Evanston hosted a virtual town hall meeting Thursday as part of its latest efforts to gather community feedback on the city budget.
Some issues generated more discussion than others, including construction on Northwestern’s campus and the potential sale of the city-owned Harley Clarke Mansion, a historic lakefront property that now houses the Evanston Art Center.
At the event hosted by city manager Wally Bobkiewicz, residents were invited to submit budget-related questions and ideas on the city’s Facebook page. Bobkiewicz addressed the issues brought up or promised to pass them along to other city officials.
Although less than a dozen residents participated, the concerns brought up varied from complaints about the lack of resident say in city decisions to interest about the use of city funds. Residents asked about issues regarding the vacant lot at Main Street and Chicago Avenue, street repairs and the status of a planned tree-replanting program and bike-sharing program.
A common concern was the lack of interaction between residents and the city government. One resident, Ben Marcus, said communication is poor, which has resulted in city actions that upset residents. As an example, Marcus cited the lack of resident input in billionaire Jennifer Pritzker’s recent proposal to turn the mansion into an upscale hotel.
“There seems to be a disconnect between the desires of specific neighborhood residents and the Evanston City Council as a whole,” Marcus said. “Which is why you need to do better at figuring out how to communicate with us.”
Bobkiewicz did not directly respond to Marcus’ complaint, saying, “It will always be a work in progress and we are committed to always trying to do better.”
The hour-long live chat was part of Engage Evanston, which the city calls “an ongoing effort to encourage an open dialogue with residents.” City staff have been present at various Evanston locations each day for a couple hours to talk to residents about budget-related issues and ideas. The most recent one took place Friday morning at McDonald’s, 1117 Howard St.The city is also asking residents for their input on Twitter and an online forum.
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