[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6170878,"mediaKeyId","5394910-f91faf4966b06c9ce2a110b8b9291b7c","parentId",5394910,"title","Council holds ordinance amending city code on departments; equity language and 'subdepartment' terms to be revised","audioSeconds",1944,"startMs",5356000,"endMs",7300000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5394910-f91faf4966b06c9ce2a110b8b9291b7c&start=5356&end=7300","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5394910-f91faf4966b06c9ce2a110b8b9291b7c/thumbnail_5356000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6170878/Aurora/DuPage-County/Illinois/Council-holds-ordinance-amending-city-code-on-departments-equity-language-and-subdepartment-terms-to-be-revised","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6170878-cc40782f559e43aa6deba9dfb63aceac/orig.mp4?Expires=1775414501&Signature=KD16A5fRvZYfwJPrfjz7jZHkVuvo~XFxHC6B7kkRpeJs9qRN3A9OjxiSZw6YmwoPVcAdt8bIBfcjJ89iQ64SvPEmBWnr8AP4IMKtlKz~NqWleSMAAAIt3PQI745WqmYksoyi82wF2pYWP10EVeCMfMNld-2GTR41QxahUe-qibpMjAmZB7byMeQXqmn37aLKKZuLff~9pTS7kad89ePzlBd73AuYFsbks7vlbC6sw1G5Bh4-BhCMCi0JT6Is8j9D0YQjN7j7mVE-tca1FFVP2~8X1irqor4jeBzyUIXELPSmitd-uJhtqrEvflwPPtVEztP2C8TjPoivNjjV-dEf-Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Aurora, IL","date","2025-07-15T15:27:13Z","article","The Committee of the Whole on July 15 discussed an ordinance (25‑0516) proposing a reorganization of city departments and divisions, including dissolving the mayor’s Office of Community Affairs and creating several new subdepartments. The presenter said the city intends to move engagement and special events into other offices, create an Office of Sustainability Development and Business Opportunity, and transition Animal Care and Control into Community Services.

Legal review requested: staff said legal counsel is reviewing the ordinance’s equity language to ensure compliance with executive orders and to avoid jeopardizing federal grants. Committee members asked for clearer definitions of titles and purchasing authority for the heads of the proposed subdepartments; staff said subdepartment heads would possess purchasing authority comparable to department heads in some respects but would not carry the full responsibilities or compensation of chief‑level department heads.

Semantics and reporting lines: a number of aldermen raised concerns about the use of the phrase “subdepartment” (previously drafted as “quasi department”) and whether the Aldermen’s Office should be styled differently in the code. Staff and chief of staff said the ordinance already specifies reporting relationships (for example, the Office of the Aldermen reporting to the Rules, Administration and Procedure Committee) and that proposed language can be revised. Aldermen requested the legal department circulate alternatives and a corrected organizational diagram before the next council meeting.

Action: the item was put on unfinished business. Staff will work with legal to revise equity language as requested, clarify titles and purchasing authority for subdepartment heads, and circulate an updated diagram and draft ordinance to the council before the next meeting.

