annual reports are posted on the CPL website as well. Additionally, beginning in February, 2020, an audio link is included with the minutes on the website. 

Library trustees are volunteers appointed by the Mayor of Champaign and approved by the City Council for staggered terms of three years. Trustees may be reappointed. As of June, 2024, Trustees are Maryka Baraka , Katie Blakeman, Tricia Crowley, Michael Foellmer, Michael LaDue, Charles Lansford, Rajeev Malik, Minnie Pearson, and Chaya Sandler. During the years covered by this report, previous Trustees have been Deb Busey and Craig Rost. Foellmer is the City Council liaison to the Board, a position mandated by the joint governance agreement with the city. At the end of the June, 2024 meeting, Maryka Baraka and Tricia Crowley are retiring. They will be replaced by Daly Andersson and Charlisa Hart. The Board sets policy for the library and appoints the library director, who serves as the library’s chief executive officer.

In March, 2022, Donna Pittman, Library Director announced her pending retirement. The Board voted to move forward with an internal search first. In May, 2022, Brittany Michaels was selected as the new Library Director... 

The Board has representation, and acts as liaison, to the Champaign Public Library Foundation, Friends of the Champaign Public Library, and Douglass Branch Advisory Committee. Due to difficulty in obtaining a quorum, The Douglass Branch Library Advisory Committee convenes only if the need arises and there is a request by at least 2 members.

The current Library Director, Brittany Millington, it should be noted, previously went by Michaels, her maiden name, when she was the Library's Deputy Director, according to the News-Gazette. The paper also interviewed her in their "Beyond the Boardroom" feature in 2022 here.

I won't excerpt the entire reports here, but I will share a couple highlights from the most recent report and link the to the full reports below. From the 2021-2024 report:

In September, 2021, plans were introduced for “The Studio,” an 8000 square foot expansion planned in the lower level. This area will be for teens after school as well as community members of all ages evenings and weekend. The CPL Foundation committed $1 million for the $2.5 million project. The City Council voted to fund $1.5 million (City Council video of 2/1/2021 vote, agenda, bill).

Approval for construction was voted on November 10, 2022. The Studio officially opened the weekend of October 7-8, 2023. The Studio has tools like circuit machines, laser cutters, sewing machines, a recording studio, a 3D printer, just to name a few of the things available. 

Following the opening of The Studio, the CPL has new projects: the maker space at Douglass Branch, the lobby flooring, and updates to the 2nd floor. The CPL received a $50,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The funds will be used for the Douglass Branch maker project. Also contributing to the project, The Foundation raised $88,000 and The Friends of the Library pledged $50,000. The funding goal was reached.

The CPL Board has formed a Strategic Plan Steering Committee to develop a new strategic plan for 2025-2028. 

...

In the past the Library Journal awarded the CPL Star Library status. This recognition is based on number of visitors, computer use, checkouts, and other statistics. CPL has consistently received three-star rating ranks. Due to the pandemic and interruptions in reporting, Library Journal has decided not to issue data index or star designations this year, and it is unclear if they will in the future.

During the period of this report, the annual audit reviews were conducted by Lauterbach & Amen, LLP and the library continued to receive the highest rating.

Serving as the LWV Observer to the Champaign Public Library Board of Trustees continues to be an interesting experience and a privilege.

Full reports:

• Annual report from April 2019. 
  
  
• Two year 2020 and 2021 report. This report includes an overview of some of the interruptions and adaptations during the pandemic response.
  
  
• Multi-year report that covering meetings from April, 2021 through June, 2024.

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.

City of Champaign Updates Into March

This post covers City Council Meetings in February and early March, updates on police training, possible local Post Office changes, surveillance expansion, downtown planning and much more.

