By Bob Seidenberg The economic development climate in Evanston is expected to start warming up next month, when a report on Evanston business districts is due. At the city’s Economic Development Committee meeting Wednesday, Jan. 25, Paul Zalmezak, Evanston’s economic development manager, briefed members on Evanston’s downtown area as a kind of prelude to the report. In…
By Bob Seidenberg Members of the city’s Redistricting Committee are inching toward mapping the city’s first new political boundaries in 20 years. Committee members have now conducted ward-to-ward analyses in eight of the city’s nine wards, with a meeting on the west side’s Fifth Ward scheduled for Jan. 26. Fourth Ward City Council member Jonathan Nieuwsma, who seeks…
By Bob Seidenberg The city’s Housing & Community Development Committee recommended in favor of providing $4 million in gap financing Jan. 17 to a non-profit developer partnering with a local church to create 44 affordable housing units just east of Church Street and Dodge Avenue, at 1805-15 Church St. Committee members voted unanimously at their…
By Bob Seidenberg In an apparent rebuke to the off-duty officer who drew his gun on a homeless man in the Evanston Public Library earlier this month, the top library official said there’s no exception to the prohibition against firearms for anyone working there as a safety monitor. Evanston Public Library policy prohibits the carrying…
By Bob Seidenberg Evanston’s Masonic Temple, a local landmark that has sat vacant in recent years, will see new life as a residential apartment building after backing from the Evanston City Council on Jan. 9. Council members approved as part of the meeting’s consent agenda a request from Myefski Architects for variations from the number of…
By Bob Seidenberg Evanston City Council approved an increase in the fee a Libertyville-based firm receives to manage the city’s waitlist for affordable housing — a list that continues to grow and is approaching 600 households. Council members approved a fee of $50,000, an increase of $7,000, to Community Partners for Affordable Housing (CPAH) to…
By Bob Seidenberg How are Evanston’s Tax Increment Financing Districts faring? There was no definitive answer yet as Evanston officials said at the city’s annual Joint Board meeting Dec. 19 they are still awaiting more current revenue figures from Cook County. Some, like Chicago-Main TIF, have only a few projects since its creation. Others, like the…
Fire Pension Board member Jack Mortell’s research shines light on tax supposed to go for pensions By Bob Seidenberg Evanston City Council members may consider a small property tax increase to firm up the plan to fund police and fire pensions at 100% the actuarial required amount. Officials have estimated the cost would be approximately…
By Bob Seidenberg Repeating what she said at the City Council meeting this week, First Ward Council member Clare Kelly reiterated that Evanston should step up contributions to the police and firefighter funds, striving for 100% funding by the state’s 2040 target date. At the First Ward meeting on Thursday, Oct. 20, Kelly responded to…
By Bob Seidenberg Evanston Library Board trustees moved forward Oct. 19 to back a 3.9% property tax increase estimate for their fiscal year 2023 budget – the first increase sought by the body after three years of going with flat budgets. Along with the action, trustees backed a new fund balance policy exceeding that…
