Batavia Illinois – The 5th Ward

Data Centers & TIFs: A look at what residents are saying about the latest tax increment financing and data center developments.

The IRP Pushback: Breaking down our concerns and dissatisfaction with the city’s Integrated Resource Plan.

Local Zoning Obviously at Risk: Realtors are heavily scoping out the town, which may be a prelude to losing our local zoning control.

Last Call for the Wine Walk: The event is nearly sold out, but we still have a limited number of tickets available. Get yours today!

Public Comment (Non-Agenda Items)

A resident addressed the council to express strong opposition to Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts and to raise environmental concerns about data centers. The resident called TIFs a “scam on the taxpayers” that improperly ensure profits for developers on speculative properties. Furthermore, the resident warned that large data centers require massive amounts of power and water, which could strain the area’s aquifers. The mayor clarified the operational limits of the city’s approved data center, and another attendee noted the passing of an alderperson’s mother.

• A resident questioned whether the council had read the 10-year report for Tier 4 TIFs and announced they are personally conducting an audit of all TIFs in the county.
  
• The resident stated that large data centers require 1.2 to 1.8 gigawatts of power and 100,000 gallons of water daily, noting the city has had water restrictions for 30 to 40 years.
  
• The resident also read an ordinance from a neighboring village regarding groundwater chemical contamination to highlight environmental risks.
  
• An alderperson responded that the locally approved data center on the east side is capped at 50 megawatts and uses a closed-loop system.
  
• An alderperson added that the data center’s water will be trucked in, and it only needs to be drained and replaced every 2,000 to 2,200 days before being discharged into the sewer system.
  
• The resident countered that a neighboring city has five data centers in process and a pending moratorium, emphasizing that collective regional power and water usage must be considered.
  
  

Main Street Updates

The Main Street Director shared several positive developments regarding downtown business initiatives, marketing reach, and upcoming community events.

• The upcoming “Step into Spring Wine Walk” sold 372 of its 400 tickets, with 55% of the purchasers residing outside the city.
• https://downtownbatavia.com/event/step-into-spring-wine-walk-2026/
• The strong out-of-town ticket sales were driven by an e-blast sent to 20,000 subscribers and various press releases.
  
• A local eatery received a $10,000 backing small business grant to purchase an espresso machine, an ice maker, and an oven to expand their offerings.
  
• This represents the fifth business in the city to receive this specific grant over the last three years, totaling $50,000 in funding for downtown.
  
• The city’s indoor market was featured three times in a single day on a local NBC broadcast, driving new customer traffic.
  
• A “Recast” leadership team has formed a vision to retain businesses and increase move-in-ready spaces, while identifying challenges like confusing permit processes and excessively large or costly vacant spaces.
  
• The city’s updated restaurant guide received over 1,300 unique scans since its re-release in February.
  

Conditional Use Permit for School District Facilities

The council voted on Ordinance 2026-009, granting a conditional use permit for government offices and facilities at 812 Main Street. The property sits adjacent to a building already owned by the school district, and the permit allows them to consolidate storage and support facilities in a centralized location. The ordinance passed with 10 yes votes, two no votes, and two absences.

• One alderperson praised the school board for finding prudent ways to consolidate, but ultimately voted against the permit.
  
• The opposing alderperson stated that a storage facility undermines the city’s long-term vision of commercial and mixed-use development for that specific district.
  
• Acknowledging the ordinance would pass, the dissenting alderperson requested the school board commit to beautifying the property so the storage space does not become an “eyesore”.
  

E-Mobility Device Regulations

The council unanimously approved Ordinance 2026-010, which updates the city’s traffic code to regulate e-mobility devices like e-bikes and e-scooters. The ordinance fills existing gaps in state statutes and introduces safety regulations with potential violation fees.

• The police chief developed the ordinance in collaboration with the local Active Transportation Commission, Ride Illinois, and a local e-bike dealer.
  
• Alderpersons praised the ordinance for threading the needle between allowing the devices for transportation and ensuring public safety and accountability.
  
• A resident with 45 years of federal transportation safety experience stressed that “education, education, education” must precede enforcement, and noted the ordinance was very long and cumbersome.
  
• The police chief agreed with the resident and confirmed plans to release simplified guides, diagrams, and charts to help citizens understand where specific devices are permitted.
  
• The city will utilize social media, the city website, and school networks to educate the public on the new rules.
  

