City of Evanston Blog
Articles Posted in: September 2009
Get Green, Go Green, Save Green
The City, Chamber of Commerce and Citizens for a Greener Evanston sponsored an interesting event this morning at the Civic Center to bring attention to ComEd's Smart Ideas for Your Business program which helps fund energy saving business improvements. The statewide program in ComEd's territory is in its second year. While much of the funding goes to lighting improvements, there are funds for other energy saving improvements. The program has $16 million to give away this cycle and much of it is…
Compostable Corn Based Cup
I have seen corn based products like this before, but never at a professional conference at a major chain hotel like I did today. Time to buy some for City Hall where we do not already use glass cups or ceramic mugs.…
Illinois Municipal League Conference
I have been attending the 96th Annual Conference of the Illinois Municipal League (IML) in Chicago the last two days with Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl, Alderman Jane Grover (pictured left) and City Clerk Rodney Greene. IML is the organization of Illinois' approximately 1,200 cities, villages and towns and the conference attracts elected and appointed officials throughout the state. I spent yesterday meeting with other municipal managers and officials from larger communities in Illinois (over 25,000). Per the 2000 Census, Evanston is…
Newsy Items on the September 29th City Council Agenda
The City Council meets one day later next week on Tuesday September 29 because of Yom Kippur. Newsy agenda items: 1. Discussion of proposed FY 2010/11 budget planning strategy. Both the Mayor and I are proposing new approaches for budget planning. The Mayor plans to appoint a 10 member citizen committee. I am proposing a five day budget planning process for November. 2. Consideration of expanding the City's employee benefit program to include health insurance for same sex domestic partners. 3. Beginning of proceedings…
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Where Do City Employees Live?
As I meet with community members, a question I have been asked and could not answer was: "How many City employees live in Evanston?" I did not know, so have asked our crack Human Resources Department. The City's 840 budgeted permanent full and part-time employees translate into 1,057 individuals when we take into account the permanent full and part-time breakdown. The residency breakdown is as follows: Evanston – 33% Chicago – 23% Skokie – 7% Glenview – 2% The remaining 35% of…
City Council Selects Twelve Goals
The City Council met this evening to discuss goal setting. While each Alderman and the Mayor expressed the importance of all City services, they selected twelve goal areas to focus attention. These are in alphabetical order: Affordable Housing Budget Planning Capital Improvement Program Planning Climate Action Plan Economic Development Efficiency and Effectiveness of Services Federal/State/Regional Government Affairs Agenda Lakefront Development Northwestern University Police and Fire Pension Funding Issues Robert Crown Center Improvements Safety Issues The Council selected subheadings the Capital…
Bike the Ridge - Sunday October 4
Interesting event comning up in two weeks: Bike the Ridge. Ridge Avenue is closed from 8 AM to 1 PM on Sunday October 4 from Church to Howard to allow folks to enjoy a Sunday biking Ridge (The ride runs from 9am to noon). See website for more info. Event sponsored by the City of Evanston.…
City Receives Funding for Lakefront Bike Trail
The State of Illinois has awarded Evanston $720,000 to fund the reconstruction of the lakefront bike path from Lee Street to Clark Street. Awarded to the City's Parks Division, the funding is given through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP), which uses federal funds to promote transportation enhancements, such as bike trails. When combined with a previous award of $550,000, Evanston has now received a total of $1,270,000 in ITEP funds for this project, which is scheduled for construction in…
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2010-2014 Consolidated Plan Priority Needs Survey
The City is conducting a survey to get community input regarding housing and non-housing needs for the City in the next five years. This will help guide the City in deciding how to allocate entitlement grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships and Emergency Shelter Grant programs that are to be used to benefit primarily low and moderate income persons. Priority needs, strategies, and ways to…
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Special City Council Meeting Monday
The City Council is meeting to discuss goal setting Monday night. I am asking the Council to select top ten items facing City to craft into goals. See my staff report here (PDF) with a laundry list of issues I think the Council should consider, albeit not a definitive list. What do you think should be the Council's top ten goals??…
Bus Accident / Ridge and Davis
A woman was hit by a PACE bus late this afternoon at Ridge and Davis. She was trapped underneath the bus for 15 minutes until Evanston Fire removed her. She was taken to the hospital where she is being treated for serious injuries. The area is closed to traffic for Police investigation.…
Skunks