Ending: council members emphasized they wanted clear, consistent language that preserves the Aldermen’s Office autonomy and ensures the city remains eligible for federal grants; staff agreed to return with revised language and materials.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Streaming LIVE: Aurora Committee of the Whole | 07-15-2025","oneSentenceSummary","An ordinance amending chapters 2 and 14 to reorganize departments and create several 'subdepartments' was discussed and put on unfinished business after questions about the label 'subdepartment,' reporting lines and equity language that legal said must be vetted to protect federal grants.","taxTitle","Aurora, DuPage County, Illinois","taxId",2648,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6170883,"Aurora to issue conduit bonds for Aurora University learning commons; council told city bears no repayment obligation",444,3516000,3960000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5394910-f91faf4966b06c9ce2a110b8b9291b7c&start=3516&end=3960","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5394910-f91faf4966b06c9ce2a110b8b9291b7c/thumbnail_3516000.jpg","/articles/6170883/Aurora/DuPage-County/Illinois/Aurora-to-issue-conduit-bonds-for-Aurora-University-learning-commons-council-told-city-bears-no-repayment-obligation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6170883-c95e5140866148cb7aa7e8901f717e50/orig.mp4?Expires=1775414501&Signature=fCg4nTHRZknU-sBleLHxXY3IpoKG8sLpnFEsmNpGr4X8gRDZtD3pEFkwro3LCiehI4v2yhTJLuXN0QVCX33QeOJdEfvUnbomUgNgvcWakzjmIDb-3vQ-Owx1Aqj5Lz64dg3PPum-kVLEY5QSjFaSkNsFUChrLukxMrjjzGhA~X8tkua09GzkWVDJWGQPXsNt4wvVom7WyqNECdDM-NUsHX8cpvCh2Co5rkECs8YQuDVMp0PD~9iHG7EMnCLeN-hp10FFkdknSX3YRtKTi7rxPoFQ61Qm5C6~aoAF2cCnEMj0Dg2NqIx2yW9Dmn7jfecPJ4GMWqV96jSNap6aJy0JTA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Aurora officials presented an ordinance on July 15 authorizing the issuance and sale of adjustable‑rate demand economic development revenue bonds in an amount not to exceed $16 million to support a new learning commons at Aurora University. Chris Minnick, the city’s chief financial officer, said the transaction is conduit debt: the city functions as issuer but the repayment obligation rests solely with Aurora University and the bonds will not appear on the city’s financial statements.

Sharon Maxwell, senior vice president for business and finance at Aurora University, described the project as a 45,000‑square‑foot, three‑story facility on Prairie Street that will house the library, academic support, career services, university archives and media creation spaces. Maxwell said the university has a roughly $15 million Illinois state grant to support the project and will use donations and reserves for remaining costs.

Nancy Burke of Chapman & Cutler, acting as bond counsel for the city, explained the legal basis under federal tax law that permits conduit issuance for certain not‑for‑profit organizations and emphasized the documents’ limits on city liability. Burke said Aurora University will provide the debt service obligations and that BMO Harris Bank will provide a letter of credit to support payments, and she noted that issuance costs are paid by the university.

Action taken: the bond transaction (ordinance 25‑0543) was moved to the consent agenda; staff told the committee that the arrangements are standard conduit financing that lowers borrowing costs for the university while leaving the city’s credit and taxes unaffected.

Ending: Minnick said the city has used similar conduit structures for Aurora University in prior years and that staff and counsel will be available for questions when the item reaches the full council consent agenda.","Council was asked to authorize up to $16 million in conduit revenue bonds to finance a 45,000‑square‑foot learning commons for Aurora University; staff and bond counsel said the arrangement is private‑activity conduit debt and the city assumes no repayment obligation.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6170890,"Aurora staff propose raising hotel‑occupancy tax from 3% to 6% and adding $10 comped‑room fee",477,4326000,4803000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5394910-f91faf4966b06c9ce2a110b8b9291b7c&start=4326&end=4803","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5394910-f91faf4966b06c9ce2a110b8b9291b7c/thumbnail_4326000.jpg","/articles/6170890/Aurora/DuPage-County/Illinois/Aurora-staff-propose-raising-hoteloccupancy-tax-from-3-to-6-and-adding-10-compedroom-fee","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6170890-078aed3b3f46fa724a3a7c7b09b305f0/orig.mp4?Expires=1775414501&Signature=gYEn-49w9qFbL5nY8-g2iGBNTd1CKno9SrnhwBQ2R6BiIoxKA-Nbymk7177m5JUSE2FzRPUTXGEAKRYZ5Yyin4LRO-GBlr7gaQGaEEMn70Wh69kHLE8kbVGTTnnkqXRN8u499rBekVFk2nWE2tdThJGo1OU2fGyVNuwWGro4MQc~UqqU~3EFxVZzmYbP5vLScKaVyXeLJt1E2Q2dX6tFpEC9v9dGTMPmy6zG6zi34~IcunEumNF8egteCRikkSgHhlIt8e03vncIUL20W4UCGFuuH~ryDHbgcYjPFwSuFNbnIsiEHF4mNeROo~UBfYiwu3y9sPN~qL~0tueF9-j2sA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City finance staff told aldermen on July 15 that an ordinance to increase Aurora’s hotel‑occupancy tax from 3% to 6% and to add a $10 daily fee for comped rooms is under consideration and would be effective Jan. 1, 2026, if adopted. Chris Minnick, the city’s CFO, said the existing tax — enacted in 1987 at 3% — produces roughly $550,000–$585,000 annually, and the proposed change plus new casino hotel rooms could raise roughly $1.1 million when the casino rooms begin normal operations.

