Residents concerned about sidewalk repairs, fire truck replacements and park renovations will have to wait a few more weeks to learn if the Evanston City Council will fund these improvements.
These projects, along with many others, are designated as Priority 3 in the city’s Capital Improvements Plan. Citing concerns about fair distribution of funds and the city’s debt, the council postponed voting on Priority 2 and 3 projects during its budget meeting Feb. 22.
The aldermen determined the amount to be allocated for Priority 1 items but did not decide which items will be funded, City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz said. The council will discuss specific Priority 1 items, as well as the Priority 2 and 3 projects, in late March or early April.
The Capital Improvements Plan lists the projects the city plans to work on in the next fiscal year. City staff categorized the projects into one of three priority levels based on their impact, current status and future cost, according to a memo from Assistant City Manager Marty Lyons. The council votes on the plan each year as part of its budget process.The city’s budget woes this year made CIP decisions particularly controversial.
Ald. Coleen Burrus (9th) said she thought the city staff focused more on citywide improvements than necessary. The south end of the city deserved more attention, she said.
“They thought they’d get a bit more buy-in for citywide improvements,” she said. “I don’t believe the staff expected the council to drill down as hard as they did.”
Some Priority 1 items, such as a $75,000 roof and chimney replacement proposed for a building at 1817 Church St., were ranked too high, Burrus said. And some Priority 3 items, such as repairing the “terrible” road at Church Street and Dodge Avenue, were ranked too low, she said.
She expects the council will take this into consideration, she said.
“I would be shocked if the priorities were not completely turned around,” Burrus said.
Evanston currently owes $85 million in debt supported by property tax levies, according to Lyons’s memo.
Ald. Don Wilson (4th) said he is worried by the debt.
“I felt like it was important to rein in the spending,” he said.
Unlike Burrus, Wilson said he didn’t expect the priority list to shift much. Many of the items, such as water service, are vital, he said. Others, like a $1.1 million lakefront renovation plan passed last year, he considers unnecessary but expects will remain funded.
He said he hopes the aldermen will carefully evaluate each project.
“There are a number of things that are going to be looked at pretty closely,” he said.Bobkiewicz said many of the projects were necessary, especially funding for the civic center and police department. While reducing the city’s debt is important, paying for vital services will make cutting the budget difficult, he said.
“I appreciate that the council was sensitive to the issues of balancing our debt,” Bobkiewicz said. “But that doesn’t mean our debt will be going away any time soon.”[email protected]
