Welcome. Please have a seat if you can or enjoy standing in the back. I believe there's some people, there's some room in the other room. Hope you enjoy the reception. We're here tonight for the city council meeting May 5th, 2025. We'll begin with a roll call, Ms. Benowitz. Council Member Hicks. Here. Dennis. Here. Miller. Here. White. Present. Chara. Here. Carrington. Here. Cheeseman? Here. Mayor Schwartzman? Here. Eight are present, Your Honor. We're going to have the Pledge of Allegiance. I'm going to ask our senior, Mr. Dennis, to lead us. Good evening, and I bring you greetings from Full Gospel Church. First of all, I just want to congratulate all the new elected members here on the council, officials, and also want to acknowledge today being Cinco de Mayo, that we don't overlook some of the holidays. But let us bow our heads as we go before the throne of grace. Heavenly Father, we just come before you this evening, thanking you, Father, for being the creator that you are. Father, thank you for your grace and mercy. We come before you in the presence of this evening to pray over our city's leadership. As our new leaders are being sworn in and other leaders are continuing, Lord, going out and coming in, Father, I ask that you will bless them in their prospective roles, Father. I pray that all the elected officials and civil leaders and all authorities in our community, Father, will follow your lead. Father, I pray that our elected officials, Father, will take time for self-reflection at this time. May they be genuine in their repentance and sorrow for any iniquities and any kind of prejudice or any acts of injustice, Father. Father, may justice and righteousness through the love and leadership of the Lord, our Savior, be their guiding principles. And may we all have compassion for those in need and not be filled with pride or greed. May you grant our leaders, Lord, discernment, wisdom, and all decision-making. And I pray, Lord, that all decisions will be made with love in mind. Heavenly Father, may we all commit ourselves this evening to seek justice, to show love, to live in peace with our neighbors. And I ask this prayer in the precious name of your Son, Jesus. May everyone say amen. Hallelujah. Senator Witts, we have the approval of the minutes from the April 21st, 2025 meeting. We're going to do that. We need a motion and a second. So moved. We have Mr. Miller and Mr. White. We're going to do that by voice vote. You going to call that? I will. Council Member Hicks? Approved. Dennis? Here. Miller? Yes. White? Yes. Achera? Yes. Carrington? Yes. Cheeseman? Yes. Eight vote yes, Your Honor. Seven vote yes, Your Honor. Before we swear in the new members to our council, we want to thank those who are retiring this evening. So if Ms. Carrington and Mr. Dennis could come down and join me at the podium, that would be wonderful. I worked with Mr. Dennis for 14 of his 16 years. I worked with Ms. Carrington for her four years. We're going to ask them if they have a word to say to the public, and then we have some gifts for you. First of all, I just want to thank everybody for letting me to be their councilman for 16 years. I know Wendell will do a good job. He's a nice guy. And I think if you have any problems with anybody, give me a call, even though I'm not your alderman. Thank you. Thank you. to sound pretty similar i'd like to thank the community for the privilege of of serving galesburg for these four years it has been an honor and you know i will still be available for contact if you need to connect with someone and if i feel like the right person to connect with um so i just want to thank you guys and i hope that the new council going forward will continue to have the courage to speak out against the Nazis that are terrorizing our country today. Mr. Benoist, you have gifts. These are token gifts, but definitely we thank you for your service to our community. Let's give them a big round of applause, please. No, they're going to change it. Okay, so Ms. Benowitz, you are here with the results of the recent election. Yes, Your Honor. This is the following. We were elected in the consolidated election held April 1st, 2025, per certification from the Galesburg Board of Election Commissioners. Mayor Peter Schwartzman, 2,918 votes. City Clerk Kelly R. Benowitz, 4,580 votes. Ward 2, Councilmember Wendell Hunnigan, 321 votes. Ward 4, Councilmember Dwight L. White, 172 votes. Ward 6, Councilmember Greg Saul, 508 votes. Township Supervisor Kimberly A. Theory, 3,069 votes. And Township Assessor Laura E. Williams, 4,116 votes. Thank you for that. So we are going to swear in these newly elected officials. Judge Chad Long is here to move us through that procedure. Raise your right hand. Repeat after me. I, state your name. I, Peter Schwartzman. Do solemnly swear. Do solemnly swear. That I'll support the Constitution of the United States. That I'll support the Constitution of the United States. And the Constitution of the State of Illinois. And the Constitution of the State of Illinois. And the ordinances of the City of Galesburg. And the ordinance of the City of Galesburg. And that I will faithfully discharge. And I will faithfully discharge. The duties of Office of Mayor and Township Trustee. And I will. faithfully discharge the duties of mayor and township trustee. According to the best of my ability. According to the best of my ability. Congratulations. gonna hear it like seven times so miss Benowitz you can raise your right hand I state your name do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the state of Illinois and the ordinances of the city of Galesburg, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of city clerk and township clerk according to the best of my ability. signature with mine. Mr. Hunnigan. How you doing, sir? We're all here. You can raise your right hand. Repeat after me. I, state your name. I, Wendell Hunnigan. Do