Diane Moca: Welcome to Talking Cities Aurora. I'm Diane Moca with today's top headlines in our city. Residents of the high end Stonebridge subdivision and members of the Mexican American legal defense and educational fund were both upset with the city for the same reason, but only one group got their issue resolved. The conflicts came up when the city proposed splitting cohesive community neighborhoods into different wards. The City of Aurora is redrawing the boundary lines of its 10 wards because of population changes reported in the 2020 census to put the same number of residents in each ward. Maria Avila from the Oak Park neighborhood told alderman the Hispanic community south of the train tracks between Ohio and Farmsworth should be together in one ward. Maria Avila: Gracias. [foreign language 00:00:47] Liliana Olayo: Most people on this group are Latino, Hispanic speakers so that's why we need someone that we can communicate and relate with the issues with the Latino issues. Especially the language is a barrier to communicate with you. We really are asking you in this time for the opportunity to let us belong to the ward number two. Diane Moca: The Mexican American organization submitted one of six proposals considered by committee of the whole. The committee decided to eliminate that proposal and three others and sent only two proposed maps to city council. Those maps both show a small area in district seven that Maria and her neighbors say should be in district two residents of Stonebridge also attended recent meetings to complain about the ward redistricting, because at least one of the original proposals split the country club subdivision into two wards. Suelynn Hanegraaf: Stonebridge is one of Aurora's largest neighborhoods. We consist of over 900 homes. We have worked very hard over the years to create a spirit of community inclusion. Phil Hanegraaf: We deal with our land use issues as a whole and we represent our community as a whole. Splitting it into a couple of different wards creates a potential for conflict. Diane Moca: Stonebridge residents say the city listened to their concerns and kept Stonebridge intact all in one ward in both proposals to be discussed at the next city council meeting. Alderman Sherman Jenkins and Michael Seville had a private meeting with several club owners who criticize the proposal to increase video poker machine fees, though the companies that operate the poker machines and the establishments that offer them to customers share in the profit, they do not face the same expenses. Yet Illinois created a new state mandate that requires they split the cost of fees equally prompting Aurora to propose new fees that could decimate some local bar owners. Jay Wessels: You guys are proposing a gaming tax increase and we really don't need a hit like that so I don't think it's fair. Martin Pacione: The money that we generate from the video terminals, really pays our bills. I know that there has to be some sort of increase, but current proposal, it's five times what I'm currently paying, which is a big bite for a small club. Joe Lusk: A smaller fees to organizations. They have 501C classification nonprofit status. Oswego has this, has a split. Reason being a 501C, I think it's unfair to put us in a frame of a big business. I understand some of the business profit a lot about this for the gaming operation. We're not one of them. Richard Veenstra: Once the license has been issued, we do have some discretion as to what types of establishments or liquor licensees are eligible to get. We have some location restrictions. We have some other restrictions in our ordinances to where the machines can be placed, but between that and the fee structure that we establish, that's pretty much the extent. Diane Moca: During a follow up private meeting, the manager of the Aurora Athletic Club said alderman agreed to put the proposed increase on hold indefinitely because the updated state law has not been enforced yet. Martin said bar owners are relieved the city will wait to find out how the state plans to implement the new rules. Those are today's trending topics. From Talking Cities Aurora, I'm Diane Moca.