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Good evening and welcome to the City of Champagne Township meeting for September 30, 2025. I call this meeting to order and I would request that the clerk call the roll.

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Or group of Kiles, Pianfetti,

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here.

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Pollock,

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here.

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Shannon,

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Williams.

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Present.

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Clayborn.

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Palmer.

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Here.

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Gladys.

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Chairperson, fine.

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I am also here.

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We need an emotion.

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Chairperson, fine.

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And I move that we approve the minutes of the regular board meeting held September 2,

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2025.

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Second.

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Is there any discussion?

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All those in favor signified by saying aye.

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Code same sign motion carries I don't see correspondence as in item on the agenda

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normally is do we have any correspondence tear-person finance I move that we do we

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did receive a correspondence so I would like to put that into the motion to approve

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the correspondence that we received from a former striots employee on September 18th

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We have a motion and a second, is there any discussion?

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All those in favor signify by saying aye.

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Aye.

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I'm so sorry.

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I have a question.

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Yes.

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Will that correspondence be included on the Township website?

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I don't know what will give it to the city clerk,

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or to the Township supervisor,

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but it's whatever the standard practices

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practices for Township.

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All right, thank you.

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OK, all those in favor, same five by saying aye.

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Aye.

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Opposed, same sign, motion carries.

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We have a public hearing tonight for the budget

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and appropriation ordinance.

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The purpose of the public hearing

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is that Illinois State Law requires

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that the town of the city of Champaign Township

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called the Public Hearing on the proposed fiscal year

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2526 annual budget prior to the adoption of the budget and the final form.

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And accordance with these state legal requirements and notice of public hearing for the annual budget and appropriation ordinance for the town of the city of champagne township was published in the news Gazette on August 30, 2025 and copies of the proposed fiscal year 2526 annual budget.

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We're placed at the Office of the Town Clerk,

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at the Office of the Township Supervisor,

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and on the Township's website at cctownship.com.

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Is it.com or is it.org?

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Okay, dot com.

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On Friday, August 29, 2025.

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I now declare the public hearing open

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if anyone desires to make a statement,

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concerning the proposed fiscal year 2526 annual budget, you're welcome to come forward and be recognized.

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Is there anyone?

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If anyone wishes to make a statement about the budget, please step forward.

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State your name and city of residents, please limit your comments five minutes or less.

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I'm Gil Cherry Berry.

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I live in Champagne, walking distance from here.

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I've owned property and been a business person in your downtown and after my first

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retirement work at Burry Center and then Rose Brand and then Sprites when it opened.

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The two years there and tried to retire again, hopefully it'll stick this time.

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I understand the questions that have been put so many times in the last few weeks

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about the budget. All I can speak to is the importance of the shelter which is the

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majority of the budget. I've been since my first retirement involved in social services

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with the community that the shelter serves. I think we all understand the need for it.

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I think we all also understand that without a low barrier shelter, people will die in champagne on the streets.

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See, with home is a transitional housing organization, it's a shelter, not really.

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You have to qualify, get in.

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Strides, chauffe the door. If there's a bed, you have a place to sleep. If it's an emergency,

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we'll find a place to sleep. Now whether or not strides should be funded through the

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pound ship is, I believe, an open bus. Because it serves a lot more than just the city

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township of Champagne serves the entire area.

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So settling Champagne taxpayers with the entirety

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of its cost is difficult counts. I'll put it down.

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Has anyone considered perhaps fucking with

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a regional and in commission about some kind of transfer of responsibility? When I came to work

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of the township and the shelter opened where there were eight employees within a year

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there were between 30 and 40 employees. This is drinking from fire. This is way more than

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the township supervisor has ever been responsible for that. And I don't know that there

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be qualified for that kind of explosive growth. And that's just the case.

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So speaking to

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the importance of the budget and the importance of funding, yes, please find the money.

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Speaking to the future, let's look at how this thing is structured so that we can properly

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serve the population that we're trying to keep alive and well in champagne and that's all I got.

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So I want to thank you. I want to be clear. This is a public hearing on the budget.

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We will also have an ordinance that is moved on the annual budget and people will have an

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opportunity to make comments about their values or their thoughts or whatever that may be.

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But I would ask that if you that you respect that this is the budget hearing.

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So if you have questions or comments about the numbers or the spending or the tax rate

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now is your time, you'll still get a chance to probably make the other comments that everybody

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is here to me.

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So do we have any other people who wish to make a comment about the budget?

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Seeing none, I declare the public hearing closed. The town board will act on the proposed fiscal year 2526 annual budget during tonight's meeting and again once we move in second that you will have an opportunity to speak to that.

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So, the next item on our agenda is ordinance 25901, the annual budget and appropriation ordinance.

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Chairperson, fine. I move that we approve ordinance 2025901 annual budget and appropriation ordinance.

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We have a motion and a second.

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Are there any technical questions?

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I just have one for the supervisor.

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We had received an email from you either late yesterday,

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I think, or today that said that you had made a higher

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for an executive director of the shelter.

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My question is, is that new salary and position included in the budget

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that we are preparing to approve this evening.

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Is that working? Sorry.

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So we didn't internal hire Charlene Murray, who's currently one of our directors right now.

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The increase to her salary is small enough that it fits into the budget.

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So is that that position is was already included?

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know, but if so the way what we're setting it up is that we're not going to, we're not going

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to fill the Director of Community Relations position that she left and instead we're going

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to incorporate some of those roles into her duties.

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Okay, so you're not adding staff, you're just increasing duties and providing a salary bump

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relating to that? Yes. Did you conduct any type of salary study or, like, how did you determine

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the amount to be paid? It's just in term, in term, in term position for now, so we kind of

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with what we could afford. Okay. Anybody else, technical, council member Shannon?

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I'm a little

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amount of salaries that you could afford. I'm a little surprised that town board is hearing

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now. I mean, you did send us an email what yesterday about a reclassification of someone.

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I'm concerned because we all had questions and concerns about this budget and so without consulting

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your town board, you decided to create a new position at a higher pay and somehow the money

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is just already there. Even though we thought that this budget was as accurate as possible

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for the upcoming salaries.

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Additionally, part of our revision plan that you have in front of you, we're going to

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look at restructuring the way that we're doing staffing and we're going to find savings in there.

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So, yeah, there's going to be plenty of space.

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So you mentioned the revisiting plan that we have in front of us, but I want to be transparent

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for the public.

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It was emailed to me at about 430 today, so to assume that we've had time to read or absorb

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that or be prepared to ask reasonable questions about it, I don't think it's reasonable.

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Yeah, I apologize for that.

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Unfortunately, we under a time crunch and I thought it was important to do what I could

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to get that to you guys before the budget vote.

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Are we planning on having a study session on strides where we can actually talk through

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some of these issues?

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Yeah, I think that would be helpful.

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I know we had discussed in the past that the need for study sessions surrounding strides

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And I think this will be the perfect topic to do for that.

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Anybody else have technical questions?

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Councilmember Shannon.

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So this document is not on the website.

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Is that correct?

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The revisiting.

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It will be tomorrow morning.

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Our staff member who does post stuff on the website had to leave the office early today.

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So it should be up there.

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Okay. I believe if there are members of the public who are looking for it, I ask the city manager

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secretary to make some copies and if they're not in the back, they may be at the, she's sitting

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out at the desk out there, so they may be available if anybody wants to grab them. Okay, anyone else have

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technical questions. Anyone in the audience wish to address the annual budget and

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appropriation ordinance, please step forward, state your name and city of residents. Please

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let me hear comments to five minutes or less.

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Hello. My name is Katie Harmon and I'm the

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coordinator of the continuum of service providers to the homeless. So those who are not

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familiar with our kind of collective, we are the designated continuum of care covering

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Shamping County by the Department of Housing and Urban Development

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Federally.

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So we're a collective of about 40 to 50 organizations and

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individuals in the community who are really committed to

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addressing homelessness here in Shamping County.

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At our most recent executive committee meeting of the

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continuum of service providers of the homeless.

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We were talking about strides and the importance of a

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low barrier shelter. So our executive committee met and

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I voted on a motion and approved it and I wanted to share it with you all today so you have that context and information.

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So the continuum of service providers of the homeless executive committee is committed to a low barrier shelter in our community as an essential tool for public health and safety.

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So we have assembled a committee of the CSPH to support the city of Champaign Township as the current operator of low barrier shelter in Champaign County through their revisioning and rebuilding plan.

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with timeline and benchmarks over the next six months,

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a rebuilding committee to support

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to provide support and accountability,

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the city of Champaign Township,

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a financial stabilization plan,

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month.

