Assessors Collaborate

In the confusing world of Illinois township politics existing alongside more typical local government a lot of us already find confusing and often alien... both having tax assessors leads to further confusion and frustration. American bureaucracies are notorious for their Departments of Redundancy Dept, so skepticism is warranted. Tom Kacich went to the supervisor of assessments for a quick run down of how these tasks are actually a cooperative effort in his Mailbag web article last night:

Property assessments
“Property tax assessors have been in the news a lot lately. How many assessors are there in Champaign County and how do they relate to each other?

“There’s a county assessor that handles property tax bills and periodically sends out adjustments, but there’s also a township assessor. What do they both do?”

Paula Bates, the supervisor of assessments for Champaign County, explains the process:

"There are 30 townships in Champaign County. We have 19 township assessors. There are seven multi-township assessors and 12 township assessors that are elected, or contracted by the townships," she said. "The township assessors assess all real property in their jurisdictions and turn in their work to the county assessment office yearly.

"The supervisor of assessments also has assessment authority to assess or make adjustments (equalization factors). Our office also maintains tax maps, property record cards, taxpayer names and addresses, property tax exemptions, assessment notices, provides clerical assistance to the board of review, and provides assistance to the township assessors."

For other local questions and answers, check out the full article here.

Champaign HRC 4/2/2018

The April 2nd Human Relations Commission meeting was extremely brief (video available here). There were a couple announcements beyond a brief overview of the case load, a project update, and no other comments or audience participation (or audience attending).

Announcements: 

The Disability Resource Expo is coming up tomorrow: http://www.disabilityresourceexpo.org/

Join us on April 7, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for this FREE family-friendly event offering fun activities for children, entertainment for all throughout the day, and opportunities to win prizes! Your family will have fun while also gaining valuable information about available resources for individuals with disabilities in East Central Illinois.

Centennial High School: April 14th Austin's Day: http://www.austinsday.com/

As the nation observes the eleventh anniversary of the Virginia Tech School Shootings, local volunteers choose to use the occasion to honor one of its victims who had ties to Champaign-Urbana. The entire community is invited to participate in the eleventh annual Austin Cloyd Day of Service on April 14th, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Austin's mother, Renee Cloyd shared that, "Of all the tributes and memorials created in memory of the Virginia Tech students, none is more significant that this one where members of the community pay tribute by serving others."

Champaign Rotary and Centennial Interact are organizing this eleventh annual event. Austin Cloyd was a member of Centennial Interact when she lived in Champaign where she epitomized the Rotary motto of "service above self" in the way she lived her everyday life. The service day will be a fitting representation of the good that can come out of such a tragic event.

Champaign City Council Coverage

The News-Gazette had coverage of last night's meeting in today's paper. I hope to add notes about this week's Human Relations Commission meeting later today or tomorrow.:

Champaign council approves $1 million contract for road work
The city council on Tuesday unanimously approved a $1,048,968.50 contract for its 2018 Concrete Street Improvements project.

The deal is with Kinney Contractors Inc., of Raymond, and the project will see the replacement of about 1.34 lane miles of pavement, according to a city staff report...

In other business, the council also approved designating an honorary street for Bishop Robert Perry of Grove Street Church of God in Christ. Signs reading "Bishop Robert L. Perry Jr." will be placed at the end of each block of Grove between Fifth and Sixth streets...

The council also voted to eliminate the city's Minor Redevelopment Incentive Program. A city staff report said the program "was essentially replaced by the Storefront Improvement Program in 2012."

Full article here. More on the Bishop Perry renaming here and here.

Urbana Council Coverage

Distracted drivers (and pedestrians) watch out. There's a distracted driver crackdown coming later this month. The News-Gazette had a summary today:

Urbana council signs off on zoning variances for church
The city council gave its initial approval Monday to variance tweaks that allow the cramped St. Nicholas Orthodox Church to expand.

On Sundays at the corner of Church and W. Elm Streets, the church has been hitting its capacity of about 90 people. In addition to expansion, the tweaks would also allow the church to redesign and become handicapped accessible.

