[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6102862,"mediaKeyId","2803125-f4543cf677759a4d43bf0fa167ab56a8","parentId",2803125,"title","Votes at a glance: Elgin City Council actions on March 26, 2025","audioSeconds",3795,"startMs",2010000,"endMs",5805000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2803125-f4543cf677759a4d43bf0fa167ab56a8&start=2010&end=5805","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2803125-f4543cf677759a4d43bf0fa167ab56a8/thumbnail_2010000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6102862/Elgin/Cook-County/Illinois/Votes-at-a-glance-Elgin-City-Council-actions-on-March-26-2025","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6102862-d7b1ba2587dae18206d00734333e0e2c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148177&Signature=CH1t03Knux~y8KfF6lFPSZRfvamAeK8f5GDvewH0TeU-4-vt1vGYhzg~H5-I9j1MtTbkbT~2A1huwMSi4bXIqpplU-Ws5nryos03ER~eXIVaPzTEvYIiEbrTMB7mOA35pgjZUBvB-t58n8XswZ1YIjHJu25VYrzgD8ObTkhN1UlK38cq-cU9rNUlO5CbmR5e8qTymJ7rJfKpaSqp6kYsJAQ6QvCPeLLwGj9KtMQJZIhgaZR8ZbbCpOKlkGJJWHnQz0tYbhTnd-LKRWal5gaUVMWD5NuN-795ESphoQgCXk~KlfDo~WPhjoPbsv7jr3PZSjByAT9T3cWxTWIbnDlSUw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Elgin, IL","date","2025-03-28T01:25:00.947Z","article","The Elgin City Council took a series of votes at its March 26 meeting. Key outcomes follow; where the roll call was recorded, tallies are shown. For items with little discussion, this summary lists the approved vendor/amount and the recorded outcome.

- Chicago Street combined sewer separation — design and bidding services agreement with HR Green, Inc. (for separation of 11 combined-sewer basins to reduce overflows to the Fox River). Motion approved, roll call recorded; outcome 9-0.

- Dundee Avenue reconstruction (Phase 3) — construction inspection services to support IDOT-funded reconstruction (Enterprise Street to Page Street). Motion approved, roll call recorded; outcome 9-0. Substantial completion anticipated October 2026.

- Amendment to HR Group compensation study — additional not-to-exceed $25,000 for added analysis and deliverables. Motion approved by roll call; outcome 9-0.

- Bid awards and purchases (bids and cooperative contracts approved by roll call):
• Apex Landscaping — contract mowing services for city properties: $247,925 (approved 9-0)
• Bridal Construction Corporation — Bid 25-009 emergency lead service-line replacement: $699,110 (approved 9-0)
• Golf course and sports complex landscaping supplies — lowest responsive bidders: $134,924 (approved 9-0)
• Smithco Sweep Star sweeper — $55,818 (approved 9-0)
• Iconica/Minolta facilities management (Sourcewell cooperative) — $261,098 (approved 9-0)
• Dell Technologies desktop computers (27 units) — $54,000 (approved 9-0)
• Qubit Networks contract — $267,060 (approved 9-0)

- Conditional use petition 18-23 (10 N. State St.) — Elgin Cigar and Art: conditional use to sell fine cigars within existing art/watch retail space (no on-site consumption). Planning staff recommended approval; council approved (roll call 9-0).

- Resolution with Kane County Child Advocacy Center (2025 agreement) — funding assistance relating to investigations of sensitive crimes involving children: resolution approved (vote recorded 8-0 with 1 abstention).

- Consent agenda and miscellaneous business items — approved by roll call (9-0) where recorded.

- Ordinance G7-25 effective-date amendment (proposed): Councilmember Steffen moved to amend the ordinance to delay its effective date to Aug. 26, 2025; the motion failed on roll call, 5-4. The ordinance remains in effect as adopted.

