HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Minutes 2026 02-24-26UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE 2019 CITY SURVEY OVERVIEWCity Council – February 24, 2026John Burner, Administrative Intern
SURVEY DETAILSFifth City Services SurveyOpened in September of 2019Closed at the end of January 2020DistributionReceived via utility bills and direct mailersResidents can call and receive a password after address verification
SURVEY DETAILS28 QuestionsAverage completion time was 18 minutes70% completion rate6,985 distributed, 489 responses348 responses in 2017271 responses in 2015481 responses in 2013551 responses in 2012
SURVEY DETAILSNarrative report and all survey response data,including all citizen comments, can be found here:https://www.yorkville.il.us/DocumentCenter/View/12692/2019-Citizen-Survey-Analysis-PDF
GENERAL ANALYSIS NOTES•Satisfaction question response choices were very satisfied, satisfied, neutral, dissatisfied, very dissatisfied•Green, orange, and red indications of attitude•N/A was included throughout the survey •Some responses were grouped into Satisfied, Neutral, or Dissatisfied
CITY SURVEY RESPONSES AND PROPERTY TAXES•Comments about high property taxes and fees are the most common complaint from residents in the City Surveys conducted in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019•“The property taxes need to be addressed and controlled if not outright lowered” – resident response, 1/23/2020•“Taxes are becoming too high. I'm wondering how long I can afford to live here. I'm retired, on fixed income, love the area but can see the day I will have to look at other options” – resident response, 1/11/2020•“LOWER PROPERTY TAXES. The current rate makes living in Yorkville impossible long term” –resident response, 1/28/2018•“Lower property taxes so people don't choose more affordable place to live” – resident response, 9/14/2015•“Lower taxes, we pay some of the highest real estate taxes around and we are constantly being asked for more in the way of sales tax, referendums etc.” – resident response, 3/28/2012
CITY SURVEY RESPONSES AND PROPERTY TAXES•The City collects about 5.4% of all collected property tax revenue by the County•For every property tax dollar paid, the City gets 5.4 cents of it•This was 10 cents in 2015•The City is the fourth highest in percent of revenue shared •School District 115 at 70.8%, Bristol-Kendall Fire Dept at 7.7%, County at 6.5%70.8%7.7%6.5%5.4%5.2%1.6%1.4%0.8%0.6%Dollar Breakdown by Taxing DistrictSchool District 115, 70.8%Bristol - Kendall Fire District, 7.7%Kendall County, 6.5%United City of Yorkville, 5.4%Waubonsee Comm College Dist. #516, 5.2%Kendall County Forest Preserve, 1.6%Yorkville Library, 1.4%Bristol Township, 0.8%Bristol Road District, 0.6%
QUESTION 2 – TABLE 2Table 2: 2019 Satisfaction, Neutral, and Dissatisfaction Percentages of City ServicesCity Service2019Satisfaction Neutral DissatisfactionQuality of refuse, recycling, and yardwaste collection services 85% 8% 5%Quantity of parks provided 83% 11% 3%Quality of parks 82% 11% 3%Quality of police services 77% 12% 2%Quality of wastewater services 72% 21% 3%Quality of flood prevention 70% 21% 3%Quality of stormwater management system 69% 20% 6%Quality of special events offered 68% 21% 4%Quality of water services 67% 18% 13%Quality of customer service (any department) 60% 25% 4%Maintenance of streets, sidewalks, and infrastructure 56% 24% 21%Quality of recreation programming offered 55% 23% 5%Flow of traffic / congestion management 54% 19% 27%City communication with public (not from elected officials) 52% 34% 9%Response time of police services 51% 9% 1%Quantity of recreation classes offered 50% 26% 6%Quality of property maintenance services (weeds, unsafe bldgs) 46% 28% 11%Communication with your elected officials 32% 37% 15%Quality of customer service during building inspections 29% 16% 1%
