Aurora joins yearlong national sustainability program
As one of only 16 local governments to be chosen as part of the 2025 LEED for Cities Certification Cohort, Aurora will be supported by the U.S. Green Building Council in sustainability, resilience and quality of life efforts, according to a city news release announcing the partnership.
'The City of Aurora is honored to take part in the LEED for Cities cohort,' Mayor John Laesch said in the news release. 'This partnership will allow Aurora to develop a more sustainable planning process, while taking significant steps toward reducing climate change and promoting a more resilient and equitable city.'
LEED stands for 'Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design' and is typically used to certify green buildings. However, whole local governments or communities can be LEED certified, which is what Aurora will be working towards under the yearlong cohort program.
The city's participation in this program seems to align with Laesch's stated vision for the city, which includes a focus on fostering green-building jobs, but the city applied to be a part of the cohort before he was elected.
According to the news release, Aurora is planning to use the program to 'engage the public around data-driven goals and identify opportunities to strengthen local climate and sustainability efforts.'
Through the program, the city will be given resources to measure and improve sustainability performance through the LEED for Cities rating system, the news release said. But according to Randal Stephens, the city grant writer who helped secure the city's spot in the cohort, Aurora will also benefit from sharing resources and best practices with others in the program.
Throughout the yearlong process, she said, the cohort will meet twice a month and work through nine different areas of focus: integrative process, natural systems and ecology, transportation and land use, water efficiency, energy and greenhouse gas emissions, materials and resources, quality of life, innovation and regional priorities.
For example, in the natural systems and ecology category, Aurora will take a comprehensive look at the city's natural systems, identify invasive species, study soil composition and inventory typical pollution sources, according to Stephens. She said that, once the information is gathered, it can be used in future policy improvements or projects.
Beyond the environmental side of sustainability, Stephens said, the program will also take a look at things like vulnerable populations through the quality of life category to identify gaps in social infrastructure instead of focusing only on built environments.
LEED certification would show that Aurora took a holistic approach to evaluating its policies and practices, fostered collaboration between departments and developed a framework for continued improvement — plus, it would help the city in future grant applications, since it would show the city has the capacity, experience and ability to manage these sorts of complex programs, according to Stephens.
In the short-term, being in the cohort will give the city a free yearlong membership to resources through the LEED online portal, which is normally paid, plus will offer discounted training courses and individual certifications, she said.
According to the U.S. Green Building Council's own news release announcing the 2025 LEED for Cities Certification Cohort, nearby Cook County is also participating in the cohort program.
Other local governments in the 2025 cohort include Ashland, Massachusetts; Brighton, Colorado; Delray Beach, Florida; Farmers Branch, Texas; Harris County, Texas; King County, Washington; Lafayette, Indiana; Lincoln, Nebraska; Mercer Island, Washington; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Riverside, California; Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, and West Lafayette, Indiana.
'City governments play a critical role in advancing public and environmental health, resilience and economic prosperity across their communities,' Peter Templeton, U.S. Green Building Council president and CEO, said in the organization's press release. 'We applaud this cohort for prioritizing these outcomes and committing to meaningful actions on sustainability and community well-being.'
Stephens said Aurora was invited to apply for the cohort around late last year. The idea was then discussed internally to make sure the city had the capacity to participate in the program since it covers a large range of topics and involves nearly every city department, she said, and an application was turned in around last December.
One of the main reasons the city applied was to work toward goals laid out in the 2019 Sustainability Plan, including expanding renewable energy and piloting zero waste initiatives, according to Stephens. She said that, as the city reviews its current policies and procedures through the cohort program, hopefully opportunities for improvement will be identified that contribute to that plan's goals.
The U.S. Green Building Council's website about the Local Government Leadership Program, which the LEED for Cities Certification Cohort is a part of, says cities in the cohort are expected to be LEED certified within 12 months of starting the program. A timeline in an info packet linked on the website shows that program graduation is planned for March 31, 2026.
