Geneva alderpersons to consider $68M referendum

Geneva alderpersons will consider on Monday whether to recommend putting a $68 million referendum on the April 1 consolidated election ballot to build a new police station, new Fire Station No. 2 and improvements to the existing public works facility.

The issue is on the Committee of the Whole agenda, with the City Council giving final approval by the next meeting on Jan. 13 – which is also the deadline for ballot questions.

The city hired EOSullivan Consulting LLC of Libertyville for public engagement consulting services.

Through three online surveys, two phone surveys, Ed Sullivan of EOSullivan Consulting, reported late last year that his firm received feedback from 1,371 community members on what improvements they would like to see – and how to fund them.

The city also hosted four meetings to present the city’s facilities issues and their costs.

“There’s going to be a discussion between favorability and priority,” Sullivan had said at the Dec. 2 City Council meeting. “That’s favorability. That’s: ‘Do you strongly support or don’t’ and somewhere in between. Priority is where we say those items that we’re talking about – we now make you pick one of them.”

The public’s overall response to facility improvements garnered 20% favorability, Sullivan said.

The order of priority was the police station first, followed by City Hall and redevelopment of the old library building next door – which the city owns – followed by the fire station and public works.

“Whatever the city decides, the data shows the community is ready to make this decision in the upcoming election in April of 2025,” Sullivan wrote in the phase three community engagement report.

Officials first broached a $97.5 million bond issue for capital projects at its public engagement meetings, but have since culled it down to $68 million.

Issues with the city’s facilities are:

• The police station floods, the roof leaks, the sewer backs up and does not have enough space for ambulances and operations.
• City Hall, built in 1912, is is not entirely accessible, has inadequate insulation, wastes energy and cannot support modern technology needs.
• The west side fire station has inadequate spaces and deteriorating infrastructure.
• The public works building is a metal barn nearly 40 years old that also has leaks, so employees catch water in garbage bags and buckets.

Sullivan also advised officials that they would need a community committee to promote the referendum, as public officials can only provide information, not urge voting in a particular way.