City of Urbana February Updates

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.

There are two City Council meetings tonight: a rescheduled City Council meeting (agenda packet) and a Committee of the Whole meeting (agenda packet). With municipal governments, the Committee of the Whole is usually the first step of introducing and discussing resolutions. If there's agreement those resolutions are moved forward for final approval at a regular City Council meeting at a later date (ensuring time for public input and other statutory requirements). 

Crime Updates:

There's a broader look at gun violence in Champaign-Urbana and Champaign County in our Gun Violence Updates post from last week here. The News-Gazette had an update on Urbana's crime situation a few weeks ago:

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.

That full article here. Urbana PD presented an crime update to the Urbana City Council in early November (jump to video). A graph from that presentation shows similar drops as in Champaign and national trends:

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.

City of Champaign Winter Updates

The past few months have seen new district map, some important new appointments, updates on gun violence, and community investment. There will be a separate post for Unit 4 and the City of Champaign's gun violence funding issues.

The 2024 Primary Election (and first day of Spring!) is coming up on March 19th. Check out the VoteChampaign / League of Women Voters Candidate Guide for non-partisan candidate information. The City of Champaign's City Council and Mayoral elections are during odd years, but there are other local government races on the ballot.

Redistricting:

The City Council approved a new district map for the city this month. From the city's Engage Champaign website:

On January 9, 2024, the City Council adopted new geographic boundaries for City Council Districts. This approval followed a lengthy project to gather input and map suggestions from the public through the engagement project outlined on this page. This project is now complete, and an interactive version of the adopted map can be viewed through the City's website.

There didn't appear to be much, if any, local coverage of the redistricting process towards the end. The City's process appeared to carefully take current law and court precedent under serious consideration. Other than keeping an eye on the process, I did not hear any specific concerns about the proposed maps towards the final stage. 

Back in early December the City Council switched the map under final consideration from map #6 to #9. The issue was referred back to staff to finalize. From the 12/5 minutes: 

After a brief explanation of the Council Bill by Mayor Feinen, CM Beck, seconded by CM Pianfetti, moved to refer the item back to staff for map proposal #9 consideration, instead of map proposal #6. A roll-call vote was taken; all voted yes.

As the minutes suggest, there was no discussion or comment during the amendment vote or referral back to staff (video jump to). One can still compare the two maps from an older Study Session report from 10/6/2023: 

Goal Setting: 

The City Council unanimously approved its two year goal setting language at its 1/9/2024 meeting (video jump to) (see previous Cheat Sheet post on the goal setting meetings last fall). The city's Engage Champaign website has a page devoted to the process with links to more information.

Crime and Gun Violence:

The Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) program with Flock Safety was renewed and expanded according to the News-Gazette (see 12/12 City Council video and minutes here). The News-Gazette had an editorial in favor of the renewal afterward. The Champaign Police Department continues to report reduced shootings and a drop in violent crime. From the News-Gazette coverage of January's Champaign County Community Coalition:

The Champaign Police Department is moving in the right direction and not looking to make any wholesale changes — at least according to Deputy Police Chief Geoffrey Coon...

Champaign saw an almost 50 percent drop in shootings in 2023 compared to 2022 and a nearly 75 percent drop in shootings last year compared to 2021, a release from the city police department said...

Coon pointed to the department’s increased investment in building relationships with community members, as well as the implementation of new technology like license-plate-readers and “old fashioned police work” to the drop in violent crime.

That full article here. The full Community Coalition video is available here with law enforcement updates beginning about 2 minutes in. C-U Citizen Access has previously reported that violent crime and shootings have fallen in both Champaign and Urbana in spite of the policy and ALPR technology differences. Other metropolitan areas saw similar drops in gun violence and violent crime as reported by the Springfield Journal-Register.

Flock's gunshot detection system, however, will likely not be continued in the City of Champaign when that contract expires next month. C-U Citizen Access had more coverage on that here.

Champaign Deputy Chief Kevin Olmstead said Flock marketed the technology to be 90% accurate at detecting gunshots within 90 feet of the discharge. However, that accuracy rate has not been held in Champaign.

“To date, the system has not yet lived up to performance expectations, including misidentifying some sounds — such as fireworks or a vehicle backfire — as possible gunfire,” Olmstead said in a statement. 