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Hopefully reporting strategy before a city of champagne town should forward and the CSPH as a whole, and then programmatic focus on moving residents from shelter, taking advantage of local funding, particularly the housing authority of champagne counties, recent funding that they released.

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If the rebuilding plan benchmarks are not met in a timely way, the CSPH executive committee recommends an open RFP process to select a new operator for low barrier shelter and offers the service active collaborators in such.

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So our the CSPH and our executive committee is very obviously committed to having a low barrier shelter in Champaign County and want to be involved as much as possible in the process. Thank you.

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Thank you, is there anyone else who wishes to address the Council? Please step forward.

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Good evening. I'm Beverly Baker and the Chief Impact Officer for United Way of

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Champaign County and I live in Subway. I just wanted to follow up with what Katie shared.

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Similar to the Executive Committee of CSPH, there are a number of us that have been members of the

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continuum that she referenced that have been following this closely our concerns for the need for

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hard. I know you've all experienced it too, the last several weeks, several months of watching.

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These meetings, the challenges of getting information, of ensuring that we have the safest,

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best possible facility available for some of our most vulnerable residents, a safe place for people to work,

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and a good community partner, right? We recognize that there's been a lot of activity that has impacted

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the business community and the residents near the shelter. Recognizing all of that, we, a number

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of us felt very helpless. What can we do to help the situation? So I reached out to the supervisor

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on behalf of the continuum and just said, can we bring a circle of support to you to talk through

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some of these challenges and even spit ball or there's some other options for the future if it's

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to remain under the township what might some other possibilities be. So we've been working on a weekly

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basis, sometimes twice a week working with a supervisor and his staff and a, and like said,

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a small team, all members of the continuum to just help ask hard questions, give some ideas, spitball,

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make some suggestions, most of the people on that committee have history of working with homelessness,

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homeless individuals, mental health services, substance abuse, et cetera, they provide a shelter

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in some number of ways case management, so they bring a lot of experience and technical assistance

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to the conversations. And I would say we've just asked some really hard questions and we challenge

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them to look at their program and their services and how it's currently operating differently

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because we too have heard the challenges that are shared here from community members from our neighbors and fellow residents as well.

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So I just wanted to express that this group came to try and help again to bring some of that technical assistance and support.

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I want to say thank you. I know the funds that the township has committed to this work already.

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it's important. We know that this is a challenging topic. If it was easy, we would have figured

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out how to make it better and how to solve it a long time ago. It's hard. It's complex. And so,

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I just wanted to express that not only is the continuum supportive of this, but there's another

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group working very closely trying to help. I don't know that we're going to be able to solve it.

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We've provided some input and suggestions and, like I said, asked hard questions for this revisiting

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plan. Our goal is to make sure that we continue to have the shelter through the winter and figure

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out a plan for going forward and hopefully help provide some guidance to improve the program,

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the services, the safety, the quality and the environment for everybody including the neighborhood

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around it. So I just wanted to bring forward that care and concern and to say thank you. Again,

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we know this is not easy and as Katie said at the end of her statement on behalf of the executive

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committee, I want to express that we want to help. And so do not feel like you're alone in this.

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We have people who want to help. We recognize the challenges and we want to bring as many resources

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as possible together to help figure out what our community needs and how to make it better going forward.

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So, thank you very much.

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Thank you, is there anyone else?

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Okay, seeing no one.

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Are there any counts of comments?

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Or town board member comments?

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Anybody?

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Town board member Shannon.

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So, supervisor.

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You know, we had asked you to provide summaries of these meetings

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that you were having at our last meeting.

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I emailed you, and I emailed you again, and I eventually did get an answer that you

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were, you had met and hadn't really come up with anything solid yet that you were

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ready to share.

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Last week, in a different area, I heard about the resolution from the

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in UM of service providers, but I did not hear about it in my capacity as town board member,

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and I imagine that none of my colleagues heard about it either.

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I do want to point out that this revisioning plan that you, that clearly a lot of work has

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been put into it, was done without the input of the town board.

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And it, as town board chair mentioned, it came to us at like 430 this afternoon.

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And I appreciate that you are trying to get a handle on things, but I think that this

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onboard has asked repeatedly to be updated on things, to be involved in things.

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And the fact that we are finding out about this so late after it happened is feels like more

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of the same. And it feels like, for whatever reason, you are not bringing the town board

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along with you and I certainly intend to vote for the budget. But I would urge you to actually

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keep us posted about things as they are happening to ask for our input before you set things

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before us, you know, in our two hours before a meeting starts, if you want us to consider

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things, you cannot give it to us at 430 in the afternoon when we meet at 7.

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And it's really important for the public to be able to see these things ahead of time.

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As well, if it's not finished, then put up what's not finished at, you know, on Friday when you put up the rest of the agenda, because it's really important to be transparent about this process.

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And as I said, I will be voting for the budget, but I have, I have grave concerns. I've, I, they are the same concerns that I've had all along about transparency and about whether the township has the capacity to do any of this. So that's, that's my comment. Thanks.

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Anyone else?

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Councilor Town Board member, PM Fettie.

248
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Thank you, Chairperson.

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So,

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thank you to folks that have kind of been writing this out with us.

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I, you know, I do appreciate the organizations that have come together and kind of thoughtfully

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wanting

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to support.

254
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I'm sort of sitting here though, a little bit frustrated, right?

255
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Because there are nine of us here who have four weeks now shared,

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probably the same questions have put out the same requests

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who have really, you know, our commitment besides the $7 million

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that we have put towards the residents without homes, we've looked at a lot of different ways

259
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to strengthen this community. And I'm frustrated because it looks like we're going to, you

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know, we have this resolution, we have this. But, but Kyle, I still, I don't see your stamp on this.

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I don't see your leadership in this and I'm still left at a point where I have to approve a budget potentially tonight.

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I mean, I have to either, yes or no, but your leadership, right?

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And everything did know what Tom Board member Shannon said.

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I get something, I'm trying to read it as somebody's driving me home so that I could

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try and look at what have they been doing and some of it seems great, but you know there

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00:25:08,100 --> 00:25:12,880
are things like, oh, I've been talking, you know, potential funders, well, who might give

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you money?

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because I'm like what's going on and while everybody is sitting here saying we are supporting

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you, I don't think there's anybody in this community that does not want to help the housing

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crisis that we have, that are, that want to see people that do not have a permanent address

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be housed. But that is different than saying, I have $3 million or $2.5 million dollars every year to run a shelter.

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And this, while it's a start, isn't what your board requested, which was some sort of mapping of, what are we going to do, not just when the money may run out

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February but what are the plans for the future and I get it fundraising but I don't know what fundraising

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is going to get to $2.5 million. Because if you could, the United Way would be doing it,

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the community foundation would be doing it. It is not easy to raise $2.5 million and I don't

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you doing it.

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And to sit here and when a question is asked about salary, to tell us that

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you have appointed somebody to be an interim executive director and that person is supposed to

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take charge and not be able to address whether or not you've given any pay increase or where that

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increases coming from, puts us back to where we were, that you don't understand this budget.

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Other than maybe you're going to be firing a whole bunch of people, and that money is

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going to come from somewhere, but that your board, all of us need to know that.

283
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And if you don't believe that, then you have to tell us we don't matter.

284
00:27:29,210 --> 00:27:38,510
But you know what? We do matter because we are the ones that push this forward to begin with.

285
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Do you think it's easy to look at you, Kyle, and say you need to resign because you can't fulfill the statutory obligations of your role?

286
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It is not.

287
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I toward this shelter and you didn't even show up.

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You didn't show up, Bob and I were waiting for you.

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So now I am left to try and figure out,

290
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what am I supposed to take a chance?

291
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Because if I don't vote yes,

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I make it difficult for a lot of people in this community.

293
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A lot of people.

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A lot of people that I do not want to see suffer

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because you can't do your job.

296
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But this, getting this, I got it at 338

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and I emailed you.

298
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I kept emailing you when are we going to get it?

299
00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:54,420
338, I worked, I have a job, I can't get home until five o'clock.

300
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If I'm lucky and I asked somebody to drive me home so I could read through it quickly.

301
00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:04,420
It's not right, Kyle, it's not right.

302
00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:08,000
There's so much writing on this and it's not just strides.

303
00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:10,300
We've been focusing on strides.

304
00:29:14,290 --> 00:29:15,390
It's rental assistance.

305
00:29:16,170 --> 00:29:16,990
I've said it before.

306
00:29:17,150 --> 00:29:20,290
It's a social service arm of this community.