Key details from staff presentation: the city currently has about 635 hotel rooms in inventory and expects approximately 220 additional rooms from a new casino hotel. Staff estimated that doubling the tax rate to 6% and collecting on comped rooms (via the $10 daily fee applicable to each 24‑hour period or part thereof) would materially increase annual receipts. The proposed change would also clarify that the tax applies only to room charges and not to incidental charges (for example, room service), and it would preserve the current exemption for stays of more than 30 days.

Questions and administration responses: Alderman Smith flagged a drafting issue and asked that the ordinance explicitly say the $10 applies per day; staff agreed to amend the draft to make that clear. Alderman Bade asked whether the $10 would apply only to the casino or to any hotel operator that comped rooms; Minnick said the $10 would apply to any comped room and that hotels are required under the ordinance to retain books and records that support taxable room nights. The proposed ordinance is listed as 25‑0552 and was moved to unfinished business for revision and defining statutory terms before a final vote.

Where the money goes: Minnick said about $225,000 of current hotel‑tax receipts are used for the Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau; the remaining hotel‑tax proceeds currently inure to the general fund. The staff presentation listed improved tourism‑related revenue and that the tax is mainly paid by nonresidents using local accommodations.

Ending: staff said the rate change would be effective Jan. 1, 2026 if the ordinance is adopted, and the council asked for clearer ordinance language on daily comp fees and for the formal draft to return on unfinished business.","City finance staff presented an ordinance to raise Aurora’s hotel‑occupancy tax from 3% to 6% and to add a $10 per‑day fee for comped rooms; staff said the change would roughly double current hotel tax revenue and that the item will return on unfinished business for ordinance wording and definitions.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6170895,"Aurora finance staff urges council to adopt 1% municipal grocery tax ahead of state deadline",1098,2527000,3625000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5394910-f91faf4966b06c9ce2a110b8b9291b7c&start=2527&end=3625","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5394910-f91faf4966b06c9ce2a110b8b9291b7c/thumbnail_2527000.jpg","/articles/6170895/Aurora/DuPage-County/Illinois/Aurora-finance-staff-urges-council-to-adopt-1-municipal-grocery-tax-ahead-of-state-deadline","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6170895-cd0678643a58959295fe1ce1c9d22cdf/orig.mp4?Expires=1775414501&Signature=gOV0MXYYD-0-Evr2g5dFv7Zta30SlcvRkRJuYDC-CF-ZOeAAoMpwdDgROQUWClL4B97ILafnLBX5TH-Q-AcTu35-sqaCxIUWCJSNRit~OUXclt26QvW-nZu368eEYiX0~pm9jNID0iZkQ5u~-g4yX8oPFCRd2isaS6CwJeXs4Cn-qGQqxfKZE44iOiXiskZElr8yyrzCV0HeSYxlNSzilaH-gqOaWvcXn47bs4sbpeaKnYFRyJ0V-H43fO9CNknuzmpmPvHkQpAOA53wje8AWR06pPYuTLFLBDOQc0hOc2BUMeeZgNHOcKMp9AteEQ8Vp55-AQzKk~3BbOKiShaW5Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Finance staff presented an ordinance on July 15 that would ask the City Council to adopt a 1% municipal grocery retailers’ occupation tax after the state revoked its 1% collections in 2024 and gave municipalities the option to continue the revenue locally. Stacy Peterson, the city’s director of financial operations, said the governor signed legislation in August 2024 that allows municipalities to enact the 1% tax and that an ordinance must be filed with the state by Oct. 1 to keep collection and remittance handled by the Illinois Department of Revenue.