First started in 2017, the Local Government Leadership Program has in total provided direct support to around 120 local governments across the country, which represents around 55 million people, according to the U.S. Green Building Council's news release. Beyond the certification cohort, the program also includes regional leadership summits and accelerators.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
5 days ago
- Politico
GOP lobbyist hangs a shingle
With help from Daniel Lippman FIRST IN PI: Tyler Stephens has left Fierce Government Relations after a decade with the firm to launch his own public affairs and government relations shop, Sightline Advocacy. In an interview, Stephens said the decision to strike out on his own seemed like a 'good opportunity' given the amount of activity in Washington and the current political dynamic. — At least eight of the former clients for whom he lobbied at Fierce have signed on with the new firm, including the American Hotel and Lodging Association, General Motors, Home Depot, the Information Technology Industry Council, Oracle, Traeger Pellet Grills and TSMC Arizona. — Stephens told PI that while he's 'spent a lot of time' working on technology and national security issues, he hopes to build Sightline into a 'full-service firm that can cover a lot more than just that specific issue area.' — Before heading to K Street in 2015, Stephens was a staffer for the Senate Intelligence Committee under former chairs Richard Burr and Saxby Chambliss, and he worked for the late Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) before that. NAVIGATORS SHORES UP TELECOM OFFERINGS: Republican lobbying firm Navigators Global is partnering with the consultancy Peake Advisors to strengthen its expertise on issues at the nexus of telecom and national security. — Peake Advisors is run by Diane Rinaldo, who served as acting administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and acting assistant secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information during the first Trump administration. She's also a Senate Intel and Mike Rogers alum. — While Rinaldo's firm doesn't lobby, its clients have included the Open RAN Policy Coalition and Tarana Wireless, and Rinaldo is on the board of the AI advocacy group Americans for Responsible Innovation. — Navigators represents its own stable of telecom/nat sec clients, like Nokia, the National Spectrum Consortium and the Shortwave Modernization Coalition, and has worked with Rinaldo previously. — Spokesperson Tim Hagood told PI that the Navigators team's experience working on national security issues and in both Congress and the executive branch would play well off Rinaldo's skillset to 'create synergies' for current and future clients as telecom, technology and security become increasingly intertwined. Happy Wednesday and welcome to PI. Send tips, questions, complaints: Add me on Signal at caitlinoprysko.17, email me at coprysko@ and be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko. FIRST IN PI II: Stakeholders across tech, energy, infrastructure, finance and academia are launching a new coalition supporting policies to quickly build out the infrastructure in the U.S. needed to meet the growing energy demands of artificial intelligence. — The American Energy + AI Coalition plans to work on a dual track in Congress and at the administration level to advocate for the removal of red tape and identify other barriers and policy changes needed to shore up the power grid and bringing new electricity generation online. — Many of the group's goals dovetail with the priorities laid out in the AI Action Plan released by the White House last week, which emphasized the geopolitical and economic importance of winning the global race to dominate the AI sector. — 'The race for preeminence in artificial intelligence is the most important economic and national security issue of our time, and it must be won by America. We undoubtedly have the technological superiority to beat the competition, but that fact alone won't ensure victory,' said Mike Catanzaro, the CEO of CGCN Group and the coalition's executive director. — While a spokesperson declined to name any other specific members, the AEAI Coalition is also led by the Hamm Institute for American Energy at Oklahoma State University, which was funded by fossil fuel giant Continental Resources and the family foundation of head Harold Hamm. — Ann Bluntzer Pullin, the institute's executive director, said in a statement that the coalition would allow it to 'convene key players and deliver the research needed to keep America competitive with energy solutions bold enough to power the next era of progress.' TAKING STOCK: 'A bill to ban politicians from trading stocks in office moved one step closer to a vote — but only after an hour of intense argument and insults between Republicans,' per Business Insider's Bryan Metzger. — The bill advanced out of the Senate Homeland Security Committee with the support of every Democrat and the sponsor of the bill, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), whose support later drew an angry social media post from President Donald Trump. — It 'would ban members of Congress, the president, and the vice president from buying stocks immediately upon enactment, and would block them from selling stocks beginning 90 days after that. It would then require lawmakers to divest entirely from their stock holdings at the beginning of their next term, and it would require the president and vice President to do so' beginning with the next administration. 