307
00:29:21,050 --> 00:29:22,790
That's what we're doing here.

308
00:29:23,010 --> 00:29:25,670
That's what we're trying to, it's everything.

309
00:29:27,190 --> 00:29:28,550
Look at these people here.

310
00:29:29,010 --> 00:29:29,870
They know it.

311
00:29:29,970 --> 00:29:31,170
They won't even look up.

312
00:29:31,350 --> 00:29:32,510
They know it.

313
00:29:34,270 --> 00:29:35,290
They know it.

314
00:29:36,490 --> 00:29:37,690
This is not right.

315
00:29:38,770 --> 00:29:39,650
Do better.

316
00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:43,700
Anyone else?

317
00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:49,740
I can't smell my former. Thank you, honor.

318
00:29:51,980 --> 00:29:54,580
I have not looked at this.

319
00:29:55,340 --> 00:29:59,960
The first thing that jumped out of me was I...

320
00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:11,460
This says that it's authored by the city of champagne township, but the township is not represented in the members listed. So I don't know if I should be alarmed or relieved or I'm not really sure what that means.

321
00:30:19,610 --> 00:30:20,050
This

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is really hard for me, buddy.

323
00:30:29,390 --> 00:30:34,470
I don't want to have to be doing this.

324
00:30:34,470 --> 00:30:45,630
Um, not, nobody wants to have to be doing this, um, having this service for the people

325
00:30:45,630 --> 00:30:55,740
in our community is so critical and to have to be trying to just stumble through this week

326
00:30:55,740 --> 00:30:56,680
after week.

327
00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:04,200
It's not working. It's not working

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and it's not fair to anybody who's involved

329
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right now.

330
00:31:16,340 --> 00:31:21,960
I really want to say thank you to all of you who are reaching out, who are providing

331
00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:36,920
your support, who are working your your jobs in this job now. We all share that drive that passion

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00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:46,340
for the people in our community and we all are spending so many hours and it's so heartbreaking

333
00:31:46,340 --> 00:31:55,040
to see how hard folks in our community are working to try to make this better.

334
00:31:57,420 --> 00:32:05,560
So thank you all so very much. I really appreciate everything you're doing, the extra hours you're

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00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:13,600
spending, the effort you're spending to train our staff to work with our staff to try to

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00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:20,240
do everything that you know how that you've all experienced in your time to make this a

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00:32:20,240 --> 00:32:21,520
better situation.

338
00:32:28,740 --> 00:32:33,560
Supervisor Patterson, it's not working. It's not working.

339
00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:39,700
Anybody else?

340
00:32:43,580 --> 00:32:54,340
So we have a motion in a second regarding the budget and appropriation ordinance, can you please call the role?

341
00:32:55,760 --> 00:32:56,540
Board member Kiles?

342
00:32:56,580 --> 00:32:56,980
Yeah.

343
00:32:57,580 --> 00:32:58,020
Pianfetti?

344
00:32:58,980 --> 00:32:59,300
Yes.

345
00:32:59,900 --> 00:33:00,220
Pollock?

346
00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:00,740
Yes.

347
00:33:01,020 --> 00:33:01,960
Shannon? Yes.

348
00:33:02,300 --> 00:33:03,220
Williams? Yes.

349
00:33:03,460 --> 00:33:04,460
Clayborne? Yes.

350
00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:05,000
Former?

351
00:33:05,260 --> 00:33:05,640
Yes.

352
00:33:05,860 --> 00:33:06,460
Gladney?

353
00:33:07,660 --> 00:33:07,900
Nope.

354
00:33:07,900 --> 00:33:09,200
Chairperson, fine.

355
00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:13,960
Yes.

356
00:33:16,580 --> 00:33:26,140
Sumotion passes 8 to 1. The annual budget and appropriation ordinance is approved. We are now

357
00:33:26,140 --> 00:33:33,140
at the point for general audience participation if anyone wishes to address the town board

358
00:33:33,140 --> 00:33:38,460
please step forward. State your name and city of residents. Please limit your comments to five minutes

359
00:33:38,460 --> 00:33:39,040
Well, what?

360
00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:44,540
Okay, you're seeing none, or are there any, Tom,

361
00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:46,080
oh, do we have somebody

362
00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:54,300
up just to the microphone, yeah?

363
00:33:54,460 --> 00:33:57,140
This is the last chance to speak in the meeting.

364
00:33:57,400 --> 00:33:57,880
It is.

365
00:33:59,880 --> 00:34:02,440
My name is Michael Kramer, I live in Champagne, Illinois,

366
00:34:02,780 --> 00:34:04,040
and I address you all as a group.

367
00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:05,280
I don't know who did what.

368
00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:07,900
It seems that you find folks with Erid somewhat.

369
00:34:07,900 --> 00:34:10,800
You were given a windfall with the Arphamani, a one-time windfall.

370
00:34:11,160 --> 00:34:13,300
And you chose to spend part of that money on the shelter,

371
00:34:13,300 --> 00:34:16,780
Funding or recurring expense for the one-time gift was an error.

372
00:34:17,340 --> 00:34:20,480
You are further by choosing to make the shelter a low barrier shelter.

373
00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:25,440
A shelter that does not explicitly discourage homelessness, the beliefs the people at shelters

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00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:31,460
have are right to self-determination and behave how they feel and can come back to many times as they like.

375
00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:34,220
There's a shelter that implicitly encourages homelessness.

376
00:34:34,820 --> 00:34:35,860
The data backs the site.

377
00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:38,900
There were 137 homeless people in January, 22.

378
00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:48,280
to 215 and 23 to 79 and 224, 355 and 225, so 2.5 times more give or take.

379
00:34:48,780 --> 00:34:54,220
The shelter that does not explicitly require sobriety abstinence and law abiding behavior implicitly

380
00:34:54,220 --> 00:34:57,240
encourages the societal rots of addiction and criminality.

381
00:34:57,900 --> 00:35:02,700
Ask a tree, ask a tooth, ask a gangreness wound, they will all tell you the same thing,

382
00:35:02,740 --> 00:35:05,400
rots spreads, which is why the viaduct is now closed.

383
00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:11,680
Low area shelters are a cause to disguise the secure, it was a grave area error to open one here.

384
00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:16,080
You heard furthers still by attempting to fund the shelter with a property tax increase.

385
00:35:16,620 --> 00:35:24,920
When owners already don't like paying property taxes, what alone paying roughly 7 times what they were paying to support a program that is likely to lower property values.

386
00:35:25,620 --> 00:35:30,440
So the first referendum didn't pass and rather than taking that loss as the unsuttle hint it was,

387
00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:35,820
You chose to ask for the same thing again and pailed again. The gravest error of all even the

388
00:35:35,820 --> 00:35:41,720
panhandlers around here know you only ask once. No means no. Now that you know, you have

389
00:35:41,720 --> 00:35:47,540
aired and how you have aired, I humbly intrigued you to air no further. Let it close. Thank you.

390
00:35:49,360 --> 00:35:53,980
Thank you, sir. Anyone else who wishes to speak to the town board please step forward. Stay

391
00:35:53,980 --> 00:35:55,660
your name and the city of residence.

392
00:35:57,930 --> 00:35:58,390
Good evening.

393
00:36:00,510 --> 00:36:02,930
Good evening. My name is Claudia Lanhoff and I'm

394
00:36:02,930 --> 00:36:10,410
executive director at Champaign County Health Care Consumers, I reside in Urbana, and I just

395
00:36:10,410 --> 00:36:18,530
wanted to talk about one scenario that we see a lot with our clients, including our clients

396
00:36:18,530 --> 00:36:27,290
at strides. So part of the work that our organization does is we help people apply for disability

397
00:36:27,290 --> 00:36:36,770
benefits. So that's SSDI and SSI. People who don't have enough of a work history might not

398
00:36:36,770 --> 00:36:43,530
qualify for SSDI, which the benefit is based on their earnings. So instead they will qualify

399
00:36:43,530 --> 00:36:56,770
for SSI. And SSI income, if nothing is deducted, is 1967 a month. So we have people in this

400
00:36:56,770 --> 00:37:05,170
community who have incomes but who are homeless because they cannot overcome the barriers,

401
00:37:05,630 --> 00:37:08,090
the financial barriers to housing.

402
00:37:09,090 --> 00:37:15,950
And that can include that they can't raise a deposit and first month's rent or deposit

403
00:37:15,950 --> 00:37:20,190
first month and last month's rent depending on what landlords are asking for.

404
00:37:20,470 --> 00:37:26,090
They might not even be able to pay for the application fees that they have to pay in order

405
00:37:26,090 --> 00:37:28,210
to even be considered to live somewhere.

