The Champaign City Council convened Tuesday night for a study session to discuss four different topics: the Building Code Package, Trails Master Plan, GIS Plan Update and the Judah Christian School Site relocation.
Administration, staff and parents from the Judah Christian community came to speak to the council in favor of the school’s relocation. They assured the council that a move would benefit the city and the students. Members of the faculty told the council, “Our facilities need to grow to meet the need of the students.” Parents also told the council that the relocation would bring some students from different towns closer to the school.
Judah Christian is an independent school in Champaign focused on enforcing Biblical values and is trying to buy 50 acres of land for a new high school at Kirby Avenue and Rising Road.
Landowner Jacob’s Landing originally planned to have single family homes built on the 80 acres of land. Judah Christian is a nonprofit organization and would be exempt from property taxes, and some council members took issue with the fact that an estimated $43,000 in property tax would be lost if the school were built on the land.
“My vote is in no way a reprimand to the school, but an economic decision,” said Marci Dodds, Distrcit 4 council member. “No one from these other towns, but only the taxpayers of Champaign, will be paying for the services this school will require.”
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Karen Foster, council member at-large, said she thought the city “could not remain stagnant and have a few visions in ways that we can provide school opportunities for our citizens.” The council approved the resolution to be up for vote in a regular council meeting.
Members of the Champaign Park District presented the Trails Master Plan as an element of the Champaign Comprehensive Plan.
The plan calls for a community-wide recreational trail system that would connect all existing trails together as well as propose new ones.
The council unanimously voted in favor of moving this plan to be voted on in a regular meeting.
Kyle Harrison, council member District 3, was not in attendance for the meeting.
