Champaign citizens discussed the proposal of an advisory referendum that would increase funding for General Assistance in an annual township meeting Tuesday evening.

General Assistance is a state mandated welfare program that provides resources for people living in poverty.

Randall Cotton, resident of Champaign, said the program is a “last-chance safety net for the poorest of the poor.” He said Champaign provides a significantly lesser amount of money to the program than surrounding communities like Springfield, Bloomington, Peoria and Urbana.

“This is something that needs to be addressed immediately, but unfortunately someone has to come up with the money,” he said.

Conrad Wetzel, resident of Champaign, said he believed the advisory referendum was necessary because food banks are not a “satisfactory or sufficient answer” because people in need require more than food, such as rent money and clothing.

“The programs of food banks, commendable as they are, are providing a handout. That is not what people really need. What they really need is the help of a public hand,” Wetzel said.

The referendum, proposed by Cotton, would increase property taxes by no more than $25 for a “median-value single-family home in the first year”. It would adjust with inflation in following years.

“This proposed referendum, even though it’s not binding, it does keep the issue on the table. It goes further than other referendums in that it actually shows the voter how much it’s going to cost,” Cotton said.

Other supporters of the advisory referendum said they believed it would help people from “falling through the cracks.”

“I don’t think we’re talking about a really large amount, but it would really change people’s lives,” said Janet Anderson, a Champaign resident.

The proposal passed with a majority vote of 29 to four. The advisory referendum will appear on the primary ballot in 2010.