If approved a final time by the council, the variances will be changed to increase the church’s maximum height from 35 feet to 38 feet, 6.5 inches. Its maximum square footage would also expand from 5,950 to 7,806...

In other business, the city council accepted a $6,300 grant for extra police enforcement of distracted driving. It comes from the Illinois Department of Transportation and will pay for Urbana Police Department overtime shifts between April 16 and 30.

Police chief Sylvia Morgan said the enforcement will mainly focus on cell phone use, while watching out for other types of distraction as well. It will occur in five locations, picked by UPD, that have high volumes of traffic and accidents.

Full article here. They also voted to eliminate the distributor tax on locally brewed beer. Following up on a previous vote.

April Meetings

Champaign (calendar)

Meetings are held at the City Council Chambers ( or you can Live Stream or watch the videos later here) unless otherwise indicated. How to address the council information. 102 N. Neil St., Champaign (map)

Champaign Human Relations Commission: April 2nd @ 5:30pm

Meetings are held on the 1st Monday of each month at 5:30 pm in City Council Chambers, 102 N. Neil St., Champaign.

Champaign City Council:

• Regular Meetings: April 3rd and April 17th @ 7pm
•  Regular meetings of the City Council are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 7:00 pm in the Council Chambers of the City Building, 102 N Neil Street, Champaign.  Regular meetings are used to conduct the legislative work of the City, including voting on Ordinances, Resolutions, holding public hearings, and approving expenditures.  Major items of legislation are often discussed in Study Session meetings prior to being voted on during a Regular Meeting.

• Study Session Meetings: April 10th and April 24th @ 7pm
•  Study Session meetings of the City Council are held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 7:00 pm in the Council Chambers of the City Building, 102 N Neil Street, Champaign. Study Session meetings are used to engage in an in-depth analysis and discussion of a particular topic.  Informal polls are commonly taken by the Council to provide general staff direction on the subject being discussed, but no formal action is taken during Study Session meetings.  Study Session topics needing formal approval will be place on a subsequent Regular Meeting agenda for a Council vote.

Urbana (calendar)

Meetings are held at the Urbana City Council Chambers (links to agendas and videos here) unless indicated otherwise. Meeting brochure with protocols. 400 S. Vine St., Urbana (map)

Urbana Human Relations Commission: April 11th @ 5:30pm

The Commission holds regular monthly meetings on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. in the Urbana City Council Chambers. Special meetings may be held as deemed necessary. 

Urbana City Council:

• Regular Meetings: April 2nd and April 16th @ 7pm
•  The Council meets twice a month on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month at 7pm.
• Committee of the Whole Meetings: April 9th and April 23rd @ 7pm
•  The Committee of the Whole meets on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month at 7pm.

The City Council establishes laws for citizen welfare, determines policies that govern providing municipal services and approves certain Mayoral appointments.

County Government: The Week Ahead posts

Champaign Police Review Subcommittee

An overview of the new police review subcommittee, created by the Champaign City Council, after it's first meeting (working with a mock case) was in the News-Gazette today. Members selected by Mayor Deb Feinen:

Chair: Emily Rodriguez
Vice Chair: Demario Turner
Regular Members: Alexandra Harmon-Threatt, Mike Ingram, and Melissa Keeble

From the full article:

The subcommittee of citizens was approved last fall, after city staff spent more than a year gathering public input toward establishing it. The group will provide input on Champaign Police Department-led investigations into complaints filed against police...

After a complaint is reviewed by the police department's Office of Professional Standards, information is sent to the subcommittee, which then meets publicly to decide if the review was proper and thorough. After that, Police Chief Anthony Cobb will make a final response to the complaint.

If the subcommittee determines that an investigation wasn't handled well, Cobb can instruct investigators to re-examine the areas of concern.

Subcommittee members were given a list of criteria at the meeting to help guide their review of investigations. It includes:

— Were witnesses and others with information about the incident contacted or interviewed? Were all of them interviewed, and if not, why not?