'It also would not allow for blind trusts, which sets it apart from other similar bills.' — As the bill awaits a floor vote in the Senate, POLITICO's Meredith Lee Hill reported Tuesday that 'Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna will attempt to force a House vote on a congressional stock trading ban in September, creating a new headache for Speaker Mike Johnson when members return to Washington from their summer recess.' ANTITRUST THE PROCESS: 'As criticism intensified over a controversial merger settlement and the MAGA lobbyists who helped deliver it, the Justice Department moved to dismiss a second merger challenge on Tuesday, in a case that once again appeared to involve lobbyists with close ties to the Trump White House and Attorney General Pam Bondi,' The American Prospect's David Dayen writes. — DOJ's challenge to the merger between American Express Global Business Travel and CWT Holdings was filed in the final days of the Biden administration to block the union of two top business travel management companies. Amex GBT hired Bondi's old lobbying firm, Ballard Partners, to work on antitrust issues in March, and paid Ballard $200,000 for lobbying outreach that included DOJ, disclosure filings show. — Because DOJ dismissed the case instead of settling it, the department is able to avoid the need for judicial review under a process that Democratic antitrust hawks are already invoking for another recent antitrust case. — DOJ's abrupt settlement last month of a proposed merger between Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Juniper Networks triggered pay-to-play accusations due to reported tensions between DOJ's antitrust chief, Gail Slater, and other administration officials in part over the involvement of politically connected consultants hired by HPE. Tuesday's dismissal came a day after two of Slater's deputies were fired for alleged 'insubordination,' according to CBS News. LOBBYING DERAILS TSA FACE ID BILL: Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) postponed a markup today on a bill that would put guardrails around the TSA's use of facial recognition technology following a last-minute lobbying blitz by the travel industry and providers of facial recognition technology, POLITICO's Benjamin Guggenheim reports. — The measure from Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) would let travelers forgo face scans at airports and would block data from the scans from being stored indefinitely. Though Cruz said at the start of today's markup that several of his colleagues wanted 'additional information about the bill' and pledged to 'keep working on it,' the industry warned earlier this week 'that the new restrictions on airport screenings would create security risks at airports and cause bottlenecks before big events, such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup.' — The clash reprises a fight from last Congress, when travel and biometrics industry groups and even the TSA worked to defeat a proposed amendment to the FAA reauthorization bill that would have halted TSA's facial recognition pilot program and codified the option for travelers to opt out of facial recognition scans. ANNALS OF DARK MONEY: 'A powerful group of conservative interest groups and activists penned a letter last week to Republican congressional leaders asking them to rein in a program that provides discounted outpatient drugs to rural Americans, alleging that it is being abused by hospitals for financial gain. Many of the letter's signatories, however, are funded by the pharmaceutical industry, which stands to gain from reforms to the program,' the Washington Examiner's Robert Schmad reports. — 'Nine of the groups that signed the letter have received funding from Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, better known as PhRMA, the primary trade organization representing the pharmaceutical industry. The 340B program forces drug manufacturers to sell their products at lower prices to certain rural healthcare providers, cutting into profit margins.' — 'Many of the organizations signing the letter have pulled in six-figure sums from PhRMA,' including the Trade Alliance to Promote Prosperity, American