406
00:37:28,930 --> 00:37:29,970
So I'm additional ba-

407
00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:53,560
In the world of finance could be credit scores, even for so-called affordable apartments, there are often minimum credit scores that are required, or, and, or I should say, there can also be income to rent ratios that are required.

408
00:37:53,560 --> 00:38:03,520
And so if somebody, by some miracle, finds a place to live that might be $600 a month,

409
00:38:04,600 --> 00:38:11,540
there can still be an income to rent ratio requirement, and they will never get that apartment.

410
00:38:13,460 --> 00:38:15,560
And it's getting worse.

411
00:38:15,940 --> 00:38:19,460
It's getting harder as cost of housing is going up.

412
00:38:19,460 --> 00:38:27,120
And the only reason that I mentioned this right now is in the event that any landlords are paying attention to this

413
00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:35,740
and want to help and be part of the solution and what is so heartbreaking is that when we help people qualify for disability

414
00:38:35,740 --> 00:38:45,780
like SSI, for example, they can also qualify for other benefits that can help reduce their out-of-pocket expenses

415
00:38:45,780 --> 00:38:52,900
And they might well be able to keep up with their rent if they're just given an opportunity.

416
00:38:54,240 --> 00:38:58,780
And, okay, I don't know what's going to happen at the federal level with SSI.

417
00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:01,060
That's a real concern right now.

418
00:39:01,300 --> 00:39:02,860
But let's set that aside.

419
00:39:04,160 --> 00:39:09,460
And just, you know, it's important for people to know that usually once somebody qualifies for disability,

420
00:39:09,760 --> 00:39:14,040
whether SSDI or SSI, they have that income.

421
00:39:14,040 --> 00:39:25,260
It's guaranteed income, it's not like an employment situation that can be unstable, where they might lose their employment, lose their income, fall behind on their rent.

422
00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:28,080
You know, and we do our best to support our clients.

423
00:39:28,460 --> 00:39:35,200
But I can tell you that there are people at the shelter who are eager to be housed, who have SSI income.

424
00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:39,040
We've helped them get that income, we've helped them get approved for that.

425
00:39:39,040 --> 00:39:43,080
But the struggle is helping them move on to housing.

426
00:39:43,720 --> 00:39:48,660
Unfortunately, the housing authority has stepped up to help several of us have gotten grants,

427
00:39:48,820 --> 00:39:53,660
and we're going to be working to try to use those funds to help get people housed.

428
00:39:54,060 --> 00:39:59,560
But we're still going to have to work around those barriers that I have described.

429
00:40:00,280 --> 00:40:08,220
Additionally, there are also people at the shelter who are elderly, who are elderly.

430
00:40:09,240 --> 00:40:15,020
And they should be able to qualify for housing, but there are these same barriers also.

431
00:40:15,920 --> 00:40:23,000
So I just wanted to provide that information just sort of as a backdrop for, you know,

432
00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:29,280
or maybe a counterpoint in terms of people thinking that people just want to stay in the shelter.

433
00:40:30,220 --> 00:40:34,900
Most people want a plan and they want to be able to move on, but they need this help.

434
00:40:35,080 --> 00:40:36,180
Thank you for your time.

435
00:40:36,180 --> 00:40:42,540
Thank you. Is there anyone else who wishes to address please support? Good evening.

436
00:40:43,440 --> 00:40:48,840
My name is Tammy Little and I am a transitional housing coordinator with our followers.

437
00:40:49,760 --> 00:40:53,980
Although I have to admit there's not a whole lot of housing that I can coordinate.

438
00:40:55,340 --> 00:40:57,880
There is lack of funds.

439
00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:08,480
And just like the former speaker said, there is the lack of being able to even afford,

440
00:41:08,780 --> 00:41:16,700
you know, like she said, I have many clients who just get the 900 after paying rent.

441
00:41:16,900 --> 00:41:17,700
They have nothing.

442
00:41:19,120 --> 00:41:26,520
So I want to speak about the collaboration that Ms. Charlene Murray has had with first followers

443
00:41:26,520 --> 00:41:32,760
some of our clients. I don't know if you heard the story before, but we had a client that

444
00:41:32,760 --> 00:41:38,980
was released from the Department of Corrections at the 41 years of incarceration. He did

445
00:41:38,980 --> 00:41:46,720
not choose champagne. They put them on a van and they dropped them off at the NTD bill.

446
00:41:51,140 --> 00:41:56,500
So now

447
00:41:56,500 --> 00:42:05,600
individual, we did manage to get them a broom, although it just is the perspective. When

448
00:42:05,600 --> 00:42:14,220
I saw this broom, I looked at it as a dump. This individual saw it as a paradise.

449
00:42:15,920 --> 00:42:22,740
So it doesn't take too much, you know, we have to keep in mind that the population that

450
00:42:22,740 --> 00:42:30,120
service not up there, but we have to keep in mind that they have paid their debt to society.

451
00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:37,560
The Department of Correction releases over 20,000 and maybe even more at this point into

452
00:42:37,560 --> 00:42:43,520
the state of Illinois, that's how we get the trickle of back into our community.

453
00:42:44,060 --> 00:42:46,780
So now it becomes a community problem.

454
00:42:46,780 --> 00:43:15,800
Without this shelter, many of our clients, with some very severe medical issue and not live through it, without the shelter, you know, so we appreciate, you know, and maybe it's not a popular thing, but it does help, it does help, and we do better, yeah, we can certainly do better, but you know, now we got to look at the big,

455
00:43:15,800 --> 00:43:26,400
I want to call it ugly bill, okay, where all of these individuals benefits are going to be up, okay?

456
00:43:27,060 --> 00:43:31,000
So what are we going to do then? Now they're not going to have a snap program.

457
00:43:32,160 --> 00:43:41,160
You know, so then we're looking at the cuts and health care. I personally have had my Medicaid.

458
00:43:41,160 --> 00:43:46,960
this continued. I am a senior citizen, even though I think I don't like the thing I

459
00:43:46,960 --> 00:43:56,340
I look like one, but I will be 67 years old. And I cannot live, I'm my

460
00:43:56,340 --> 00:44:03,340
social security, which I work for practically 50 years. I cannot live. I cannot

461
00:44:03,340 --> 00:44:10,300
survive. I can't even imagine if somebody is only getting $900 from a month.

462
00:44:10,300 --> 00:44:20,380
How can we expect for any of them to survive off of that in, you know, currently the rent

463
00:44:20,380 --> 00:44:27,620
here in the city of Champagne is escalating to a point that if one of our clients'

464
00:44:27,620 --> 00:44:34,540
This work is receiving the minimum amount, the minimum wage.

465
00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:43,520
They will need to work 80 hours to afford a one-bedroom unit, 80 hours.

466
00:44:46,660 --> 00:44:55,300
So we definitely appreciate the resources and the collaboration that we can tap into across

467
00:44:55,300 --> 00:44:59,980
the city of Champagne, but we continue to.

468
00:45:00,050 --> 00:45:10,230
Fight for a population that is voiceless, so I appreciate y'all listen and have a good.

469
00:45:10,230 --> 00:45:14,530
Thank you, is there anyone else? Please step forward for a roll forward.

470
00:45:22,820 --> 00:45:23,380
All right.

471
00:45:24,120 --> 00:45:26,480
Thank you, Mayor. I'll see you, council.

472
00:45:27,800 --> 00:45:31,160
And my name is James Corbin, acronym Tiger.

