3/2/2010 – Budget Approved, Eco Center Funds Left Intact
On February 22, 2010, the Evanston City Council approved a budget which did not include a cut of $200,000 in city funds to the Evanston Ecology Center, which if implemented, would have meant cessation of operations for the center. For more information on the council meeting where the budget was approved, click here.
This is great news in that it says that the Ecology Center will continue to operate as it has for the time being. However, this year’s budget deliberations should be a wakeup call for all supporters of the Ecology Center. There are already efforts underway by the Evanston Environmental Association (EEA), a non-profit organization that is a long standing partner with the Ecology Center, to look at ways to sustain the center and its staff going forward. If you are interested in getting involved with these EEA efforts, please call (847) 448-8256 and you will be directed to the appropriate person or resource.
2/21/10 – One Last Budget Meeting?
Yesterday’s City of Evanston Budget Workshop meeting was uneventful as far as any new decisions relating to city funding for the Ecology Center. The city council looks to be in a position to finalize the city’s 2010 budget tomorrow (Monday) night at the scheduled City Council meeting. We continue to be optimistic that the city funds slotted for the the Ecology Center in 2010 will be left intact in the final budget.
2/16/10 – 2 Final Budget Meetings Scheduled in the Next Week
There is another city of Evanston budget workshop scheduled for this Saturday, February 20 at 9:00am. It is to be followed by a meeting on Monday evening, February 22, where the final budget is to be voted on. Based on all of the budget meetings that have been held to date, there is a collective optimism that the Ecology Center will not have its budget cut in 2010. Here is an excellent article that conveys where things currently stand on the Ecology Center and the city’s deliberations on its funding: http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/evanston-ecology-center-avoids-closure-future-looks-secure-1.2153247.
2/4/10 – Last Night’s City Council Meeting
Last night the city council addressed an array of budget cuts in their effort to come to a final city budget. The council amended some previous decisions – most notably modifying their decision to close the two libary branches by now deciding to provide funding for the two branches for six months. By the end of the meeting , it appeared that the council may now be close to finalizing the details for this year’s city budget. Meeting recap.
The Ecology Center was not discussed in the meeting last night, and the last time that it was discussed in a council meeting on 1/23, a straw vote indicated that its budget cuts were being taken off the table. This is all very encouraging, but we all should continue to voice and show our support for the Ecology Center until the final budget vote is taken. Currently this final vote is scheduled for Monday’s (2/8) council meeting. As the Mayor continues to say, “it ain’t over til it’s over”.
2/3/10 – A Council Meeting Tonight
Please attend the Evanston City Council meeting this evening and provide whatever support you can for the Ecology Center. If there is an opportunity to speak, please sign up to present your thoughts and experiences in support of keeping the Ecology Center operational. The city council is making some very tough budgeting decisions and we want to communicate to the mayor, aldermen, and city manager the importance of the Center to the Evanston community. To date, 445 people have “signed” our petition in a relatively short period of time, thus providing additional evidence of what the Ecology Center means to the people of Evanston.
1/28/10 – 300 Signatures and Counting!
We just reached the 300 signature mark in less than 4 days! Please add your name NOW to our online petition in support of the Evanston Ecology Center, and urge your family and friends to add their signatures too.
1/28/10 – Monday’s Special City Council Meeting
On Monday, February 1, at 7:00pm, the Evanston City Council will be convening a special meeting to listen to public opinion and continue its discussions on the 2010 budget. All supporters of the Evanston Ecology Center are encouraged to attend to show support for the Center. Based on recent budget meetings, there should be time allotted for people to speak. Those Ecology Center supporters who would like to speak, and have not previously done so, should come and be prepared to speak for 1 minute or less (the time limit imposed by the council). The council has expressed a recent interest in leaving the Ecology Center’s budget dollars intact, but there are still a lot of budget issues to be resolved and things could change, so let’s continue to strongly support the Ecology Center until this year’s budget has been finalized!
1/26/10 – Over 200 Signatures on Online Petition
In the last 48 hours, over 200 supporters have signed the online petition in favor of the Evanston Ecology Center. Word of the petition has spread throughout the Evanston community via word of mouth, emails, and postings on Facebook and other web sites. All supporters of the Ecology Center are encouraged to contact as many family members, friends, and contacts as possible to urge them to sign the petition which can be accessed by clicking on “Sign our Petition in Support of the Ecology Center” on this web site’s home page.
The city of Evanston’s budget will be finalized within the next two weeks, so it is important to accumulate as many signatures as possible in the interim to highlight the strong support that exists in Evanston for the Ecology Center. There is recent evidence of aldermanic support for not cutting the Center’s budget, but since lots of items are still on the budget chopping block, let’s continue to collect signatures to convince the aldermen that supporting the Center is the right thing to do.
Additionally, supporters of the Ecology Center are encouraged to attend the next city council meeting at 7:00pm on Monday, Feb. 1 where the council will try to make additional progress on the budget.
1/23/10 City Council Budget Workshop Meeting
- Approximately 6 or 7 people spoke publicly as supporters of the Ecology Center. About 2 or 3 times that many spoke on behalf of the branch libraries, but the Ecology Center seemed to be a strong second after the Libraries as far as supporters in attendance.
- Towards the end of the meeting, the mayor conducted a straw poll of the aldermen on the items in the additional proposed $1.5 million in cuts. Before proceeding on the straw vote, the Mayor said to keep in mind that this was a straw vote, and that “it ain’t over til it’s over” – meaning that straw votes are not final votes and could change before a final budget is decided upon. The straw poll ultimately did not record a vote – yea or nay – for every alderman, but the very first item addressed in the straw voting was the Ecology Center, and after hearing from many of the aldermen, the Mayor indicated that a majority of the aldermen wanted to remove the Ecology Center from the list of the $1.5 million cuts. 4 or 5 aldermen explicitly said they wanted to remove the Ecology Center from the list of additional cuts being considered. Not a single aldermen expressed support of the Ecology Center cuts.
- The next meeting where cuts will be further discussed will be Monday, 2/1 at 7:00pm. It sounds like other council business will be addressed first, and further budget discussions will occur afterward. The EEA will need to determine who will be in attendance from the EAA for this next meeting. At this meeting, they will decide on what other near term budget meetings need to be scheduled to complete the budget process on time.
- The Final City Budget Council Meeting where the budget is to be voted on is scheduled for 2/8.
Your Thoughts and Experiences
The Evanston Environmental Association (EEA) is looking for input from Evanston residents regarding the Evanston Ecology Center. Please click on “Comments” below and scroll past the last comment to provide your thoughts and/or past experiences to highlight the value that the Ecology Center provides to you, your family, and the city of Evanston.
