Urbana advisory commission signals support for $500 bike‑month sponsorship, weighs $1,717 bike‑light invoice

Urbana Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission members on Aug. 19 signaled support for a $500 Bike Month sponsorship and discussed a $1,717 invoice for bike lights that commission staff said came from the Mass Transit District (MTD).

The commission’s chair, Carmen Franks, said the MTD invoice for $1,717.50 had arrived last week and that she had not yet paid it "just to make sure we're all on board with that." Members then discussed how the lights are purchased, past distribution totals, and options to partner with Urbana Police Department or community pop‑up events to reach residents beyond campus.

Why it matters: BPAC controls a small annual discretionary budget ($2,500) used for outreach and safety items such as free bike lights and event sponsorships. Decisions about how those funds are spent affect distribution of safety equipment to students and residents citywide and influence partnerships with MTD, the university and local public safety agencies.

Commissioners and staff reviewed recent and historical purchase and distribution numbers. A staff speaker said the current order is for about 1,000 light sets and estimated total cost at roughly $6,900 (about $6–$7 per set), with last year’s purchase at about 1,300 sets and approximately 100 left over. Last year BPAC contributed $500 toward Bike Month sponsorship; this year staff proposed repeating that $500 contribution to the regional Bike Month pool for shirts and Safe Routes to School outreach. Event dates discussed: Bike to Work Day on Sept. 10 (7 a.m.–10 a.m.) and the Light the Night bike‑light giveaway on Sept. 16 (4 p.m.–7 p.m.).

Members discussed distribution approaches if the commission supplied additional lights to police for community events. Nancy Westcott reported speaking with Sergeant Elizabeth Henry and Lieutenant Cunningham of the Urbana Police Department, who "were actually fairly excited about the possibility of doing something community based with BPAC." Commissioners agreed a small working group should meet with police to define parameters and distribution plans.

No formal roll‑call vote to spend funds on lights was recorded during the discussion. Commissioners expressed unanimous support for contributing $500 to Bike Month sponsorship; staff said they would proceed with the sponsorship and will process the MTD invoice for lights through the BPAC account after confirming details.

Framing the next steps: staff will complete the sponsorship paperwork and handle invoicing; a small BPAC working group will meet with Urbana police to explore collaborative pop‑up events or targeted distributions; commissioners agreed to return with a concrete plan for use of the remaining ~$300 in BPAC funds for FY26.

Ending: BPAC members asked staff to track how many lights remain after the September events and to report back, so the commission can decide whether to request a larger allocation in the next fiscal year.