— Were interviews conducted in an appropriate manner and tone? Was the complainant allowed to reschedule his or her interview date? Were there appropriate attempts to get in touch with witnesses?

— Was investigation evidence sought, collected and maintained appropriately based on current police department protocol?

— Did the investigating officer follow up thoroughly if any new information or leads were developed during the investigation? And how did the officer utilize the new knowledge?

— Is there a factual and logical basis for the investigating officer's findings and conclusions? Do the findings and conclusions match information the officer presented? Do Joy and the officer agree with the findings and conclusions?

If needed, the subcommittee has subpoena power to obtain witness statements or other evidence to aid in its reviews. To prepare for its first meeting, the group was trained in policing basics.

Unit 4 Project Updates

Along with some great layout maps of the projects, the News-Gazette had some financial information on various Unit 4 projects right now:

Beyond the Blueprints: The all-new Dr. Howard Elementary
After Central ($87.1 million) and Centennial ($63.3 million), the most expensive Unit 4 project taxpayers green-lighted in 2016 is the $16.1 million demolition and construction of Champaign-Urbana's oldest active school building — Dr. Howard Elementary (est. 1910).

This week, the school board took a significant step in prepping for construction, which is slated to last from August 2018 to May 2020. It approved RATIO Architects' estimated budget for construction: $2,786,418 in indirect costs and $14,983,634 in direct expenses, including big-ticket items like demolition ($370,747), sitework ($819,496) and, with a price tag of $1,298,254, all audio-visual, IT, security, furniture and equipment needs.

These are the last few months that Dr. Howard students will occupy the building at 1117 W. Park Ave., with its funky layout and 'cafegymatorium,' as staff refer to the space where meals have been eaten, PE classes held and musicals staged. Come fall, everyone will move into the Columbia Center for two years leading up to the fall 2020 grand opening.

Layout maps at the full article here.

Champaign Council on Fire and Ambulance Services

Following up on previous discussions, the Champaign City Council has moved towards streamlining emergency calls. From the News-Gazette today:

Champaign council approves merging fire department, ambulance services
The Champaign City Council on Tuesday approved integrating local ambulance services with the Champaign Fire Department.

Noting how his department "sometimes pumps more oxygen than we do water," fire Chief Gary Ludwig proposed integrating with Arrow Ambulance and Pro Ambulance, which switch off working in Champaign every month.

Medical emergencies made up 62.71 percent of all Champaign Fire Department calls in 2017, according to a city staff report. Firefighters often act as first responders before an ambulance arrives with advanced aid equipment and transportation to a hospital.

The council's unanimous vote establishes a clear chain of command for 911 calls, with the fire department getting "overall scene command." Ambulance personnel will respond to an "incident commander" picked from the department, according to a city staff report.

Once arriving at the scene of a call, the command structure puts ambulance personnel in charge of all patient planning and decisions.

More at the full article here.

Chynoweth Cleared by HUD for HACC

So many acronyms. The Department of Housing and Urban Development that oversees the intergovernmental Housing Authority of Champaign County (more on the county cheat sheet here, the N-G here, and at the HACC website - still under construction) finally approved Urbana's appointment to the board. From the News-Gazette website today:

HUD: No conflict in Chynoweth's place on housing authority board
Cunningham Township supervisor Danielle Chynoweth has been cleared to serve on the Housing Authority of Champaign County's board, ending a months-long period of back and forth over her appointment.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's general counsel ruled this week that Chynoweth being on the board doesn't present a conflict of interest. Current HACC board members were concerned that such a conflict would impact its funding from HUD.

HUD's general counsel did say that Chynoweth should excuse herself from voting on issues directly affecting Cunningham Township.

Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin, who appointed Chynoweth to the HACC board in December, said she was satisfied with the decision, which comes nearly three months after HACC board Chairman Larry Lewis sent a letter to the mayor on behalf of the board, saying that Chynoweth shouldn't serve because of a property-tax dispute between the township and housing authority.