City Council 3/5 Meeting:

Heads up: there won't be a City Council meeting this upcoming Tuesday, March 12th, according to the City Manager. This is likely due to the Mayor and other council members unable to attend. At the March 5th meeting the Mayor noted that she will be out of town and other members are likely to be attending a public input event about the Champaign U.S. Post Office review. More information on that review at the USPS website here. Excerpt relating to public input:

Public input will be considered as part of the review. A public meeting will be held to share the initial results of the study and to allow members of the local community to provide their feedback and perspectives on the Initial Findings of the MPFR. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 12, 6:00 PM at the YMCA of the University of Illinois, 1001 Wright St, Champaign, IL 61820. A summary of the MPFR will be posted on about.usps.com at least one week prior to the public input meeting. 

Members of the local community may submit comments at:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/mpfr-champaign-il.

The News-Gazette had coverage of the local pushback on potential changes or reduction of service locally. WCIA had additional coverage here.

The only action item that received any significant comment or discussion at the March 5th meeting was the approval of Champaign Police Department and Fire Department training agreement with the Public Safety Training Foundation and their massive training facilities outside of Decatur, Illinois. The Macon County Law Enforcement Training Center is a part of those facilities.

Lt. Aaron Lack of the Champaign Police and the Mayor described the breadth of the facilities there, including an "indoor city" with furnished office building, bars, an Amtrak train car, and other simulation facilities. On the fire training side there were also unique facilities for issues such as grain bin rescues on site. There's no cost to the City from the center itself although travel costs and per diem expenses are a factor. The time would be part of the 10 hour training time allotted in current officer pay as opposed to any overtime costs.

For those interested in the massive funding that went into those facilities, Howard Buffett's police training philanthropy in the Decatur area and his Police Safety Training Foundation, ProPublica had a breakdown of some of the foundation financial numbers. The Mayor also highlighted that the facility allows public tours and can facilitate organizations to visit and check out the center. She visited as part of a delegation from the Illinois Municipal League recently.

City Council 2/20 Meeting:

The News-Gazette had an overview of the February 20th City Council meeting in their Meeting Minutes feature here (agenda, video). Excerpt:

Phase 1 of Champaign’s Neil Street Plaza project is a go after the city council voted to formally accept a $500,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Construction on the first phase is scheduled to start this summer and expected to conclude sometime in 2025. It will involve extending the plaza by about 200 feet and renovating One Main Plaza, at the corner of Neil and Main streets, including the installation of a performance stage equipped with power and wiring for sound and lighting equipment.

That full article here. There was a study session after the regular meeting going over the Downtown Plan Update (report, video jump to link). Smile Politely had some additional information and links related to the Downtown Plaza project here.

The approval of 72 new cameras as part of the expansion of the Automatic License Plate Reader program and contract with Flock Safety. The item passed unanimously without comments from by the council or any audience members (jump to video). Unlike previous ALPR devices, the new camera systems will allow real-time monitoring and additional surveillance capabilities. From the staff report on the council bill:

PSC Boxes and Expansion of ALPR Technology. Council approved the expansion of the ALPR program and the implementation of the PSC program on December 12, 2023 (CB 2023-209). Eighteen PSC boxes were directed to be built and placed at major intersections throughout Champaign. Each PSC box, if approved by Council, will be built by Police Department staff and will have four different cameras per box for a total of seventy-two (72) cameras to complete all 18 boxes. Two cameras are dedicated to the ALPR license plate capture, with licensing contracted from Flock, and will cover all four directions of the intersection. 

The tilt zoom camera will enable real-time monitoring of any ongoing situations in the intersection. The 360-degree camera will record all activity at an intersection and will provide the Police Department with a better investigatory tool for crashes and ongoing criminal investigations. The PSC boxes are cost-effective and efficient because they are built in-house and only require one box per intersection. The City utilized a Request for Proposals (RFP) process to purchase the 72 cameras.

Previous City staff reports on surveillance expansion noted that these cameras are in addition to other expanded surveillance by the city. This also includes a recent purchase of a new surveillance van with remote capabilities described as a "Premier Surveillance Platform" with a Command Center and Tech Center. From the November 10th staff report:

The Department employs body-worn cameras, in-car cameras, mobile camera trailers and four investigative pole cameras.

