Geneva tallies voter interest in $59.4M public safety referendum question

Geneva is monitoring public interest in its $59.4 million referendum question for a new police facility, which will appear on the March 17 ballot.

Officials have hosted 142 people who toured the existing facility at 20 Police Plaza. There have also been virtual tours, including 707 on YouTube, 10,500 on Instagram, and 9,200 on Facebook, City Administrator Alex Voigt said during a recent Committee of the Whole meeting.

In addition, a commercial about the referendum question had been viewed 71 times on YouTube, 1,154 times on Instagram, 4,700 times on Facebook and 582 times on X, formerly known as Twitter, she said.

About 85 people attended the Strategic Plan Advisory Council’s three open houses.

“A lot of good conversations were had,” Voigt said.

SPAC is also hosting a new podcast, Let’s Talk Geneva, Voigt said.

“I would definitely encourage your residents to check that out if they’re looking for a bit of a deeper dive on some of the topics,” Voigt said. “We are still posting referendum review blogs twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, again trying to hit on various topics that we hear feedback from the community on.”

The city’s referendum information page links to the city’s social media and the commercial.

Officials determined the city needed a new police facility because the existing one was not designed for police operations. They’ve also said the space is inadequate for modern policing needs.

Fourth Ward Alderperson Amy Mayer said she would encourage Geneva voters to listen to the Let’s Talk Geneva podcast.

“I think that the insights that come from having that very in-depth conversation with our police officers and the chief — it really forms the reason why what they do is so valuable to our community and that the facility is in need of updating, for sure,” Mayer said.

Residents can hear directly from city officials before the primary election. First Ward alderpersons Anaïs Bowring and William Malecki are hosting an information session from 9 to 11 a.m. Sunday, March 15, at Five & Hoek Coffee, 416 W. State St.

The referendum page includes a tax calculator. If a home has a market value of $550,000, the property tax impact of the referendum would be $459.

Officials said once a new facility is built, the city would sell the current location for redevelopment and use the proceeds to lower the cost of the bonds.