Several items were the result of staff recommendations and engineering procurement processes; the council adopted the recommended awards and agreements during the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Committee of the Whole and Regular City Council Meeting - March 26, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The council approved multiple capital projects, contracts and bids, and considered zoning and funding items. Most measures passed unanimously; a proposed delay to the hemp/THC ordinance effective date failed 5-4.","taxTitle","Elgin, Cook County, Illinois","taxId",2637,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6102867,"Elgin highlights progress on lead service line replacement; awards emergency replacement contract",2093,1239000,3332000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2803125-f4543cf677759a4d43bf0fa167ab56a8&start=1239&end=3332","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2803125-f4543cf677759a4d43bf0fa167ab56a8/thumbnail_1239000.jpg","/articles/6102867/Elgin/Cook-County/Illinois/Elgin-highlights-progress-on-lead-service-line-replacement-awards-emergency-replacement-contract","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6102867-a47b72480e9dad5608c687e75173e15a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148177&Signature=guEtgALI3TzqFBkggH5JdBzjPDbTqkTylqT0V6BkyZU5WP343bFbU8EXPYd-~Xlp1DD0HyvFnxicWhT28cf9KrnPOPORZaZi3Z4K21JrGErmGw9nvR1nj1SQdGWpkD5vwTqgcCECeynf7ARlExNJHQflKIbcBwahmwwlZRiaMt-kkOVkw3tq0mhBG5aOnJ4XhYkoYfSD699OtmgQzWScAoms00maK2MYIlw-Xup2IOO9Eaehmy-S2mdlShL1wDsSAQCdCMlTv9CyybmYQ4e2J-0~-ADipmWuz4wJDBWnj~1qN9EFYug4aw2eATvhVNRSrmMQ8gh~-Lf7XYU3at2SFA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City water staff and a contractor for the EPA’s Get the Lead Out (GLOW) initiative briefed the City Council on March 26 about the city’s lead service line identification and replacement efforts and community outreach, and council approved an emergency replacement contract.

Water Director Nora Bertram summarized the city’s progress and plans: Elgin has replaced nearly 2,500 lead service lines since 2018 and had replaced 27 so far in 2025, with plans to replace roughly 1,000 more this year as construction season progresses. Bertram told the council that “we have a lot of initiatives” and that planned 2025 projects are out to bid; she cited funding coming from multiple sources including Illinois EPA (IEPA) Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loans, principal-forgiveness grants, DECO/DECEO grants, ARPA funds and an EPA grant. “We’re planning for over 1,000 lead service lines to be replaced,” she said.

Tiffany Reid, a contractor with the EPA’s GLOW initiative who lives in Elgin, described GLOW’s free technical-assistance services funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Reid said GLOW helps with historical record review, visual inspections, community engagement and funding/replacement planning. She described translated outreach materials, community events and voluntary water-testing and filter-kit distribution programs used to identify likely lead-service-line locations and encourage resident participation.

In response to a council question, staff provided an overall figure for the scale of remaining work: Bertram said the city is “under 10,000 known lead service lines” with “about 1,200 unknown” lines — “so we are less than 11,000 now” to be replaced or assessed. Bertram said the city has replaced 2,500 lines to date and expects to complete roughly 3,500 with the current year’s planned work.

Council subsequently approved, by roll call, an emergency contract for the replacement of disturbed lead service lines. The council awarded bid 25-009 — the emergency replacement contract — to Bridal Construction Corporation of St. Charles in the amount of $699,110. The motion passed on a roll call vote recorded during the bids section of the meeting.

