Category: City Manager’s Office News

City of Champaign Welcomes Public Input as Part of City Council Goal Setting Process

The Champaign City Council will meet September 26 and 27, 2023, to discuss their goals for the 2023-2025 Council term, and members of the public are invited to share their thoughts and ideas now for consideration during their goal setting meetings. Public input is an important part of the Council goal setting process, and residents […]


City Manager Announces Appointment of Neighborhood Services Director

City Manager Dorothy Ann David announced today that she has appointed Rob Kowalski to serve as the City of Champaign’s next Neighborhood Services Director starting October 9, 2023. Kowalski currently serves as Assistant Director of the City’s Planning and Development Department and has more than 25 years of experience as a city planner. Serving the […]


CU Days 2023!

On August 12, 2023, the Equity and Engagement Department participated in CU Days at Douglas Park by distributing school supplies, City information, and engaging with residents to inform them of upcoming City events. This could not have been accomplished alone; the Champaign Police Department, Champaign Fire Department, Neighborhood Services Department, METCAD, Human Resources, Public Works, […]


Fire Department Partners with the Park District to Host Movie Night

On August 10, 2023, the Fire Department partnered with the Champaign Park District to host movie night at Fire Station 5. While Thursday Night Flix is typically hosted at Champaign parks, the fire station was the perfect setting to see Disney’s animated movie, Planes: Fire & Rescue. In addition to the movie, families were able […]


New Champaign City Profiles Features April Faulkner

In the latest episode of Champaign City Profiles, Station Manager Brian Paris talks with April Faulkner, a Community Relations Specialist in the Equity and Engagement Department. In the podcast, April provides some examples of what her department does and how her role is to help drive the department’s important work forward. One project that she […]


Downtown Champaign Featured in IML Publication

The August 2023 issue of the Illinois Municipal League (IML) Review features a five-page article about the revitalization of Downtown Champaign. Written by Senior Planner for Economic Development T.J. Blakeman (Planning and Development), the article provides a great history of downtown, the challenges downtown faced during the mid-20th century, and the City’s investment in infrastructure […]


‘Thank You’ Celebration!

Through the University of Illinois and Champaign Community Unit 4 School District, the City welcomed 19 interns and Youth Employment Services (YES) students to join our staff this summer. These students were able to see the ins-and-outs of how the City works while getting hands on experience in eight different departments. On July 20, the City hosted […]


Deputy Chief Gary Gula Appointed Interim Champaign Fire Chief

City Manager Dorothy Ann David has appointed Deputy Chief Gary Gula to serve as Interim Fire Chief for the Champaign Fire Department. Chief Gula is a 34-year veteran of the Champaign Fire Department and currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Operations. “I want to thank Deputy Chief Gula for agreeing to fill this important […]


Community Gun Violence Response Meeting

On June 29, 2023, a Community Gun Violence Response Meeting was held at Y on the Fly from 6-7:30 pm. The City of Champaign’s Equity and Engagement Department organized the meeting in response to incidents over the weekend. Members of the Champaign Police Department and the City Managers Office joined community members in discussing their […]


Campus-Community Compact

On June 21, 2023 was the launch of the Campus-Community Compact to Accelerate Social Justice (Compact) Convening. In response to Chancellor Jones’ Call-To-Action against racism and social injustice in July 2020, the Community Action and Public Engagement (CAPE) Committee established the Compact, comprised of a diverse group of leaders from both the campus and the […]