473
00:45:31,160 --> 00:45:39,820
I work with our first followers as well as other organizations do a lot of social impact stuff

474
00:45:39,820 --> 00:45:46,480
within the community and I just like to speak on behalf this time of the shelter and the

475
00:45:46,480 --> 00:45:53,420
role, the critical role that it play in our community and it wasn't for the shelter like

476
00:45:53,420 --> 00:45:59,340
time you see that's not the first time we got individuals like that the shelter has been

477
00:45:59,340 --> 00:46:04,680
several times and we would call and say that we'd need, you know, just a

478
00:46:04,680 --> 00:46:10,080
cot or bad for individual. It has played a critical role in the re-housing

479
00:46:10,080 --> 00:46:16,160
process. Like, you know, there's no way we could put them up in a hotel. Hotel is

480
00:46:16,160 --> 00:46:23,720
too high. So, that a shelter allowing that spot where these slots that give me

481
00:46:23,720 --> 00:46:27,960
time to get out there and try to find, like Tammy said, somewhere for these

482
00:46:27,960 --> 00:46:35,560
videos to go. Now it's not easy, but you know, that's what I do. I get out there, I put

483
00:46:35,560 --> 00:46:43,020
a thousand miles on my wheelchair, trying to find this 40s individuals. Sometimes we

484
00:46:43,020 --> 00:46:48,480
find it, sometimes we don't. That Taj Mahal that Tammy was talking about, you know,

485
00:46:48,580 --> 00:46:54,740
that took a lot of digging. I got an individual now that I'm trying to get out. But if you

486
00:46:54,740 --> 00:47:03,220
don't have this, we're looking at a crisis moment, right, that something like this is not

487
00:47:03,220 --> 00:47:11,000
provided within the community. There is a, you may, well, we're looking at, there's a,

488
00:47:11,080 --> 00:47:15,880
you may think, you know, food and shelters and assess a community that don't have these

489
00:47:15,880 --> 00:47:20,800
things, and what does that leave us? You know, they don't have just a basic shelter,

490
00:47:20,800 --> 00:47:26,180
somewhere that we could say, okay, we could put you there, we could work with you, see

491
00:47:26,180 --> 00:47:31,100
we could find something within your price range or even help you find some type of part

492
00:47:31,100 --> 00:47:36,920
time job that could help pay for that. But that takes time to do. That takes times and

493
00:47:36,920 --> 00:47:45,140
steps to do. But if it wasn't for having this low barrier shelter, I would say that this

494
00:47:45,140 --> 00:47:54,100
What first followers do is impossible in a lot of weight that there's this co-dependency right now that

495
00:47:54,820 --> 00:48:03,240
We got to have it and I could I could tell you a case, you know like I said, but I'm not going to repeat myself

496
00:48:04,180 --> 00:48:08,260
I just want you know put that on your heart and your mind to kind of think about

497
00:48:09,280 --> 00:48:14,820
Where's just going in the community and what is this saying about a community that don't have this type of

498
00:48:15,780 --> 00:48:22,160
service for a basic citizen and I'll leave it there and I thank you.

499
00:48:23,040 --> 00:48:24,920
Thank you, is there anyone else?

500
00:48:35,240 --> 00:48:40,200
I just want to circle back one more time and I'm hearing tonight and over the past several

501
00:48:40,200 --> 00:48:43,360
weeks, two pretty significant things are very clear to me.

502
00:48:43,840 --> 00:48:49,340
One, there's a need for a shelter in our community, a low barrier type shelter.

503
00:48:49,800 --> 00:48:52,900
It needs some changes to work better.

504
00:48:53,620 --> 00:49:10,040
Number one, and I'm concerned that what is happening in the rest of the world and our economy and things to come, none of us can predict the future, but we're concerned that there may even be more need and demand for this type of service in our community and communities around us.

505
00:49:10,480 --> 00:49:14,040
The second thing that is loud and clear is there's a significant frustration.

506
00:49:15,040 --> 00:49:22,980
by all of you and many of us in the room with the way the shelter has been operating,

507
00:49:23,980 --> 00:49:29,040
challenges with the township and we hear that. We've been very clear with the supervisor

508
00:49:29,040 --> 00:49:32,440
about our frustrations and like I said, we've asked some really tough questions.

509
00:49:33,440 --> 00:49:39,640
But at the end of the day, we need this. So I guess what I'm asking, just a personal, personal plea.

510
00:49:40,360 --> 00:49:47,800
If this board determines that a shelter should not remain under the umbrella of the township,

511
00:49:48,380 --> 00:49:55,020
please know that there are people who want to come to the table and work with you to figure it out.

512
00:49:55,300 --> 00:50:00,060
I just, I can't say that enough. We don't have magic answers. We have a lot of ideas.

513
00:50:00,360 --> 00:50:05,740
And I feel confident that if we throw all these ideas in our salad spinner and spin it around together,

514
00:50:05,740 --> 00:50:10,020
we can come out with something doable for our community.

515
00:50:10,220 --> 00:50:15,200
So I just ask that you consider that.

516
00:50:15,240 --> 00:50:18,640
Again, if you determine the shelter should not be here,

517
00:50:18,740 --> 00:50:21,840
it also should not remain the sole responsibility

518
00:50:21,840 --> 00:50:25,280
of the city of Champaign or the city of Champaign Township.

519
00:50:25,300 --> 00:50:27,680
This is a community-wide issue.

520
00:50:28,020 --> 00:50:32,520
And part of this group that has come to support the township

521
00:50:32,520 --> 00:50:34,980
right now, like I said, where if it's not meant

522
00:50:34,980 --> 00:50:39,800
to be here at Township, and it should be someplace else operated by someone else.

523
00:50:39,980 --> 00:50:42,500
We're willing to entertain those conversations, right?

524
00:50:42,600 --> 00:50:45,760
We just need to maintain a shelter in our community.

525
00:50:46,440 --> 00:50:50,200
And it's not the sole responsibility of this entity.

526
00:50:50,340 --> 00:50:52,040
It is a community-wide issue.

527
00:50:52,160 --> 00:50:54,380
It's for the health and well-being of our community.

528
00:50:54,680 --> 00:50:59,360
And I think we're happy to help take that message out into the broader community as well.

529
00:50:59,360 --> 00:51:03,000
So just recognize that we don't feel like all the answers and all the responsibility

530
00:51:03,000 --> 00:51:09,900
live right here. So just know that as you look at options forward and what role you want

531
00:51:09,900 --> 00:51:15,820
the township to play in this there are other partners in the community willing to come to the

532
00:51:15,820 --> 00:51:21,380
table and help solve the problem. So I just wanted to express that one more time that I'm confident

533
00:51:21,380 --> 00:51:28,260
we can come to some good solutions together. Thank you very much. Thank you, is there anyone else? Please

534
00:51:28,260 --> 00:51:31,960
up forward. State your name and city resident.

535
00:51:34,150 --> 00:51:39,650
Pretty tall huh. My name is Lee Kelly and I am a resident of

536
00:51:39,650 --> 00:51:46,310
soy. But as the lady just state of before me, this is a problem for

537
00:51:46,310 --> 00:51:50,710
our entire community, regardless of champion or being a

538
00:51:50,710 --> 00:51:55,290
this is something that we have to address. It's not the stride,

539
00:51:55,590 --> 00:51:58,370
that is the problem. I do believe it's the leadership.

540
00:51:58,370 --> 00:52:05,390
I work in the mental health and substance and this has been something that has been addressed

541
00:52:05,390 --> 00:52:07,430
or looked at for her.

542
00:52:08,610 --> 00:52:14,510
As a citizen, we come up with solutions, we think about things, we complain, but we want to

543
00:52:14,510 --> 00:52:17,510
be proactive in the resolution of this crop.

544
00:52:18,030 --> 00:52:24,410
I do believe there is a need for the strides, a little barriers, absolutely, but I also know

545
00:52:24,410 --> 00:52:29,810
this is a larger problem for our community and that we need to think beyond the shelter.

546
00:52:30,000 --> 00:52:35,150
And start looking at affordable housing and what that looks like and where we can place it.

547
00:52:36,280 --> 00:52:43,000
I do believe that we should have a full office program for the unhapped and our unhapped veterans.

548
00:52:43,540 --> 00:52:53,080
There are so many unlavery day, individually, along with a few volunteers, Anita Gay, who was also here represented and in social work.

549
00:52:53,320 --> 00:52:59,300
We've fed together over 163 unhapped individuals on our own.

550
00:52:59,300 --> 00:53:12,320
No support, no collaboration other than with the legion that allowed us to use their facilities as the baits to see the individuals come up for them to talk about their concerns.

551
00:53:13,200 --> 00:53:14,480
They're housing issues.

552
00:53:15,180 --> 00:53:17,560
It was heartbreaking, but it was also informed.

553
00:53:18,340 --> 00:53:21,280
People are not out here because they want to be on the street.

554
00:53:21,480 --> 00:53:23,300
They are out here because they...

555
00:53:23,300 --> 00:53:31,820
And there are so many young persons that live in this hand that are unhappened, and it's very unfortunate.

556
00:53:32,880 --> 00:53:41,700
But as a solution, I would love to work collaboratively with the city and any other organization in this town to come up with the solution.

557
00:53:41,700 --> 00:53:49,680
I have a very different that works for the City in Bloomington and gave me a proposal to

558
00:53:49,680 --> 00:53:54,880
present when it is to the City regarding our unhappiness.

559
00:53:55,980 --> 00:53:57,600
But it needs to be full scope.

560
00:53:57,980 --> 00:54:04,200
It needs to be, I know that strides offers counseling and case management, but that needs

561
00:54:04,200 --> 00:54:05,240
to be in luck.