To continue using the detectors, the annual cost would be $25,000 per square mile, which brings the city’s cost to $32,500 per year. The current contract will end on Feb. 27, 2024 unless the city council votes to continue usage.

More information at that full article here (as well as some previous coverage of the problems from C-U Citizen Access).

Other crime and gun violence related Champaign updates:

• The News-Gazette continues to give updates on guns reported lost or stolen in the area. On 1/12 they printed a summary of some examples from last summer.
• Additional coverage on additional high definition "public safety cameras" at over a dozen intersections form the News-Gazette and WCIA. This is in addition to a previous approval for a new new surveillance van last summer. The van was described as a "Multi-Purpose Vehicle" in the agenda, but also as "Premier Surveillance Platform" with a Command Center and Tech Center in the manufacturer's specifications. Those specifications are available on the Cheat Sheet twitter page here.
• The News-Gazette had coverage of the City's approval of more anti-violence programs as part of its Community Gun Violence Reduction Blueprint. They specifically highlighted the Raynard Glass' mentorship program in additional coverage as well. Mr. Glass thanked the City for its supporting during the 12/12/2023 City Council public comments.
• The News-Gazette and Daily Illini had coverage of the City Council's approval of a second round of violence prevention funding.

Other Champaign Updates:

• Champaign Park District on future Clark Park renovations from the News-Gazette.
• Andy Quarnstrom was appointed to be the new Champaign Fire Department Chief after the retirement of Gary Ludwig. Quarnstrom was promoted from his role as acting deputy fire chief and had to resign in his other local government role as Township Supervisor. The City of Champaign fast-tracked the process of appointing a new Township Supervisor according to the News-Gazette and WCIA.
• The News-Gazette also reported that Kyle Patterson, the current County Board Chairman, has been appointed to be the next City of Champaign Township Supervisor, likely sometime in February. WCIA had more with Patterson here. The News-Gazette also had coverage of the other Township Supervisor applicants. Their interviews with the Township Board (same members as the City Council) is available here in the meeting video.
• University Group building and Campustown headquarters updates from the News-Gazette.
• The 12/29/2023 Kathy's Mailbag feature in the News-Gazette had updates on the Garden Hills drainage project and some information on Champaign Fire Department fire truck repairs.
• The News-Gazette highlighted City staff donations to non-profit organizations.
• WCIA and the Daily Illini had coverage of the City of Champaign receiving a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2023 Municipal Equality Index.

C-U Gun Violence Updates

This post provides additional information and links about the latest gun violence updates in Champaign-Urbana. It covers more on the recent Unit 4 shooting and its role in the City of Champaign's Violence Reduction Blueprint (following up from the City of Champaign updates here). There are also various updates on the work of the Community Coalition and general gun violence news, information, and updates

For general gun violence updates, the Champaign County Community Coalition typically has a monthly meeting where the local police chiefs give an update on shooting incidents, arrests, and other information. There wasn't a September meeting, so the most recent updates are available from the August 9th meeting (video here, with the police chiefs updates starting just after the 25 minute mark). The News-Gazette had coverage of the meeting and the sit down with the new Urbana Police Chief Larry Boone. Also:

Parkland College police Chief Troy Daniels highlighted recent active shooter training for the department and said that a main focus going forward would be emergency planning and preparedness.

That full article here. The next Community Coalition meeting is scheduled for October 11th at 3pm. You can get agendas or view previous meeting videos at their website here.

A lot of the recent news on local gun violence has revolved around Unit 4's most recent shooting on a grade school campus and its stated inability to use nearly a half million dollars of the City of Champaign's violence reduction funding over the last year.

An overview of the City of Champaign's Violence Reduction Blueprint is available on their website here. There was a Cheat Sheet post highlighting some aspects, coverage and links here. A more detailed and intricate description of the funding requirements through the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) is available in the original City Council Study Session staff report here. It begins explaining some of the restrictions and requirements that come with the federal funding on page 28. Excerpt:

"Because the City is proposing to use federal ARPA funding for these programs, the City will need to enter into a subrecipient agreement with existing partners and additional agencies identified through the RFP process outlining the rules that must be followed. The City will be responsible for monitoring the subrecipient to ensure compliance. For those areas in which responses to RFPs are not received, City staff may need to implement the outstanding components in-house."

