At the Tuesday, March 24 City Council meeting, the Aurora City Council approved new, first-of-its-kind regulations intended to safeguard residents and the environment from future data center development. The nearly five-hour meeting included 17 speakers. Most spoke out against data centers. The approval of the new ordinances came as the
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council voted Tuesday to send an ethics reform Ordinance back to the Rules, Administration, and Procedures (RAP) Committee for further discussion. The proposed Ordinance would amend and add several sections of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Aurora pertaining to the disclosure
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council is considering an Ordinance amending and adding several sections of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Aurora pertaining to the disclosure of economic interests, campaign contributions, lobbying, and the use of City property and the City seal. Several members of the
On Tuesday night, the Aurora City Council approved the appointments of Michele Clark to serve as the City’s chief Human Resources officer, Theodore Van De Sampel to serve as the City’s Emergency Management coordinator, and Josue Alcaraz to serve as the City’s director of Property Standards. All three employees had previously been serving in interim roles until their
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council viewed a summary about a gas main that was damaged Wednesday, Jan. 21 near Rush-Copley Hospital at the Tuesday, Jan. 27 City Council meeting. Interim Fire Chief Kevin Nickel explained a construction company was installing a new sign and hit a five-inch supply
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council is set to approve a Resolution authorizing the City to accept a grant award of $24,000.00 from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office as part of the 2026 Attorney General’s Organized Retail Crime Grant Program. The grant would be used to help the Aurora
By Jason Crane Mayor of Aurora, John Laesch, and the City Council, honored an Aurora high school marching band that represented the City on the international stage, performing in Rome, Italy’s New Year’s Day Parade. The Waubonsie Valley High School Marching Warriors embarked on a Rome New Year’s Tour from
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council approved an increase to the number of video gaming terminals permitted in Aurora at the Tuesday, Nov. 25 City Council meeting. City government of Aurora documents show the purpose is to amend the City Code to align with state law and the revision
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council met from 5 p.m. to nearly 11 p.m. to listen to dozens of speakers after allowing extra time for comments at the Tuesday, Nov. 4 Committee of the Whole and City Council meetings. The Council agreed to work on the language of an
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council listened to dozens of speakers in a standing-room-only crowd after agreeing to allow nearly an hour of extra time for public comments at the Tuesday, Oct. 28 City Council meeting. The majority of speakers expressed anger and sadness about the recent actions of
Kenny Battle, an Aurora native, college basketball standout, and the first person from the City to be drafted to the National Basketball Association (NBA), was honored at Aurora’s Tuesday night City Council meeting for his impressive basketball career and extraordinary representation of Aurora on the national stage. Mayor John Laesch
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council listened to many public comments, both in support of and against the decision of Aurora mayor John Laesch to raise municipal flags Friday, Sept. 12, after the flags were lowered in remembrance of lives lost in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. President Donald
By Jason Crane After a lengthy discussion, the Aurora City Council approved, by a vote of 7 – 5 a Resolution to appoint Michele Niermann as assistant corporation counsel III to assist the City’s corporation counsel Yordana Wysocki. Niermann was approved to be hired to help part time with employment
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council voted 7 – 5 to continue a 1% tax on grocery items at the Tuesday, Aug. 26 City Council meeting. The Illinois state grocery tax of 1% is set to be eliminated effective January 1, 2026, as per Public Act 103-0781, and provides
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council is set to approve an Ordinance authorizing a 100% principal forgiveness loan agreement for the Lead Service Line Replacement Project. The City previously applied for a 100% principal forgiveness loan from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to fund the upcoming “Lead Service Line
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council is considering approval of a 1% tax on grocery items, and doubling the Hotel Occupancy Tax rate from 3% to 6%. Hundreds of municipalities throughout the State have approved ordinances to impose a local tax to replace the State tax. The Illinois state
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council approved an ordinance amending Sec. 2-277(c) of the Code of Ordinances pertaining to the qualifications of the department heads of the City, at the Tuesday, July 8, City Council meeting. Ward 2 alderwoman, Juany Garza, and Ward 10 alderwoman, Shweta Baid, voted against
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council is considering a Resolution to approve GoGo Grandparent as the replacement contractor for the City of Aurora Ride Solution (CARS) Program through December 31, 2025, utilizing the remaining budgeted funding, not to exceed $100,000.00. City government of Aurora documents show the change is
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council, Tuesday, May 13, expressed appreciation and a farewell to Ward 4 alderman Bill Donnell, Ward 7 alderman Brandon Tolliver, alderman-at-large Ron Woerman, and chief management officer, Alex Alexandrou. Recently alderman Donnell announced he wouldn’t run for another term. Aldermen Tolliver and Woerman lost
By Jason Crane Mayor of Aurora, Richard Irvin, the outgoing 59th mayor, says goodbye Tuesday, May 6, at his last Aurora Committee of the Whole meeting as mayor, after sharing the achievements of his administration. “To my beloved city of Aurora, I came, I saw, we conquered.” Irvin served on
