By Jason Crane
At the Aurora city government Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday, mayor of Aurora, Richard Irvin expressed enthusiasm about the historic City government budget of more than a half billion dollars, $529 million.
Mayor Irvin said, “For the first time in years, probably over a decade, I would think, we are not raising the levy for our pensions!”
It is the largest budget in the history of the city of Aurora and without raising taxes.
Aurora city government chief financial officer Christopher Minick shared some of the highlights of the balanced budget.
“We have approximately $498 million in anticipated revenues across all the funds of the City.
“We do anticipate approximately $491 million in expenses, presenting approximately a $7 million surplus for the City for fiscal year 2022 if we hit all the numbers as they are proposed in the budget draft.
“No new taxes or tax rate increases are proposed for the City for fiscal year 2022!
“The property tax levy is remaining consistent. It’s the same dollar amount proposed for the 2022 calendar year, as was proposed and was enacted, and was experienced during the 2021 calendar year.
“The only increase that is proposed in the budget is, back in July of 2021, the City Council did pass an ordinance that contained a small increase to the consumptive charge for water service within the city of Aurora.
“We did continue with that Council direction and we did incorporate that small increase into the budget for 2022, and that will take effect in July of 2022.”
Mayor Irvin asked Minick to talk about the levy for pensions.
Minick said “Actually we had some very good experience as a result of the investment markets and we do always levy the amount that the actuaries say that we need to levy to make sure that we fund our pension obligations on an annual basis.
“Each year, the Firefighters pension fund, the Police pension fund, have an actuarial study.
“That actuarial study generates a recommended City contribution to be able to meet all our pension obligations in the future.
“The City takes those property tax revenues, invests them through the pension boards, and then those assets are utilized to pay pension benefits as our police officers and firefighters retire.
“Due to the good investment return that we had, we were able to actually maintain our pension levies at the exact same amount for 2022 and proposed in the tax levy and in the budget, that we had for 2021.”
• There weren’t any individuals seeking to use their voices for up to three minutes each.
• Mayor Irvin requested a moment of silence for those who perished on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.
• Katrina Boatright, coordinator for the City of Aurora government Senior Services and Disability department spoke about Operation Senior Shovel (OSS) program for seniors and disabled persons in need of assistance and volunteers who can help in their time of need with snow removal during the Winter months.
OSS is a weather-related service that is only activated after snow events of two inches or more where every effort will be made to secure a volunteer to assist within 48 hours of each snow event.
Seniors or individuals with disabilities must apply to be considered for the OSS program. The senior or individuals with disabilities must meet the eligibility criteria to be considered for approval.
Main eligibility criteria is to be an Aurora resident, senior 60 and older, disabled or serious medical condition, with no other adults under the age of 60 living in the home capable of removing the snow, no other family member or neighbor available to assist with snow removal.
One-hundred-twenty-five community volunteers are proposed to help December through March 22, 2022.
Applications to receive help will open Monday, Dec. 13. Eligibility will be for those determined to be of the highest need.
• Additional Requirements for Senior Citizens:
- Occupants in your house, must be over the age of 60 for you to qualify, or, if aged 18 to 59, must be unable to shovel snow due to a temporary or permanent disability or serious medical condition.
- Each occupant aged 18 to 59 must provide a statement, from a medical professional, verifying that the disability or serious medical condition prevents them from shoveling snow.
- If any occupants aged 18 to 59 are not disabled or have a serious medical condition, then the elderly resident is not eligible for the program.
• Additional requirements of individuals with disabilities:
- The applying resident must provide a statement, from a medical professional, verifying that the disability or medical condition prevents you from shoveling snow.
- Occupants in your house aged 18 or older, will require a statement from a medical professional stating that they are disabled or have a serious medical condition and cannot shovel snow.
- If the occupants in your house, are not disabled or have a serious medical condition, then the disabled resident is not eligible for the program.
• Placed on unfinished business for further discussion at the December 14 City Council meeting was an Ordinance amending Chapter 13 of the Code of Ordinances pertaining to the licensure of retailers engaged in the business of selling certain vapor and alternate tobacco and nicotine products.
City government of Aurora documents show the purpose of this amendment is to provide guidance for the city treasurer to issue endorsements to certain tobacco licenses upon the expiration of the six-month moratorium the Council adopted in May.
Under Chapter 13 of the Code of Ordinances, the city treasurer issues a license to sell all tobacco, nicotine, alternative nicotine products or vapor products. Beginning in May, an additional endorsement became required to authorize the sale of alternate tobacco or nicotine or vapor for licenses first issued after May 15. Although the Council required the additional endorsement, it prohibited their issuance until November 15 to allow for additional time to consider what limitations should be placed on new merchants seeking to sell these products.
Staff members were requested by elected officials to look at establishing a distance or setback requirement for vape shops similar to those imposed by the Zoning Ordinance with respect to cannabis dispensaries. If adopted, this ordinance will limit the issuance of new endorsements sale of alternative tobacco or nicotine, or vapor products to locations which are set back a certain distance from other similar business locations. “Similar business” setback requirements also apply to certain financial institutions, pawn shops, and locations offering video gaming.
Under the Zoning Ordinance, cannabis dispensaries must be no less than 1.5 miles apart from each other, while alternative financial institutions and/or pawn shops are not to be within 2,640 feet from the property line of another alternative financial institution and/or pawn shop. Staff members make no specific recommendation as to the amount of setback that is appropriate between businesses offering alternative tobacco or nicotine or vapor products.
As was the case since this discussion began, nothing in this ordinance would impact existing tobacco licensees. Tobacco licenses issued prior to May 15, 2021, do not require the holder to obtain an endorsement to sell these alternative products and would not be subject to this Ordinance’s rules governing the issuance of endorsements.
All new applicants will have to establish that they aren’t within the prohibited setback distance of another retailer.
The City Council gave consent to the following agenda items:
• Final approval for items on the consent agenda are set to be made at the December 14 Aurora City Council meeting with the exception of the City budget which was passed at a special City Council meeting right after the Committee of the Whole meeting.
• Consent was given to a Resolution approving the appointment of Brooke A. Shanley, a Ward 9 representative to the Block Grant Working Committee.
• Consent was given to a Resolution approving the appointment of two new candidates, William Whitfield a non-resident of Aurora and Cynthia Latimer a Ward 7 resident to the African American Heritage Advisory Board.
• Consent was given to a Resolution approving the appointments of Brian Moreno, Yahayra Argueta, and Maria E. Jurado to the Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board.
• Consent was given to a Resolution approving the appointment of Sumitra Murali, a resident of Ward 5, to the Indian American Community Outreach Advisory Board.
• Consent was given to a Resolution approving the appointment of members to the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Commission (GAR). The three new candidates are Janice Lindley, a resident of Ward 1, Albert Signorelli, a resident of Ward 6, and Mary Ann Signorelli, a Ward 6 resident.