That full report here. The City Council's frustration was pointed out in a previous Cheat Sheet post last week with links to local news coverage as well as some preliminary public response from Superintendent Shelia Boozer:

Boozer said the district’s decision not to use the city funding it was granted access to was based entirely on not having the “proper personnel” in place to execute a multipronged plan that included launching Saturday school in neighborhoods impacted by gun violence and a “Parent Academy/Parent University” aimed at reaching 100-plus parents and families from historically marginalized populations...

“It’s my sincere hope that the outrage and disappointment that some of our community members have aimed at this school district will be properly directed to the root cause of violence that continues to plague our community,” Boozer said. “We’re not the center of it, but we’re trying to do our part.”

That same News-Gazette article also had updates on Unit 4's metal detectors being expanded to middle schools in addition to the two high schools. Excerpt:

The district will implement the same metal detectors that Central and Centennial students, staff and visitors have passed through every morning since January 2022 — Evolv Express’ dual-lane models — at Edison, Franklin and Jefferson middle schools, Unit 4 spokeswoman Stacey Moore confirmed to The News-Gazette on Wednesday.

“A definitive timeline will be shared at a later date,” Moore said.

That full article here. WAND had additional coverage on the Superintendent's response to the City of Champaign City Council criticisms:

She said the district has been using the $32 million of COVID funds to address trauma and violence in their own way.

This includes providing for the lighting project near Garden Hills Academy, and enhancing security cameras throughout all campuses.

"Unit 4 is an educational institution. I just want to remind we are an educational, not a law enforcement agency. Our number one job is to educate the students in our district," said Dr. Boozer.

That full article here.

A lot of the local response to gun violence hopes to address root causes. In that vein, the Champaign County Community Coalition hosted a Black Mental Health & Wellness Conference this past weekend. Illinois Newsroom had coverage here. Excerpt:

About 200 people attended the day-long event. Before the workshops started, guests could learn about resources and programs from representatives at Carle Health, the Unit 4 School District and the Housing Authority of Champaign County. 

Participants had the opportunity to attend four out of eight different workshops throughout the day. Workshops informed participants on a myriad of mental-health-related topics, such as how to recognize racialized trauma, understand mental health, manage grief, build a healthy Black community and utilize community resources. 

That full article here. The Trauma Resilience Initiative and Karen Simms can be found collaborating throughout local government and organizations to addressing the trauma behind and caused by gun violence in the local community. 

The News-Gazette continues to have coverage of firearms entering the black market from area homes and vehicles. Click to enlarge the News-Gazette graphics from those articles:

 

At the end of 2022 the News-Gazette had an article on similar reports on firearms "lost" or stolen that year. There are also older articles showing this persistent trend of legally purchased or owned firearms entering the black market through loss or other crimes (e.g. this one on Urbana lost firearm reports here).

There was an update on the shooting and related charges of Champaign Police Officer Christopher Oberheim, but also the history of the gun used to kill him. The News-Gazette reported how that gun used in that murder entered the black market from a legal dealer through a straw purchase:

[Ashantae Corruthers] pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Hawley on Thursday to conspiracy to defraud the United States by buying and transferring a gun to Darion Lafayette, the 24-year-old man who shot Officer Oberheim on May 19, 2021, and by conspiring with Mr. Lafayette and co-defendant Regina Lewis, 28, of Normal to cover up that purchase and transfer by falsely reporting to Indianapolis police that the gun had been stolen.

Mr. Lafayette, who was fatally shot by Officer Oberheim’s partner, now-retired Officer Jeff Creel, after he fired at and hit both officers, was not legally able to buy a gun because he was a convicted felon.

He persuaded Lewis, his cousin, who also had a felony conviction, to get Corruthers to buy the gun at an Indianapolis gun store, which she did legally in November 2020.

More at that full article here.

More Gun Violence News:

• The Daily Illini covered the annual Security and Fire Safety Report, including campus crime data.
  
  
• C-U Citizen Access had updates on shooting data in both Champaign and Urbana here, with maps, graphs and a lot more information.
  
  
• Latest Champaign Police shooting data with a monthly comparison back to 2020 from the 9/15 News-Gazette Meeting Minutes feature.
  
