Batavia reports housing and infrastructure gains in Q1 strategic-plan update
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Summary
City staff told the council the strategic plan has led to a 72-unit workforce housing project downtown (supported with $1.2 million in TIF funding), near-complete lead service line replacements this year, and other modernization steps including e-permitting and new public-safety hires.
Max, a city staff member leading Batavia’s strategic-plan update, told the City Council on March 2 that the city has moved several items from planning into construction or procurement.
“We should all be very, very proud of what we've already accomplished,” Max said, outlining work that dates to the 2024–25 planning phase and noting progress less than halfway through the multi-year plan.
City staff said the downtown has advanced a 72-unit workforce housing development that used roughly $1,200,000 in TIF funding to revitalize a site. The update also highlighted operational improvements: digitization of more than 1,000 boxes of community development and police records, expanded online permitting, and new internal roles to link applications and improve staff mobility.
On public safety and infrastructure, staff said lead service line replacement is on track to finish this year and that the budget includes two additional police officers and two firefighters. The city said it is procuring Axon body cameras and adding public-safety analyst and HR analyst positions to support organization development and wellness.
Max also noted grants and partnerships supporting the plan: Kane County provided $20,000 to expand a green-energy audit and grant program, and the city has approved funding for a downtown parking study, building-condition survey and a bike-and-pedestrian design policy. Staff reported ongoing efforts to integrate e-ticketing and permitting systems to save time in enforcement and records management.
Council members asked about reporting cadence for the public-facing progress dashboard; Max said update schedules vary by item and staff will post more frequent progress details on the reports hub when available.
What’s next: staff said the city will continue posting strategic-plan updates online and will return to council with specifics as projects move into active phases.