​The Alicia Titus Memorial Peace Run 5K & 1 Mile Walk/Run - Saturday, September 7 that 9:00 a.m. starts and finishes near the Urbana University Student Center. This family peace building event offers lots of post-race refreshments, music and "Kids for Peace" activities. You can register & pay online at http://www.cantstoprunningco.com OR return form with entry fee (payable to The Alicia Titus Memorial Peace Fund) to Urbana University, Attn: Stephani Islam, 579 College Way, Urbana, OH 43078 www.urbana.edu.

The inaugural Knight's Peace Award in memory of Alicia Titus will be presented in September. Please visit the www.urbana.edu. Alicia Titus Memorial Peace Fund page to submit names for this year's Knight's Peace Award and presentation information.

"International Day of Peace" September Celebration - Date and time to be announced.

"Nonviolent Communication" 6 Week Class - October 14th - November 18th, Mondays 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. This FREE 6 Week "Nonviolent Communication" Class is open to high school students, UU Students and community members. The classes will be held in the Moore Conference Room, downstairs in the Urbana University Student Center. To register for the Nonviolent Communication Class please call Stephani Islam at (937) 772-9246.

2020
"Season for Nonviolence" (January 30th - April 4th) - A national 64-day educational, media, and grassroots campaign dedicated to demonstrating that nonviolence is a powerful way to heal, transform, and empower our lives and our communities. The Alicia Titus Memorial Peace Fund, Urbana University, A Branch Campus of Franklin University and the City of Urbana, the 140th International "City of Peace", are heading into their sixth year of promoting and sponsoring programs for the "Season for Nonviolence". 2020 - Special guest speaker, Paul Chappell. "Quilting the Golden Rule" Exhibit will be on display. Dates and times to be announced.

"Great Kindness Challenge" (January 27th - 31st) - The Great Kindness Challenge is a Bully Prevention program for Pre-K - 12 students that creates a culture of kindness!! Everyone in our Urbana City of Peace Community is invited to join in the challenge and support our youth in their efforts to be kind. To sign up your school, your business or family, please visit the "Kids for Peace" (Great Kindness Challenge) and download the School or Family Edition checklist https://thegreatkindnesschallenge.com/familychecklist/.

"Nonviolent Communication" 6 Week Class (March 16th - April 20th) - Mondays 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. This FREE 6 Week "Nonviolent Communication" Class - Level 2 is open to high school students, UU Students and community members. The classes will be held in the Moore Conference Room, downstairs in the Urbana University Student Center. To register for the Nonviolent Communication Class please call Stephani Islam at (937) 772-9246.

"Cooperative Service Volunteer" Program (April 1 - 30) - The Alicia Titus Memorial Peace Fund "Cooperative Service Volunteer Program links Urbana University Students with service volunteer opportunities within our Urbana City & Champaign County Community.

"The Alicia Titus Memorial Peace Fund Endowed Scholarship" will be awarded in April to our 6th recipient!