solemnly swear. Do solemnly swear. That I will support the Constitution of the United States. I will support the Constitution of the United and the Constitution of the State of Illinois and the Ordinances of the City of Galesburg and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the Office of Councilmember and Township Trustee according to the best of my ability. It's official. Congratulations. Mr. Hunnigan to take a seat up there. Mr. Hunnigan, go take your seat, sir. Next we have Mr. White. Mr. White, if you can raise your right hand. Repeat after me. I, Dwight L. White, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Illinois and the Ordinances of the City of Galesburg. and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of council member and township trustee according to the best of my ability. Congratulations. Mr. Saul, come on up, sir. Raise your right hand. Repeat after me. I, Greg Saul, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Illinois and the Ordinances of the City of Galesburg. and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of council member and township trustee according to the best of my ability. Congratulations. Your seat is right there. And next we have Miss Theory. Hello. All right, ready? Raise your right hand, repeat after me. I, state your name. Kimberly A. Theory. Do solemnly swear. Do solemnly swear. That I'll support the Constitution of the United States. the Constitution of the State of Illinois and the Ordinances of the City of Galesburg and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the Office of Township Supervisor according to the best of my ability. Congratulations. You're all good. And the next one, I apologize in advance. Ms. Williams, I have to read a book to you. I have my cheat sheet. There you go. Raise your right hand. Read after me. I state your name. I, Laura E. Williams. Do solemnly swear. Do solemnly swear. That I'll support the Constitution of the United States. and the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of office of Township Assessor according to the best of my ability, that I will, without fear or favor, appraise all the property in the Town of the City of Galesburg at its fair cash value said value to be ascertained at what the property would bring at a voluntary sale in the due course of business and trade. I will assess said property justly and equitably as required by law. I will cause every person, company or corporation assessed to sign his, her, or its assessment schedule, and I will administer to each and every person, so signing said assessment schedule, the oath thereon, and return said schedule, so signed and filed, the same as required by law. That's not wordy, congratulations. There are some postal workers here today. Please step down and join me at the front. We have a proclamation to read. Thank you for joining us this evening. So the proclamation I read this evening reads as follows. Whereas every year on the second Saturday in May, letter carriers across the country collect nonperishable food as part of the nation's largest one-day food drive, distributing the donations to local food banks. And whereas the National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is just one example of how letter carriers work to make a difference in the lives of those they serve. Since the pilot drive in 1991, more than 1.9 billion pounds of food have been collected. And whereas we recognize all letter carriers for their hard work and their commitment to their communities, all of the food collected in our community stays in our community, and we support carriers' efforts to help those in need in our community. And whereas we also recognize a noteworthy milestone of 33 years that the National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive celebrates in 2025. Therefore, now, I, Peter Schwartzman, Mayor of the City of Galesburg, proclaim Saturday, May 10th, 2025, as Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Day. We encourage the citizens of Galesburg to support the food drive by placing nonperishable food items in or near your mailbox on food drive day. Your letter carrier will pick it up while they deliver the mail, and together we can help to feed our hungry. Dated on the 5th of May, 2025, signed and sealed with Galesburg's seal. So thank you so much, and let me give this to you. Either of you want to say anything to the public? I will. I don't know. I know most of you are looking for Tony Ball. This is the first time in 20 years that she hasn't been in charge of this. She is still helping us. We have also partnered with Hy-Vee this year. So if you go out to the Hy-Vee on Henderson, they have grab bags set up at the front of the store. They're $5, $10. Kunis has donated vehicles for us to be driving around Saturday. So you see a lot of volunteers this year as well. We appreciate the community's support. So thank you guys. Let's give them a big hand for their work. Thank you. Well, if you've been following the agenda, you know we have reached public comment. So if you came here for public comment, please step forward, state your name. You have three minutes to address the council. Your Honor. What did I forget about? I just need a roll call. Oh, yes. Can I do a new roll call, please? I'm jumping ahead. That's all right. I skipped something. Mr. Jacobs, could you just hold off for a minute? So, Ms. Benowitz, can we have a roll call for the new council, please? Yes, Your Honor. Councilmember Hicks. Hunnigan. Hunnigan. Here. Miller? Here. White? Present. Achera? Here. Saul? Here. Cheeseman? Here. And Mayor Schwartzman? Here. Eight are still present, Your Honor. Thank you very much. Mr. Jacobs, you can begin. Well, I just wanted to thank Wayne Dennis for, I live in his ward, or lived in what was his ward, and I thank him for all the things he did for the ward over the years. And I thank him for the way he has supported