  
  
  
  
• The City of Champaign City Council had a Study Session with an update on the Violence Reduction Blueprint. The corresponding staff report also had a plethora of shooting data and maps starting on page of 27 of the PDF file here.

City of Champaign Updates: Heading Into Fall

[Update 9/29/2023: this week's Goal Setting Study Sessions were held at the City View room of the new Illinois Terminal. The staff report itself lists the status of key projects starting on page along with a lot of additional information. I still have not found videos posted of the meetings held on 9/27 and 9/28, however. Meeting minutes with a brief overview of both meetings are available here.] 

There weren't very many Cheat Sheet updates over this summer, but as we head into fall I'll be posting some round ups on what happened and what's coming up at various local government bodies. In Champaign the news revolved around budgets (including funding for a "Premiere Surveillance Platform" fan), redistricting, and ongoing efforts to thwart gun violence.  

The City of Champaign is still in their redistricting process (with a few of the proposed maps still being considered available - pages 8-19 of the PDF). The News-Gazette had an article explaining the 7 proposed maps (at the time) and the reasons for the redistricting due to updated Census information. The Daily Illini had some coverage back in July explaining the process, public engagement via the new Engage Champaign website and more here.

The Engage Champaign website has a page specifically on redistricting with links to the proposed maps (narrowed down to five being considered by the Council at the bottom of the page). There's also a variety of explanations on the why, how, and tentative timeline for redistricting. It includes contact information for technical questions (e.g. City Attorney) and more.

There was a recent update on the Community Gun Violence Reduction Blueprint (Study Session Report here, Study Session meeting video here). The local news coverage appeared to focus on some frustration on the part of City Council members with Unit 4. From the News-Gazette last week:

The school district was one of multiple organizations funded by the city through the Community Gun Violence Reduction Blueprint to carry out various programs aimed at addressing the root causes of gun violence and supporting impacted families of victims.

But the district spent none of the $526,620 it was awarded for year one tasks, according to a lengthy outside evaluation report to the city council.

The school district was on track to receive more than $1 million over two years, but the extent of its upcoming participation and how much funding it will receive for year two have yet to be determined, according to city Community Development Manager Jorge Elvir.

That full article here. The Superintendent of Unit 4 was quoted in a News-Gazette article today (on adding metal detectors to middle schools) responding to the criticism:

Boozer said the district’s decision not to use the city funding it was granted access to was based entirely on not having the “proper personnel” in place to execute a multipronged plan that included launching Saturday school in neighborhoods impacted by gun violence and a “Parent Academy/Parent University” aimed at reaching 100-plus parents and families from historically marginalized populations.

Boozer drew a comparison to the city not having enough officers on staff to continue the district’s school resource officer program, leading Unit 4 to hire an in-house director of security and safety and bring in an outside firm.

“It’s my sincere hope that the outrage and disappointment that some of our community members have aimed at this school district will be properly directed to the root cause of violence that continues to plague our community,” Boozer said. “We’re not the center of it, but we’re trying to do our part.”

That full article here. There will be a follow up Cheat Sheet post specifically on local and area gun violence coming soon. The concerns about gun violence and schools is likely only to get more pointed with the recent news, e.g. from WCIA, that five youths were recently arrested related to a shooting near a local school. One 11 year old child was found with two guns, ammunition, and magazines, including a 50 round drum magazine in his backpack. News-Gazette front page picture and caption today:

Below are more City of Champaign government and other local news updates. Down the list you'll find coverage of various city budget items, including the surveillance van coverage.

Other City of Champaign Government News: 

• The News-Gazette reported that the search has begun for a replacement Champaign Fire Department Chief after Chief Gary Ludwig's abrupt resignation 2 months ago.
  
  
• The City of Champaign Township had updates on its Strides low-barrier shelter in the 8/4 News-Gazette (e-edition link appears broken): 
  
  
  
• The News-Gazette had coverage of the 8/1 City Council meeting, along with some announcements on why there'd be fewer meetings due to a lack of agenda items in August.
  
  
• There was some speculation back in July on "The Yards" project possibly getting new life with new investors, according to the News-Gazette.
  
  
• The News-Gazette also noted that the City Council passed funding for new police camera systems (explained in this article previewing the vote here) in its 7/14 eEdition "Meeting Minutes" section. The link doesn't appear to be working, but it stated that the item "passed unanimously, without council comment" along with approving FEMA grant funding for firefighting equipment and modifying the local human rights ordinance to match State law on pregnancy protections.
  
