The Urbana City Council approved their Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Annual Budget Wednesday after what Ward 7 Council Member James Quisenberry described as a “broken record night.” Council members discussed a series of proposed amendments to the budget for two hours, repeatedly stating their stances on funding the Urbana Police Department.
The budget includes putting over $16 million toward the UPD, a $1.5 million fund for homelessness-related issues within the community and nearly $1 million towards ending disparities in food access.
The decision came after weeks of debate over increased police funds, which ultimately remained in the final version of the ordinance approved last night. The budget passed 6-2, with dissenting votes coming from Ward 4 Council Member Jaya Kolisetty and Ward 6 Council Member Grace Wilken.
“Lots of great things in the budget, but I do think it’s premature for the police expansion and (I) have concerns that we’re going to be able to adequately fund some things in the future,” Wilken said. “For that reason, I’m not on board with the budget as a whole, as presented, but I do think there are a lot of really great things in there.”
Two of four proposed amendments to the budget, both introduced by Ward 2 Council Member Chris Evans, related to police funding. The amendments argued to eliminate funds for two officers and one sergeant to lead the Community Engagement Team, as well as eliminate funds for hiring three additional officers to boost patrol numbers and further support the team.
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“Up until last week, (the Community Engagement Team) was benign surveillance to make more arrests,” Evans said. “It suddenly has been changed this week — finally in writing — great, but it needs time to be accepted by the community, and I will not put officers in harm’s way, or in a situation where they’re not wanted.”
According to the budget, the Community Engagement Team has not been fully implemented due to UPD staffing shortages. The proposed pilot program for the team would help support local community programs, including DREAAM Academy, a program designed to boost academic achievement in young men.
Many council members expressed a desire for a larger discussion surrounding the topic, as well as an urge to move forward with plans for the team. Ward 3 Council Member Shirese Hursey mentioned the denied funds last year as a reason for lack of progress in community relations.
The amendments each failed 5-3, meaning three new patrol officers will be hired along with the sergeant and two officers for the Community Engagement Team as planned. Dissenting votes came from Evans, Kolisetty and Wilken. Mayor DeShawn Williams spoke earnestly to the community after voting against Evans’ proposal.
“I have receipts that show that my heart is always in the right place,” Williams said. “Do I get it right all the time? Absolutely not. And you know what I said in regards to this budget? If I get it wrong, I’ll be the first to admit that I got that wrong … Just trust me until you can’t.”
Evans’ other amendment of the night, proposing a $200,000 increase to the budget to help relocate victims of violence to safe spaces, passed unanimously. Williams expressed complete support for the bill, which will function as a grant that members of the community or community organizations can apply for.
A fourth amendment, introduced by Wilken, proposed an additional $100,000 increase for people experiencing gaps in current services and continued immigrant services. The amendment stirred up some debate, with leftover funds not being enough to cover the full $100,000 after Evans’ amendment had passed.
“This is again the problem where, in my opinion, we’ve overspent on the budget by adding more police, to where we can’t do things like this,” Wilken said. “Last year we couldn’t have added one additional arborist with what was proposed on the budget … I do just want to highlight that there is money in the budget, and we’re choosing to spend it in other places.”
Ward 1 Council Member Maryalice Wu and Hursey critiqued the broad language of the amendment, mentioning a lack of clarity in who could use the suggested funds and when.
Wu proposed a “rapid response” type of service, with immigrants and others experiencing gaps in services using pre-existing social service programs in times of need. Kolisetty shot this down, honing in on a more urgent need for immediate support.
“We know that our immigrant surveying organizations have already lost a vast amount of resources,” Kolisetty said. “I appreciate the idea of there being a rapid response, I recognize that there might be additional needs … but if we’re saying, ‘well now we have to do a budget amendment,’ we’re talking about additional weeks before we can even start a process of allocating funds.”
The amendment passed 6-2, with Wu and Ward 5 Council Member Chaundra Bishop dissenting. The city will ultimately pull from its general reserve fund in order to cover the complete $100,000 increase in the budget.