Investigative cameras are typically deployed during long-term investigations involving felony crimes and are never utilized to identify, capture, or enforce minor offenses. These cameras are placed on a public right of way in locations experiencing violent crime. Video evidence gathered from these cameras is utilized in the investigation and prosecution of serious crimes.

Additionally, in 2021, Champaign Police purchased a mobile video trailer as an additional resource for the department to proactively deploy for the safe management of large-scale community events. This trailer can also be rapidly deployed in response to unexpected incidents that may pose a significant threat to public safety.

WCIA also highlighted the City's annexation and approval of solar panels at an animal rescue facility at that same meeting (go to link of video of the consolidated bills passage). There was an opportunity for public input on the annexation of the property into the City earlier in the same meeting. There was additional coverage looking for public input to name the Moore’s Rescue Ranch's "cat lounge" here.

The News-Gazette coverage also noted that there will be a nationwide search for a new Public Works Director for the City after Khalil Zaied announced that he has to leave the position and move out of state due to private family matters.

City Council 2/6 Meeting:

WAND had coverage of the City's $2 million settlement related to the death of a tow truck driver who died while assisting City personnel at an accident scene. That article also links to additional News-Gazette coverage here.

Other City Government Updates:

• There are a couple public input opportunities on the city's Annual Action Plan that "outlines local affordable housing and community development needs and identifies strategies for addressing them." There are public input opportunities coming up March 21st and 26th meetings at the City Building as well as online input options on the City's website here.
  
  
• The Illinois Department of Commerce has designated North First Street as a cultural district. This will open up more funding opportunities for the city towards projects in that community, according to the News-Gazette.
  
  
• C-U Citizen Access had a follow up article on the lack of any new Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) or building permits after the City Council approved zoning changes to allow them. The article has an overview of the topic, links to previous articles and concerns, and more.
  
  
• The City's Human Relations Commission had a presentation from the local Pixan Konob’ interpreters collective and their efforts to assist interpreter needs by local services and agencies in Champaign County. This includes indigenous Mayan languages often used by immigrants from Guatemala and Southern Mexico, for example (agenda, video). There's an overview of the group from their presentation to a County Board finance study session back in 2021 here.
  
  
• The News-Gazette reprinted a C-U Citizen Access article on concerns among Garden Hills residents in Champaign on the overwhelming number of liquor and gambling establishments in their area. The article goes into detail and maps some of the licensing around the neighborhood.

Unit 4 Controversies

 

This post has the latest updates on the controversies surrounding Unit 4 and recent meeting coverage from February and early March with the Board of Education. See also our previous Cheat Sheet post on Unit 4 updates over the past several months. It covers many presentations on programs that are working (and possibly expanding), transportation challenges, and Illinois State Board of Education and other data on test scores and various achievement gaps.

Booker T. Washington Leadership Change:

There are a lot of unknowns, speculation, and rumors about what may or may not be happening to the school administrators at Booker T. Washington school. News-Gazette Editor Jeff D'Alessio laid out some of the challenges in reporting on the subject in an WDWS interview (about 45 minutes into the Penny for Your Thoughts podcast), especially when the district refuses to comment on personnel matters. 

The one thing D'Alessio seemed sure about is that a decision for a leadership change has been made by Unit 4 at BTW. The BTW Principal, Jamie Roundtree, has now hired an attorney over the issue, according to WAND. Vice Principal Rebecca Ramey is the other BTW administrator caught up in the possible leadership change.

Rallies and Clashing Views on Superintendent:

The February Board of Education meeting was preceded by a rally outside of the administration building in support of Booker T. Washington school administrators believed to be being removed (at least from that particular school). Coverage of the rally and concerns is available from the News-Gazette, WCCU, and WAND respectively. 