  
• Coverage of the June 20th City Council meeting in the News-Gazette included the passage of the City budget and the approval of a new surveillance van. The van was described as a "Multi-Purpose Vehicle" in the agenda, but also as "Premier Surveillance Platform" with a Command Center and Tech Center in the manufacturer's specifications. Those specifications are available on the Cheat Sheet twitter page here. There was also a bonus for the City Manager as part of the resolution on updating City employee salaries.
  
  
• Last month the Daily Illini highlighted the fact that residents can apply to be part of the hiring process for local Champaign Police officers.

Other City of Champaign News:

• New work with the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail at Skelton Park, according to WAND. Additional information at WAND here and the Heritage Trail website here.
  
  
• Last month the Champaign Park District highlighted upgrades to the Douglass Park basketball courts. From the News-Gazette. There were other Douglass Park upgrades approved back in June as well.
  
  
• Community effort to take on reckless driving in Champaign, from the News-Gazette.

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.

City of Urbana Updates

City Council Highlights:

The latest news out of the Urbana City Council was their holding firm against Automatic License Plate Readers, but there was a debate on the legal language to ensure that. From last week's News-Gazette Meeting Minutes:

“The city of Urbana will not authorize or purchase automated license-plate reader, ALPR, technology without explicit majority approval from the Urbana City Council,” Marlin went on to say at this week’s council meeting. “While the prior debate and vote on ALPRs centered on a budget amendment to purchase ALPRs rather than a general policy statement, the council discussion and 4-3 vote defeating the amendment made the position and concerns of the majority of the city council very clear.”

Marlin spoke in response to a resolution from Alderwoman Grace Wilken ahead of next week’s vote on the city’s budget. Fearful that Urbana police would attempt to buy surveillance technology without first asking council for approval — given that last year’s ask was for funding to buy plate readers, not permission to buy them — she proposed adding a side letter or amendment to the budget...

More at that full article here, including the proposed language and arguments on its necessity and semantics.

The City is also looking for public input on a variety of issues, including an increase in the stormwater fees residents pay. From the News-Gazette:

The fee, which covers the cost of maintaining and improving various components of the stormwater infrastructure — such as sewer pipes, manholes, ponds and a pump station — is already set to rise July 1 from $5.60 a month to $5.82 a month for homeowners.

Come Jan. 1, the monthly fee could rise to as much as $27 a month, with the city council’s approval, depending on just how proactive with maintenance and improvements the city decides to be.

Urbana has charged a stormwater utility fee for a decade, and it covers upkeep and improvements that are largely invisible to the public — unless that upkeep is neglected, which can lead to flooding.

That full article here. The public can access the feedback tools here on the City's website. The city recently voted to increase other fines and fees by 4% according to the News-Gazette's preview of City Council meeting last may. While the vote passed at that meeting (jump to video link), there doesn't appear to be a copy of the exact language or an agenda packet for that meeting on the City's website for some reason.

The City of Urbana is also asking for public input on almost every possible issue in the budget at it's Imagine Urbana public input page and multiple in-person events here.

In other budget news, there were updates on the city's proposed Capital Improvement Plan with an interactive map to help with public feedback. The Daily Illini had a short blurb on that here. The News-Gazette had a more detailed overview here. A vote to approve the plan is happening tonight. Latest updates and overview in the Agenda Packet for tonight's meeting (starting on page 22 of the PDF).

The News-Gazette also had a round up on the city's new Chief of Police:

Fourteen months after Bryant Seraphin’s last shift, Urbana’s police department now has a full-time leader...

His two-year contract, made available prior to Monday’s meeting, will pay Boone an annual salary of $205,000, making him the city’s highest-paid employee...

Boone, a 33-year law enforcement veteran who retired as police chief of Norfolk, Va., in 2022 after a six-year run, emerged in April as the sole finalist for the job held down on an interim basis by interim Chief Rich Surles since Seraphin’s retirement.

The hiring of Urbana’s second African American police chief coincides with the city spending $235,000 for the national consulting firm BerryDunn to help evaluate how it delivers public-safety services.

