![]() The city has been vague on explaining why cash payment of reparations is now advisable. “Staff is currently working with Finance on payment administration,” Kerr said in an emailed response about when the Widemans will be paid. Kenneth Wideman confirmed that the city called him and his sister with the news they will receive the funds, but didn’t provide an actual or estimated date when the grants will be issued. As of March 9, a week later, the committee is still working to schedule the meeting, Kerr said. The committee agreed March 2 to schedule another meeting the following week to discuss the possibility of expanding the option of cash payment to all ancestors. “So let’s just fix this, and let’s fix it now.” “I think it would be a mistake and potentially leave a worse sentiment in the community if we’re only to make this amendment specifically for two folks, knowing surely well that there’s more folks certainly out of the ancestor group of 120-some-odd people that will be in a similar situation,” Reid said March 2. “We review the program guidelines with our recipients and inform them of the requirements of the three benefits.” “We do not explicitly ask – ‘Do you have property?’ as you stated,” Kerr said via email Thursday, March 9. Property ownership issueĪs in the first round, the city will not ask applicants whether they do or do not own property in Evanston. Ancestors can see where they are in line on the city’s reparations web page. The order of which ancestor applicants will receive their grants first was randomly determined in January 2022. The committee also secured $1 million a year from the city’s graduated real estate transfer tax to help fund reparations grants. ![]() The City Council approved a resolution in December 2022 to transfer $2 million from the general fund to the reparations fund. That’s because the cannabis tax revenues come from the city’s only marijuana dispensary, Zen Leaf, which doesn’t break out store revenue. Kerr said the city can’t disclose the actual number of grant recipients who will be included in the second round without revealing the amount in the reparations fund. Then-Chair Peter Braithwaite watches while Tasheik Kerr, assistant to the city manager, keeps track. Robin Rue Simmons pulls a lottery ball to determine the order of reparations recipients at Evanston’s Reparations Committee meeting on Jan. ![]()
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