youth sports in Galesburg when he was in business. And I supported him the first three times he ran, and I didn't this time. It was nothing personal against Wayne, just that I thought it's time for Wendell to be up here with his voice and his two ears. And I also want to thank, I don't know what her married name is, Sarah Davis, for her time, but especially Wayne. Thank you, Wayne. Thank you. Please step forward. State your name. Walt McAllister, Dwight's Warden. Nice to see some familiar faces up here tonight. Very excited to see Wendell up here. I wanted to just say a couple of things. I wanted to make sure that Mayor Swartzman got his shout-out for the Scrabble tournament we had four or five weeks ago. It was great. We had 50, 60 people come out from out of town, from out of state. I played a guy from Arizona and brought, again, 50, 60 people into town. They spent the weekend, stayed in local hotels. Ate in local restaurants. It was a great event. Darla and Jeanette were instrumental in putting it on, too. And I'm really looking forward to seeing how this is going to grow. It was on the internet. People were talking about it. It was very nice. Also, my family and I, we were one of the first Urban Grant recipients. So I just wanted to give you all kind of how it went or how it's going. And it was a couple of years ago. And first of all, I just want to say thank you. It was really nice of you all to put your trust in us. And we tried very, we're trying very hard to be real respectful about the whole thing. And I would, we just sent in our last receipt and I want to say 90, 95% of that money went right back into Galesburg. We bought all our equipment here. We bought most of our trees fairly locally. And, uh, It's become a little space. We've had the Girl Scouts come out. We've had the library come out, Knox students come out. We had synagogue came out. Everybody's really, you know, kind of taken ownership of it. It's taken a, well, it was really just a, as the Amtrak leaves Galesburg to the west, it's one of the last things people see. People coming in from the west, it's one of the first things people see. And now, Lord willing, they're gonna see a nice orchard We're taking real good care of it as best we can. And as far as an investment, this should be an investment that really pays off. Not only did all the money almost go right back into town, that over the course of the years, this should raise the property values around there. Other community members are taking pride in their own yards now. And we're going to bring out some public art that will be out there for people to see. And this is going to be an investment that pays off the following decades, well past my life. And then hopefully in a few years, we'll have some fruit. It takes a couple of years. It takes a little while. So just be patient with that. So you got one less property on the books, off the books. You got me paying the taxes instead of nobody. And thank you all. I'm really looking forward to the next couple of years and seeing what other investments we can make in our communities. Thank you. Thank you. Please step forward and state your name. Thank you. I'm Sally Wade. I'm a wellness educator and a writer. And I brought this tonight for the new city council and our new time on the planet with the with the new governing bodies all over. So this is a little lighthearted look at where we are now. Are you an eagle or a chicken? Better still, are you an eagle or a turkey? When our country was founded, there was a conflict about the symbol for our newly hatched democracy. Thankfully, the bald eagle won. Until recently, however, we've been terrified of getting out of our flock chicken consciousness, hateful and fearful toward other flocks that don't look or think or talk quite like us. As turkeys, we became consumed with consumption, particularly the consumption of money and personal power over others. Now in these last days, the eagle in us And then this democracy has called us to wake up, and we are, taking to the streets and marching on Washington. Now we have hope. Hope is both an acronym for this time and the anchor for the human soul. Hope for healing of planet Earth. Hope for our own healing. We all have stuff that needs to be healed. Without hope, we fall into despair and depression. The collective eagle nature is calling us to rise out of our chicken and turkey consciousness to what we're yet to become. Let's look a little further at the eagle. With a wingspan of eight feet, up to eight feet, eagles can fly higher than any other bird. They also require equal strength in both left and right wings. connected very close to the heart, enabling them to lift over twice their own weight from the earth or water up high into the air. Compare this to turkeys and chickens, which are cultivated for consumption by us. Eagles have a vision 8,000 times that of human beings, both for distance and detail. They nest in high places. and they rest in high places. They don't get caught in storms. They fly above them and seek a resting place until the storm is over. Eagles are masters of aerobatics, even mating in midair. But one thing eagles never do, they never fly backwards. We have much to learn from this powerful symbol, which we the people chose for this democracy. You're going to have to close your thoughts at this time. Let us move forward with both hope and humility guided by the symbol of the great bald eagle who I think lives within the heart of us all. Thank you. Thank you. Yes, please state your name. My name is Candy Webb. I'm a citizen of Galesburg, Illinois, and I'm here today to happily say, well, first of all, congratulations all of you for being able to work together. God bless you. Because you got a lot of work to do, I know. But on June 13th, we will start in Galesburg our Juneteenth celebration, and that's what I'm here to let you all know today. It's actually