More at that full article here. WCIA also had coverage here. The town hall event videos for people to get to know the new Chief are still available on the City's website here.

Kathy's Mailbag highlighted an ongoing local census concern with the pandemic interruptions:

The city has identified the areas that showed the biggest declines in population, and they are concentrated near campus. Those areas would be recounted in the Partial Special Census. An added benefit for the city is that the recount could include several campus-area multi-family housing developments that were built after the 2020 Census...

[Mayor Diane Marlin] said the city is “requesting an estimate first because the entire cost of a Partial Special Census is borne by the community and we need to make sure the benefit outweighs the cost. We expect to get the cost estimate from the Census Bureau in a month or so and will make a decision after that.” She said the most likely timeframe for a possible recount would be the spring of 2024.

More at the full Mailbag article here.

Examine Urbana Presentation Series:

There have been a series of presentations to the Urbana City Council looking at various aspects of the city. More information is available at the Examine Urbana page on the City's website. 

Video links:

• April 10: Purpose of Examine Urbana and Introduction
• April 17: Transportation Chapter
• April 24: Development and Taxes
• May 1: Arts and Culture
• May 8: Energy and the Environment
• May 15: Housing

Other Urbana Updates:

• State diverting some federal funding to local affordable housing projects, including at the Steer Place Apartments in Urbana for seniors. News-Gazette eEdition (subscription) blurb here. 
• Possible landmark status for Canaan Baptist Church, from the News-Gazette.
• Still awaiting updates on the BerryDunn's "Community Safety Review" since the town hall event last month. News-Gazette coverage previewing that event here. There does not appear to be video of that event on the city's website, unfortunately.

C-U Gun Violence Updates

Every month the police chiefs of all of the local law enforcement departments report on gun violence and trends within their jurisdictions at the Champaign County Community Coalition meeting. May's Police Chief updates started early around the 1:50 mark of the meeting video here (agenda here).

• The Urbana Police Department's interim Police Chief Surles (Urbana chose a new Chief recently) noted that shootings the past month were down over 50% from last year. And last year was down 25% from the year before that. 
  
  
• Chief Tyler of the Champaign PD also noted a continued downtrend in gun violence: 58% reduction since last year and a 71% reduction in the past two years.

This appears to mirror trends across Illinois (e.g. Quad Cities) and the United States (e.g. New York) after a massive peak in gun violence in 2021. Politicians and government officials tend to take credit for good news when they can, but it may be difficult to statistically tie gun violence reduction to any specific funding or efforts from one city to the next. 

One may look at the city budgets, police staffing, and actual policy changes or programs (in the works or actually being implemented) hoping to find a connection to the roller coaster of gun violence trends. Or one can look at many other potential forces more or less out of any local government's control. A complicated combination of factors are likely at work here. 

The recent City of Champaign update post included some budget updates on federal, state, and county funding going to some of the local projects related to public safety infrastructure, investing in impacted communities, and more direct local gun violence programs.

In related news, WCIA also recently reported that the City is attempting to reinvigorate its Neighborhood Services organizing:

Champaign’s Neighborhood Services are launching a new campaign called 43-43-43. It’s meant to re-engage the 43 registered neighborhood groups throughout Champaign.

Organizers say now that the pandemic is over it’s time for the groups to get back to improving their neighborhoods.

The city would like to see them get more involved with their neighbors. It can be through a neighborhood cleanup, beautification, or environmental education event.

More at that full blurb here. As the City's recent hiring tweets and advertisements show, they are also looking at hiring for a number of positions, including Neighborhood Ambassadors and a Neighborhood Services Director. From the 6/4 News-Gazette:

 

Urbana similarly looks to be reinvigorating its neighborhood outreach programs, including on gun violence. From Smile Politely's overview in March.

First Followers was in the news for its recent survey on the causes of gun violence. From Illinois Newsroom in April:

Research and social justice are often separate issues — but one local organization is using its connections to figure out how to combat violence before it starts. 

First Followers helps formerly incarcerated people re-enter the Champaign-Urbana community. The group released the results of their survey of people in Champaign-Urbana on the leading causes of violence. Almost 60% of people said they’d been impacted by gun violence...

Poverty and access to guns topped the list, followed by gangs, drugs, and a lack of mentorship and constructive activities. Although these results weren’t a surprise, Corbin said, it’s helping guide their recommendations for local leaders and organizations about how they could help address local violence. 

