Evanston City Council’s meeting tonight will be “more form than substance” as new aldermen are inaugurated, said Ald. Steven Bernstein (4th).
The new council’s meeting, at 8:30 p.m., will follow the outgoing city council’s final meeting and will be largely ceremonial. The new aldermen and other city officials who were elected April 5 will take their oaths of office and give their first speeches during the call of the wards.
The old council’s meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. But fewer items are on the agenda than normal and most will probably be tabled, Bernstein said. He said the City Manager’s office tried to “under-load” the committee meetings, which precede the council meeting, because the committee meetings must end within an hour. Usually longer committee meetings can push back the starting point of the council meeting.
“We have a chamber full of invited guests, so they like to start on time,” he said.
The Administration and Public Works Committee will discuss an ordinance that would require Evanston residents to pay half the cost of inoculating trees near their property against Dutch Elm disease. It delayed the ordinance at its April 12 meeting. Bernstein, who is not on the committee, said the committee likely will not come to an agreement today.
The aldermen’s speeches will mostly consist of “accolades and goodbyes,” Bernstein said. Outgoing Alds. Arthur Newman (1st), Joseph Kent (5th) and Gene Feldman (9th) will likely receive commendations for their time on the council.
“We’re losing about 50 years of council so it’s going to be a bittersweet night,” Bernstein said.
Ald.-elect Cheryl Wollin (1st), who will be sworn in tonight along with Alds.-elect Anjana Hansen (9th) and Delores Holmes (5th), said her first speech will be short.
“I think that this council can work together in a very collaborative way to face the challenges ahead for the future of the city,” Wollin said.
The Administration and Public Works and the Planning and Development committees will meet at 6:00 p.m. Entrance to the council chambers during the new council meeting will be on a ticket-only basis, Wollin said.
All meetings are held at the Evanston Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave.
