The Urbana City Council unanimously voted to postpone further discussion on Ordinance No. 2024-12-042 on Tuesday night. The Ordinance, which would establish “Approval, Policy, and Reporting Requirements for Policing Surveillance Technology and Databases,” will be retained in committee until the next Committee of the Whole meeting on June 2.
The council additionally voted to delay action on the approval of comprehensive plan “Imagine Urbana.” Both delays were attributed to the meeting running long, as it was preceded by a rescheduled township board meeting as well as a special meeting.
Ward 6 Council Member Grace Wilken referred to the surveillance ordinance as a “can of worms,” and, while offering to condense the matter, stated a preference for holding off on discussion.
“I do appreciate some of the continued discussions offline and continued public input; I do feel like we’ll be able to pick this up when we can,” Wilken said.
Ward 4 Council Member Jaya Kolisetty agreed that the ordinance deserved attention that could be better provided at a later date.
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“I’m glad this is back on the agenda, and look forward to discussing it — I totally agree with not opening a can of worms at almost 10:00 at night,” Kolisetty said. “This deserves time and attention, but also it’s time to give it the time and attention, so I’ll look forward to seeing this back in the next (Committee of the Whole).”
During the public input segment of the meeting, some Urbana residents expressed opinions on the ordinance through emails to the council. Urbana resident Derek Briles critiqued a “lack of openness” from the Urbana Police Department regarding the use of their current technology.
“This proposed ordinance is a big step in the right direction towards transparency and collaboration,” Briles wrote in an email read aloud at the meeting. “I urge all alderpersons to consider this very carefully and make the decision that builds bridges into the community, not walls patrolled by cops who don’t even live in this community.”
“Imagine Urbana” was also frequently referenced in public input, with residents expressing a desire for more detail on what the plan would geographically change.
One anonymous statement read aloud by Wilken summarized the plan as not clear enough in terms of mapping, leaving a question of whether or not current issues would actually get addressed.
“‘Imagine Urbana’ contains some useful points, especially in the ideas section, and it is also too vague — especially the maps — to address the current conditions and pressures we face and to protect the quality of life in our city,” said the statement.
