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Elgin staff: most inclusivity ordinance items already in practice; legal defense fund and municipal ID would require new programs
Summary
Assistant City Manager Cassandra Hiller told the Elgin City Council that staff’s gap analysis found roughly 75% of the proposed inclusivity and diversity ordinance is already practiced across departments; two new programs — a resident legal defense fund and a municipal ID — represent primary implementation gaps and will need further financial and operational planning before the council decides.
Assistant City Manager Cassandra Hiller told the Elgin City Council on June 10 that a staff review of a proposed inclusivity and diversity ordinance found most provisions are already embedded in city operations, but two new programs and several policy clarifications would require additional work and funding.
Hiller told the council this was the first of two presentations and that staff will return with a final report and recommendations in 45–60 days. "This is presentation one of two," she said, and emphasized staff had conducted a legal, fiscal and operational review across departments.
The staff analysis concluded roughly 75% of the ordinance’s objectives are already in place or practiced, Hiller said, pointing to examples such as signage at city facilities reflecting an "ICE‑free zones" resolution, widespread language support on the city website, and personnel and service delivery practices that do not require citizenship or immigration documentation for day‑to‑day city services. Hiller said the city website now supports more than 200 languages and described bilingual capacity embedded across departments.
That said, Hiller said two new programs would require creation and funding: a resident legal defense fund and a municipal identification program. On the legal defense fund, Hiller described a possible model in which the city contracts with qualified legal service providers through an RFP, and the providers administer assistance for immigration defense, housing defense and consumer protection under an agreed framework. "This program would not provide direct cash assistance to residents," she said, and staff still needs to determine scope, typical case cost and whether the fund would reimburse full legal costs or operate under a capped per‑household benefit.
On the municipal ID, staff told the council the proposed ID would require full scoping and would likely not substitute for federal or state photo IDs used for work authorization or most bank accounts. "Research to date indicates that the proposed municipal ID would not be an acceptable form of identification for work authorization," Hiller said, and staff recommended a primarily in‑person enrollment process to limit data being held in an online database.
Council members pressed staff on several operational details. Councilmember Al Faro asked whether civic engagement should be a standalone pillar rather than a cross‑cutting theme; Hiller agreed the subject is central and will be included in the second presentation. Multiple members asked about procurement language; Hiller advised the draft’s terms SEDI and VSB are not commonly used in Illinois procurement practice and staff will replace them with regionally recognized categories (for example MBE/WBE/DBE classifications) before finalizing reporting language.
Several council members also asked about costs. Hiller said only after staff completes operational scoping for the legal defense fund and municipal ID will the city be able to produce reliable cost estimates; she noted a disparity study, if later pursued, could cost more than $500,000.
Public comment during the meeting showed sharply differing views. Bob Johnson urged immediate adoption of the ordinance and cited what he described as numerous alleged enforcement actions; William (Bill) Worst urged caution and said the city should not "follow the path of becoming a sanctuary city." Assistant City Manager Hiller told the council staff is cooperating with the Illinois Attorney General and other state entities, and that the city is already implementing the ICE‑free resolution passed last November.
Hiller said staff will continue community updates on the project's Engage Elgin page and will return with financial modeling, operational plans and recommended ordinance language at the second presentation at the end of July or early August. The council did not vote on ordinance adoption at the June 10 meeting and directed staff to return with the second presentation and selected clarifications.
