After a public poll, the Yorkville City Council has decided not to increase the number of council members.
City Council members had looked at the feasibility of adding more aldermen after U.S. Census numbers showed a 27% population increase in Yorkville from 16,921 residents in 2010 to 21,533 in 2020.
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The city currently has eight City Council members – two are elected in alternating municipal election years in each of the city’s four wards.
The city posted a poll online for residents to give their input on the proposal to change the aldermanic structure to five wards and 10 City Council members.
The majority of 108 respondents favored retaining the current number of wards and City Council members. Approximately 70% preferred having eight City Council members represent constituents in the city’s four wards.
“Aldermen wanted to hear what residents had to say so we did a survey and about 70% were in favor of keeping the number of wards at four versus five,” Yorkville Mayor John Purcell said.
Purcell was supportive of retaining the four wards and eight City Council members.
“I do not think there is at an advantage of having more aldermen for a town our size. Our aldermen are very responsive to residents now as are our city staff and the mayor’s office,” Purcell said.
The City Council members work together effectively, he said.
“The City Council has a real good rapport. Look what’s going on in the U.S. Congress. When there are too many cooks in the kitchen, nothing gets accomplished,” Purcell said.
“Things in the city are going well and I think residents see that,” the mayor said.
Aldermen unanimously adopted an ordinance retaining the current number of wards and City Council members in the city. The ordinance has to be adopted within the year of a municipality’s receipt of the most recent federal decennial census results, according to city documents.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.