2018/2019 Alicia Titus Memorial Peace Fund Programs and Events
• The Alicia Titus Memorial Peace Fund "Run for Peace" was held on September 8, 2018 and despite the rain, there were approximately 150 participants and volunteers. The Urbana Police Department once again won the special traveling trophy! We are grateful for their service!!
• The annual Knight's Peace Award in memory of Alicia Titus was given to Urbana Mayor Bill Bean Sept. 20, 2018. Please visit the www.urbana.edu. Alicia Titus Memorial Peace Fund page to submit names for this year's Knight's Peace Award.
• The Alicia Titus Memorial Peace Fund, Urbana University, and our Urbana City of Peace celebrated "International Day of Peace" on Thursday, Sept. 20 serving up pizza, veggies, water and information about what it means to be a "City of Peace" to over 150 students and community members on UU's Campus!
• The International "Cities of Peace" exhibit was on display in the Urbana University Student Center's Sara Landess Room from Nov. 5, 2018 - May 6, 2019. The exhibit consisted of 12 panels that represent "Cities of Peace" around the world, as well as our own newly redesigned Urbana "City of Peace" Panel. The "Cities of Peace" exhibit panels answer the questions and address the following issues: "What Are Cities of Peace"? "Are Cities of Peace Important"? "What is a Culture of Peace"? and, "Fostering Our Peace Economy" and "International Cities of Peace" location. The "Cities of Peace" Exhibit opened with a panel discussion both times with approximately 50 community members and students in attendance.
• Alicia's Peace Fund, Urbana University, Urbana City, and Champaign County participated in our fifth "Season for Nonviolence" Jan. 30 -April 4, 2019, the 64-day educational, media and grassroots campaign is dedicated to demonstrating that nonviolence is a powerful way to heal, transform and empower lives and communities. This event is a commemoration of the lives of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.
• As a part of the 2019, "Season for Nonviolence", local schools including Mechanicsburg, West Liberty, Graham and Urbana City participated in the "Great Kindness Challenge" Jan. 28-Feb. 1, 2019. The "bully prevention" program encourages children to perform random acts of kindness throughout the week. Mechanicsburg Schools dedicated an entire year to performing acts of kindness within their school, home and their communities. Close to 1,000 family and community members participated in performing random acts of kindness and nearly 4,100 Champaign County students, faculty and staff joined over 13 million students from over 24,000 schools around the world for this event. In excess of 650 million "acts of kindness" were performed in 113 countries this year!
• The Alicia Titus Memorial Peace Fund sponsored two 6-week Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Workshops for Urbana University students, faculty and staff along with community members, free of charge. Forty people participated. NVC was developed by Marshall Rosenberg, PhD, clinical psychologist and mediator and has been taught around for over 50 years in 65 countries and has been used by thousands of people. Diane Diller, NVC trainer certified by the Global Center of Nonviolent Communication led the workshops.
• The Season for Nonviolence wrapped up with a month of service in April. The Alicia Titus Memorial Peace Fund "Cooperative Service Volunteer Program" links Urbana University students with service volunteer opportunities within the Urbana community. Several local businesses and organizations provided opportunities for over 100 Urbana University students, faculty and staff to serve in our Urbana "City of Peace" Community, which resulted in over 200 hours of volunteer service!
• The fifth annual endowed scholarship was awarded through the Alicia Titus Memorial Peace fund to an entering freshman woman who has demonstrated a desire to make a difference in our world.

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" - Nelson Mandela 

The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the Urbana Energy Special Improvement District, Inc., doing business under the registered trade name Urbana Energy Special Improvement District, Inc. (the “District”) will hold its initial organizational meeting at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at the City of Urbana Municipal Building located at 205 S. Main Street, Urbana, Ohio 43078.
​
The District is a nonprofit corporation and special improvement district created pursuant to Chapters 1702 and 1710 of the Ohio Revised Code to govern the Urbana Energy Special Improvement District.  The purposes of this meeting of the Board are to: (1) elect officers of the District; (2) consider adopting a code of regulations for the District; (3) consider adopting a public records policy for the District; (4) consider adopting competitive bidding rules for the District; (5) consider authorizing energy reporting for the District; (6) consider joining in the adoption of a plan for public improvements and public services for the District; (7) consider approving financing documents with respect to a special energy improvement project within the District; (8) consider engaging legal counsel for the District; and (9) consider other business that may properly come before the Board.

​On Tuesday, July 9, 2019, Urbana City Council approved a new $5.00 vehicle registration permissive tax that will be effective on January 1, 2020 for all vehicles registered with the Ohio Bureau of Vehicles within the corporation limits of the City of Urbana.  The vehicle registration permissive tax is an optional tax that can be levied by counties, municipalities, and/or townships on vehicle registrations.  There are eleven $5.00 levies that are available to be enacted, but only six can be in effect at any one time in any single taxing district.  The current maximum permissive tax for registration in any single taxing district is $30.00 per registration year. 
 
Currently, for vehicles registered with the Ohio BMV within the City of Urbana corporation limits, $20.00 is paid as part of the vehicle registration fees as a permissive tax.  With the additional $5.00 being added, a total of $25.00 in permissive tax will be paid as part of the vehicle registration fee when a vehicle is registered with the Ohio BMV.  Of the $25.00 collected, $17.50 of this fee will be used for maintenance, repair, and improvement of public roads within the city.  This new, city specific $5.00 permissive tax fee will generate approximately $57,195.00 per year for road maintenance and improvement citywide.  The other $7.50 will continue to be used by the county to maintain, repair, and improve county owned  roads. 
 