our Freedom Day celebration should be on June 19th, which is actually Juneteenth, the holiday. But we decided to take it a little bit further and have a whole week long celebration. And so we will have a flyer or a poster coming out pretty quickly here for you so that you can see all the events that are happening from Friday the 13th of June all the way through June 19th. So take a look for that, please. on Facebook and anywhere you go in town to shop because we're gonna have posters everywhere. Thank you. Thank you. Please step forward and state your name. I'm Mary Lou Cochran and I live in the sixth ward. my home backs up to rotary park my neighbor and i collected sixty six signatures of people who live around the park and who use the park regularly and are against the council's approval of twenty five dash forty thirty two approving the pickleball courts at rotary park our petition reads we the undersigned are opposed to the proposed installation of six pickleball courts with lights at rotary park We request that the Galesburg City Council and the Director of Parks and Recreation find another location away from family homes if the City thinks six lighted pickleball courts are necessary for Galesburg. None of these 66 people were aware this proposal was approved. We are extremely disappointed that the Council has approved this proposal without meeting with the neighbors and users of the park. We are against these courts because of the noise pickleball generates and because of issues with any future lights shining into homes if that is approved. I've read about lawsuits around the country trying to force closure of installed pickleball courts that disturb the neighborhoods because of noise and lights. Rotary Park has always been closed from sunset to sunrise. It should remain that way for the peace of the neighborhood. Galesburg's Loud Noise Ordinance 130 dot zero four nine and light ordinance one three zero dot zero zero four clearly speak to the negative aspects of this sport including the noise from balls being hit repetitively and lights shining into homes parents children grandparents walkers skaters runners etcetera will be forced to park on streets because pickleballers will use all the twenty six parking spots on the south and the two spots on the north Parents with children will be forced to park on streets and walk between cars. Rotary Park is specifically a family park. It was updated several years ago after a meeting with the neighborhood and people who use the park. The council skipped this important step when they approved 25-4032. We ask that you reconsider your vote and take the time to listen to the people in this community who will be impacted the most by these courts. Thank you. Thank you. Please step forward. State your name. Thank you. Thank you. My name is Mindy Knapp. Galesburg homelessness. A homelessness person costs a taxpayer an average of $35,000 roughly per year. This study shows how costs on average are reduced by half when they are placed in supportive housing. How does homelessness affect the community? Homelessness significantly impacts community by creating strain on resources, impacts public health and safety and eroding social co-ism. What is social co-ism? It refers to the degree to which individuals in a society are bonded together and feel a sense of belonging and shared purpose. It also leads to the increased cost of... emergency services, shelters, healthcare, and can negatively affect the local workforce and economy. Additionally, visible signs of homelessness like encampments can create unease and discomfort among our residents. But Galesburg does not allow them to make camps or tents. So Galesburg homelessness communities are being forced to use the public library, the Galesburg Depot, the storefronts, the small businesses, the garbage bins that shelters them from the weather, the harassment and rape, sexual assault, and even people in our community are housing them on their front porches and garages to help them. Galesburg warming center is only eight cots upstairs and eight cots downstairs, ladies and gentlemen. The rescue shelter is only 15 to 20 women and 30 men. It's not enough and it's not properly being run. Separations of women and men in these environments were established to protect each sex. Today, let me let you know, year 2025, these environments are dealing with problems of men sleeping in areas of men being sexually abused by men. Women in these sleeping areas are being sexually abused by other women. Galesburg, let's act, accept our homeless community and let's help them. Thank you very much. My name is Charles Little and I'm here in front of the council about homelessness as well. I believe that the city needs to do another needs assessment because the current facilities that we have are not covering the or matching the lists of waiting lists for our Knox County housing. There's a big, I mean, the number I seen was 95. I just talked to an individual. He said he was 95 on the waiting list and he's homeless. He sometimes get to stay with his mom, but Usually he stays at the library, he stays behind the library. And his situation is his mom just never really gave him the push he needed. And so now he's gotten to the age where 24 is where they're less likely to help you and so forth. There's one example. I'm another example, I'm homeless. I had an agreement worked out with my landlord. He backed out on the agreement. The judge can't make him do anything, take financial aid. So I ended up on the streets. Looking around at different homeless, scenario, you know, homeless shelters and their scenarios and how they're working, they're looking for housing first in order, like if I'm getting a job, I had a job, but I got my things stolen while I was working because I had nowhere to leave them. I'm staying on benches. I was still trying to do it, but I mean, you leave your backpack