Transparency, spending concerns raised with proposed budget

As the 2023 budget deadline approaches, Evanston’s staff proposed a $402.5 million budget that gained criticism from residents, City Council members and Mayor Daniel Biss.

“It proposes a property tax increase and … to essentially dip into American Rescue Plan Act funding to achieve balance,” Biss said at the Oct. 17 special City Council meeting. “I think a situation where all of that is necessary has to come with serious evidence (showing) we’ve done everything we can to find every possible savings and efficiency.”

The proposed budget is a $42.1 million increase from 2022 and residents could experience a higher cost of living to offset increased expenses. This includes a 3.5% property tax levy increase, 5% water rate increase and a 1.8% solid waste rate increase.

Factors playing into this include 39 new staff members costing roughly $2.4 million and $103.5 million in anticipated capital improvements.

The city is also exploring what the future holds for its Civic Center. Despite staff requesting approximately $3.6 million toward 2023 Civic Center improvements, the budget also includes $1.3 million in consulting services to explore relocating. These 2023 improvements — including more than 400 new windows and repointed exterior bricks — are joined by more than $55.2 million in additional Civic Center improvements between 2023 and 2028.

“The City Council doesn’t know what it’s going to do with the Civic Center so there shouldn’t be a $59 million budget to do things for the building until the council knows what it is going to do,” resident Mike Vasilko said during City Council’s budget public hearing on Oct. 24.

Evanston’s cost of living is a continued resident concern, displayed by affordable housing continuing to be a hot topic during city meetings’ public input section. The budget’s critics voiced how the increased property tax levy could impact housing security and affordability.

“Every time the property taxes are raised, the people that get hurt the most are the landlords and in turn working people,” Eric Passet, owner of North Shore Apartments

and Condos, said. “The people you are trying to help through affordable housing are being hurt through imposed property tax increases.”

Residents also accused the city of lacking transparency regarding the public hearing itself, claiming it wasn’t publicized enough. The city met legal requirements by posting a notice in the Chicago Tribune, however, it posted the wrong time — saying it started at 6 p.m. instead of 6:45 p.m. — and didn’t advertise the hearing in the city calendar separate from the regular council meeting.

“The time period for public involvement has been shortened so much this year with the city manager search and all that,” resident Mary Rosinski said. “I’d love to see more consideration given for public comment.”

Residents weren’t alone in these complaints. Councilmember Clare Kelly agreed it wasn’t appropriately advertised and lacked transparency. Kelly pushed for the public hearing to be continued at a later date with more appropriate outreach with Councilmembers Devon Reid and Bobby Burns supporting her request.

“I’d like to (continue this public hearing another day) so it can be noticed on the calendar and I think we would’ve had a lot more people at this meeting if (residents) had better notice,” Kelly said. “I know legally we complied because

“Every time the property taxes are raised, the people that get hurt the most are the landlords and in turn working people. The people you are trying to help through affordable housing are being hurt through imposed property tax increases.” — Eric Passet, owner of North Shore Apartments and Condos

it was buried in the Chicago Tribune but I don’t think that was appropriate in notifying our Evanston residents.”

In addition to Kelly’s proposed additional public hearing, there are other options to learn more and express concerns regarding the proposed 2023 budget. These include a Spanish-speaking budget town hall on Oct. 26, an English-speaking budget town hall on Nov. 3 and a taxation public hearing on Nov. 7. The tax levy filing deadline is on Dec. 28 and the budget must be approved by Dec. 31.

Evanston anticipates its expenditures will exceed its revenue in both 2022 and 2023 after yielding more revenue than expenditures in recent years — including an approximately $76.2 million revenue surplus in 2021, according to its all funds summary report.