Commitment, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Consumer Action for a Strong Economy, and the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste. Another group, the Center for a Free Economy, received more than $500,000 in PhRMA contributions between 2022 and 2023 — 'about a third of its total revenue during the latter year.' SPOTTED last night at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for an event hosted with Russell Reynolds Associates on lessons in leadership, cultivating public profiles and brands, and opportunities for leadership growth, per a tipster: Suzanne Clark and Elizabeth Baker Keffer of the Chamber, Stacey Bernards of Honeywell International Inc., Marlene Colucci of The Business Council, Karen Harbert of the American Gas Association, Brittany Masalosalo and Tom Geier of HP, Stephanie Tomasso of Russell Reynolds Associates, Jane Adams of Johnson & Johnson, Mimi Braniff of Exxon Mobil, Michele Cahn of Xerox, Linda Darr of the American Council of Engineering Companies, Alan Davidson of Databricks, Maria Ghazal of the Healthcare Leadership Council, Stephanie Gunselman of Equifax and Krisztina Pusok of Bank of America. Jobs report — The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers has added Matthew Hite as vice president of government affairs. He most recently served as vice president of federal advocacy for the American Rental Association. — Ellen Murray has joined Simon & Co. as of counsel. She was most recently Democratic staff director of the Senate Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee. Simon & Co. has also added Patrick Butler as legislative associate. He was previously the association partnership manager at the National Association of Manufacturers. — Rachel Chiu is now a member of the government relations team at the LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games. She previously was special assistant to the president and chief of staff of the Biden White House's Office of Political Strategy and Outreach and is a Kamala Harris presidential campaign alum. — Jonathan Algor has joined Lowenstein Sandler as a partner in the firm's white collar defense and corporate investigations and integrity practice groups based in New York. He was previously a prosecutor for the national security and cybercrime section of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. — The American Hotel & Lodging Association has promoted Kat Fonda to vice president of federal government affairs, Gizem Kilic to senior director of industry research, policy and regulatory affairs and Sarah Hutchinson to manager of public policy and regulatory affairs. — Proof Strategies has promoted Mike Barco to vice president and Frances Kang to senior director. — Parker Williams has been promoted to director of communications for Ducks Unlimited. — Gen. Timothy Haugh, former dual hat leader of both the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, is joining the venture capital firm Ballistic Ventures as a strategic adviser, per Morning Cybersecurity. — Terrence Clark has joined Amazon's corporate comms team handling crisis, issues and reputation management. He most recently was senior comms adviser and spokesperson for the Justice Department, and is a Raphael Warnock alum. New Joint Fundraisers Angie Craig Victory Fund (Rep. Angie Craig, SUMMITT PAC) New PACs Civic Power of Change Action Fund (Hybrid PAC) K2 Space Corporation Political Action Committee (PAC) Minnesota Champions PAC (Super PAC) Possibilities PAC (Hybrid PAC) South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations PAC (PAC) SPORTSMEN'S PAC (Super PAC) Terf the Vote (PAC) USA Patriots PAC (PAC) Working Americans Public Action Committee (Super PAC) New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS Blossom Strategies: Solstice Innovations, Inc. Carpi & Clay, Inc: Union Of Concerned Scientists Checkmate Government Relations: International Legal Finance Association Craftwork Government Affairs: Freeman Recovery Center G S Proctor And Associates, Inc: College Of Southern Maryland Onmessage Public Strategies: Rai Services Company Riverbend Navigators LLC: Checkmate Government Relations On Behalf Of T1 Energy Rubin, Turnbull & Associates: City Of Los Angeles Rubin, Turnbull & Associates: Skydio Thegroup Dc, LLC: Hertha Metals, Inc. The Mcmanus Group: Bristol-Myers Squibb New Lobbying Terminations Capitol Ventures Government Relations, LLC: Trina Solar US Ens Resources, Inc.: City Of San Buenaventura Ens Resources, Inc.: Yolo County High Street Strategies LLC: Cambium Carbon Pbc Michael Powelson: Ecological Restoration Business Association Michael Powelson: Peninsula Open Space Trust (Post) Mr. David Kasten: Secure Future Research Navigators Global LLC (Formerly Dc Navigators, LLC): Shein Technology LLC Riverside Strategic Solutions, LLC: Valley Hope Association
Chicago Tribune