in a bush and somebody sees it on the streets are going to take it. So that's how I've had struggles getting a job because, well, staying in a place has been an issue. Okay, so we have the warming center and we have the mission. I go into the mission. It's fine. Everything's great. I go in and the gentleman lays a mattress that's bloody on it. Right in front of me. It's got a big old blood stain on it. You can clearly say that. And I ask him about it. Well, that's all I have available right now. These are my last two beds because of me and my friend. So that's not going to really, you know, it made me nervous to even stay there. So I tried the warming center. I stayed there a little over two months. And their policy is if you... you know, do not use alcohol on the property. But if you go out, make sure you check in and then go back out and do your thing. So we did that. And the lady said, stay. And we're like, well, the policy says, you know, we're out for the night. We're going to go. And they kicked us out based upon that because it was principle, not by their own set rules. So here I am staying on the front step of the library. And it's very nice that the library has been there for us, but they didn't build that as a Motel 6. They built it as a, enrichment and educational center. So I believe that Galesburg needs to assess, you know, how many people that we really need, you know, that are actually homeless, and look into a facility that's not only going to just help places stay, it'll be helping in mental health, rehabilitation, and job interaction. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening, everyone. I'm Pastor James A. Haley III of Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Tompkins Street. I rise to congratulate our superintendent of Sunday School and our trustee member, Wendell James Hunnigan. We thank God for him, and we know he's going to do a great job as the alderman too. And he has our support, not only those who voted for him, but also we voted for him because we prayed for him. God bless you all. We're looking forward to a great 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029 year from all of you all. God bless you. Thank you. Please state your name. Andrea Barrano Robinson. I moved here about two and a half years ago now. And my kids can no longer walk the streets of Galesburg without being followed. I can't walk my dog without being followed. I had somebody threaten me because I was on my own porch. and I caught it on video camera. The fact that I have to install video cameras in my property to protect myself and my children is in 2025 ridiculous. We need to do better. I know that we've had some issues with the police department personnel, but we've hopefully fixed all of that. And we need to make sure that the children of Gettysburg can freely walk in their own neighborhoods and play in their own backyards and own front yards without the fear of some person trying to get their attention and whatnot. I should be able to walk my dog wherever I choose without being harassed. I've been since a couple of weeks ago, Pretty fairly safe feeling. I no longer feel safe in Galesburg. Let that sink in. I'm an immigrant to this country, and I don't feel safe in Galesburg. I welcome the new board members. I'm excited because I live in Ward 2, so we're excited for Wendell. We can do better. And the children of Galesburg deserve a happy, healthy learning environment and safe neighborhoods. They should be able to walk to their friend's house without parents monitoring them by doorbell cameras, asking neighbors, hey, can you check your doorbell camera, see if my kid walked by. I shouldn't have to do all that just for my children to have fun. I'm hoping that in the next four years, I don't have to come up here again in four years and say that nothing has changed. You guys can do better. I expect better. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else here for public comment? Bernie Cowan. Good evening, everyone. I just want to make one comment. As I was observing the swearing in of the new members, one thing that just really disheartened me was there was one councilman that I had observed that when Wendell, Mr. Hunnigan, was sworn in, there was no clapping. There was no greeting, congratulations, or anything like that. That bothers me, because we just had a change of individuals. And when this is starting right from the beginning, it's very bothersome. Because then it's... It's telling me that, are all you guys gonna come together? And with something like that, I'd say, I don't think so. And I'm not gonna mention the individual's name because the individual know who they are. But if anybody is curious, just watch the recording of how the meeting started and you can find out. Thank you. Please step forward and state your name, please. Robert Kane. I got property in a couple of the... First of all, I want to thank you guys that did a big deal for Knox College, and then they put on a big event, and I was asked to go down there. Anybody that didn't go down there, I mean, that was one of the best drone shows I've ever seen, you know, and other things. That whole day from the luncheon on was fantastic. I welcome the new members. The other ones are gone. Some of them are good. I know that we're all capable of working together. And I know most everybody on the board now personally anyhow. And if there's something big, I will definitely, don't worry, I will look you out and I'll say something and hopefully won't have to address it here from the pulpit. But I hope this Galesburg can be a fantastic town. It has been a fantastic town and we continue to grow. So with that, I just appreciate you all and the work you've done. Thank you. Step forward and state your name, please. Good evening. My name is Dan Leonard. Many of you are familiar with me, either because I've been involved. I have been in Galesburg for 