562
00:54:05,240 --> 00:54:12,700
that needs to be, we are not servicing the population that we have in this, at our best

563
00:54:12,700 --> 00:54:19,840
level, best practice. That's not that. And that's what I see it stride. The population is

564
00:54:20,560 --> 00:54:25,600
uncontained. They're wondering, they're looking for things to do when that shows. Moses and

565
00:54:25,600 --> 00:54:32,240
therefore, you get the vacancies, right? When are spring summer fall? It happens. And we need

566
00:54:32,240 --> 00:54:40,280
find a way to restructure strides but also look for permanent housing as well and then come

567
00:54:40,280 --> 00:54:47,860
up with a full-skilled plant that would help everyone involved. Working collaboratively with

568
00:54:47,860 --> 00:54:55,120
the strides with other resources in town, we have Rose, Brands, we have Promise, those things,

569
00:54:55,200 --> 00:55:01,460
and they also assist. But knowing that there are financial barriers for most, they don't have

570
00:55:01,460 --> 00:55:09,460
They are struggling to get identification and just the small things that would allow them to start to

571
00:55:10,840 --> 00:55:13,760
to make changes in their life, to be a productive citizen.

572
00:55:14,920 --> 00:55:21,460
So I, as the young lady that spoke prior, I would love to work with the city and collaborate with

573
00:55:22,420 --> 00:55:27,820
on some projects and then give my spend and let you see what I have come up with as a proposal.

574
00:55:29,220 --> 00:55:29,800
Thank you.

575
00:55:30,820 --> 00:55:32,560
Thank you, sir. Anyone else?

576
00:55:35,500 --> 00:55:40,220
Seeing none any town board comments, town board member gladney?

577
00:55:40,860 --> 00:55:41,640
Yes, thank you.

578
00:55:44,340 --> 00:55:49,540
So I'm trying to find the best way to frame this. So I've got to know on this,

579
00:55:49,580 --> 00:55:54,480
but I want to be clear. It's not because I don't believe in the mission of the township.

580
00:55:54,560 --> 00:55:58,280
I don't believe in the mission of strides. That's not the case.

581
00:56:01,130 --> 00:56:03,270
Honestly, I'm just angry.

582
00:56:05,570 --> 00:56:07,030
It's one of the reasons I didn't speak earlier,

583
00:56:07,290 --> 00:56:10,090
because sometimes you say things when you're angry.

584
00:56:12,610 --> 00:56:20,010
And also, look, philosophically, I also am concerned about putting anger out into the world.

585
00:56:20,390 --> 00:56:22,750
There's already enough angry people out there.

586
00:56:24,330 --> 00:56:33,370
So I'm trying to temper my comments here, I guess weeks and months of this, weeks and

587
00:56:33,370 --> 00:56:41,350
months of us requesting information, not having answers immediately available, requesting information

588
00:56:41,350 --> 00:56:50,150
again, and then again, and then finally getting it or kind of getting it, but also

589
00:56:50,150 --> 00:56:55,690
making it clear that, you know, we don't want things given to us at the last second.

590
00:56:57,330 --> 00:57:03,410
I mean, our township board meetings and council meetings are agendas for those and all

591
00:57:03,410 --> 00:57:07,050
different. Those are made available to us by our city staff the week before the meeting.

592
00:57:07,810 --> 00:57:13,230
That gives us time to take it in and, you know, contact people if we have questions, that

593
00:57:13,230 --> 00:57:19,730
And I think, this strides of issuing benchmarks, I mean, this has got a lot of stuff

594
00:57:19,730 --> 00:57:24,650
in it, and it's ambitious, and I have opinions on it,

595
00:57:27,060 --> 00:57:28,800
but getting this to us three hours

596
00:57:28,800 --> 00:57:36,980
before our meeting, I think, is unacceptable, and it's so frustrating, because it's not

597
00:57:36,980 --> 00:57:44,480
Like we haven't made clear, we don't want this kind of thing.

598
00:57:44,740 --> 00:57:53,300
Or we don't want it two, three hours before we have to talk about it and vote on it.

599
00:57:56,280 --> 00:58:01,880
So yeah, and I also want to think the folks in the community who have been working not only

600
00:58:01,880 --> 00:58:10,300
with the township but also just on this issue because it's it's has been one of our biggest issues

601
00:58:10,300 --> 00:58:15,400
it's becoming bigger and it's only going to unfortunately I think it's only going to kind of grow.

602
00:58:17,460 --> 00:58:17,900
And finally

603
00:58:20,140 --> 00:58:24,520
I'm just this is a personal thing it's this has really been a stressful issue for

604
00:58:24,520 --> 00:58:32,800
me while we've been you know it's been escalating but I have to say I feel a little guilty for feeling

605
00:58:32,800 --> 00:58:38,680
stress because at least I have a job and at least I have a permanent roof over my head.

606
00:58:39,100 --> 00:58:42,620
So I could be stressing a lot more.

607
00:58:44,780 --> 00:58:51,940
So you know for the folks out there who are of trouble and or unhoused and homeless, you

608
00:58:51,940 --> 00:58:58,280
are not forgotten and we are going to do what we can and hopefully it's enough.

609
00:58:59,850 --> 00:59:02,610
I don't know, uh, Deputy Mayor.

610
00:59:06,810 --> 00:59:09,210
You know, what, no, no, it's, it's, it's good.

611
00:59:09,490 --> 00:59:11,370
I've been drinking in my energy drink and I'm cool.

612
00:59:11,610 --> 00:59:14,410
I'm really, I, I, you know, like, you know.

613
00:59:14,950 --> 00:59:21,250
Um, I, so I, all of the comments that have been, uh,

614
00:59:21,250 --> 00:59:25,210
talked about the frustration and stress, um, uh,

615
00:59:25,350 --> 00:59:26,190
have been said enough.

616
00:59:26,790 --> 00:59:30,490
So I may say a little of that, but not, um,

617
00:59:30,490 --> 00:59:35,850
repeat. I think one of the things that I would say to the

618
00:59:36,570 --> 00:59:37,690
township supervisor,

619
00:59:40,190 --> 00:59:44,490
I'm not, I would look forward to in your

620
00:59:45,390 --> 00:59:50,690
supervisor comments to close the gap on where the gap is in the

621
00:59:50,690 --> 00:59:56,710
communication. Like, like, I'm not going to lie to you. If I were you,

622
00:59:56,710 --> 00:59:59,670
I would be talking to every township.

623
01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:21,720
Board member, but I was specifically talking to the township board members that, because a lot of the work that's being done is done, but there's a communication gap, and I don't know where to get, well, wait, I don't know why to get because, because I would want to talk about the positive things that at least a plan moving forward.

624
01:00:21,720 --> 01:00:26,200
And that's what I'm excited about for the,

625
01:00:26,200 --> 01:00:27,520
I gotta make sure I say this right,

626
01:00:27,660 --> 01:00:29,260
the city of Champagne Township.

627
01:00:29,820 --> 01:00:30,860
As well as the city of Champagne,

628
01:00:31,000 --> 01:00:34,080
because we've been talking about this for weeks and months

629
01:00:34,080 --> 01:00:36,760
and while it's been frustrating and it has,

630
01:00:37,340 --> 01:00:40,740
the reality is we're not talking about it in January or February,

631
01:00:41,200 --> 01:00:42,860
we're literally pushing the conversation

632
01:00:42,860 --> 01:00:46,040
so that we can get some type of,

633
01:00:46,040 --> 01:00:50,100
some type of a plan wrapped around this

634
01:00:50,100 --> 01:00:53,860
And yes, I do recognize that we're looking

635
01:00:55,840 --> 01:00:59,940
for commentary from Township Supervisor.

636
01:01:00,460 --> 01:01:02,520
I mean, you understand that, you're the Township Supervisor.

637
01:01:02,960 --> 01:01:13,220
But I want to stress that this shows our commitment to what

638
01:01:13,220 --> 01:01:15,480
we said we would be committed to.

639
01:01:16,280 --> 01:01:25,620
I was looking forward to hearing more about the vision because we're going into goal setting

640
01:01:25,620 --> 01:01:31,280
next week and so what I was looking forward to tonight was kind of like not just the budget

641
01:01:31,280 --> 01:01:39,580
but I was looking forward to more so a somewhat of a vision for what we would be for what

642
01:01:40,240 --> 01:01:45,000
strides could look like and I recognize this is a part of the vision but I looking forward

643
01:01:45,000 --> 01:01:49,720
I was looking forward to more so, you know, let's fifth Tuesday, I don't know about child.