Supporters of Superintendent Sheila Boozer derided the rally as part of efforts to remove the current Superintendent as opposed to the stated goals of protecting BTW administrators. A local social media group appears to have been the target of some of the complaints. Links to a separate Change.org online petition criticizing and calling for the firing of the Superintendent were also shared there.

Imani Bezzell, a long-time local activist and supporter of reforms at Unit 4, led the public comment portion of the meeting off with a passionate defense of the Superintendent matched with a condemnation of the rally goers. She stated up front that she arranged to have unlimited time with the school board. The microphone typically switches off shortly after the 3 minute clock runs out and the camera shifts away from the public speaker's podium back to the board. When this occurred for Bezzell the Board President, Dr. Gianna Baker, had the the microphone turned back on and the camera angle turned back to the Superintendent's supporter.

This caused some confusion and anger as later speakers (including administration critics) were admonished by the board parliamentarian and some of the Superintendent's supporters in the audience for going over their time later during the public comment period. While some government bodies may, with a vote, "suspend the rules" to allow longer speaking time for public participants, the Unit 4 board rules allow the board president to unilaterally make such an allowance, even for a single individual (see Unit 4 Policies section 2:230).

The meeting video is available here, with Unit 4 school board agendas and related documents available here. It was another long meeting with a couple of important presentations in the middle again. Here are the video timestamps:

• Superintendent's Report began the meeting.
  
  
• First Public Comment began at 14:25.
  
  
• Appointment of Director of Custodial/Grounds intro, approval, comments at 1:07:00.
  
  
• Reports:
• Operation Hope report at 1:11:40.
• LIFT report at 1:48:50.
  
  
• New Business / Action Items voted on at 2:41:40.
  
  
• 2nd Round of Public Comment began at 3:13:15.
  
  
• Board comments at 3:25:30.

Contentious March Meeting:

The first Unit 4 meeting of March (video, agenda packets) also had more contentious moments and (the public portion) ended with the resignation of board member Jamar Brown and some heartfelt statements on that by other board members. WCIA had coverage specifically of that resignation here. The board is responsible for filling the vacancy in the next couple months. WCIA had a short blurb on the district's statement on the resignation and filling the vacancy here.

WCIA also had a write-up and overview of the March 4th meeting here. Excerpt:

he Champaign Board of Education hosted its bimonthly meeting on Monday. Among other things, the board discussed liability insurance, construction bids and the purchase of outdoor digital marquee signs for schools.

However, the meeting was marked with a heated discussion between two members and came to a shocking and emotional end when a board member resigned...

The board deliberated on lowering an insurance limit for parents and guardians who have to take their children to school due to unreliable bus service. An agreement allows for parents and guardians to be reimbursed for any expenses related to this transportation as long as parents and guardians have auto insurance that pays no less than $100,000 for bodily injury and property damage...

However, the proposal did not pass after a deadlocked vote.

That full meeting write-up here. The News-Gazette also had coverage of the resignation and meeting:

A meeting that opened with Superintendent Shelia Boozer’s customary slideshow, ticking off all the reasons why “it’s a great day day in Unit 4,” ended with one board member expressing disappointment in what she called the district’s “lack of transparency,” another announcing his resignation less than a year after being elected and a third questioning her own future...

“After my first term, I dubbed that experience as ‘the best thing that I’d never wanted to do,’” Brown said. “Unfortunately, the second time around, I cannot say I’m having the same experience. This time around has been filled with mistrust, missteps and misinformation. During this time, the school board has taken much criticism over many different topics from various stakeholders. Some of it was warranted, some of it was not and there’s even some that’s been self-inflicted.”

That full article here. Another excerpt from Jamar Brown's resignation from WCIA:

"The district’s decision to not maintain a level of humility, compassion, and adjustability has forced us to focus on adult-orient issues instead of student’ centered ones that could help raise reading and math scores and comprehension, the ones that ensure that every child in our district is seen, heard and respected and the one where we asses ourselves to make sure we have the right people in the right position where they can thrive and in turn pass that along to our students. So because of this, I no longer see value in continuing in this capacity. So please accept this as my resignation from the Champaign Unit 4 Board of Education effective today, at the conclusion of open session."