Event Perimeter Security Purchase

The council unanimously approved Resolution 2026-37-R, authorizing a $124,626 contract with Sunbelt Rentals to purchase mobile perimeter security barriers. The barriers will protect pedestrians at large outdoor events from vehicles.

• The barriers arrive on a trailer, are highly mobile, and are rapidly deployable, making them ideal for recurring short-duration events like the farmers market.
  
• The new system will largely replace heavy concrete jersey barricades that require a forklift and heavy manpower to deploy.
  
• The city previously reviewed a competing vendor, but their product cost more than twice as much.
  
• The barriers can be linked together with pedestrian pass-through points featuring ADA ramps to prevent tripping hazards.
  
• The equipment is expected to have a lifespan significantly longer than 8 to 10 years.
  

Staff and Mayor’s Reports

A staff member delivered the Administrator’s report detailing ongoing city projects, while the mayor highlighted a controversial state zoning bill and reported on the rising call volumes for the Tri-City Ambulance service.

• City staff from police, fire, public works, and HR recently conducted a tabletop emergency preparedness exercise.
  
• Construction on the River Street Plaza is expected to begin April 13 and conclude by June 15. The project will include dropping a giant, pre-fabricated bathroom into place using a large crane.
  
• The police department launched the “Blue Envelope” project, a program designed to help individuals on the autism spectrum securely hand their documents to officers, signaling the need for a patient and empathetic interaction.
  
• The mayor criticized a proposed state bill that would strip local municipalities of zoning authority, allowing homeowners to resubdivide their lots and build smaller homes in their yards.
  
• The mayor noted he had already been approached by out-of-town realtors scouting the southeast side of the city for properties that could be retrofitted under the proposed law.
  
• The Tri-City Ambulance service (shared by three municipalities) now utilizes six ambulances and 32 employees contracted through Paramedic Services of Illinois.
  
• Last year, the city’s fire department responded to 5,369 calls, over 70% of which were for an ambulance, driven heavily by the addition of six new senior living communities.
  
• Operating as a consolidated unit saves the city over $1 million annually compared to an in-house service.
  
• Multiple alderpersons expressed concern that the private ambulance contract has been held by a single entity for approximately 38 years, and formally requested to see the service’s budget to ensure transparency.
  

Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) Discussion

The Special Committee of the Whole held a lengthy discussion regarding the city’s preliminary Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), an ongoing effort to map out the city-owned electric utility’s future. Staff and consultants (the Brattle Group, paid $385,000 for the project) received heavy criticism from both the public and the council for producing a draft that relied heavily on natural gas while ignoring the city’s sustainability goals.

• The IRP is a state-mandated planning document (due by January 1, 2027) and does not commit the city to building any immediate infrastructure.
  
• The city’s current major energy source, the Prairie State Energy Campus (PSEC), must cut emissions in half by the late 2030s and hit zero emissions by the mid-2040s to comply with state law, though the city’s bond obligations run through 2041.
  
• During the public comment period, the city received 54 comments and a petition with roughly 290 signatures.
  
• Public feedback strongly opposed the consultant’s suggestion of building a new natural gas reciprocating engine, instead favoring renewable energies, battery storage, and demand-side management.
  
• Multiple residents and alderpersons argued for the creation of an ad hoc citizen task force to help the council process the complex energy data, while one alderperson opposed the idea, stating that making these decisions is the elected council’s duty.
  
• Alderpersons expressed deep dissatisfaction with the Brattle Group’s draft, stating they were “not impressed at all” and requesting that the consultants provide a diverse “menu” of clean portfolios that hit all four of the city’s adopted policy points (resiliency, sustainability, affordability, and adaptability).
  
• An alderperson highlighted that demand-side management—such as time-of-use rates and smart thermostats—must be aggressively pursued to save citizens money and reduce overall load.
  
• The council agreed to send the draft back to the consultants with instructions to revise it based on the public and council feedback.
  
• A formal discussion on creating a task force was placed on the agenda for the next committee meeting on the 24th.

Author: Jim Fahrenbach

https://youtu.be/VSqccP8FAXQ?si=rdFyyUpKtHzj94Dw

https://youtu.be/54jLW6nQoDI?si=pBKxZZnDAyGTMz-Y

Pedals, Not Pegs: What Batavia Residents Need to Know About the Upcoming E-Bike Ordinance