Batavia Voters Will Be Asked 2 Referendum Questions In April Election

BATAVIA, IL — Batavia residents voting in April's election will see two additional questions on their ballots.

During a regular meeting Jan. 17, City Council approved adding two referendum questions pertaining to eliminating two elected roles in city government: city clerk and treasurer.

As they are now, both treasurer and clerk roles are paid positions that earn $600 and $7,370 annually, respectively.

The reason for the possible change, according to officials, is due to a lack of candidates for both roles. Batavia only had one candidate run for clerk in the past two elections, and each decided not to run for reelection after their first term.

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.

As a quick fix in 2021, the treasurer's responsibility was given to the city's utility billing supervisor, a Batavia resident.

To remedy the problem, officials are looking to appoint someone to the city clerk role and shift the treasurer duties to the city's finance director. Both solutions would eliminate the need for an elected position, and the change to the form of government can only be made through a referendum.

By making the switch, the positions will be filled by the mayor, with advice from city staff, and approved by City Council. Both clerk and treasurer will be city staff members who would be trained and partake in performance reviews, officials said.

If the referendum passes, the appointment process would begin once the current terms of treasurer and clerk expire.

On the ballot for the April 4 election, the questions will read as follows:

• Shall the elected office of the City Clerk of the City of Batavia be abolished and the duties of the City Clerk be assigned to an appointed City Clerk?
• Shall the elected office of the City Treasurer of the City of Batavia be abolished and the duties of the City Treasurer be assigned to the City Finance Director at no additional cost to the City?