128 months and 55 and a half hours or thereabouts. Not that I'm counting, but when you have a debacle involving an estate of a dear person, things sometimes happen, and you keep track for a reason. It's not for that reason I come here, though this is an outgrowth of it. Some of you are familiar with me already. Perhaps you've seen me at Mass, maybe St. Vincent Duval Society helping people in town, or Bethesda's Food Pantry, I've done that in the past, or perhaps Knox County Right to Life. I try to make a contribution where I am, in whatever capacity I feel there's a need. So tonight, I have a special opportunity to express something that I want to share. And by the way, Mr. Hanson, we're going to be speaking sometime soon. And Kevin, now you could at least put a name to a face or face to a name. But for a portion of that time, for roughly, I would say, 11 months, I've been in two senses of the word homeless. One, and one, because of what I already cited, I don't know that I ever will have a place that I could identify as a home. But it'd be nice to have a place that would be considered a residence. So you try to cope, you try to interact and try to deal with different challenges. Charlie, Charlie had been my server with my mom and at least I think one of my family members. And I know him from 20 years ago, he still remembers us. So I know that it's not by choice or circumstance, by decisions that he wound up being here tonight. It's not the kind of thing that anybody wants to do, nor for that matter do I wanna be here. I'm gonna try to do this in the minute I have roughly. It was this morning that I received this notice from an officer because I happened to be in the lobby of the police department. And it says very briefly, I represent the city of Galesburg and have been directed to provide you with this trespass notice. Please the advised subject of the exception discussed below, you're prohibited from entering and remaining on either of these properties. You're failed to comply with this warning will result in your arrest. under local or state law. And while the first part is tomato carburetor, not tomato-tomato, the second part says I did, I slept. I am allowed to be here and I thank Officer Travis Smith outside, Detective Smith, because he is my escort. That's the only way that I could come in here because I'm conducting official business. I just like to have us begin a discussion. So your three minutes are up. So you need to close with a statement and then. Okay, that we focus on issues so we could better allocate our resources and our personnel and paper. So we could spend that on things in areas where it's really more needed than the way it's been spent now. So we'll have other conversations but we'll hopefully get to that end. Anyone else here for public comment? Okay, we'll move on. The Consent Agenda 2025-09 is next on the agenda. All matters listed on the Consent Agenda are considered routine by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion. Tonight, for the first time, I've been asked or instructed that I need to read the numbers and the topics related to those numbers of agenda items. Excuse me, five agenda items on consent agenda. 252014 is safe routes to school funding resolution. 254036, disposal of four paratransit vehicles and two fixed route vehicles. 255003, quarterly investment report. 256002 is commission appointments. And lastly, 258008, are approval and warrants drawn in payment of same. Do we have a motion? I think Mr. White. Second. Mr. Cheeseman seconds. Any discussion of these items? Seeing none, I ask for a vote on the consent agenda 2025-09. Hicks, yes. Excuse me. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes, Your Honor. We've reached passages of ordinance and resolutions. We have five items, three on first reading. The first is 251006. There's an ordinance zoning amendment from R3A multifamily to R1A single family at 3176 Dover Lane. Mr. Hanson. Thank you, Your Honor. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommends rezoning the property at 3176 Dover Lane from R3A multifamily to R1A single family. Staff concur with this recommendation. The property currently has a single family home, a permitted use in the existing multifamily zoning, and the owner is seeking the zoning change to reflect the single family residential nature of the property and align with the proposed... With the purpose of the R1A district, the closest R1A zoning district is 716 feet or 0.14 miles to the west of the property. The 2019 comp plan indicates this area to be single family. Any questions about this item? This will come back in the next meeting. Second item is 251007. This is a zoning amendment from R3A multifamily and I2B3 Central Business, 167 North Kellogg's, an adjacent parking lot. Mr. Hanson. Thank you, Your Honor. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommends rezoning the property at 167 North Kellogg Street from R3A Multifamily. and to I institutional to B3 central business. Staff concur with this recommendation. The applicant who purchased the property in March of 2025 plans to develop a cabinet showroom on the ground floor and apartments on the second floor, aligning with the purpose of the B3 district to foster a mix of uses in the downtown area. The closest B3 zoning district is adjacent to the property, and the 2019 comp plan indicates this area to be downtown mixed use. Thank you. Anyone have questions about this item? Seeing none, we'll move to the next item, 251008. This is also an ordinance, a zoning amendment from B1, neighborhood business, to B2, general business, 1120 North Henderson Street. Mr. Hanson. Thank you. THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION RECOMMENDS APPROVAL TO REZONE THE PROPERTY AT 1120 NORTH HENDERSON STREET FROM B1 NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESS TO B2 GENERAL BUSINESS. STAFF CONCUR WITH THE