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Story category: Urbana
Champaign, Urbana Consider Stormwater Utility Fee
Story air date: Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Sewers are among the basic of city services --- and one of the least exciting, until something goes wrong. City officials in Champaign and Urbana have seen enough flooding over the years, that they’re proposing a new fee to pay for maintaining and improving the storm sewer system --- a fee already used by about a dozen Illinois cities. Illinois Public Media’s Jim Meadows has more on the storm water utility fee.
(Photo courtesy of Nancy Taylor)
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environment • water resources • government • Champaign • Urbana • politicsAsk the Mayors: A Conversation with the Mayors of Champaign and Urbana
Story air date: Thursday, February 02, 2012
In a Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012 broadcast on WILL-TV, Champaign Mayor Don Gerard and Urbana Mayor Laurel Prussing talked about a range of issues such as a stormwater utility fee, police leadership, roundabouts and Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day. They spoke with Illinois Public Media’s Jim Meadows and took questions from callers.
Story links:
- Champaign Avoids Two Cuts in Public Service (Related Story)
- Champaign Police-Community Relations Scrutinized (Related Story)
- Champaign City Councilman Revives Discussion for a Police Review Board (Related Story)
- Video of Champaign Arrest Leaked Online (Related Story)
- FBI Finds No Criminal Civil Rights Violations in Arrest (Related Story)
- Champaign Council Members Give Initial Backing to Stormwater Fee (Related Story)
- Potential UC2B Subscribers Get an Update on Services (Related Story)
- Champaign, Urbana Voters Face Electric Aggregation Vote in March (Related Story)
- Focus: Conversation with C-U Mayors (Watch the Interview)
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government • Champaign • Urbana • people • politicsThe Arguments For -- and Against -- Olympian Drive
Story air date: Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The debate over the Olympian Drive extension will continue at an Urbana City Council committee-of-the-whole meeting in three weeks. Council members have put off a decision on a state-funded design engineering study for the road. It would be just the latest phase in a long-standing project that Mayor Laurel Prussing says would bring economic development --- and jobs --- to the north edge of the city. But opponents like Bill and Virginia Ziegler (left) and Leslie Cooperbrand (right) argue it would do more harm than good. AM 580’s Jim Meadows reports on the Olympian Drive debate.
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business • community life • government • Champaign • Champaign County • Urbana • transportation • urban planningTent City Supporters Look for a New Home; Champaign's Not So Sure
Story air date: Monday, July 27, 2009
The Safe Haven Tent Community will leave the back yard of the St. Jude Catholic Worker House by the end of July. But Safe Haven and its supporters hope to convince Champaign city officials that semi-permanent housing is better than no housing at all --- and that they should be allowed to stay somewhere in the city. AM 580’s Jim Meadows reports.
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civil rights • community life • government • Champaign • Urbana • urban planningAfter the Gateway Studios Evictions: What About Next Time?
Story air date: Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Last week’s sudden closure of a residential hotel in Champaign forced dozens of people to look for a place to live on short notice. It also forced the City of Champaign into action – not just to condemn the Gateway Studios for lack of utilities, but to help arrange housing for those residents, most of them low-income. Housing advocates see the evictions – and a similar incident at the Autumn Glen apartment Complex in Rantoul – to call for changes in housing policy in Champaign and Urbana. Former Urbana alderman Danielle Chynoweth has brought a proposal to the Champaign and Urbana city councils to offer cash assistance for relocation to people left homeless by condemnation – the landlord would be held responsible for that money. She spoke with AM 580's Tom Rogers.
The head of Champaign’s Neighborhood Services department, Kevin Jackson, told AM 580’s Jim Meadows last week that while rental help is available from agencies, some of it is based on the applicant’s background. Jackson says the city is open to discussion on permanent policy changes.
