Small-business owners and residents urge clearer permitting, more outreach at Waukegan council

Several residents and small-business owners used the June 2 audience time to press Waukegan elected officials for clearer outreach and faster, fairer permitting decisions.

What they said: Karina Garcia, who said she and her husband own a new brunch restaurant at 804 Tenth Street, told the council that the permit process “almost took us four years” and that paying rent while waiting for approvals had strained her family. Garcia asked the city to “be fair to people who wanna bring good things to the community” and to expedite outstanding permit issues where feasible.

Longer-term concerns about transparency and engagement also dominated public comment. Rayon Edwards, who spoke both at the Community Development Committee and later at the council meeting, told elected officials: “Our community do not understand a lot of things that go on these agendas… We post the agenda on Friday, but I'm not seeing town halls nowhere.” He urged more neighborhood meetings and said he intended to attend committee meetings regularly to press for better communication.

Other audience speakers raised allegations of favoritism and called for investigation; Margaret Carrasco described perceived differences in how some projects were processed and urged the council to review permit and approval timelines for fairness. The remarks were framed as citizens’ claims—no formal investigation or staff response was made on the record during audience time.

Why it matters: multiple councilors earlier acknowledged the need for better outreach during the budget and development debates. Council members and staff routinely noted that many decisions are governed by code and permitting rules, but residents said they need earlier, clearer explanations and accessible town‑hall events so taxpayers understand large expenditures and permit processes.

Council response and context Council members listened during audience time and several said they would take up suggestions. Councilors had also discussed transparency and public engagement during the meeting’s agenda items; the mayor and aldermen repeatedly referred to plans for more outreach while also warning that some approvals require technical review by permitting staff and cannot be accelerated without meeting code requirements.

Ending Those concerns were not resolved during audience time; the council did not take formal action on permitting process changes at the meeting. Several council members and staff indicated they will continue to review avenues for additional public meetings and faster administrative responses to small‑business permit questions.