More Top Picks Crowns Asparagus
player ready...City Council unanimously approved Evanston’s roughly $395 million budget Monday night, $7.5 million below initial proposals. City staff in October proposed an initial $402.5 million budget — a $42.1 million increase from 2022 — that received backlash from City Council, Mayor Daniel Biss and community members resulting in efforts to cut spending.
Budget items disputed in preliminary discussions include staff requests for Civic Center improvements when Evanston has yet to determine what the building’s future holds. Staff originally requested $3.6 million be spent toward 2023 Civic Center improvements, including $1.3 million in consulting services to explore relocating city offices. City Council opposed many of these funding proposals and curbed spending funds toward replacing more than 400 of the building’s windows and other maintenance projects considering the building’s uncertain future.
Another contentious topic during the 2023 budgeting process was funding 100% of the city’s police and fire pensions when staff originally proposed funding only 90% of the expense. City Council approved fully funding these pensions in an effort to tackle its debt and curb its financial burden on residents in the future.
Councilmember Kelly compared the issues to credit card debt, saying, “It’s kind of a credit card and you owe $100,000 but you only pay interest on $90,000 of it. That leaves you $10,000 that this is, in essence, compounding and accruing interest over the years.”
The budgeting process also highlighted how many City Council members approach city finances with Kelly looking to manage the city’s debt and expenses while others like Councilmember Devon Reid, who also voted in favor of fully funding the pensions, sought ways to increase Evanston’s revenues through additional taxes like his proposed single-use bag tax. The single-use bag tax has received backlash from local businesses since September, however, those favoring the tax believe it’ll bolster the city’s environmental initiatives.
Other adjustments from the original budget include removing a lease for a Fire Department cardiac replacement monitor, eliminating 2.5 new positions — grants officer, property maintenance inspector and a procurement specialist — and reducing general obligation bond totals, according to a memo prepared by Chief Financial Officer Hitesh Desai. Councilmember Bobby Burns’ proposal to transfer $2 million from the real estate transfer fund to the reparations fund was approved in light of the local cannabis sales tax not generating its originally expected revenue amounts.
The 2023 budgeting process didn’t come without residents and elected officials alleging the process lacks transparency and proper community education. Many, including 9th Ward City Council candidate Kathy Hayes, said staff presented the 500-page budget at ward meetings but these presentations lacked adequate explanations.
“What they did in these meetings was just present the budget,” Hayes told Pioneer Press in early November. “There’s a difference between educating the community and giving a presentation.”
Kelly agreed with Hayes and said proper education would have helped residents understand more intricate budget items outside flashy topics like the new animal shelter and proposed Civic Center improvements.
Corey Schmidt is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.