Elgin spending $100K to go green

If you have to spend money to make money, then it only follows that you have give green to go green.

Elgin leaders on Wednesday are expected to sign off on a $100,000 deal for a consultant to review ways to make the city more sustainable.

"Everybody's trying to be green. We are no exception," said City Manager Femi Folarin.

The city already has a substantial green movement in place. Over the years, officials retrofitted LED lights for 43 city-owned intersections, paved dedicated bike lanes, and installed more energy efficient lights at the Centre, to name a few initiatives.

This new effort would have EDAW/AECOM, an international design firm, work with residents and city leaders from now through April.

The firm would get ideas from residents, analyze the city's energy use, highlight programs that are working and give suggestions in areas where sustainability is lacking.

Funding will come from the city's casino revenues, which have dipped since 2008. The project originally had a price tag of $500,000. Now, city leaders are just taking it one phase at a time.

"We really had big plans for this when we started out," Folarin said. "With the economy the way it is, and the budget the way it is, we had to narrow it down.

As for improvements, the city likely will do the least expensive first, such as looking to change or update building codes.

In other words, don't expect to see the city buying hybrids and electric cars for its fleet anytime soon.

"We have to pick what we do based on what gives us the best return for the money," Folarin said.

Sandy Kaptain, president of the Elgin Climate Change Organization, or ECCO, said she is pleased the city remains committed to the plan.

"We're very, very glad the city is doing something like this," she said. "I agree, we don't want to waste too much money sitting around and talking about it. You've got to do it ... (ECCO) is hoping to get people to the action part of it."