Skunks are out in more force than usual at this time of year in Evanston. The City issued a press release today (PDF) on ways to combat skunks today which has a number of helpful hints on helping to keep them away from your home. Something I learned in all of this is that skunks bulk up their weight for the winter and are more likely to spray in the fall as they defend their den site.…
Tiki Given to City
Much has been written in the last few weeks about Johnnie "Keoni" Durant carving a Tiki for the City of Evanston, but I hadn't seen a photo of the final product. See it here and notice the City logo carved at the base.…
Northwestern University Donates Fire Engine to City
Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl announced today that Northwestern University has agreed to donate $550,000 for a new fire engine. See full details in press release (PDF).…
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Newsy Items on Monday's City Council Agenda
A regular feature of the blog will be a "Newsy Items" post before each Council meeting highlighting what I think will be the issues of most discussion/interest at the upcoming Council meeting as well as links to the agenda documents. So here we go for the meeting of Monday September 14: 1. Consideration of an ordinance that would allow for the establishment of a traffic signal at Sheridan Road and Church Street. 2. Consideration of an ordinance prohibiting video gaming…
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City Facebook and Twitter Accounts
The City's march into social networking continues with a Facebook and Twitter account now up and running. "Friend" and "Follow" us.…
Chicago Tribune Likes Our Website
An article in today’s Chicago Tribune cites the City of Evanston website as a model of what a city website should contain. It compares our website to other city websites around the Chicago area.…
Rules Committee Actions
The Council's Rules Committee met this evening: 1. Voted 9-1 (Rainey opposed) moving to the City Council an ordinance prohibiting video gaming in Evanston. Ordinance will be on September 14 Council agenda for consideration. 2. Directed staff to bring back a plan to the committee to begin streaming Council meetings live on the Internet, to provide recorded meetings for playback on City's website, to offer replays of meetings more frequently on Comcast Channel 16 and to propose other ways to increase access to…
Human Services Committee Not Televised
Tonight's Human Services Committee meeting is not being televised due to staffing issue. Sorry for inconvenience.…
"Man Caves" Comes to Evanston
I drove into the parking lot at the Civic Center this morning and was surprised to see a large tractor-trailer parked from the show "Man Caves" on the DIY cable network (Channel 121 on Comcast in Evanston). A quick Google search helped me discover that Evanston residents Dave and Becca Roseman had won a contest sponsored by DIY and the MLB Network for the home in America that most needed a "Man Cave" for watching baseball. More details from the…
Labor Day in Evanston
City offices will be closed Monday for the Labor Day holiday. Trash pickups will be delayed one day next week. Northwestern begins their home football schedule Saturday at 11 AM against Towson University from Maryland. If you are looking for the most interesting Evanston event of the weekend, look no further than the 73rd Annual Evanston Cowboy Days. Of course, you will need to get to Evanston, Wyoming.......…
Recycling No. 6 Plastic Containers
A first question from a resident: "I am trying to learn why plastic containers marked no. 6 (most common form is Styrofoam, which is made from oil and is not biodegradable) are not recycled?" Suzanne Eggleston, the City's Interim Director of Public Works replies: "Plastic containers marked number six are not recycled because there is currently no after market demand for them by the recycling processor we send our recycling to. If they are placed in the recycling bin they…
National Food Safety Month
September 1st and all of the months we celebrate are coming forward...... Word from the Environmental Health Division of the Health and Human Services Department reminds us that September is also National Food Safety Month. The Department will have a food safety video on the local cable channel and will be giving away a free thermometer with instructions to any resident that answers the Food Safety Question of the Week. The first week's question is on the dry erase easel outside…
Fall Edition of "City Highlights"
The Fall edition of "Highlights," the City newsletter, is now available on-line (PDF).…
Beach Openings and Closings
Beaches in Evanston close for the season at 7:30 PM next Monday, September 7. In addition, some beaches will be closed during this week due to limited lifeguard availability. For the latest, check out our Beach Status Website.…
Library Card Month
September is Library Card Month. Get details from the Evanston Public Library here.…
Twitter and Facebook
The City will start "twittering" in the next several days. I will let everyone know when we start doing this. We will also start a Facebook page this month too. What else should we be doing on the Internet to communicate with folks?…
Welcome to the Blog
I am starting a City of Evanston blog to share with the community happenings within the City government in Evanston. I kept a blog in my former position as City Manager in Santa Paula, California which I started in 2004. During that time, I posted 1,153 items about the City. The blog will allow for comments. This can be a dicey proposition for a blog kept by a City Manager. Comments posted on the blog will be screened to ensure…