644
01:01:49,780 --> 01:01:54,580
If fifth Tuesday, it's special Tuesday, you know, fifth Tuesday, you know, they come, you know,

645
01:01:54,660 --> 01:02:01,360
they're so often, and so I was looking forward more to a probably more of a robust discussion

646
01:02:01,360 --> 01:02:08,340
and that gets into what I was looking forward in for October 14th.

647
01:02:08,340 --> 01:02:12,240
I'm looking forward to not just a update,

648
01:02:12,620 --> 01:02:17,640
I'm literally looking for a full blown out,

649
01:02:17,640 --> 01:02:19,360
if we're gonna have special meetings

650
01:02:19,360 --> 01:02:20,540
in additional meetings.

651
01:02:21,640 --> 01:02:25,180
I'm looking forward to a full blown out discussion

652
01:02:26,220 --> 01:02:28,640
on, I mean, we could talk about strides,

653
01:02:28,780 --> 01:02:30,940
we could talk about the township holistically,

654
01:02:31,720 --> 01:02:34,660
but I'm looking forward to a repositioning of chairs.

655
01:02:34,660 --> 01:02:43,660
Like, maybe there's some people in front and we have a full-out discussion so that we can...

656
01:02:44,340 --> 01:02:47,440
So now that frustration and we can close those gaps.

657
01:02:48,020 --> 01:02:50,840
But people are frustrated. Like right now we don't need to be frustrated.

658
01:02:51,360 --> 01:02:54,320
There's enough frustration out as already talked about and discussed.

659
01:02:54,880 --> 01:02:56,980
We need to be using our...

660
01:02:56,980 --> 01:02:59,740
We need to be in critical thinking mode.

661
01:02:59,740 --> 01:03:06,860
We need to be fired up and ready to go because we have some things we've got to close.

662
01:03:07,700 --> 01:03:09,000
That's not a good word.

663
01:03:09,340 --> 01:03:12,660
We have some gaps we have to close.

664
01:03:12,840 --> 01:03:14,880
We've got to understand what's going on in February.

665
01:03:16,040 --> 01:03:18,180
We've got to understand that.

666
01:03:18,180 --> 01:03:19,620
We've got to understand that.

667
01:03:19,620 --> 01:03:25,880
And if we're going to have the meetings, then now we've evolved from having meetings to

668
01:03:25,880 --> 01:03:32,680
Now let's have updates, let's have discussion, like full blown out, like, you know, I feel

669
01:03:32,680 --> 01:03:39,040
like tonight, you know, I'm not a, I'm typically a humble person, but I do have a sense

670
01:03:39,040 --> 01:03:40,980
of pride tonight, it's your Michael Jordan moment.

671
01:03:41,840 --> 01:03:47,820
I, if people were talking and saying things about what, I would literally be putting out some

672
01:03:47,820 --> 01:03:52,960
explanations and really saying, hey, you know, this is what's going on, this is what's happening.

673
01:03:52,960 --> 01:03:57,700
I wouldn't leave us out there tonight as if you're not working.

674
01:03:57,800 --> 01:04:03,300
You're not communicating great, but I would be, this would be my Michael Jordan moment.

675
01:04:04,000 --> 01:04:10,520
Kobe Bryant, if you're LeBron James fan, LeBron James, but my last, if I said anything

676
01:04:10,520 --> 01:04:18,680
that was number one, I want to thank everyone that's been meeting, but October 14th, I wish

677
01:04:18,680 --> 01:04:23,600
we would have had it tonight. That's what I was really looking for too, because go

678
01:04:23,600 --> 01:04:34,840
setting it's next week. But October 14th, I'm really looking for a really robust

679
01:04:34,840 --> 01:04:40,840
discussion as opposed to just general updates, where we're actually going.

680
01:04:43,000 --> 01:04:43,680
That would

681
01:04:43,680 --> 01:04:48,420
be my comments for tonight. And look forward to what we will be discussing

682
01:04:48,420 --> 01:04:49,800
that to over 14th.

683
01:04:49,800 --> 01:04:51,220
Anyone else?

684
01:04:51,960 --> 01:04:53,460
Council member, Paul it.

685
01:04:53,700 --> 01:04:54,920
Down board member, Paul it.

686
01:04:55,100 --> 01:04:55,780
No, thank you.

687
01:04:58,860 --> 01:05:00,580
T. Yes, and what you just said,

688
01:05:01,180 --> 01:05:02,580
I'm not looking forward to October 14th.

689
01:05:02,580 --> 01:05:04,160
I'm looking forward to October 10th.

690
01:05:04,360 --> 01:05:07,200
I hope that October 10th sees my inbox blessed

691
01:05:07,660 --> 01:05:09,460
with all the paperwork that we're going to be discussing

692
01:05:09,460 --> 01:05:10,020
on Tuesday.

693
01:05:12,300 --> 01:05:13,280
I, again, I don't want to complain.

694
01:05:13,760 --> 01:05:14,740
I know I asked for it.

695
01:05:14,760 --> 01:05:17,580
I know I literally went door to door around my neighborhood

696
01:05:17,580 --> 01:05:20,740
and ask people to let me do this but I only want to keep that in mind before I come up

697
01:05:20,740 --> 01:05:26,960
very complaint. I ask for this. I know. But I think this is a very interesting document.

698
01:05:27,440 --> 01:05:30,840
I'm going to keep reading it. I got the chance to read a little bit before this. I'm excited to learn

699
01:05:31,380 --> 01:05:36,700
more. I'm glad we have it. I thank everybody in the crowd that worked very hard to make this possible.

700
01:05:38,480 --> 01:05:42,340
But I'm really excited to keep making positive steps. So I hope we can do that.

701
01:05:43,500 --> 01:05:44,900
Councilman Machana?

702
01:05:46,220 --> 01:05:53,560
I just wanted to make clear that A, I think everyone on this board cares deeply about

703
01:05:53,560 --> 01:05:58,200
everyone in the community and particularly our homeless population.

704
01:06:00,620 --> 01:06:06,400
We have spoken extensively, maybe more at the city council meetings than the township meetings

705
01:06:06,400 --> 01:06:12,560
about the housing crisis, and this board and our staff are

706
01:06:12,560 --> 01:06:17,580
acutely aware of the housing crisis in this community and

707
01:06:17,580 --> 01:06:22,500
are working to find solutions on multiple fronts.

708
01:06:23,860 --> 01:06:30,000
But finally, I really do want to say that our homeless

709
01:06:30,000 --> 01:06:32,980
community members are people. They are not rot.

710
01:06:34,100 --> 01:06:43,160
It's really important to keep in mind that they are human beings and we all need food and shelter.

711
01:06:43,800 --> 01:06:50,840
We are arguing about the ways to provide it, but these are human beings who deserve our grace and care.

712
01:06:53,050 --> 01:06:54,330
And what else?

713
01:06:56,780 --> 01:07:22,060
I wanted to say just a couple of things. One is, I'm glad that you have an executive director and my comments in no way are reflective of that choice to hire Shirley and to do that job, but I am concerned at the idea that

714
01:07:24,060 --> 01:07:29,900
we're not going to have the job she was doing previously because we're not going to

715
01:07:30,000 --> 01:07:35,940
Anyone to fill that, although she is going to run the whole thing and maybe still do that job.

716
01:07:36,860 --> 01:07:46,920
I mean, realistically, this is a shelter that needs way more staff than what we have.

717
01:07:46,940 --> 01:07:53,240
I realize we're working within the budget that we currently have available to us.

718
01:07:53,240 --> 01:08:07,680
but we cannot expect and continue to expect our staff to live, breathe, and do nothing, but

719
01:08:07,680 --> 01:08:15,040
shelter work, pay them very little, and think that we're going to always have awesome outcomes,

720
01:08:15,180 --> 01:08:21,500
and nobody's going to burn out, and we're never going to have any problems. So, I realize this

721
01:08:21,500 --> 01:08:27,080
an interim step. I'm saying it out loud, though, because I just don't think it's a long-term

722
01:08:27,080 --> 01:08:31,880
realistic plan. And so I want to say that.

723
01:08:36,780 --> 01:08:40,300
I also want to also go on record that we have to

724
01:08:40,300 --> 01:08:51,480
have a study session. We have to have a study session. It's not, yeah, I think I'm going to

725
01:08:51,480 --> 01:08:57,560
discussion of all of these issues, we have to have answers to the questions we've

726
01:08:57,560 --> 01:09:01,980
been asking for months and months and months and we have to start working

727
01:09:01,980 --> 01:09:12,610
together as a board and a supervisor because ultimately we do approve the budget.

