On Tuesday at 7 p.m., the city of Urbana held its regular City Council meeting at 400 S. Vine St. The City Council meeting was also livestreamed via YouTube for viewers who could not go to the meeting in person.
There was a Mayoral Proclamation for Urbana’s Pride Week describing the rich LGBTQ+ history of representation. Uniting Pride of Champaign County, a community center founded in 2009, was described as an organization to advocate for the equality and visibility of the LGBTQ+ community.
“And whereas since 1972 the cities of Champagne and Urbana have been at the forefront,” the Mayoral Proclamation stated, of “protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals by prohibiting the discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Champaign-Urbana’s annual Pride Fest began on Sept. 23 and will be held through this Sunday. Events will be hosted throughout the community offering opportunities to learn about and support the LGBTQ+ community.
As an update of the Mayor/Council Strategic Goals, there was a draft staffing report for the police and fire departments supporting housing, security and equity.
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“Specifically, the action step is to coordinate with housing and social services agencies to reduce homelessness,” the Mayoral Proclamation stated.
The plan aims to increase housing, improve data utilization, enhance equity, improve landlord engagement and increase lived experience representation. The plan will be presented to the council before the end of the year. The Homeless Services Summit will also be held next week on Tuesday, during which the council will vote on the plan and bring funds together.
The Light Asset Management Plan is expected to be in motion. The plan aims to convert traffic lights and streetlights to better energy-efficient technology and change them to the same aesthetic throughout the city.
“We do not use LED, which is very uncommon at this point,” said Mayor Diane Marlin. “And then the other thing is we have, I think, a dozen different styles of streetlights.”
An ordinance amending the Urbana zoning map was approved by all City Council members.
An ordinance approving a final subdivision plat was up for approval. The ordinance regarded the restrictions and powers of homeowners associations and the way they may affect individuals.
“If there is an HOA out there that is doing something against state law, they should be aware that they’re in violation,” said James Quisenberry, member of the City Council. “They can be challenged, and they should be.”
The ordinance approving a final subdivision plat was passed by all City Council members.
An ordinance revising the annual budget was up for approval this meeting. The ordinance regarded how the city plans to use a grant, and whether the money should be used to rebuild fire stations or be used in a way to reach citizens more directly.
“This was an opportunity to build these buildings with support from the state, and I think that’s appropriate and I’m going to support it,” Quisenberry said.
The ordinance was passed to rebuild Urbana’s fire stations.
For questions or staying up to date with local policy, see the Urbana City Council website for more information.