Peterson said the city could lose roughly $4.5 million in annual revenue if it does not adopt the tax. She said federal law prohibits collecting grocery sales taxes on items purchased with SNAP benefits and that the Illinois Municipal League’s tracking sheet listed 282 municipalities that had enacted the tax by late June.

Council discussion: aldermen questioned whether Aurora could delay adoption, whether the tax must be exactly 1% or could be set lower, and how quickly the city would see the revenue. Chris Minnick, the city’s chief financial officer, said he would confirm the legislative window and that staff intends to present a balanced budget regardless, but that omitting the grocery tax would require compensating with service cuts or other revenue increases.

Legal and administrative points: multiple council members asked whether the state will continue to collect and remit the tax on behalf of municipalities; Shannon Cameron, chief of staff, said an amendment removed any state service fee so the state will remit the full amount. Minnick and staff said they would research whether the statute requires a 1% fixed rate or permits a lower rate; the council’s recollection at the meeting was that the enabling statute had been presented as an all‑or‑nothing 1% option but that staff would confirm.

Next steps: the ordinance (listed as 25‑0519) was placed on the committee’s unfinished business calendar for additional review and legal confirmation of filing windows and rate flexibility. Peterson said staff will include a FAQ and background materials for aldermen.

Ending: Council members requested a clearer explanation of the city’s fund balance and the exact budget impact if the municipality chooses to defer or decline the tax for one year; staff said it will return with confirmed legal guidance and budget projections.","Finance staff told aldermen an ordinance to reinstate the 1% grocery retailers’ occupation tax must be filed with the state by Oct. 1 to avoid an estimated $4.5 million revenue loss; aldermen asked about timing, SNAP exemptions and whether the city must take the full 1% or can adopt a lower rate.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6170900,"Aurora issues public notice after new testing finds 90th-percentile lead level above federal action level",871,489000,1360000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5394910-f91faf4966b06c9ce2a110b8b9291b7c&start=489&end=1360","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5394910-f91faf4966b06c9ce2a110b8b9291b7c/thumbnail_489000.jpg","/articles/6170900/Aurora/DuPage-County/Illinois/Aurora-issues-public-notice-after-new-testing-finds-90th-percentile-lead-level-above-federal-action-level","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6170900-9a5fec08f6af928ac3685726d7acf4d4/orig.mp4?Expires=1775414501&Signature=WW0AF9Eb5uChfcwBTrUF-UmcGwkGxr5Bgr7zpBWO2d936aeoflntIVgzb0im7Q7ROnBsIqOnRrXxfRg2qob6Memf6L~ktqR-5x9btzJksVESc0n1yYG5OAgfwRbFwomJ8bUqN9Cm--qTbWNCHMvNZGrrITqNa2ag74FjsN7nER-KmjpMqJUgCul3dqlNaVh88rH5OFxVIfrt8oSYhCkmgBAeTD1Xt3P~tDhEw0YnW3xtDWFIrN3avQ5yT~3g4pOZZxLjceBQvh3LgIZNhgjvqjes3EVO4vmGCMmDvqQ1bSi-J2zATVwb3QBbHtNE4qmsOvHl7Q1f~RA1X3C27Z0Iiw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Aurora officials told the City Council’s Committee of the Whole on July 15 that new 2025 lead‑in‑drinking‑water testing produced results that triggered a required public notice and changes to the city’s replacement timeline. Jason Bauer, director of public works, said the city completed 100 fifth‑liter samples from January through June and that the 90th‑percentile result was 20.6 parts per billion, above the 15 ppb action level used to determine compliance.

