Community Corner

Your Questions About City Spending, Answered

Questions and answers in a "Facebook Town Hall" on the city of Evanston's 2014 budget offered some interesting insights into the way the city is run.

Evanston city manager Wally Bobkiewicz hosted a "Facebook Town Hall" on Thursday, as part of the city's effort to gain input on the 2014 budget.

Residents asked about everything from whether the city's interns are paid to why the city charges beach fees. Here are some of the most interesting questions, and the answers from Bobkiewicz.


Q: Justify the reasoning behind allowing the lot at Main and Chicago to sit vacant instead of looking for other development options?

A: "Wally: The City has been working with the owner of the property for over two years in order to develop a project that is the highest and best use for the property. The city will be reaching out the community for a public meeting in October to share our progress. Check out cityofevanston.org/mainchicago for updates on the project."

Q: Are your interns paid?

A: "Some yes, some no, depending on the position."

Q: How can neighborhood associations have more say over zoning in their areas as there seems to be a disconnect between the desires of specific neighborhood residents and the city council as a whole? For example, the Harley Clarke mansion which took a big time citizen effort to stop the sale of public property, or the new construction on Northwestern's campus.

A: "Wally: You raise a couple different questions. In regards to Harley Clarke, there was almost two years of public discussion before the most recent efforts. The city's challenge is to determine the best way to communicate with residents so we try to use as many channels as possible. As for improvements at NU, most NU projects are done by right under their existing zoning laws. The new south parking garage required no specific land use variance but did require an additional use of city land for a fire lane. It is my hope in the future that we will continue to use all means to engage the public in land use discussions. Unfortunately, residents are busy living their lives and it is difficult for everyone to keep track of every issue before the city."

Q: "Why doesn't the city pursue cars of Evanston residents who never buy city stickers?"

A: "We do a cross tab of records with State of Illinois to allow us to identify cars without vehicle stickers. We have discovered vehicles that reside in Evanston that are registered elsewhere which makes it difficult to require an Evanston vehicle sticker when a car is registered somewhere else. Please feel free to share with us, vehicles of specific concern - parking@cityofevanston.org"

Q: "I'm wondering if CoE has any solutions for recycling bins for large apartment complexes. Mine doesn't have one, and I have to sneak over to the complex next to ours. I feel like I'm cheating (or being illegal for wanting to recycle). Fact is, their bin isn't big enough for their complex alone! Can I request one?"

A: "Yes, you are correct. We still don't do a good enough job on multi-family unit recycling. The City is actively considering requiring all multi-family buildings to offer adequate recycling options. A proposal should be in front of City Council in early 2014. For help with a specific issue, please contact sustainabilty@cityofevanston.org"

Q: "Why are the funds generated from annual beach tokens and daily beach fees being paid to patronage employees with the remaining funds being shifted to pension funds. Evanston residents particularly feel they're being double-billed to use public lands (all of the numerous beaches in Evanston from Lighthouse to South Ave.) as residents and want ANSWERS. Maybe a forensic audit needs to be undertaken."

A: "Wally: Yes, the beaches are open to the public, but the cost to maintaining the beaches is additional expense to the city and beach tokens help defray the cost and allow us to spend other tax dollars to support additional city services."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here