More at the full article here.

The News, Brews & Beatz, "quarterly community conversations are focused on serving the Black community here in central Illinois," continues to analyze local topics related to gun violence, community, culture, and more. Video and more information at their webpage here.

City of Champaign Township and City Council Updates

 

Back in April the News-Gazette highlighted plans for a City Council review of the violence reduction blueprint spending and programs. It was initially expected to occur during one of the May City Council meetings, but you weren't alone if you thought you may have missed it. According to at least one City Council member, this has been pushed back to later this summer, but "no later than August."

City of Champaign Township:

You can catch the most recent 6/6 City of Champaign Township and City Council regular meeting on Champaign Government Television here (Township meeting agenda here and City Council meeting agenda here). The City of Champaign Township meeting included a presentation on the Township budget, including the new Strides "low barrier" shelter budget.

It has been a while since we've had a Cheat Sheet update on the City of Champaign Township, and there have been big changes with the resignation of Assessor Faraci (resignation letter here) to be appointed to the Illinois State Senate. There has also been some changes of both the overlapping membership of the Township board and City council members with the recent municipal election. Katherine Moore was approved as his replacement at the March meeting ("a Contract for Township Assessor Services" in the agenda). From the March Township meeting minutes:

Supervisor Quarnstrom also noted that applications to fill the Assessor role either in a contractor capacity or an employee capacity have been received, interviews were held, and the interview panel has selected Kathryn Moore, a current Township employee, to serve as a contractor to fill out the remaining Assessor term vacated by Faraci. 

The News-Gazette also had some coverage of the appointment ahead of the meeting here.

City Council:

The City Council approved the Honorary Street names discussed at the beginning of May (see link below). Also approved were an additional funding boost to the Garden Hills street lights and sidewalks improvements from the County level ARPA funds. The News-Gazette had coverage of that here. Description from the resolution approved last night:

The purpose of this Agreement is for the County to provide ARPA Funds to the City in assisting with sidewalk and lighting enhancements in the Garden Hills neighborhood in Champaign, thereby improving neighborhood features that promote health and safety.

There was a similar $2 million dollar figure in State funding for the City's gun violence prevention initiatives. More on that 5/13 coverage below. 

More City Council Updates:

For folks who want to catch up with the latest City Council meetings, the News-Gazette and its "Meeting Minutes" feature has been giving regular overviews and updates. Links and an excerpt from the previous Friday's "Meeting Minutes" feature. It's probably most easily accessible for digital subscribers who also get the eEdition:

• City of Champaign 5/19:

With no formal policy on special-event sponsorship spelled out in the municipal code, council members this week signed off on creating one on a one-year trial basis.

The intent of the pilot program, which will run from July 1 through June 30, is to “bolster existing special events and generate interest in the development of new events for the purpose of attracting more visitors to downtown and the city’s central business districts,” staff wrote in a memo to council members.

Among the rules:

➜ It must meet specific criteria “aligning with the city’s mission, goals and policy objectives.” Those include being “broadly welcoming, inclusive and diverse”; designed to attract visitors to downtown, Midtown or Campustown; offering unique arts, cultural or educational activities; and having a sufficient security/risk management plan.

• Champaign Police personnel updates 5/19
  
  
• City of Champaign 5/13 (with video clip showing approval of the item in the excerpt below here):

The city of Champaign is poised to get $2 million in state money to help support its gun violence prevention and community development programs...

If approved, one chunk of the money — $846,825 — would go to reimburse the city for six Equity and Engagement projects and programs that have been underway since from July 1, 2022 through the end of the current fiscal year June 30.

The rest would be spent as follows:

• $164,700 for fire department staffing, surge hiring and equipment.
• $347,500 for police vehicles.
• $641,001 for police officer training pay, patrol overtime, uniforms, equipment and help in the downtown area from a security company.

WCIA also had more on increased State funding generally in a May 26th article here with Mayor Feinen's remarks. 

 

• City of Champaign 5/9 article on four proposed honorary streets relating to local organizations and business legends. The full meeting video is available here with links to jump to the portions on recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month and the presentations on the honorees: Professor Abram Sachar, Terry and Liz Hawkins, Frances Nelson, and Chabad.