QUESTION 2 – TABLE 3Table 3: Satisfaction Percentages of City Services Compared by YearCity ServiceSatisfaction Percentage% Change between 2017 and 20192012 2013 201520172019Communication with your elected officials32% 31% 21%21% 32%11%Maintenance of streets, sidewalks, and infrastructure29% 27% 30%49% 56%7%City communication with public (not from elected off.)42% 46% 36%45% 52%7%Quality of flood prevention62% 65% 62%65% 70%5%Quality of special events offered62% 65% 60%64% 68%4%Quantity of recreation classes offered51% 48% 46%46% 50%4%Quality of wastewater services64% 73% 69%68% 72%4%Quality of customer service during building inspections43% 44% 40%23% 27%4%Quality of customer service (any department)63% 64% 59%57% 60%3%Quality of water services64% 68% 66%64% 67%3%Quality of property maintenance services (weeds, unsafe buildings, etc.)38% 46% 44%43% 46%3%Quantity of Parks Provided75% 77% 78%81% 83%2%Quality of refuse, recycling, and yardwaste collection80% 84% 83%83% 85%2%Flow of traffic / congestion management30% 28% 26%52% 54%2%Quality of Parks79% 83% 82%81% 82%1%Response time of police services77% 80% 70%51% 51%0%Quality of recreation programming offered57% 54% 49%55% 55%0%Quality of stormwater management system63% 67% 61%70% 69%-1%Quality of Police services80% 84% 84%79% 77%-2%
QUESTION 3 – TABLE 4Table 4: City Service Emphasis Ranking Compared by YearAnswer OptionsResponse Rate% Change Between 2017 and 20192012 2013 201520172019Maintenance of streets, sidewalks, and infrastructure 78% 81% 83%70% 72% 2%Flow of traffic / congestion management 61% 61% 57%41% 47% 6%Quality of police services 25% 24% 24%26% 27% 1%Quality of water services 16% 12% 16%26% 23% -3%Quality of property maintenance services (weeds, unsafe buildings)23% 19% 22%17% 19% 2%Communication with your elected officials 16% 18% 17%17% 18% 2%City communication with public (not from elected officials) 16% 14% 18%16% 17% 1%Quality of refuse, recycling, and yardwaste collection service 10% 6% 4%12% 9% -3%Quality of special events offered N/A* 4% 9%9% 8% -1%Quantity of recreation programming offered N/A* N/A* 9%8% 7% -1%Quality of parks 6% 6% 5%8% 7% -1%Quality of customer service (any department) 6% 4% 6%6% 7% 1%Quantity of recreation classes offered 6% 11% 7%6% 7% 1%Quality of stormwater management system 4% 4% 5%3% 6% 3%Quality of flood prevention 4% 3% 4%6% 3% -3%Quantity of parks provided 5% 5% 5%5% 3% -2%Quality of recreation programming offered 7% 11% 5%3% 3% 0%Quality of wastewater services 3% 4% 2%5% 2% -3%Quality of customer service during building inspections 1% 0% 0%1% 0% -1%
QUESTION 5 – TABLE 6Table 6: Quality and Value Satisfaction, Neutral, and Dissatisfaction Percentages Compared by YearAnswer Options2012 Satisfaction2013 Satisfaction2015 Satisfaction 2017 Satisfaction2019 Satisfaction% Change between 2017 and 2019Quality of life in the City61% 66% 58%64% 73%9%Quality of City Services59% 62% 54%64% 70%6%Image of the City45% 48% 46%53% 59%6%Value you receive for City tax dollars and fees39% 46% 37%45% 56%11%
QUESTION 6 – TABLE 7Table 7: 2019 Rank of Advantages and Disadvantages of Living in YorkvilleAnswer ChoicesPercent that identify as% Difference between Adv. and Disadv.Advantage Neutral DisadvantageResidential Neighborhoods81% 18% 1% 80%Friendliness of residents76% 21% 4% 72%Housing Quality64% 31% 5% 59%Schools56% 36% 8% 48%Location55% 30% 16% 39%Recreational amenities46% 43% 12% 34%Housing Costs39% 27% 34% 5%Shopping26% 36% 38% -12%Transportation10% 42% 49% -39%
QUESTION 19 – TABLE 22 Table 22: Comments Regarding Types of CompaniesType of Company# of Comments20122013201520172019Supermarket / Grocery 20218561112179Dining Facility3132667597150RetailN/AN/AN/AN/A80Specialty Store225229647559General Purpose134104511935Service Industries4334249Miscellaneous52325114
QUESTION 19 – TABLE 23 Table 23: 2019 Comments Regarding Specific Companies DesiredRequest: Count:Trader Joe's 54Portillos 34Meijer 34Costco 29Chipotle 21Chilis 19Walmart 18Marianos 18Home Goods 17Whole Foods 15Hobby Lobby 14Dicks Sporting Goods 14Bed, Bath and Beyond 11Michaels Craft 11Non-Chain Restaurants 10General Retail 10Chick Fil-A 9Olive Garden 8Old Navy 8Popeyes 7
DEMOGRAPHICSWho is taking the survey?82% of respondents have lived in Yorkville for 0-19 years199 (46%) for 0 to 9 years154 (36%) for 10 to 19 yearsBoth down 1% from 201713 lifelong resident respondents+5 from 2017Age demographicsFairly even participation distribution from ages 30-70+60-69 lead all age groups with 104 responses (24% of the total)19 and younger underrepresented by 30.4%50 and over overrepresented by 41.5%
2026 CITIZEN SURVEY2026 city services survey timelineExpected release TBDStaff is currently reviewing resident comments and suggestions for the future survey
QUESTIONS OR ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONJohn Burner, Administrative Internjburner@yorkville.il.usBart Olson, City Administratorbolson@yorkville.il.usSurvey Link:https://www.yorkville.il.us/DocumentCenter/View/12692/2019-Citizen-Survey-Analysis-PDF