RECOMMENDATION. THE APPLICANT INTENDS TO BUILD A CAR WASH ON THE PROPERTY WHICH IS PERMITTED IN THE B2 ZONING DISTRICT DESIGNED FOR BUSINESSES DRAWING CUSTOMERS FROM AREAS BEYOND THE IMMEDIATE NEIGHBORHOOD IN WHICH THEY MAY BE LOCATED. THE CLOSEST B2 ZONING DISTRICT IS APPROXIMATELY 185 FEET WEST OF THE PROPERTY AND THE 2019 COMP PLAN INDICATES THIS AREA TO BE A REGIONAL COMMER which is equivalent to the B2 zoning district requested. Anyone have a question on this item? Again, these three will come back next meeting. Okay, the two that are asked for a vote are 25-2015. This is a moratorium on new applications for solar energy systems. We need a motion and a second. So moved. Thank you, Ms. Cheeseman. Second. Thanks, Mr. Chair. Ms. Johansson. Thank you, Your Honor. Staff is recommending approval of 120 day moratorium on accepting, processing and approving new applications for solar energy systems. This temporary pause is proposed to allow the city to review its current ordinances and develop new regulations to address planning and land use challenges arising from the increasing number of solar development proposals. The proposed moratorium would not impact projects that have already been submitted for review and or received final approvals prior to the enactment date. The goal is not to prohibit solar energy development, but to ensure it proceeds thoughtfully, balancing the need for renewable energy with the protections of our community's character, environment, and agriculture economy. Any new ordinance regulations would be reviewed by the Development and Review Committee, require a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission, and then be brought before the City Council for consideration on first and final readings. As discussed before, Dating back 2017-2018 when this first started, the city at that time elected not to place regulations and so therefore solar fields can essentially go anywhere in the city. This will allow us some time to put together a more cohesive approach with not only solar but also wind potential projects that are in city limits or within our mile and a half area. And staff is currently working on this, but needs some time because to get through the planning and zoning process takes time. So the 128 days should get us there and allow council time to review, discuss with citizens and take action if they see fit. Happy to answer any additional questions. Thank you. Anyone here have questions about this item? Is this a vote today? We are voting. So I'm about to call the vote. Ready to vote? No, I just want to ask a couple of questions. I'm under the impression that I know this is borne on by the solar thing that we're having dealing with right now. I understand 120 days. Is that to me as a hindrance to somebody coming in? We're looking at making them wait four months just for us to be able to decide whether we're gonna let them come in and put up solar. I think that's a little long for me. 90 days would be preferably to me, that way we don't have to take somebody and make them wait forever to get something done. I'd like to see 90 days instead of 120. Maybe a point of clarification. My understanding from what City Manager is proposing is time to put in place sort of comprehensive regulations because we have none whatsoever right now. And I think City Manager can clarify, but if something's already been submitted, this won't prohibit them, as I understand it. Could you clarify, please? Correct. Nothing that's submitted, including the project out north, is impacted by this at all. It's only future solar fields and solar-related projects. But again, the 120 days is probably a hedge just to make sure that all the stars align. Obviously, the staff have every desire and incentive to get something through as quickly as possible. Certainly understand your perspective, Mr. White, and happy to revisit. But this allows us until essentially the first part of August. um one of the things that would speed it up is if we expedite it to second reading but that gives less time for public debate and on this subject we felt prudent that you you read it twice at two different meetings which also extends the time thanks for the explanation so just to be clear this includes any solar that would go on a residential house yes that is correct So this is, ask for a vote at this time. So I'll ask the, Mr. Miller, yes. I have solar on my house and it's been on there for probably five months. The company that I went with, and I think we need to have some guidelines, but at this present time, I spent money. I have nothing in return as far as my utility bill that I was promised. We've got to have some kind of regulation with these solar companies so that people aren't taken advantage of. So I'm all for whatever we need to do to have people's back in the city of Galesburg so that They don't get taken. Anyone else? Seeing no one else, I call for a vote on 25-2015. Hicks, yes. Hennigan abstains. Miller, yes. White, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Six, yes. One abstention, Your Honor. Thank you. Next item, 25-2016, appointing the Finance Director as Treasurer. We need a motion and a second. So moved. Thank you. Second. Thank you. Mr. Hanson. Thank you, Your Honor. Staff recommend approval of a resolution reappointing the Director of Finance as City Treasurer. In 2019, the position of City Treasurer was established as an appointed position with a term of four years. This term will run through May of 2029. If you remember about a year ago, we used to appoint a specific person. Now it's attached to the position of Director of Finance, which allows for the position to continue over the next four years. I just need one affirmative vote to make that happen. Happy to answer any additional questions. Thank you. Any questions about this item? I call for vote on 25-2016. Hicks, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes, Your