This meeting was originally rescheduled from the end of last month due to a lack of quorum (enough members able to attend to carry out official board duties). During the school year the board typically meets on both the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month. This added to some concerns by one side of the insurance liability issue (that failed in a 3-3 tie vote) that the long delayed item was voted on when one of the supporters of changing the policy was absent.

Other Unit 4 Updates:

• One of the participants in the BTW school campus shooting incident was sentenced, according to WCIA.
  
  
• There was additional WAND coverage of support for BTW administrators at a recent PTA meeting there.
• The News-Gazette had a round up of average teacher salaries in area school districts.
  
  
• Unit 4 statement on the death of local child and education advocate Devon "Big Wayne" Turner from WCIA coverage.

Election Updates

A reminder that early voting has already begun for the March 19th, 2024 primary election. There are local, state, and federal races on the ballot from precinct committeepersons to presidential delegates. This post has an update on write-in and other candidates you may see on your ballot in Champaign County. You can see your sample ballot at the Champaign County Clerk's website here.

This post follows up on a previous election update that included a link to the League of Women Voters candidate forum for Democratic candidates competing to get on the general election ballot for County Coroner in the fall. 

Write-in and Other Candidates:

Tom Kacich had an overview of some write-in candidates folks may find on their ballot within Champaign County for federal and State races (depending on where they fall in those federal and state districts). The Champaign County Clerk's website has a list of the write-in candidates here if you can't access the News-Gazette article:

• United States Representative 15th District - Kevin A. Gaither (Democratic)
• Illinois State Representative 102nd District - Adam Niemerg (Republican)
• Illinois State Representative 102nd District - Edward "Ed" Blade (Republican)
• Illinois State Representative 102nd District - Jim Acklin (Republican)
• County Board District 8 - Latrina Peete (Republican)
• Precinct Committeeperson City of Champaign 12 - Latrina Peete (Republican)
• Precinct Committeeperson Cunningham 23 - Ronald Vlach (Republican)

You'll notice that there a few local government races with write-in candidates on your ballot too, but only if you live in those particular districts. You can look up which districts you are in and get sample ballots for either party's primary races on the Clerk's website here. There is likely a non-partisan ballot available for folks who live in the Northern Piatt Fire Protection District, where there is a referendum question outside of the party primary races.

The VoteChampaign non-partisan voter guide (a project in collaboration with the local League of Women Voters) has information, questionnaire answers and links to more information on contested races within Champaign County. The Republican primary ballot for a representative in the Illinois 13th Congressional District is contested.  We only cover local government on the Cheat Sheet, but there is other local coverage of federal candidates. For example, the Daily Illini had an overview of the Republican federal congressional primary candidates and and an interview with one of them recently for the 13th District here. Arguably the top contested race at the county level in this primary is on the Democratic ballot between two candidates vying for the coroner's office.

Precinct Committeepersons:

People may notice a number of precinct committee races on their ballots, including a handful contested on both the Republican and Democratic party ballots. These local party positions help choose a party chair and have votes in how the local county parties operate. The major parties tend to be "big tent" organizations with internal competing factions and ideologies.

County Board member Jeff Wilson was on the WDWS program "Penny For Your Thoughts" yesterday (2/29/2024) explaining the importance of these committeeperson seats and how their votes are weighed when voting on a party chair or other local party decisions. This applies to both major parties in Champaign County. The countywide precinct committeeperson makeup can determine if a local party apparatus aligns with certain candidates or more conservative, liberal, or moderate ideological views.

Later in that same interview, Wilson also commented on local election integrity. He addressed a caller's concern that the local system was rigged and argued that people should volunteer to be election judges and watchers to watch how the process works. He pointed to the chain of custody procedures and bipartisan collaboration in the process to ensure votes are fairly processed and counted.

