Due to recent budget cuts, the city of Evanston is looking to earn revenue from non-traditional sources.
“With a shortage of incoming revenue and the need to provide essential services, we are looking at different alternatives to help raise money without raising taxes,” Community Information Coordinator Eric Palmer said.
The city’s 2011 budget, which went into effect this month, decreased by more than $33 million from last year’s budget. Evanston’s general, emergency telephone, police pension and motor fuel funds all saw cuts this year.
The city is hoping to increase private advertising and sponsorship of events, City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz said. In addition, the city will create two committees of private citizens to discuss fundraising for the police and fire departments and city health centers, said Davon Woodard, the city’s development officer.
The city hopes to have private businesses and corporations sponsor events, programs or facilities, and in return, their names will be listed on the property, Bobkiewicz said. City officials will also be selling advertisements on city property.
With these new plans, the city hopes to compensate for budget cuts. Similar measures are being taken by small cities and municipalities across the country, Woodard said.
“We want to maintain our quality of life,” Woodard said.
The city is particularly looking for a sponsor for the summer concert series and a new movie in the park series, Bobkiewicz said. City officials are also focusing on finding funding for the police and fire departments, Evanston Public Library and the health department.
“Where we find partners that make sense, we will pursue them,” Bobkiewicz said.
Palmer said these programs are important now because the country is emerging from a recession.
“When coming out of a recession, local governments tend to get hit hard,” he said.
This phenomenon is not unique to Evanston. Small cities and municipalities across the country are facing similar challenges, Woodard said. While the city has not come up with any specific fundraising activities for its committees, officials are basing many of the committee practices off of similar initiatives in New York and other cities, he added.
“We’re in a recession, and municipalities across the state and nation are looking at alternative ways to raise revenue,” Woodard said.
The city made major cuts to the 2011 budget, including funding for EPL and public services. Public works, including tree maintenance and upkeep, were cut almost in half. Economic development projects were cut steeply as well. The smallest decreases were in the health category and police department, which is also the largest expenditure.
In the 2011 budget, the city stated one of its goals was to improve dialogue between NU and its neighbors, mainly through economic development and community outreach partnerships between the city and the school.
The city has not made any outreach efforts to Northwestern, though there may be opportunities to partner in the future, Bobkiewicz said. Although there are not very many opportunities for NU to get involved with the committees, Woodard said the city has not forgotten the $550,000 fire engine the school purchased for the city.
“That relationship has been there,” Woodard said. “We’ll definitely be keeping all of our communities partners aware of what’s going on and engage them as we see fit.”