728
01:09:14,490 --> 01:09:19,870
So, yes, the supervisor has the authority to hire and fire and do whatever they want

729
01:09:19,870 --> 01:09:22,450
without having to get town board approval,

730
01:09:23,410 --> 01:09:25,410
but we could just say,

731
01:09:25,430 --> 01:09:27,450
you know, we're not gonna pay for that.

732
01:09:28,770 --> 01:09:30,990
And then we're at longer heads.

733
01:09:31,610 --> 01:09:34,490
And I don't think we're gonna do that

734
01:09:34,490 --> 01:09:36,150
because like everybody says,

735
01:09:36,310 --> 01:09:40,310
we want the shelter, we want to care for people,

736
01:09:41,150 --> 01:09:44,610
but we have to be included in this decision-making.

737
01:09:44,710 --> 01:09:47,530
We have big things going on.

738
01:09:47,530 --> 01:09:51,770
And we have to be a part of that planning.

739
01:09:52,470 --> 01:09:56,330
No disrespect to the people who are doing all the heavy lifting right now.

740
01:09:56,550 --> 01:09:57,870
Please keep doing it.

741
01:09:58,050 --> 01:09:59,530
We need all of you.

742
01:10:01,490 --> 01:10:08,450
But it doesn't happen without our vote, so we've got to be brought in on the process.

743
01:10:10,170 --> 01:10:15,510
And I love the idea that Bloomington may be doing something interesting that we can use.

744
01:10:15,510 --> 01:10:25,090
I will say for like the gazillionth time, the city of Rockford has a, I think it's vision

745
01:10:25,090 --> 01:10:25,710
zero.

746
01:10:26,050 --> 01:10:32,410
I always say it wrong, because vision zero is maybe the bike and walking thing and this

747
01:10:32,410 --> 01:10:38,850
is named something slightly different, but I have connected the township to the people

748
01:10:38,850 --> 01:10:42,870
who are doing that work in Rockford multiple times.

749
01:10:42,870 --> 01:10:46,110
We've never reached out and asked them to meet.

750
01:10:46,490 --> 01:10:48,630
We've never gone to visit with them.

751
01:10:48,630 --> 01:10:50,270
We've never followed through.

752
01:10:50,550 --> 01:10:55,410
And this is two years in, or three years in.

753
01:10:57,170 --> 01:11:00,170
Again, there are lots of opportunities,

754
01:11:00,630 --> 01:11:03,630
lots of cities that are doing this really well,

755
01:11:03,870 --> 01:11:07,710
who have a long range planning to tackle these issues,

756
01:11:08,610 --> 01:11:12,170
and to really help people, not just provide

757
01:11:12,170 --> 01:11:20,030
shelter which I get, there is a space for and that people need, but to also try to provide

758
01:11:20,030 --> 01:11:28,910
the services that help to help people who are able to move from homelessness or addiction

759
01:11:28,910 --> 01:11:36,410
or any number of different things. And we're not following through on any of those things.

760
01:11:36,410 --> 01:11:42,470
So, I need to start seeing, I need to start seeing all of that.

761
01:11:42,510 --> 01:11:52,190
I think it's all really important and we need to, you know, Mr. Miller comes and says,

762
01:11:52,350 --> 01:11:58,530
we need a homeless to sum it and he's bright and whether that's through a study session

763
01:11:58,530 --> 01:12:05,930
or whatever it is, we've got to start getting at the issues that are going to solve.

764
01:12:05,930 --> 01:12:11,850
this problem, so supervisor, it's your turn.

765
01:12:12,130 --> 01:12:14,230
Do you have anything you wish to add?

766
01:12:15,610 --> 01:12:16,870
No, I'll be brief.

767
01:12:18,130 --> 01:12:19,990
I just want to thank you guys for passing this budget.

768
01:12:20,190 --> 01:12:21,830
I know this has been a difficult process.

769
01:12:22,350 --> 01:12:23,490
I apologize for that.

770
01:12:23,490 --> 01:12:25,310
I take responsibility for that.

771
01:12:25,890 --> 01:12:27,510
Thank you for everybody in the community.

772
01:12:27,650 --> 01:12:29,590
He came out to support strikes tonight.

773
01:12:30,370 --> 01:12:33,390
Particularly the people who have been working with us.

774
01:12:33,390 --> 01:12:41,150
very hard on figuring out this very difficult issue and I want to apologize again for

775
01:12:41,150 --> 01:12:49,230
the lateness of this given you guys this proposal and I think it would be a very good

776
01:12:49,230 --> 01:12:55,290
topic for a study session and I will communicate with the city manager's office about, you

777
01:12:55,290 --> 01:12:57,590
know, when the right time you might be for that.

778
01:13:02,360 --> 01:13:06,320
You have passed your time, right? I'll let you talk again. What do you need?

779
01:13:06,700 --> 01:13:16,940
Yeah, but I think that it's just, I thank you, Madam Chair. Chair, Chair, person.

780
01:13:19,900 --> 01:13:21,260
But so

781
01:13:27,720 --> 01:13:36,820
the more so what I was hoping that we would say is that if today is October 1st,

782
01:13:37,720 --> 01:13:46,280
I've told her first Tuesday, but I was hoping to hear, and I can't make you say it, but when

783
01:13:46,280 --> 01:13:52,740
I was hoping more so to hear, was that we would start getting communications, because

784
01:13:52,740 --> 01:14:00,160
as we talked about well, this is the township, there are a lot of people talking right

785
01:14:00,160 --> 01:14:04,760
now, and there's some critical conversation that we're going to have during our goal setting,

786
01:14:04,760 --> 01:14:13,400
And so it would be important to have somewhat more of a vision or not just more communication,

787
01:14:13,580 --> 01:14:18,200
more conversation, more discussion, more phone calls, starting this week.

788
01:14:18,740 --> 01:14:24,020
And then when I was hoping we're looking forward to hearing, was that we would just have

789
01:14:24,020 --> 01:14:30,340
the study session that you would say that we are going to have a study session in our next

790
01:14:30,340 --> 01:14:36,780
special meeting. So instead of us just meeting, that we would really, that we would, I mean,

791
01:14:36,900 --> 01:14:42,420
this is a special meeting. So we wouldn't just be meeting just to meet. We would actually

792
01:14:42,420 --> 01:14:48,760
be meeting to discuss the vision that we're going to have. And lastly,

793
01:14:50,960 --> 01:14:51,460
you know, I mean,

794
01:14:51,540 --> 01:14:58,840
I guess it's the politically correct thing to do to take accountability responsibility and

795
01:14:58,840 --> 01:14:59,840
Apologize

796
01:15:01,530 --> 01:15:09,610
But in my thought process, it's really not about, I mean, the apology is about the execution.

797
01:15:10,490 --> 01:15:22,090
And so what I was looking forward in the commentary, and maybe this is a redo, is that October, that we're going to get communication, starting, what you have,

798
01:15:22,090 --> 01:15:24,670
because this could have been communicated.

799
01:15:25,350 --> 01:15:26,830
It's a lot of great things in here.

800
01:15:27,130 --> 01:15:28,430
A lot of great things for consideration.

801
01:15:28,870 --> 01:15:30,170
I know you're doing things behind the scene.

802
01:15:30,250 --> 01:15:32,730
I know people are doing things behind the scene.

803
01:15:33,250 --> 01:15:36,930
And then October 10th, or whenever prior,

804
01:15:37,250 --> 01:15:38,930
as early as possible, not waiting

805
01:15:38,930 --> 01:15:41,770
to October 10th to update or give updates,

806
01:15:42,470 --> 01:15:45,730
literally like, hey, we've got something on a docket.

807
01:15:48,030 --> 01:15:51,490
I mean, October 14th is a scheduled meeting.

808
01:15:52,290 --> 01:15:59,050
So, that's what I was looking forward to more so hearing is that we were having a study session ASAP.

809
01:16:02,020 --> 01:16:03,160
Anyone else?

810
01:16:03,880 --> 01:16:04,900
Supervisor, anything?

811
01:16:06,160 --> 01:16:06,960
All right.

812
01:16:09,550 --> 01:16:11,910
Chairperson Biden, I move me to adjourn.

813
01:16:12,810 --> 01:16:16,410
Remotion in a second, all those in favor of signify by saying aye.

814
01:16:16,590 --> 01:16:17,030
Aye.

815
01:16:17,530 --> 01:16:18,510
Opposed same sign.

816
01:16:18,770 --> 01:16:19,470
Motion carries.

817
01:16:19,750 --> 01:16:20,310
We are adjourned.