Early Voting has Begun | March 19, 2024 Primary

 Early voting has already begun for the March 19th, 2024 primary election. VoteChampaign and the League of Women Voters of Champaign County have a non-partisan candidate guide available to look at all of the contested local races. It also includes a list of contested and uncontested races you may find on your ballot in Champaign County here. Sample ballots are available from the County Clerk's website under My Voter Information here.

For a list of Early Voting locations, times, dates, and mail-in ballot information and more, see the County Clerk's Many Ways To Vote webpage.

The primary election generally pits candidates of the same party against each other to be on the general election ballot later that year. There are likely to be more contested elections between nominees of each party in the November 5th general election. The big local contested race in this primary is between two Democratic candidates for Champaign County Coroner: Laurie Brauer and Seon Williams.

The League of Women Voters had a candidate forum with both Democratic candidates last week:

The VoteChampaign / LWV non-partisan candidate guide also had questionnaire answers from both Laurie Brauer and Seon Williams.

Precinct Committeeperson candidates probably do not get enough attention in local political coverage. They play an important role in organizing each party's get out the vote activities and voting at county level political party meetings. This is why some county parties may seem more extreme or moderate. It can also play a role in which internal party factions / ideologies control nominees appointed to vacancies.

The vacancy issue has been especially critical with local Democratic Party politics on the County Board with many younger and up and coming candidates being elected recently. When a younger elected official moves to a new home, even within the county, they often find themselves in a new district. If their career takes them elsewhere, even to other county positions, the Party plays a primary role in nominating who will replace the seat previously held by that party (under current rules).

MTD Updates and Decennial Committee

 

There's been a lot of MTD updates in the news and local government meetings recently. Also be sure to check out the overview of rural and local mass transit intergovernmental agreements over at the Cheat Sheet of Champaign County here this month!

The local mass transit district has been converting its fleet to cleaner energy and hybrid alternatives. The News-Gazette reported on the retirement of their last diesel-only buses with a grant for even more low-emission and no-emission alternative vehicles:

The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District has been awarded a $6.6 million federal grant to pay for 10 new hybrid replacement buses...

The MTD’s money is paying for 10 40-foot diesel-electric hybrid buses...

About 98 percent of the MTD’s 118-bus fleet includes low-emission diesel-electric hybrid buses, with zero-emission hydrogen-fuel-cell electric buses making up the remaining 2 percent, officials said.

That full article here, mostly citing the MTDs own press release here. WCCU had similar coverage without a paywall here.

In honor of Juneteenth, there is a bus acting as a mobile Juneteenth exhibit through the end of July as well. WCIA had coverage of that initiative here. Smile Politely had some links to information on the MTD's Juneteenth Block Party event. Illinois Newsroom had an information table of the various activities and events involved here.

It's been a long while since I've attended an MTD meeting in person, but I was curious about how it would deal with the State's new requirement for a Decennial Committee on Local Government Efficiency. MTD's Decennial Committee is listed on their website here and includes MTD board members and MTD Managing Director Karl Gnadt. It also includes a couple local resident committee members: prior board member George Griedman and Donna Tanner-Harold, who is known for being extremely active in the community and the mother of Erika Harold.

The community members were approved at the May 31st MTD Board meeting and appear to have been recommended by "staff" via a letter from Managing Director Gnadt (page 45 of the 5/31/2023 meeting agenda packet PDF file here).

There is a Illinois Municipal League has a Decennial Committee factsheet that I found helpful in explaining the basic purpose of these committees and which government bodies are required to have one (and was posted on the County Board's meeting information website). The Township Officials of Illinois website had a lot of additional Decennial Committee information. It has suggestions for moving forward with these committees, including sample drafts, and legal references. 

