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Urbana council approves solar-farm special-use permit, adopts three budget amendments and refers FEMA item
Summary
At its Nov. 24 meeting the Urbana City Council unanimously adopted a special-use permit for a proposed solar farm at 1210 East University Avenue and approved two budget amendments; it referred a budget item tied to FEMA Assistance to Firefighters back to committee for further work.
Urbana — The Urbana City Council on Monday evening approved a special-use permit for a proposed solar farm at 1210 East University Avenue and adopted multiple budget amendments, while referring one FEMA-related budget item back to the committee for additional review.
On behalf of the Committee of the Whole, Council member Grace Wilkin presented ordinance 2025-11-031 to approve a special-use permit for a solar farm at 1210 East University Avenue (plan case 2513SU25). After a motion and roll-call vote, the clerk recorded unanimous affirmative votes from council members present and the ordinance was adopted.
The council also approved ordinance 2025-11-032, a package omnibus budget amendment (budget amendment 3a), after a motion by council and a second by Mary Ellis. The vote was recorded by roll call as affirmative by all members present.
Council considered ordinance 2025-11-034, a budget amendment related to a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters grant. A council member (unidentified in the transcript) asked for more work on the item and moved to refer it back to the Committee of the Whole for the Dec. 1 meeting; Mary Ellis seconded the referral and the motion to refer passed by voice vote.
On ordinance 2025-11-033 (budget amendment number 4, TIF 4 ending), Council member Grace Wilkin moved for approval and Mary Ellis seconded. Council member Chris asked whether voting for the amendment would authorize spending $965,000 to buy a parcel of farmland "by the pickerels." City staff member Elizabeth Hannon responded: "Your budget you would be budgeting funds for that, but we can't acquire property without an additional action by council, which would come before council in December." The ordinance was adopted on roll-call.
Votes at a glance: ordinance 2025-11-031 (special-use permit for solar farm) — adopted; ordinance 2025-11-032 (budget amendment 3a omnibus) — adopted; ordinance 2025-11-033 (budget amendment 4, TIF 4 ending) — adopted; ordinance 2025-11-034 (budget amendment 3b, FEMA assistance to firefighters) — referred back to Committee of the Whole for Dec. 1.
The council did not take other final actions at the meeting and adjourned with no further business.
