Elgin council votes to provide staff with more time to develop inclusivity and diversity ordinance

Supporters of a wide-ranging inclusivity and diversity ordinance in Elgin will have to wait two months before seeing the proposal return to the city council for a possible vote.

What started in December as an idea to declare Elgin a “welcoming city” for immigrants and migrants has expanded well beyond that scope.

The 20-page ordinance would codify existing policies on local cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement. Other measures include establishing an immigrant legal defense fund, creating a municipal ID program, addressing language access, and developing an inclusive procurement plan.

The initiative is being led by council members Diana Alfaro and Corey Dixon.

“I want anybody reading it to know that this is the most progressive piece of code of this nature in the entire state,” Dixon said. “These things aren’t being done anywhere.”

A draft of the ordinance was first presented to the council during the Feb. 25 committee of the whole meeting, and members have since been gathering feedback and making suggestions for changes and additions.

City Manager Rick Kozal said he informed Alfaro and Dixon last week that city staff would need at least an additional 60 days to “conduct the proper research and policy analysis necessary to complete the work on the proposed ordinance, in addition to the additional amendments and initiatives presented by the other council members.”

A motion by council member Anthony Ortiz proposing the 60-day delay passed by a 5-4 vote, with support from Ortiz, Dustin Good, Rose Martinez, Steve Thoren and Mayor David Kaptain.

“It’s a complicated piece of business,” Kaptain said.

The hour-long conversation during Wednesday’s committee of the whole meeting featured repeated interruptions from audience members opposed to any delays, as well as repeated gavel bangs from Kaptain.

While he opposed the motion to delay, Dixon said the process will ensure the ordinance is “done right.”

“I am not in a rush to get something done just to get something done, and it doesn’t have any teeth,” he said. “I want it to be able to bite into some stuff.”

The city passed two immigration-related resolutions in 2025, one urging lawmakers to ban U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from wearing face masks and another prohibiting city-owned properties from being used as a staging area, processing location, operations base or other support for immigration enforcement.

Alfaro said the “good intentions” of policies are not enough and said she’s pushing for the ordinance because “it is a legal commitment” that shows the city will support immigrants and underserved communities.

“Policies can be amended, ignored or quietly set aside,” she said. “An ordinance carries weight. It is transparent to the community to let you all know when we change things, how we do things, and what we legally will stand by.”