Bertram and Reid encouraged residents in project areas to sign temporary construction easements, participate in voluntary water testing and request free filters; staff noted that every household receiving a service-line replacement also receives a filter and follow-up testing options. Reid said GLOW support is time-limited but local replacement efforts will continue and that the team is preparing applications for larger federal grants to accelerate replacement.","City water staff and an EPA contractor briefed council on Elgin’s participation in the EPA 'Get the Lead Out' (GLOW) initiative and the city awarded an emergency lead-service-line replacement contract to Bridal Construction Corporation for $699,110.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6102872,"Elgin council rejects six-month delay on THC/hemp ban; motion fails 5-4",1367,2257000,3624000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2803125-f4543cf677759a4d43bf0fa167ab56a8&start=2257&end=3624","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2803125-f4543cf677759a4d43bf0fa167ab56a8/thumbnail_2257000.jpg","/articles/6102872/Elgin/Cook-County/Illinois/Elgin-council-rejects-six-month-delay-on-THChemp-ban-motion-fails-5-4","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6102872-81742f15b22526aeb1e1e2b489890c74/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148177&Signature=PcTw7KqXa8iZ-AomnfPsCdCY5~NZTZXJRq6qicQDkkSQ97nDDFxM6qFxA1NyIsd~-qiwDazTGKiQ5P2bcHwgZ--aQNLTGuEsx1~IMrtizsaj9bfEbd6pvuj8k4JnLE3NxYi36rtRtZ93fnDwxoRetvb-lKqbd-HGmSprkW2qC2k0e4RtdMK7TEGTFQay9eN2HvIA4qmd2b3Y9XpVrHwpK8jUSm~jghQ-Q8ysmJ1NuJQZLRfEHmj-fgQnqrQrBxYYs~qx3rbAO~gkpmV~o36wueZBN8dXTADI0g50v2t~19ZnQ9ipy-pTPiKqgcgxSKITjrzK5qfORuKN~vw-mwhIFA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Elgin City Council debated whether to delay the effective date of ordinance G7-25 — the municipal ban on certain tetrahydrocannabinol products — after multiple small-business owners warned that an immediate enforcement date would force stores to write off inventory and cut revenue.

Council member Corey Dixon introduced discussion of the item and said his intention was not to reverse the ban but to seek a reasonable implementation period to allow legally operating small businesses to sell existing inventory. Several shop owners told the council the product had been purchased outright and was not supplied on consignment, and they asked for time to deplete stock or for a regulatory alternative (licenses, taxes and age limits).

Ruchi Patel and Paul Patel, owners of local retail stores, said the ban would disproportionately harm small businesses and customers who cannot afford licensed dispensaries. “If you cannot reconsider, maybe you can give us some time to deplete our inventory, maybe till end of this year,” Ruchi Patel said.

Council debate split along two principal lines: those seeking a transition window for small businesses and those citing health and regulatory concerns about untested products sold outside the state’s cannabis licensing framework. Council member Steffen proposed a six-month postponement, moving to amend the ordinance’s effective date so it would be in force on Aug. 26, 2025. Steffen said he was uncomfortable telling businesses to operate in a technical violation of the code while relying on staggered administrative compliance checks.

Opponents argued that the product is unregulated at the federal and municipal levels in ways that raise safety and market-integrity questions, including the absence of batch testing, recall protocols and state-style licensing. One council member described research showing potential public-health concerns tied to the products’ manufacture and marketing, and said the city should not enable an unregulated market.

The council took a roll-call vote on the proposed ordinance amendment. The motion to delay the effective date failed by a 5-4 margin. No subsequent amendment was adopted at the meeting; the existing ordinance remains in force according to its original effective date.

Council members and staff discussed enforcement mechanics: the city attorney and staff said the ordinance is on the books and enforceable, but enforcement typically follows an education and warning process and can be coordinated with routine compliance checks (for example, alcohol compliance operations). Staff said the police department planned to fold checks for banned products into regular compliance efforts and that the city’s approach historically includes an educational period before civil citations are issued.

Several council members asked staff to clarify enforcement steps and timelines; others urged clearer communications with impacted business owners to reduce abrupt economic harm.","Councilmembers debated delaying the effective date of ordinance G7-25, which bans certain tetrahydrocannabinol products. Business owners urged a grace period to sell existing inventory; a motion to postpone the effective date to Aug. 26, 2025 failed on a 5-4 vote.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6102877,"Parents urge Elgin council to investigate Lexington Inn after police calls near EMSA",4946,247000,5193000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2803125-f4543cf677759a4d43bf0fa167ab56a8&start=247&end=5193","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2803125-f4543cf677759a4d43bf0fa167ab56a8/thumbnail_247000.jpg","/articles/6102877/Elgin/Cook-County/Illinois/Parents-urge-Elgin-council-to-investigate-Lexington-Inn-after-police-calls-near-EMSA","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6102877-187db5e5697120f9f3be73a7f7d91bb5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148177&Signature=SBHfQ11VveT3K2ru8Nbbk5q27iYnsw63scpdDkbIS~rkkr1vqoLlCF3sIzdAQjUdao9ol5a42Yxtv-nhjKvXNfkHb5nKPov4Vn5MqhN5o91i5n9n~TMRj4aB62EAb4k8VjY8uit4Htk35-mfv4nkqpmHPiULVpSyHQxTOxmeyQlbApDwhSHH8bMheQlOYR~CAzl6q5rLhQKfLnIr7RDPCHZ-dQYQX4283-mCBU~dp3ZvwBVJRfUBhGey7b8qu2PjdgmL9h5a3QGRPIjZg-FhdMm8FssZRwXWMzIlvpi6pDMyz2~C~6sJPGoAJYahHiICJX1vVo8ip0vKu2D4IZQ8cA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Parents and residents urged the Elgin City Council on March 26 to evaluate the Lexington Inn for chronic-nuisance status and to take quicker action after repeated police calls and on-campus incidents near EMSA (Elgin Math and Science Academy).

