Batavia Illinois – The 5th Ward

Another extended session, people are getting their money’s worth out of this city council! Proclamation for Brice Worley,expensive emergency truck repairs, and a housing conversation.

Regular City Council Meeting

Call to Order and Roll Call [ 00:22:41,347 ]

The regular meeting was called to order, followed by an invocation, the Pledge of Allegiance, and roll call. 14 alderpersons were present.

Consent Agenda [ 00:25:22,836 ]

The consent agenda was presented and included:

• June, July, and August 2025 financials.
• Various Committee of the Whole and City Council minutes.
• Payroll totals of $1,080,022.48.
• Accounts payable totals of $3,756,997.91.
• Ordinance 2025-58, extending a moratorium on certain industrial zoning applications in the South River Street Gateway Overlay District.
• Resolution 2025-123-R, authorizing the purchase of benches.
• Resolution 2025-126-R, authorizing an easement with the Batavia Park District for the South Water Street Slope Stabilization Project.

The consent agenda was approved 14-0.

Proclamation Honoring Brice Worley [ 00:28:05,650 ]

An alderperson noted the city council was wearing green in memory of Brice Worley. A proclamation was read honoring his memory, detailing his “brave and determined fight” against an inoperable brain tumor, his positive spirit, his love for his family, and his connection to the Batavia community. The proclamation also recognized the establishment of the Brice Worley Foundation, which will provide scholarships to students who embody his spirit .

The proclamation was approved 14-0 and presented to his family and friends in attendance.

Presentation: Batavia United Way [ 00:36:36,069 ]

The Executive Director of Batavia United Way provided an update.

• Fundraising: Two recent events raised nearly $50,000 for Batavia residents.
• Upcoming Events: An event celebrating Dolly Parton’s 80th birthday is planned for January to support early childhood literacy.
• Volunteer Programs:
  • Day of Caring: The annual leaf-raking event for seniors and residents with physical limitations is this coming Sunday. Volunteers are still needed.
  • Snow Angels: The snow shoveling program is launching its third year, matching volunteers to “adopt a driveway” for seniors or those with physical limitations.
  • Holiday Adopt-A-Family: This is the organization’s biggest volunteer event, run in partnership with Batavia Public Schools. They are currently seeking sponsors for children, noting they only have sponsors for about 260 kids so far. The program also provides coats and essentials through partnerships with Rotary and the Lions Club.
• Community Need: It was noted there are more than 120 homeless children in Batavia public schools, more than ever before.

Presentation: Batavia Chamber of Commerce [ 00:44:19,540 ]

A representative from the Chamber of Commerce gave a presentation.

• Community Need: Echoed the United Way’s comments on need, stating that Lazarus House is at capacity with 82 adults and 17 children.
• Citizen of the Year: Nominations for the 2025 Citizen of the Year are being accepted until Friday.
• Events:
  • State of the Community: Thursday, featuring the Mayor and leaders from BPS 101, the library, and the Park District.
  • Batavia Women in Business: A career event at the high school on November 19th and a Holiday Luncheon on December 11th to benefit the Batavia Access Toy Drive and United Way’s Adopt-a-Family program.
  • Holiday Box: Starting November 10th, the Chamber will match $50 in Chamber Bucks purchases per residence, contributing $5,000 from its budget. The holiday bucks expire in March.
• New Members: The Chamber welcomed 22 new members, growing to 525 members strong.
• Chamber Eats: The restaurant of the month for November is JT’s Tavern & Pub.
• Vanguard Gifted Academy: The Chamber representative introduced the head of school for Vanguard Gifted Academy as the guest speaker.

Presentation: Vanguard Gifted Academy [ 00:51:19,850 ]

The Head of School for Vanguard Gifted Academy presented36363636.

• The school serves gifted and twice-exceptional students.
• It is a nonprofit funded entirely by tuition and donations.
• The curriculum uses a “STREAM” approach (Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Art, and Math).
• The school offers free community events, such as a Veterans Day 3D Challenge, a math competition, and a public showcase on December 17th.

