Elgin council to focus on community input

Elgin City Council members met Friday to discuss a new direction for the governing body.

Much of the retreat — which functioned as a special meeting of the committee of the whole — was reserved for brainstorming for potentially distant changes. But one vote and much discussion focused on community involvement in council decision-making.

Councilman Robert Gilliam brought up the issue of public comments at council meetings earlier this year. Elgin is part of a minority in restricting residents from speaking on topics to be voted on at that council meeting.

Council members unanimously voted Friday to change that.

In a discussion about involvement, Mayor David Kaptain said residents are ready and willing.

“People are hungry,” Kaptain said. “They want to participate and they want to hear what’s going on.”

The legal department will revise the policy for public comment and bring new rules to the council in coming weeks.

The community will also be approached for help with the budget process. A presentation by Colleen Lavery, the city’s chief financial officer, outlined the budget predicament.

Shrinking Riverboat revenue, declining property tax revenue and an attempt to maintain services mean something has to change. It will be the council’s ultimate decision as to whether the lost revenue will be made up with fewer expenditures and higher user fees in specific areas or broader increases in taxes.

“The citizens will want us to curtail expenditures before raising taxes,” Councilman Richard Dunne said. “That’s what we do in our homes.”

Programs like the senior tax rebate were discussed as possibilities for cuts.

“Everything is on the table,” Councilman John Steffen. said “Nothing is safe.”

Resident input will come from a citizens task force, much like the one established for the sustainability master plan. Elginites will be able to apply online for a short-term commission to make recommendations to the council about the budget.

Kaptain said residents with a level of financial expertise should be included, and Steffen added the need for diversity based on geography, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

The council aims to get a group together by the end of June to start working on planning and public hearings.