United City of YorkvilleData Center DevelopmentsInformational Presentation and Status UpdateFebruary 24, 2026
My Background•Bart Olson•City Administrator for Yorkville since 2009•Top appointed official•Manages the day-to-day operations of all departments except Police•Yorkville High School Graduate•Northern Illinois University, Master of Public Administration Graduate•Yorkville Area Chamber of Commerce Board member since 2009
Overview•Tonight’s overview:•Direct response to questions posed by Diana Cafi at the February 10thCity Council meeting•Select review of “Yorkville Illinois Say No to Data!” Facebook Group comments to and from residents and me•Materials reviewed by staff since the February 10thCity Council meeting•Brief discussion of landscaping buffers•What we are not covering, but have addressed in prior presentations:•What is a data center?•Why are data centers needed?•Why are data centers choosing to land in Yorkville?•Potential Benefits of Data Centers•Project details•How will Yorkville address expected resident concerns?
Questions posed at February 10thmeeting•Will you require an independent health impact assessment?•None is currently proposed.•Will you prohibit diesel generator testing during peak residential hours or when wind carries exhaust toward homes or schools?•The City is proposing to allow testing only on non-holiday weekdays between 11am and 5pm, with restrictions on how many generators can be tested at once.•Will you require cleaner alternatives to diesel backup generators?•Under review. One of the projects is considering bio-diesel fuels.•Will you require independently verified, continuous air quality monitoring?•None is currently proposed. The State is the traditional regulatory authority on air quality permits, and will issue permits for all diesel generation on site.
Questions posed at February 10thmeeting•Will you require an independent noise assessment, measured at the property line of the nearest home?•Yes, we are proposing comprehensive noise studies now (before City Council approval), before issuance of building permit, during construction, and after each building is operational.•Will you mandate enforceable, legally binding noise limits, not self-reported by the operator?•Yes.•Will you commit to revoking operating permits if noise standards are repeatedly violated?•The City does not have an “operating permit” and noise issues would be adjudicated through the agreement and through City code.
Questions posed at February 10thmeeting•Will you require multiple public hearings with at least 30 days notice before any data center vote?•The City has already held state-required public hearings for Project Cardinal, Project Steel, and the Meyer property. Those state laws require 15-30 days notice (maximum 30 days to prevent someone from issuing a public notice months in advance of a hearing).•Will you make all agreements, tax incentives, and impact studies publicly available online before any vote is taken?•Every document submitted by the data centers is posted on the website already, and all agreements must be publicly available prior to a vote, per the Open Meetings Act.
Questions posed at February 10thmeeting•Will you create a community oversight committee with resident members who have access to real-time monitoring data?•None is currently proposed. We do not have similar committees for any other development in town.•Will you support annual public reporting on emissions, noise, water use, and jobs, with consequences?•Reporting is under review. Water use consequences will be in the utility agreements. No job creation requirements are being made by the City nor the state.
Questions posed at February 10thmeeting•Will you oppose tax abatements for data centers that exceed 10 years?•The City is not proposing any real estate tax abatements as part of the projects. The City is working through a concept where the school districts will receive accelerated property tax payments from the data center developers in exchange for a 0% interest property tax abatement at a later date (effectively giving school districts access to property tax payments sooner than normal).•Will you require a guaranteed minimum number of permanent, local jobs – not just construction positions?•This is not currently proposed, and has only been required in the past when the City has considered development incentives on a project. No local incentives are being proposed for Project Cardinal or Project Steel.