Nicole Fournell, an Elgin parent and resident, said she logged 14 police calls to or near the Lexington Inn between March 1 and March 25, including reports of criminal trespassing, disorderly conduct and theft. “These are not rumors. These are calls logged by the police,” Fournell said, and asked the council to “formally evaluat[e] the Lexington Inn for a chronic nuisance property designation” under the city code chapter 10.44.

The concern was echoed by other EMSA parents. “When you first come onto our campus, our front playground is the first thing you see. Someone is running from the law onto our campus, getting arrested and apprehended by the police,” said Rebecca Baumann, an EMSA parent. Baumann said her 5-year-old was on the playground during one arrest and described a separate morning incident when a man emerged from the nearby woods “drinking a beer” at drop-off.

Other parents raised related worries about transparency and long-term plans. “If the extension is part of an effort to make the hotel a permanent site, I would be opposed to it,” said Dave Furnell, a parent who said he and other parents surveyed oppose a permanent shelter at that location. Marcia Rodriguez, another parent, asked who would pay for the planned extension, saying she understood the extension would cost about $425,000.

Speakers asked for clearer communications from city staff and the homeless-coordination team. “When I ask for information, when we're FOIAing this information, it's not transparent,” Baumann said. Several parents requested regular updates to parents and residents and asked the council to pursue abatement measures and fines where appropriate.

City staff and the city manager responded with implementation details about steps under way. The city manager said the city has purchased security cameras for the site and is awaiting an Internet connection from Comcast to stream footage to the police department; an initial plan to transmit video via a line-of-sight Wi‑Fi link failed because of tree cover. The manager said an order with Comcast is in place and the cameras will go live once the cable is installed. A parent in the audience offered to connect the city manager with a contractor if that could speed installation.

Council members acknowledged the parents’ concerns during the item and in later remarks. No formal action to change the Lexington contract or designation was taken at the meeting; parents and council members discussed next steps and asked staff for follow-up. The city manager said he would respond by email to parents who had outstanding questions and that staff had been out to the property and met with school administrators.

The public comments and staff replies underscored two distinct threads: parent requests for immediate safety measures and transparency, and separate procedural questions about whether the Lexington location might become a longer-term or permanent site. Parents said arrests and loitering around the property — including one arrest that police have reported as occurring on or near school property — made the Lexington location unsuitable for permanent placement in the neighborhood.

A number of EMSA parents and residents who spoke identified themselves and asked for concrete next steps, including expediting camera installation, pursuing chronic-nuisance enforcement under chapter 10.44 where applicable, and clarifying who in city government will make or approve any extension or permanent-site decision. The city manager said staff will continue communications and pledged to send a follow-up email to parents.","Parents and residents told the Elgin City Council the Lexington Inn — now housing people displaced from Tent City — has generated repeated police calls and safety incidents near EMSA school and urged the city to consider chronic-nuisance designation, install cameras and improve communications.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Elgin City Council actions on March 26, 2025

Elgin highlights progress on lead service line replacement; awards emergency replacement contract

Elgin council rejects six-month delay on THC/hemp ban; motion fails 5-4

Parents urge Elgin council to investigate Lexington Inn after police calls near EMSA