26-07-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Aurora facing ‘significant hole' in 2026 budget, mayor says
Based on early budget analysis, Aurora is facing a 'significant hole' between revenue and expenses in 2026, according to Mayor John Laesch. That's what he told residents that gathered Saturday at the first of four Community Listening and Action Town Halls, which was held at Metea Valley High School for those in the 1st and 10th wards. Before opening up the floor to questions and feedback, Laesch gave a presentation on the current state of the city's finances that highlighted challenges as well as the actions being taken to balance next year's budget. While Laesch's presentation did not give a specific number on the budget gap, he did note a few places where costs are going up. The city is set to spend an extra $7 million next year in paying off its debt, Laesch said, which has now reached $327 million. The total amount the city will need to pay each year going forward is $27 million, which includes principal repayment and interest, he said. The Aurora City Council has approved over $100 million in additional debt this year and late last year through the sale of bonds to finance construction projects from new fire stations to renovations at RiverEdge Park. Though some of the debt was taken out under Laesch's administration, all of the projects to be funded through the bonds were approved by the Aurora City Council under former Mayor Richard Irvin. The city's 2026 budget is expected to see another $3 million or $4 million increase due to pay raises, Laesch said, partially because of some union contracts negotiated before he took office in May. Laesch has been dealing with budget issues literally since his first day as mayor, he said during the presentation. It was then that he learned about the unbudgeted $500,000 promised to VNA Health Care for opening its newest clinic, which the Aurora City Council approved last month despite concerns from some aldermen. Then, on his second day in office, he said he learned that the Information Technology Department is $6.3 million over budget this year, primarily because of what he said was 'absolutely necessary' upgrades made to police and fire communications equipment, plus the 'excellent' new 311 initiative. And the hits just keep coming, Laesch said. He recently learned that OnLight Aurora, the city's not-for-profit fiber optic system that provides internet to city buildings, libraries and others, is roughly $1 million in debt, which the city has about 60 days to do something about, he said. Plus, the statewide 1% grocery tax that helps fund local governments is set to expire at the end of this year. Aurora currently gets around $4.5 million each year from the tax, and City Council is considering locally continuing the tax after it ends statewide. Laesch noted that, if the tax were to expire without a replacement, it would create another multi-million- dollar hole in the 2026 budget. The city could increase the local sales tax by 0.25% instead of extending the grocery tax, and while that would bring in an extra $6.5 million, Aurora already has a high sales tax compared to nearby communities, he said. The Aurora City Council recently voted to double the city's tax rate on hotel rooms, the first increase that tax has seen in nearly 40 years, to bring the rate more in-line with nearby communities. City officials previously said that, after the opening of the new Hollywood Casino-Aurora resort in the first half of next year, that increased tax is expected to bring in an additional $1.1 million each year. Because of the gap between revenues and expenses currently expected in the 2026 budget, 'we had to start making some tough decisions,' Laesch said at Saturday's community meeting. On basically a daily basis, city officials are going through the budget book line-by-line to find ways to be more efficient, he said. Small things to cut are being found, such as city cellphones that are going unused, while other cuts are more significant. For example, Laesch said that his administration immediately canceled the proposed City of Lights Center project that would have cost around $250 million. The project didn't make sense to him or others, he said, and the price was just too high. Aurora is also looking to potentially cut back its annual funding of the Aurora Civic Center Authority, which owns and operates the Paramount Theatre, Copley Theatre, Paramount School of the Arts and North Island Center plus manages the city-owned RiverEdge Park and Stolp Island Theatre. Laesch said the city currently gives the Authority roughly $7 million each year, and while the Paramount is vital to downtown, that amount is 'way too much.' In addition to the City of Lights Center being canceled, other planned projects have also been delayed or scaled back, according to Laesch's presentation. One delayed project is the reworking of Broadway's streetscape. However, Laesch