Full article here.

Security Costs and More Unit 4 Property

There is a lot of public pressure and political movement on school security measures lately. Here's a quick breakdown of Champaign school security costs from the News-Gazette today:

There was also more property purchased in the various movements of materials and people as the district moves forward with various facilities projects:

Unit 4 OKs buying $1.5M warehouse
More than 1,000 tubs of science supplies and a need for more storage space has prompted Unit 4 to buy a $1.5 million building in north Champaign.

On Monday night, the Champaign school board approved a purchase agreement with the seller of a warehouse located at 806-808 Pioneer St.

The science tubs are now stored in the gym at the Columbia Center on North Neil Street. But as students and staff at Dr. Howard Elementary prepare to use that building as a temporary school for the next two academic years, the district had to figure out where to move the tubs...

The purchase is the second seven-figure building the district has agreed to buy the past two months. On Feb. 12, the school board approved the $3.4 million purchase of an office building at 502 W. Windsor Road to house various district administration and teaching staff.

Full article here. 

Urbana Council On Cell Phone Driving and Taxes

The News-Gazette had coverage of the Urbana City Council meetings last night, including some news for folks who may be prone to using their cellphone while driving, annoyed by it, or lost loved ones due to it:

Grant to help fight distracted driving locally
The Urbana City Council on Monday gave its initial approval to accepting a grant for extra police enforcement for distracted driving. The $6,300 grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation would pay for Urbana Police Department overtime shifts between April 16 and 30.

The shifts would specifically be for finding and ticketing distracted drivers, mainly ones occupied by cellphones.

UPD Lt. Robert Fitzgerald said each ticket would be distributed in a way that educates people about why the extra enforcement is happening, as well as the injuries and deaths that have occurred in Urbana due to distracted drivers.

Full article here. In a follow up on the distributor tax issue with local breweries (more here):

In other business, the council also gave its initial approval to eliminating a 1.5 percent food and beverage tax on beer kegs brewed in Urbana and sold wholesale to distributors.

Darin Riggs, co-owner of Riggs Beer Co., discovered Urbana is the only city in the area with that tax. He talked with city staff and found the tax ordinance was written before Urbana had local breweries.

Riggs said that, if approved, the elimination wouldn't save his business any money, but it would reduce the tab his distributors pay by a small amount.

Urbana City Council and Brewery Tax Issue

There's an Urbana City Council meeting tonight in two parts (general Urbana meeting information and brochure). A special meeting of the City Council (agenda here) and the Committee of the Whole meeting (agenda here) that includes this item. The News-Gazette highlighted a local brewery tax issue they plan to resolve. Excerpt:

Tax on local brew sold from tap up for repeal
The city council will vote tonight on whether to eliminate a tax affecting distributors who buy kegs from Urbana breweries...

Darin Riggs, co-owner of Urbana’s Riggs Beer Company, said the tax was brought to his attention before discovering that nearby cities don’t have it. So he went to city staff and asked about it.

“Before we opened, there were no other (beer) breweries in town,” Riggs said. “This (tax ordinance) was written just for retail stores.”

City staff then drafted the vote proposal that Riggs said will put Urbana in the same lane as other local breweries.

Full article here. (link will be updated)

Last Hope for the Burnham Mansion?

In further drama on the Burnham Mansion (overview article here), it appears there may be one last plausible effort to save the building from being destroyed in the Central High School renovations and expansion. From the News-Gazette website last night:

UPDATE: Unit 4 talking with a potential Burnham Mansion buyer
The President of the Champaign Unit 4 school board said the latest plan to spare Burnham Mansion from the wrecking ball is further along than previous bids.

Chris Kloeppel said a person, who he's not identifying, approached the district with a proposal to purchase and relocate the building.  Now, the school district will release a request for proposals to give other buyers a chance.

Kloeppel said the mansion would have to be moved by the summer to keep plans to expand Central High School on track.

Full article here.