Geneva council to discuss their pay, ward boundaries

The $150 per meeting compensation for Geneva alderpersons has not changed since 1997.

Same for the boundaries for its five wards.

Both will be up for discussion and review during a special committee-of-the-whole session at 7 p.m. Monday, at city hall, 109 James St.

“It is not unusual for a municipality to review such policies,” Mayor Kevin Burns said. “This issue of compensation of municipal officials has been percolating for some time and it was requested to be considered by an alderperson. Others agreed at least to review it.”

As to changing ward boundaries, Burns said each ward is intended to have approximately 4,000 people in it so each is represented equitably.

“Those figures have clearly not held since the last census and need to be reexamined before the next (municipal) election,” he said.

The next municipal election in Illinois is on April 1, 2025.

Burns said he could not remember the last time the city’s ward maps were redrawn, but probably not since the compensation was set nearly 30 years ago in 1997.

Geographic Information System would be used to develop a new boundary map close to equal representation of the residents in the five wards, Burns said.

Alderpersons will also review and discuss the city’s code of conduct with the possibility of revision, he said.

“It is likely our desire to shorten the code to speak clearly and more broadly what we all believe to be appropriate decorum at meetings,” Burns said.

The code would apply to elected and appointed officials as well as professional staff in terms of conduct at public meetings, he said.

Unlike the regularly scheduled city council and committee-of-the-whole meetings, the special session Monday will not be broadcast live.

Burns said there will be no action taken Monday, just discussion.