said the state will still be working to resurface the road. Another delayed project is the redesign of Millennium Plaza in downtown, which Laesch said would have cost the city upwards of $4 million. There are now tighter internal controls on spending through 'P-Cards,' which have already led to 28% less spending using payment cards across all city departments and 54% less spending using the cards from specifically the mayor's office, according to Laesch. He said the city is also looking to refinance some of its debt through the Illinois Finance Authority. Plus, Laesch will not be using tax increment financing districts, or TIFs, and will not be giving 'corporate bailouts,' he said. During his campaign, he frequently spoke against the use of TIF districts and other economic development incentives that give tax-generated dollars to developers, and he promised to stop or at least heavily cut back on using TIFs if elected. Laesch will be using his first years in office primarily to 'just get a hold of our financial picture' and 'stabilize things financially' before looking to some of the 'bigger goals and initiatives that I was very enthusiastic about as a candidate.' Those priorities, which he also highlighted throughout his campaign and in his inauguration speech, include the construction of more single-family homes rather than apartment buildings, workforce development particularly around sustainability-focused jobs, attracting high-paying jobs and supporting small businesses. In the coming years, Laesch is hoping to 'very aggressively' go after businesses that want to pay living wages and want to contribute or adjust to energy efficiency; but first, the city needs to work to retain the businesses which have already chosen to invest in Aurora, he said. City officials are also looking into encouraging co-ops to 'have a more sustainable model to provide goods and services,' rather than 'Wall Street funded-businesses,' according to Laesch. The Community Listening and Action Town Halls will continue each Saturday through Aug. 16, with Laesch and other city officials in attendance at each. The next session will be held on Aug. 2 at the city's Public Works building, 2185 Liberty St., and is for residents of the 2nd Ward, 3rd Ward and 7th Ward. Residents of the 8th Ward and 9th Ward will get their town hall on Aug. 9 at the Eola Community Center at 555 S. Eola Road. The last stop on the tour will be at the Prisco Community Center, 150 W. Illinois Ave., for residents of the 4th Ward, 5th Ward and 6th Ward. Residents can reserve their seat ahead of time at
New York Times
24-07-2025
- New York Times
Strong Views on Israel and Genocide
To the Editor: Re 'No, Israel Is Not Committing Genocide in Gaza,' by Bret Stephens (column, July 23): Mr. Stephens's leniency toward Israel's actions in Gaza gives rhetorical cover to policies causing immense human suffering and a huge number of civilian deaths. Whitewashing the genocidal nature of Israel's war is a serious moral failure — especially when urgent public clarity is needed to push for change. Mr. Stephens argues that if Israel intended genocide, its military could have caused far more deaths. But genocide is about intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a group. Dismissing genocide because a powerful state didn't maximize killing reduces it to a numbers game and ignores reality. Israel's imperfect judicial processes and institutional constraints, along with the Netanyahu government's awareness of legal consequences, have forced limits on its actions. But the result — nearly 60,000 deaths reported, when Israel was capable of killing many more — doesn't mean intent was missing. To the contrary, the disciplined destruction of entire towns and civil infrastructure, the tactic of pushing civilians into designated zones and killing those who do not 'move' are all indications of an intent to kill as many Palestinians as needed to make life for them in Gaza unattainable. Intent to destroy Palestinian life in Gaza is obvious. That's a genocide by definition. Tamir Aldema TshuvaRamat Hasharon, Israel To the Editor: Bret Stephens argues that casually invoking the term 'genocide' merely dilutes its meaning. However, the repercussions extend far beyond semantic erosion. Such inflammatory language ignites intense emotional reactions on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, potentially prolonging the violence and exacerbating human suffering. For Hamas and its supporters, accusations of genocide against Palestinians can bolster recruitment efforts and justify continued resistance, framing the struggle as an existential battle. Conversely, for Israelis, who carry the historical scars of the Holocaust, these claims may heighten fears for their survival, prompting a more resolute defense and diminishing prospects for compromise. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