According to the Ohio Department of Transportation, when adjusted for inflation, $100.00 invested in road construction in July 2005 now costs $152.00 as of June 2018.  According to the 2017 Pavement Condition Rating of all 62.6 miles of public streets within the City of Urbana, $6,016,075.95 in maintenance and resurfacing work is required.  Based on historically available funding, it would take the city over 24 years to complete street work on every city street if the pavement conditions did not worsen over that 24-year period.  Coupled with the recent gas tax increase that was put into effect by the State of Ohio on July 1, 2019, the new $5.00 permissive tax will allow the city to begin to further address its backlog of roadway maintenance and improvement projects.

Mark your calendars with these upcoming event dates at Grimes Field Airport in Urbana, Ohio!

The City of Urbana is scheduled (weather permitting) to sweep the outlined arterial routes every 2nd and 4th Monday of each month. Secondary streets (with curbs) are scheduled for sweeping intermittently as needed. 
​
Please be mindful and use caution when following or passing machinery; if your street is on a regular sweeping schedule, find alternate parking to avoid interfering with the scheduled route.  Appropriate signage will be posted prior to the sweeping of secondary routes.

The roundabout at Monument Square will be undergoing some changes in 2019.  Below are updates and a project summary.

Update 4/2/19 - Coverage of Urbana's proposed roundabout project is seen on  the WHIO Channel 7 evening news 4/1, on the Springfield News-Sun website 4/2 and on the Urbana Daily Citizen website 3/30.

Update 3/26/19 - NPL on behalf of Columbia Gas of Ohio will be performing small gas line relocations at various spots around downtown in preparation for the City’s US 36/US 68 Intersection Improvement Project.  The gas work should begin the week of 4/1.  Public parking areas will be affected as NPL tries to avoid the travel lanes.

Update 3/20/19 - R.B. Jergens Contractors of Vandalia approved by Council as the contractor with the lowest and best bid at a price of $1,808,913.09.

Update 3/11/19 - Rebid date for the US 36/US 68 Intersection Improvement Project (ODOT PID 103793, CHP-US36-14.88). 

Update 2/19/19 - Letters were sent to owners and businesses within the downtown district notifying them of approaching construction and what to expect.

Update 2/7/19 - Bid date for the US 36/US 68 Intersection Improvement Project (ODOT PID 103793, CHP-US36-14.88).  (Note: Project will be rebid.)

The City has obtained funding to make improvements to the Monument Square roundabout (Safety Grant, Small Cities Grant and Urban Resurfacing Grant through ODOT).  This next evolution involves safety improvements such as curbing and a truck apron that will better guide traffic.  Pedestrian safety is a top priority as well.  Center splitter islands on the approaches will provide a "refuge" area for pedestrians in the crosswalk.  Rectangular rapid flashing beacons are planned to enhance driver awareness of pedestrians intending to use the crosswalk.  A concept drawing of the new and improved roundabout is linked below.

Roundabout Concept

Due to their age, water mains, services, valves and hydrants will also be replaced downtown during the course of the project.  An Ohio Public Works Commission 0% interest loan will pay for most of this portion of the project.

Detours will be signed depending on the leg of the square under construction.  Plans for these state and local detours are linked below.

Detour Routing

Access to parking lots and alleyways will be affected while the project progresses.  Read more about that and pedestrian access in the following letter.

Letter 2/19/19

The Urbana South Main Street Corridor Plan will provide a blueprint for development in the southern portion of the City of Urbana and result in a land use, circulation, and access management plan for the corridor. The plan will examine the built, natural, and economic environment and make specific action-oriented recommendations. The plan will be based on input from the City, its residents, and other stakeholders with an investment in the City’s future and will be used to guide future land use and zoning decisions.

This is why the project team needs your help!
We are asking residents of Urbana to share their vision for the South Main Street Corridor by completing our online survey and attending public engagement events.

Following public input, the project team will prepare design concepts and recommendations that promote the corridor, as well as detail any necessary zoning and development regulations needed. These recommendations will then be presented to the public for their additional input.

Please join us in planning South Main Street!

A $10,000 REWARD is being offered in the 2011 Mr. Lou Taylor Homicide case.  On Saturday, July 7, 2012, the birth date of Urbana homicide victim Louis E. Taylor, the Urbana Police Division and the Champaign County Prosecutor’s office are announcing a REWARD to the person who provides the information that leads to the arrest(s) and conviction(s) for this crime. That REWARD is $10,000.00.