Administrator’s Report [ 00:58:04,269 ]

The City Administrator provided several updates:

• Food Pantry: The director of the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry will speak on November 17th regarding food security and the impact of SNAP benefit changes.
• Commissions: The Plan Commission will review a conditional use for video gaming at Gammon Coach House. The Historic Preservation Commission recommended conditional approval for the demolition COA for the former Acosta’s building.
• Public Meetings: An open house for the South River Street Corridor Study is set for November 19th.
• FY 2026 Budget: The proposed budget has been released, with the first special meeting scheduled for tomorrow night.
• Leaf Collection: Has begun on the east side; the west side begins November 10th. A third pickup is planned, weather permitting.
• Electric Plan (IRP): The city is seeking public input on its long-term electric plan (Integrated Resource Plan). Feedback can be given online or at a public meeting on December 9th.
• Lead Service Lines: Year 2 replacements (425 lines) are complete, bringing the citywide total to over 850 lines replaced.
• Emergency Repair: The city’s vector truck (a c. $500,000+ vehicle) suffered a major failure. An emergency repair estimated at $57,646.30 is required, as the truck is heavily used and essential. Authorization for payment will be on the next agenda.

Council Business & Other [ 01:09:15,951 ]

• A motion was made to hold a special City Council meeting on November 10th, immediately following the Committee of the Whole, to consider adopting the proposed immigration enforcement ordinance. The motion passed 14-0.
• An alderperson proposed that the council collectively adopt a family through United Way and support other local holiday drives, offering to coordinate the effort.
• An alderperson requested an update on safety improvements for Route 31, citing resident concerns. Staff noted challenges with IDOT standards, which may require five lanes for a traffic signal. The city will continue to push for a signalized crossing, or at least a rapid flashing beacon, especially with a potential new pedestrian crossing from the Forest Preserve.
• An alderperson gave an update on the Batavia Bulldogs football team, which won its first playoff game 56-0 and plays at Glenbard East on Friday.

Mayor’s Report [ 01:15:59,605 ]

• The Mayor shared an anecdote about a new resident who paid over $400,000 for a new townhouse and was moving to Batavia, partially influenced by the quality of the BATV high school football broadcasts.
• The Mayor highlighted the success of the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry and Clothes Closet, which is now in a permanent home purchased by the city. The $2 million building was paid for by a $3 million appropriation secured by the former Congresswoman. The remaining $1 million must be spent on improvements to that building.

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Special Committee of the Whole Meeting

Call to Order [ 01:25:58,083 ]

A special Committee of the Whole meeting was called to order. Roll call was taken, with 14 alderpersons present65.

Discussion on Housing [ 01:27:01,190 ]

An alderperson initiated a detailed discussion on housing affordability and availability in Batavia66.

Identified Problems & Goals:

• The “Why”: The discussion was framed as a long-standing need to address the “affordability gap”. A “startling statistic” of 120 unhoused children in the school district was cited.
• Goals: Alderpersons expressed a desire to find housing solutions for various groups:
  • Young professionals (e.g., from Fermilab) who work nearby but cannot afford to live in Batavia.
  • Educators, firefighters, police officers, and city staff who work in Batavia but live elsewhere.
  • Seniors/empty nesters looking to downsize.
  • Young adults who grew up in Batavia and want to stay or move back.
  • Individuals going through divorce or partnership changes who need to stay in the school district.
  • Families needing multi-generational living options.
• Personal Anecdotes:
  • An alderperson shared that their grandmother was only able to stay in her home as a widow because she subdivided it (illegally by today’s standards) and collected rent.
  • The same alderperson noted a single mother recently could not legally subdivide her home to afford to stay.
  • An alderperson shared their own family’s struggle to move back, ultimately having to buy a “dilapidated,” bank-owned house as it was the only affordable option.
  • An alderperson shared that they were unable to legally modify their home to care for parents in poor health.
  • An alderperson described “clawing tooth and nail” to barely afford a house in 2020.
• Market Reality: Several alderpersons noted the market is difficult. One stated, “you can’t build a shack in this town for less than 400 grand” without a subsidy. Another noted a small, 75+-year-old house is listed for over $500,000. An alderperson mentioned their child left for North Carolina, where a large townhouse rent was less than a 1-bedroom apartment in North Aurora.

Three Key Policy Proposals:

An alderperson introduced three main policy “levers” for discussion:

1. Allowing Homeowners to Subdivide Homes: Allowing property owners to subdivide an existing home and rent out a portion.
2. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs): Allowing “granny flats” or units over garages. This was described as “low-hanging fruit”. It was noted ADUs are allowed in R1M and R1H zones, but not in the single-family R1L zone.
3. Pre-Approved Building Plans: Creating a set of city-approved plans for duplexes, triplexes, or fourplexes that a developer could use to expedite the building process. This would lower barriers (like architect fees and uncertainty) while giving the city control over aesthetics.

Broader Ideas & Zoning Reforms Discussed:

• “Missing Middle” Housing: A term used to describe duplexes, triplexes, row houses, and small apartment buildings. An alderperson shared an anecdote of a young co-worker who afforded his home by buying a historic duplex and renting the other unit.
• Incremental Development: A proposal to foster a “local developer ecosystem” to help residents interested in small-scale infill projects, as big outside financing is hard to get.
• Single-Stair Apartment Buildings: A discussion was revisited about changing building codes. Current two-stair requirements lead to “hotel-like” buildings with small, narrow units. A single-stair design could allow for buildings with larger, family-friendly “corner units” with more windows.
• “Strong Towns” Toolkit: An alderperson listed several ambitious ideas from this toolkit, including legalizing duplex/triplex conversions “by right,” permitting ADUs in all zones, eliminating minimum lot sizes, and repealing parking mandates for housing.

Concerns & Counterpoints:

• Lack of Governance (Rentals): An alderperson (speaking via phone) strongly cautioned that the city has “no governance” over residential rentals. They stated that this can lead to poorly maintained properties with “well-deserved” bad reputations, and that moving forward with expanding rentals without addressing this governance gap is “tone-deaf”.
• Property Values & Homeowner Fear: Several alderpersons voiced concern for current homeowners. One called the idea of a “short fuse” 24-hour permit approvals for converting a single home to a duplex “horrifying”. Another worried about “absolute insanity” if controls were loosened, stressing the need to protect property values.
• Data vs. Perception: An alderperson (who lives near duplexes) pushed back on the negative perception of rentals, stating they receive more complaints about owner-occupied single-family homes. They requested future discussions be based on “real facts and real history” (e.g., crime and property value data from other cities) rather than “hypotheticals or perception”.
• Defining “Affordable”: An alderperson asked for a specific number for “affordable”. Another suggested a target could be housing affordable on a starting BPS teacher’s salary (c. $52,000/year).
• Role of Council: One alderperson stated their role is not to set prices but to “open up the market” and give property rights back to owners (within code). The Mayor concluded that the “market kind of dictates itself” and was “not convinced” council actions could lower prices.
• Staffing & Process: Concerns were raised that the city is already “stretched from staff perspectives” and could not handle rapid approvals.

City Staff Response on Housing:

City staff provided technical context on the proposals:

• Current ADU Rules: ADUs (called “Secondary dwelling”) are already allowed in many single-family districts. However, there has been very little interest, with “less than a half a dozen” built since 2010. Staff confirmed they could look at adding this option to the R1L zone.
• Rental Governance: Staff confirmed they are already working on an expansion of the rental dwelling program to include all rental properties, including single-family homes, due to “issues… and complaints.” This would likely require hiring additional staff.
• Pre-Approved Plans: Staff noted this is complex. Issues include the cost to hire an architect for the plans, what designs to offer, and the fact that plans still require site-specific review for grading, setbacks, etc..
• Single-Stair: Staff stated this is allowed for very small (2-3 story) buildings but that they have “serious concerns about the safety” of expanding it for larger buildings.
• Affordable Housing Status: Batavia is exempt from the state (IDA) requirement to have an affordable housing plan because a recent study found 35% of its housing stock qualifies as affordable.
• Current Projects: Staff is in talks with the Fox River Valley Initiative , the 400 South River (affordable) project is in final review , and an RFP is out for the Larson Becker East Side parcel.

Public Comment on Housing:

• Comment 1: A resident who moved from Round Rock, TX, contrasted Batavia’s (33 units/year) with Texas, which builds tens of thousands of units. They defined the new “affordability” crisis as housing for professionals without subsidy. They shared an anecdote of a teacher neighbor who had to move to Genoa because the process for an addition in Batavia was too costly. They urged the council to “throw the kitchen sink at it, because it is a crisis”.
• Comment 2: A professional in affordable housing development identified a key “tangible challenge”: the timing of costs. Developers must spend $60,000-$70,000 on engineering for zoning approval before they know if they have secured state/federal funding, making projects high-risk.

Next Steps on Housing:

• An alderperson requested that three topics be brought back for future, separate discussions: 1) ADU zoning, 2) duplex/triplex allowances, and 3) pre-approved plans.
• City staff agreed to “put together some timelines for each of these three things” and present them with formal memos and example ordinances from other towns.
• The council discussed and clarified Open Meetings Act rules for sharing research, agreeing to send materials to staff to be included in public meeting packets.

Executive Session [ 02:52:23,247 ]

The committee voted to move into executive session to discuss land acquisition and the sale/purchase of electricity128.

Author: Jim Fahrenbach