Decennial Committee Meeting: Meeting Video

As one can gather with a new, somewhat vague law and some preliminary factsheets and suggestions, the MTD's Decennial Committee was mostly establishing what it is that they were going to do here. The MTD attorney explained the basics as best as he could. The focus is for the committee to look for areas where the MTD as a local governmental body, as overseen by the MTD Board, can improve its accountability and efficiency. There are no metrics provided for the law on how to measure accountability and efficiency.

The law leaves it to the committee and whatever public input can be brought to bear through the process to come up with new ideas on accountability and efficiency. This is to eventually be put in a report and submitted to the local County government's administration. There doesn't appear to be any further outside follow up or mechanism to ensure that any recommended changes happen. It's not clear that the report becomes anything more than a public record at this point.

The discussion initially revolved around the possibly intentional vagueness of the law, but also taking advantage of the opportunity to find areas of improvement. It was acknowledged that some government bodies may elect to do the bare minimum and simply submit the required report, they would like to bring in a consulting firm and actually survey board members, staff, and the community for input.

The local resident committee members appeared to appreciate an offer of the same introductory board information new MTD board members get. Managing Director Gnadt assured them that didn't want to waste their time. They would like to have, in the end, a useful product from the consulting firm.

Member of the public in the audience were given opportunities to address the board with their concerns, but none of the two present took them up on the offer. Written surveys were handed out in the meeting with two basic questions (and an email to submit feedback later if they so chose). The questions simply asked what the the MTD could do better and if the resident rides or used to ride the local buses.

The Decennial Committee left off with a general agreement to move forward to get started on the process of finding a consultant firm. This process is called an RFP or "Request for Proposals" to give companies an opportunity to make public bids for services requested by local government bodies. The MTD attorney and Managing Director appeared to be ready to tweak the language for the RFP discussed to cover the committee's expectations and legal requirements for the work.

The meeting started a few minutes late after 3pm and adjourned just before 3:30pm. So, overall a pretty short meeting. The regular MTD board meeting afterward was a more typical 48 minutes or so.

Regular MTD Board Meeting: Meeting Video

The regular MTD Board meeting followed the agenda (full agenda packet here) with some corrections on the Managing Directors report and some brief bits of presentation and discussion on the action items. While discussion was limited, the board approved some pretty significant items that had already been worked through, including: 

• A budget for the fiscal year. 
• Renewing intergovernmental agreements with the County government (through the Regional Planning Commission and the County Board more on the County side here).
• Approving an extension of a $10 million line of credit as needed for MTD projects, equipment and operations.
• Approving the 5 year audit agreement with Baker Tilly, an experienced government auditor, but the only bidder for this RFP (likely due to the current strain on auditing services available).

The meeting ended with a presentation on the replacement of old in-ground diesel tanks for refueling buses. There were additional costs with removing the old tanks. Some of that was due to extra materials and additional concrete work. Some was due to contamination in soil samples during the process. The contamination does not appear to have been from the old diesel tanks (which did not have any breaches to the external tank structures). Soil samples around the tanks did not test positive for contamination.

It didn't appear to be immediately clear if the contamination was from the refueling activities nearby or remnants of past industrial operations at the same site throughout its history. The Illinois Environment Protection Agency was notified and potentially contaminated water on the site was removed through exhaustive additional measures (multiple truck loads) and not released into the local environment.

The agenda packet lists the additional costs of removing, storing, and transporting the contaminated water to an appropriate disposal facility (pages 145-150 of the PDF file).

Other MTD News and Updates:

• The News-Gazette's "Meeting Minutes" feature had coverage of the MTD Board meeting earlier this month, approving contracts with the local school districts and designating Willard Airport as a "preferred" airport for in-district flights.
• An earlier News-Gazette "Just Askin'" article on the new cleaner energy buses MTD is striving towards.
• WCIA had coverage earlier in the year of some of the upcoming changes to routes this Fall and the public input opportunities available at the time.
• And of course, MTD services in the summer are still a bit reduced while the students are gone. Summer service reduction information from the MTD's website.