Questions posed at February 10thmeeting•Will you require data centers to fund all necessary upgrades to Yorkville’s electrical grid and water infrastructure?•ComEd has authority over the electrical grid. The City does not have authority over the electrical grid. ComEd is requiring the data centers to pay for upgrades to the electrical grid plus extra tariffs and security to cover 10 years worth of expected electrical bills for each new data center project.
Overview of Facebook Group Comments•Concern that the City is paying for the water, sewer, and roadway infrastructure for data centers•The City is not offering to pay for any local infrastructure for Cyrus One Phase 2, Meyer Property, Project Cardinal, or Project Steel •Data Center Water Usage will eat into the City’s Lake Michigan water allocation•Not a concern with regulatory allocation nor practical capacity•The Lake Michigan allocation is a one-time threshold to meet, that gets adjusted every decade based on actual usage. City’s allocation is based on a 2050 water use number that will not be exceeded at time of system completion in 2028.•Data Centers will be asked to pay for extra capacity within the DWC system to account for their usage (Yorkville’s original allocated capacity will remain as is)•Yorkville’s water system has capacity in wells (primary wells currently or backup wells in the future), treatment, and storage for data center usage
Overview of Facebook Group Comments•Fear of change in property tax assessments on data centers, either that they will depreciate over time or that the state will provide future tax breaks that undermine the City’s revenue projections•City is in touch with Bristol Township assessor to better understand long-term assessment projections•Assessments are based on permanent improvements and not computer equipment in the building•City has no control over the state legislature - the State can always come in and change the rules on assessments or property taxes
Overview of Facebook Group Comments•Horses and noise•Combination of Facebook group comments and in-person meeting comments•“Horses are 25% more sensitive to sound than humans”•There is a very nice equestrian center located West of the project site. How do horses respond to noise as compared to humans? •After researching horses’ response to noise, we found that horses have a wider frequency range of hearing than humans and are likely to be startled by sudden noises due to their prey instinct. There is some evidence that, like humans, horses acclimate to steady or repetitive noises (such as aircraft flyovers or train passbys). Since noises associated with data centers are primarily continuous noises, rather than intermittent or sudden onset noises, we expect the horses will not be more sensitive than humans to this type of noise source. In addition, ANSI S12.9 recommends that noise transmissions to residential land uses be 5-15 dB quieter than riding stables, suggesting that humans are more sensitive to noise than horses. – Soundscape Engineering
Overview of Facebook Group Comments•1) Is a home that backs up to a corn field worth less, when that corn field turns into a data center?•2) Are there any conditions in which adding the data center increases the neighboring homes’ values?•No substantial discussion of property value impacts were had during the PZC or City Council public hearings•I have spoken to the Bristol Township assessor, Naperville Township Assessor and President of the DuPage County Assessors Association, and representatives from the Cook County Assessor’s office, and there is not an industry standard or study to be referenced which has a guideline
Overview of Facebook Group Comments•Data center opponents have shared facebook comments that:•Indicate a 5% to 15% decrease in property values within ¼ mile (~1,300 feet) •AI generated information on a single Realtor’s website in San Antonio, TX with no supporting documentation•Facebook comment which references the above AI generated post, but also links to a HouseBeautiful.com article•https://www.housebeautiful.com/design-inspiration/real-estate/a69619952/are-data-centers-killing-home-sales/•HouseBeautiful.com article links to this 2025 George Mason University analysis from 2023 home sales in Northern Virginia•https://cra.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/NoVa_DataCenters.pdf•“More interestingly, while the variable denoting distance to a data center was statistically significant, the coefficient carried the unexpected negative sign meaning that the closer a home was, holding all other variables equal, to a data center, the value was higher. We structured the test as a one-tailed statistical test, which leads to the conclusion: The analysis fails to demonstrate statistical evidence that proximity to a data center negatively impacts housing values. This suggests that any negative externalities associated with data centers, such as noise, do not have a systemic effect on housing values.”•Youtube Video on the Hyperion Data Center in Rayville Louisiana states that property values near the data center increased by 171% from one year to the next after the data center was announced