The city issued a public notice through news outlets after exceeding the action level, Bauer said, and is expanding work it said it already had underway: replacing lead service lines and conducting a corrosion‑control study. “The water in the plant is lead free,” Bauer said. “Where lead gets into the system is in the service lines. Replacing the lead service lines is the only thing that’s within the purview of the water utility.”

Why it matters: the federal action level — 15 ppb — is the compliance threshold that, when exceeded at the 90th percentile of required samples, triggers required public notification and additional corrective steps by a water utility.

What the city reported: Bauer said Aurora has been doing partial replacements and voluntary replacements for years and has replaced roughly 2,500 lead service lines since 2018 at no cost to residents when those lines were disturbed by city projects. He said the city’s inventory of service lines is changing as replacements continue and estimated that by the end of this year the remaining suspected lead service lines would be reduced below 16,000.

Bauer described several operational changes tied to 2025 testing standards: early‑year reduced monitoring shifted to standard monitoring; sampling moved from the first liter to the fifth liter (which reflects water that has sat in a service line for at least six hours); and a new requirement to sample 20% of schools and day‑care facilities. He said the city expected some test results to rise because the fifth‑liter sample more directly measures water that has been in contact with service lines for a long period.

City actions and near‑term work: the public works director said Aurora will (1) continue and expand lead service line replacements, (2) proceed with a corrosion‑control dosing study using harvested lead pipe racks at the treatment plant (IEPA requested the study and results are expected next year), (3) publish public‑education materials through the IEPA review process, and (4) maintain an interactive lead‑service‑line map on the city website that is updated daily.

Bauer said the city ran 100 samples and that 81 of those samples were under laboratory detection limits or otherwise below concern thresholds, while 19 exceeded the action level and were placed into the replacement program. He said some adjacent homes with the same type of service line had markedly different results and that staff had not identified a single pattern to explain the variation.

Costs and resident guidance: Bauer told aldermen that independent lead testing for a homeowner typically costs about $40–$50 and that the city can provide laboratories’ names but does not perform household tests in‑house. He also said the city provides a “lead pitcher” and roughly six months of replacement filters when the city replaces a customer’s service line as part of a capital project; he estimated retail cost for such a pitcher plus 6 months of filters at roughly $25–$50. Bauer said the city is not mandated to begin full replacement until 2027 under state timelines but that because Aurora exceeded the action level it will start mandated replacements in 2026 and has budgeted accordingly.

Council oversight and communications: multiple aldermen asked for consistent resident messaging and for the city to provide a cut‑and‑paste statement the aldermen could share with constituents. Bauer said his department and communications staff are preparing a FAQ and a brief statement for distribution and that specific staff email inboxes will be monitored so reported elevated results are routed promptly to engineering for follow up.

What the city did not say or could not confirm: staff made a number of numeric estimates during discussion (for example, the current inventory counts and the exact annual replacement pace next year). Where the transcript recorded different figures (Bauer referenced being “up close to 19,000” and then “under 16,000 by the end of this year”), the city presentation was the source for those numbers and the department indicated inventories update daily on the replacement map. Bauer also said the corrosion‑control dosing is inexpensive to implement if proved effective.

Ending: Bauer closed by urging constituents with concerns to use the website interactive map and the city’s contact channels to request a site visit or confirm material at the meter. Council members asked staff to circulate the final FAQ and the standardized statement to aldermen before wide distribution.","City of Aurora officials told aldermen the city’s switch to 2025 lead-testing procedures produced a 90th‑percentile result of 20.6 parts per billion — above the 15 ppb action level — prompting a news‑media public notice, expanded sampling and accelerated replacements of lead service lines.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council holds ordinance amending city code on departments; equity language and 'subdepartment' terms to be revised

Aurora to issue conduit bonds for Aurora University learning commons; council told city bears no repayment obligation

Aurora staff propose raising hotel‑occupancy tax from 3% to 6% and adding $10 comped‑room fee

Aurora finance staff urges council to adopt 1% municipal grocery tax ahead of state deadline

Aurora issues public notice after new testing finds 90th-percentile lead level above federal action level