Honor. Thank you. Two items under bids, petitions and communications. One is 25-3012. One ton cab chassis for the... Water division. Need a motion and a second. Thank you, Mr. Miller. Thank you, Mr. White. Mr. Hanson. Thank you, Your Honor. Staff is recommending approval of the low and best bid from Yam Chevrolet of Galesburg for $52,497 to purchase a 2025 Ram 3500 cab chassis for the water division, which will be used as part of the daily operations and to plow snow during winter months. This new truck will replace a 2012 Ford F-350, which will then be moved to the Aquaca water plant. Despite challenges with order timelines and manufacturer supply for similar vehicles from Ford and GM, two bids were received for this request, with YEM Chevrolet providing the most favorable bid. If approved, a separate bid will be issued to purchase and install the dump body and snowplow onto the cab chassis. There are sufficient funds in the Water Division budget for this purchase. Happy to answer additional questions. Any comment? Call vote on 253012. Hicks, yes. Hennigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes, Your Honor. Thank you. Next item, 253013, heavy-duty cab chassis for the water division. Need a motion and a second? So moved. Thanks, Mr. Chair. Second. Mr. Cheeseman, Mr. Hanson. Thank your honor. Staff recommend approval of the sole bid from Victory Lane Ford of Litchfield for $39,518, which includes $18,000 trade-in value for a 2015 Ford service truck to purchase a new 2025 Ram 5500 cab chassis. The new truck will replace the 2015 truck, which is heavily used for daily water main repairs and installation and is in need of replacement. Similar to the prior vehicle purchase, only one bid was received. As vendors reported supply challenges, if approved, a separate bid will be issued to purchase and install the service body onto the cab chassis. There are sufficient funds available in the Water Division budget for this acquisition, and the truck provided for trade-in value will be surrendered once the new unit is operational. Happy to answer any questions. Thank you. Anyone have questions about this item? I'll call for a vote on 253013. Hicks, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes, Your Honor. Thank you. City Manager's Report, anything to add? I don't have anything unless there are any questions from Council. Happy to. Any questions from Council? Seeing none, we'll move to Miscellaneous Business. We have four items. The first is 254033, Creating the Position of a City City Manager, Assistant City Manager, Director of Community Engagement, PIO. This has been tabled. We need somebody to make a motion to untable it. Ms. Chair makes a motion to untable it. Anyone else? Second that motion? Mr. Cheeseman seconds that motion. Mr. Hanson? your honor staff is recommending approval of the attached 2025 classification and salary schedule for the exempt employees this updated schedule establishes the position of assistant city manager director of community engagement public information officer directly aligning with the city council's high priority strategic goals the director level role will oversee the development and implementation of a comprehensive marketing and communication strategy one of the highest ranked goals in the city's recent strategic plan This position will serve as the assistant city manager managing daily city operations and providing essential coverage for the city manager. Responsibilities during temporary absences as a key member of the city's leadership team, this individual will drive transparency, cohesive branding, and community engagement standards while contributing to strategic initiatives across all departments, including administration, legal, economic development, personnel management, budgeting, and organizational planning. Establishing this position aligns with the city council's strategic priorities and enhances the city's administration capacity to achieve the established goals. I'm happy to answer any questions. Yes, I believe we were supposed to vote to untable it. So we had a motion and a second. We need a vote to untable it. So vote yes to untable it, vote no to keep it on the table. Hicks, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. Aceri, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes, Your Honor. Okay. Now we need a motion to move it forward. So moved. Thank you, Mr. White. Second. Mr. Saul, I heard you loud. And we'll go. You've already stated what it's about. Any questions for the city manager? Seeing none, I call for a vote on 254033. Hicks, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. Cherry, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes, Your Honor. Thank you. Next item, 254037, Architectural and Engineering Services for HSIP East Main Street Improvements. Need a motion and a second. Thank you, Mr. Miller. Second. Mr. Cheeseman, Mr. Hanson. Thank you, Your Honor. Staff is recommending approval of a preliminary engineering agreement with Terra Engineering for the East Main Street Improvement Project, which aims to implement a road diet and safety enhancement between Grand Avenue and Walnut Street, funded in part by a Highway Safety Improvement Program grant. Terra Engineering was selected from 11 respondents based on their experience, proposed approach, and capacity to meet the project schedule. It is anticipated that it will take 12 to 18 months in total to complete the phase one engineering work. The preliminary engineering services will cost $607,026 with the grant covering $243,000 and the city responsible for the remaining $364,026, which will be covered by budgeted funds in 2025 and anticipated funds in the 2026 budget. Happy to answer any questions. Any questions on this item? Yes. Mr. Hunnigan, turn on your mic, please. I'd like to know how this improvement is going to affect Ward 2. Yeah, thank you, Mr. Hunnigan. Good question. