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City Council approved an ordinance Monday to further discuss the tax increment financing district in the 5th Ward, and to confirm a public hearing and Joint Review Board meeting to discuss logistics and feedback with community members.
In TIF districts, property tax revenues above a certain baseline are reallocated for public works or economic development improvements in the area. Outgoing Ald. Robin Rue Simmons (5th) said the ordinance has the potential to help the city increase affordable housing and economic opportunity.
Simmons voted in support of the plan and said it’s still in its early phases.
“What’s most important is that this is a necessity for us to understand what our options are. This is not an action,” Rue Simmons said.
The city will begin to search for consultants who will study the feasibility of relocating the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center based on a resolution approved by City Council Monday. The council has been considering recommendations to relocate the Civic Center since last May due to the high cost of anticipated repairs. The Civic Center,.
Evanston Now
Recap: Rules Committee
Here s a recap of our live coverage of this evening s Evanston City Council Rules Committee meeting.
The meeting is scheduled to start at 5:15 p.m.
A packet with information on the agenda items is available online.
Meeting called to order at 5:18 p.m.
All present except Alderman Fiske.
Public Comment
Misty Witenberg opposes elimination of the board of ethics. Says having special counsel will cost more than having citizen board members do it for free.
Mike Vasilko says should postpone action on the ethics proposal
Tina Paden says administrative hearing officers are biased paid by city will vote for the city.
March 12, 2021
On a December day in 2019, hundreds of Evanston residents sang, cheered and cried together in the pews of the First Church of God in celebration of the first funded Black reparations program in the city â and in American history.
âIt was a special moment for our city,â said Ald. Robin Rue Simmons (5th), who has led city reparations initiatives. âThat meeting was really the convening of what is a lifetime of work ahead of us.â
Evanston City Council had just passed a resolution allocating $10 million dollars over 10 years from cannabis city tax revenue to a Black reparations fund. The legislation was the first in the country â on a local, state or federal level â to commit public funding to reparations for Black Americans. Upon its passage, Evanston garnered national attention for its commitment to addressing over a century of discrimination.