Batavia's $117,000 Arch Discussion Done—for Now

Batavia Alderman Dan Chanzit asked for a recall vote on the $117,000 decorative arch the City Council had approved two weeks earlier, but aldermen said emphatically Monday night that the April 1 decision was no April Fools' Day joke.

The council voted 10-3 to a motion that would have rescinded Robert's Rules of Order so that the issue could be re-examined or sent back to committee.

Batavia's city attorney advised that a recall motion would violate Robert's Rules, which says basically that a governing body can't take back a vote once it has agreed to a contract and work on the project already has begun.

The council had voted 12-2 on April 1 to accept the bid of $93,960 made by WW Timber to construct the arch. Aldermen Susan Stark and Victor Dietz voted against awarding the bid on April 1, and they were joined by Chanzit in voting to suspend Robert's Rules and continue discussion on April 15.

Chanzit said Tuesday that he had decided to bring the item back to the City Council after he talked to a group of people who were protesting April 6 at the intersection of Wilson Street and River Street, where the arch is to be built.

Chanzit said he was on his way to the Kane County Flea Market that day, when he heard about the protest and turned his car around.

"I haven’t seen such a collection of people with picket signs since I’ve been on the council," he said. "So I went down to the new gelato place, bought myself a cup of coffee and went to meet them. I said, 'OK, you've got my attention; let’s talk.'

"And what I got from the conversation were three big points: This arch is the wrong arch. You guys are spending way too much money on this thing. And very few people understand the intricacies of municipal finance."

One protester asked him why the money couldn't be spent, for example, on hiring a new police officer, not realizing that the $117,000 comes from tax-increment financing district funds that can only be used for improvements that invite new development and improve the value of property.

Chanzit said he believes the arch and other Batavia Streetscape improvements will do exactly that.

"We’re making 50-year decisions here," he said. "I think something belongs there as a gateway, whether it's this arch or somethng else. ... All this public money we’re spending has been working. If I had a couple-million dollars now, I would be buying up land on River Street. There’s so much opportunity there."

And while he was disappointed his motion wasn't approved by the rest of the council, Chanzit said he's happy with the dialogue.

"We didn’t get a chance to discuss the recall," he said. "But what happened next was a wonderful discussion of the process and how we can get more information out to people."

Chanzit said the city is and will continue to be using its website, e-blasts and newsletter to help get the word out regarding the Streetscape effort, how it's funded and what the next steps will be in construction.

The City Council also is considering replacing the present committee structure with a single committee of the whole, which would meet every other Monday. The advantage is that all 14 council members would be involved in the decision-making prelininary discussions rather than individual subcommittees—and there would be fewer meetings for the public to have to follow in order to keep up with what's happening in local government.

Chanzit added that the topic of the arch could surface again, once new aldermen join the council following the April 9 municipal election.

In that election:

• Newcomer Martin J. Callahan was uncontested in the 2nd Ward race.
• Non-incumbent Kyle Hohmann was unopposed in the 3rd Ward race.
• Jamie Saam defeated incumbent James Volk for the 4th Ward seat.
• Steven Vasilion beat Eldon Frydenhall for the 5th Ward seat.
• Nicholas P. Cerone bested 6th Ward Alderman Robert Liva.
• Drew Mc Fadden won election to the 7th Ward seat in a write-in campaign.

With six new council members, the voting balance could change on the 14-member board.

"I heard rumblings that the six new people weren’t happy with the vote (on the arch)," Chanzit said. "I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t hear this again, or at least (that future votes might see) additional scrutiny."

More Information From the City of Batavia Website

• Community Kick-off Meeting — 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 30. This meeting will be held at the City Council Chambers located in City Hall at 100 N. Island Avenue.  We will have an official presentation at 7:15 p.m. where the city will introduce the key personnel for the project and will go over the project in detail, including the construction schedule, parking, sidewalk access and construction updates.  This will be followed by an open session for you to look at the drawings and exhibits for this project.  Staff will be available during this time to answer any questions you have regarding this project.
• Coffee with the Contractor Meeting - 8:30 a.m., Thursday's at at Panera Bread. These meetings will begin on Thursday, May 2, 2013, at Panera Bread located at 154 W. Wilson St. During construction, the city will hold these weekly meetings with the contractor to update the community on the status of the project and to answer any questions.