Batavia Clerk Will Remain Elected Position, Unofficial Results Show

BATAVIA, IL — One of two referenda issued by the City of Batavia to make changes to two elected positions in government passed in Tuesday's election, according to unofficial results from the Kane County Clerk's Office.

One question asked voters if the city clerk can be appointed rather than elected going forward, and 3,156 residents, or 53.98 percent, said no compared to the 2,691, or 46.02 percent, who responded in the affirmative.

The second question asked if the treasurer position could be abolished, with duties being assigned to the city's finance director. The referendum passed, with 3,658 yes votes and 2,124 no votes, unofficial tallies show. That's 63.27 percent in favor and 36.73 percent opposed.

Of the 18,952 registered voters in Batavia, 6,322 responded to the questions for a turnout rate of 33.36 percent.

City officials' reasoning behind wanting to make the changes was due to a lack of candidates for both roles, Patch reported. In the past two elections, Batavia had only one candidate run for clerk, and each decided not to seek reelection after their first term, Patch reported.

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Officials cited the city clerk's responsibilities "exceed[ing] what can reasonably be expected from someone with other full-time employment" as having "drastically" limited candidate hopefuls.

Similarly, there were no candidates for the position of city treasurer in the 2021 election. Officials said shifting the duties to the city's finance director would have been the "most appropriate choice," but at the time, the person holding the position didn't meet residency requirements, which further limit the elected position. The responsibilities were temporarily assigned to the city's utility billing supervisor.

Now that the referendum is poised to pass, the appointment process will begin once the current terms for treasurer and clerk expire, Patch reported.

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