Materials reviewed by staff since Feb 10•Aurora Data Center Open House, Thursday, Feb 12•Aurora staff reached out to Yorkville staff months before the meeting to learn about our zoning code amendments already approved by Yorkville •Krysti Barksdale-Noble, Yorkville Community Development Director attended the Open House meeting
Materials reviewed by staff since Feb 10•Aurora Data Center Open House, Thursday, Feb 12•Aurora proposals:•Community outreach (required in Yorkville)•City Council has to approve every new data center (same in Yorkville, with multiple approvals required)•Annual reporting on energy, water, emissions, noise•Under review by Yorkville. Noise monitoring is required for 3 years after the opening of every building already.•Fines for non-compliance (same in Yorkville)•Local authority of Biometric Privacy Act protections (not allowed in Yorkville as a non-home rule community)•Evaporative cooling prohibited (same in Yorkville, through development agreements)•Water study required at application (already started in Yorkville, almost complete)•Maximum decibel levels at property line (Yorkville sets the standard at receiving properties)•Restrictions on generator testing (same in Yorkville)
Materials reviewed by staff since Feb 10•Aurora Data Center Open House, Thursday, Feb 12•Aurora proposals:•Applicant must assess electric grid, roads, and utilities (Yorkville doesn’t address the electric grid, which is regulated by the state and/or ComEd)•On-site clean energy required (not required in Yorkville)
Materials reviewed by staff since Feb 10•Yorkville City Council meeting, citizen comments:•“The Unpaid Toll: Quantifying and Addressing the Public Health Impact of Data Centers” by Yuelin Han, Zhifeng Wu, Adam Wierman, Shaolei Ren•https://arxiv.org/pdf/2412.06288•Shaolei Ren has given a National League of Cities webinar on air quality impacts, and is on a SciLine webinar on the same topic tomorrow (Yorkville staff will observe)•“The growing demand for AI [nation-wide] is projected to push the total annual public health burden of U.S. data centers up to more than $20 billion in 2028, rivaling that of on-road emissions of California.”
Materials reviewed by staff since Feb 10•Unpaid Toll study, continued•A recent report by the state of Virginia [42] found that the actual air pollutant emissions from backup generators at Virginia’s data centers reached approximately 7% of the total permitted amounts in 2023, primarily for maintenance. Likewise, the actual emissions took up 3% to 12% of the permitted levels for some data centers in Quincy, Washington [43]•Quincy Washington, State study•https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/documents/2002019.pdf•- Air monitoring in Quincy during 2018 found: •No large contributions from data center-related emissions.•No violations of national air quality standards for fine particles or nitrogen dioxide. •Nitrogen dioxide concentrations vary throughout the day in a pattern that mirrors vehicle traffic. •Fine particle levels in the Quincy area are similar to other nearby sites.
Materials reviewed by staff since Feb 10•Quincy Washington, State study, continued•https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/documents/2002019.pdf•Between 7 data center campuses, ~285 generators and ~700 megawatts of power usage, diesel particulate emissions from the data centers were less than the emissions from their two State Routes in town (28 and 281), were 50% less than the BNSF locomotive emissions from the train line through town, and were 73% less than emissions generated from agricultural equipment, local roads, construction, and other diesel equipment.
•Quincy Washington, State study, continued•https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/documents/2002019.pdf
Materials reviewed by staff since Feb 10•JLL – North America 2025 Data Center Report
Materials reviewed by staff since Feb 10•JLL – North America 2025 Data Center Report
Landscape Buffer Comparisons•Cyrus One, northwest corner of Eola Rd and I-88•~25 feet wide as currently constructed, roughly 10 evergreen trees per 100 linear feet•Eyeball estimate – 6 foot high berm•Prairie Meadows subdivision, north of intersection of McHugh Road and Hayden Drive•~45 feet wide as currently constructed, roughly 7 trees and 20 shrubs per 100 linear feet•5-6 foot berm•Sample Yorkville data center berm, Project Cardinal•100 feet wide, more than 50 trees and 175 shrubs and grasses per 100 linear feet•Average 8 feet high in most areas, but 12 feet high in all areas near residential properties
Landscape buffers, comparison
Landscape buffers, comparison
How can you participate?•Cyrus One, Phase 2 -https://www.yorkville.il.us/923/C1-Yorkville---Phase-2-Data-Center-Campu•Cyrus One, Phase 1 minor PUD amendment on tonight’s agenda•Project Cardinal -https://www.yorkville.il.us/906/Project-Cardinal-Data-Center-Campus-Anne•Project Steel -https://www.yorkville.il.us/905/Project-Steel-Data-Center-Campus-Annex-R •Meyer Property, Rezoning -https://www.yorkville.il.us/919/Meyer-Rezone
Follow up questions?•Contact staff with any questions •Bart Olson, City Administrator – bolson@yorkville.il.us•Krysti Barksdale-Noble, Community Development Director –knoble@yorkville.il.us•Elected officials contact information -https://www.yorkville.il.us/320/City-Council