A quick primer on C-U government

The News-Gazette's Mike Monson offers key issues facing councils:

Champaign

Champaign operates under the council-manager form of government, where the city manager serves as the city executive; he hires, fires and supervises nine department heads.

The nine-member city council includes the mayor, three at-large council members and five council members elected from districts. The five district members will be up for election on April 7, 2009. The mayor and three at-large council members will be up for election in 2011. Champaign's election is nonpartisan, though most officials are active politically.

In Champaign's form of government, the mayor's powers are similar to those of other council members, except that the mayor also acts as liquor commissioner. He also chairs council meetings and is the last council member to vote. The mayor does not have the power to veto ordinances.

Key pending city issues:

– Arterial roads. The city has a backlog of $50 million in needed improvements to arterial roads that are not included in the city's 10-year capital improvement plan. The council is expected to discuss funding strategies this fall for catching up and staying caught up on road projects.

– Mandatory park land dedication. Currently, developers aren't required to set aside land for city parks when they develop a subdivision. A city task force was being set up this summer to study whether developers should be required to dedicate property, or an equivalent cash amount, for future parks. Recommendations from the task force are expected by this fall.

– The council is expected to decide this fall whether to retain provisions in the city's human rights ordinance that prohibit landlords from discriminating against recipients of federal Section 8 rent subsidy vouchers.

Urbana

Urbana operates under the mayor-aldermanic form of government, where the mayor is the chief executive. The mayor presides at council meetings and is responsible for seeing that all laws and ordinances are faithfully executed.

The mayor appoints the city's chief administrative officer and all city department heads, including director of public works, the city comptroller, personnel coordinator, city attorney, and the police and fire chiefs. The mayor also acts as liquor commissioner.

The mayor in Urbana only votes when there is a tie vote among the seven aldermen, or where a vote requires a supermajority of the corporate authorities (six of eight votes) for an annexation agreement, a budget amendment or the sale of city real estate.

Urbana's mayor has veto power over city ordinances. It takes five of seven aldermen to override a veto.

Aldermen are elected from seven wards, and the mayor and city clerk are elected citywide. The mayor, city council and city clerk all run for office every four years in the same partisan election. The next election is April 7, 2009.

In 1975, Urbana used its home rule powers to create a chief administrative officer, whose job is to assist the mayor in the formulation and development of policies and programs; to recommend the appointment of all department heads and divisions; and to direct the general operations and business of the city. Mayor Laurel Prussing did not reappoint longtime Chief Administrative Officer Bruce Walden this summer and has indicated she might revise the job description and title.

Key pending city issues:

– City reserves. The city's general fund reserve stands at about $600,000, down from about $3 million a few years ago. Spending on repairing the old city landfill, which was leaking, is responsible for most of the decline. Council members said this summer the city must bolster the reserve fund.

– The city likely will continue to pressure Illinois American Water Co. on service issues, and there has been discussion about having the city purchase the water system from the company. In her budget message, Prussing said the city might "need to do what is necessary to buy the system" if the company doesn't provide a safe, reliable water system at a reasonable cost.

– Philo Road revitalization. The city has seen some success with its revitalization efforts, with construction of a new Meijer under way. City efforts will continue this year to attract other retailers and beautify the corridor.

– Carle master plan. The Carle Foundation is asking the city council to vacate portions of Coler and Busey avenues and Park Street, which run through the hospital campus, so it can build a new $144 million heart and vascular center and hospital expansion. Carle also wants to expand to the north its medical institutional campus zoning district, which gives it wide latitude to add new buildings.