Mayor mulls Elgin ‘events days’

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Runners warm up as Elgin Mayor David Kaptain, in lift, gets ready to announce the start of the 34th annual Elgin Valley Fox Trot on May 30. | Sun-Times Media File Photo

Updated: October 29, 2011 12:44AM

ELGIN — Mayor Dave Kaptain is floating the idea of having summer weekends that would consolidate special events held by Elgin’s nonprofit groups in which the city has been playing a sponsor’s role.

Kaptain said he recently learned from city staff that Elgin currently sponsors a couple of hundred such nonprofit events a year by providing things such as space, public safety and other services at little or no cost.

Kaptain’s idea is to bundle such events to take place on four specific weekends already tied in the public’s eye to community gatherings: Memorial Day weekend; the Fourth of July; the first weekend in August, when the city hosts Art & Soul Passeggiata; and Labor Day weekend.

An example of where this already is taking place is in May, when the Kiwanis Club pancake breakfast coincides with the city’s annual Elgin Valley Fox Trot run and walk, Kaptain said.

One of the reasons behind Kaptain’s thinking is the cost savings that might result for the city. He said nonprofit requests can run between $1,000 and $1,500 for what implicitly and frequently has been provided gratis — and which add up to a significant amount of money.

With the city facing impending budget decisions, the proposed weekends could be a line-item consideration, Kaptain said. The city would partner with the nonprofits for the weekends, and assistance would include promoting them to the public, Kaptain noted.

At the same time, Kaptain also is mulling over permit and event fees for nonprofit-related events that require city services and/or use city property. He said the city more than likely will play a more limited role in such events, given its budget concerns and because the amount of Grand Victoria Casino tax money received by Elgin has been shrinking considerably due to the recession and now the new casino competing against it in Des Plaines.

Kaptain doesn’t see his ideas as set in stone but a way to get a conversation started.

“They are just suggestions,” Kaptain said.

Talking with community

They grew out of his own talks with city staff and at two community conversations held by him or staff with Elgin’s nonprofit community.

According to a press release issued last week, “the Mayor’s Community Listening Sessions, which began in June, are scheduled to continue with additional live online web chats, community meetings and neighborhood walks each month throughout the remainder of the year.”

“The purpose of these outreach events is for the mayor and other council members to hear directly from residents on issues, ideas and concerns they would like to share with their city government,” the release states. “These sessions are intended to provide a forum to discuss the important policy issues that will shape the future of our community.”

The next live chat will take place 7 p.m. July 25 at the Rakow Branch of Gail Borden Public Library. Residents can log in to participate online each month at www.cityofelgin.org and follow the link on the home page to chat live with the mayor. Participants can type in comments and questions, and the mayor will respond directly during the webcast.

In addition to the online chat, other upcoming community outreach events include the Mark Avenue/Eagle Heights Walk & Talk Thursday at 6 p.m.; a Parkwood Walk & Talk on Saturday, Aug. 6, at 10 a.m.; a community listening session Monday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m. in the Lords Park Pavilion, 100 Oakwood Blvd.; a Poplar Creek Walk & Talk Thursday, Aug. 11, at 5 p.m.; a Downtown/Center City Walk & Talk on Tuesday, Aug. 23, at 2 p.m.; and a live chat with the mayor, also on Aug. 23, at 7 p.m. at Provena Saint Joseph Hospital, 77 N. Airlite St.

Budget task force

Kaptain, with help from City Manager Sean Stegall and input from staff, is forming a task force to come up with ideas for the city’s budget, which might have a gap of more than $4 million to fill for next year.

Fifty-seven people have applied for the group, and 12 will be named to serve on it by the beginning of August, Kaptain said.

Kaptain said the application for the task force asked people to check off other similar committees focusing on a variety of aspects of city government for which they might want to volunteer. He is encouraging other Elgin residents, too, to get involved in the process, with input to be considered as part of the city’s strategic planning.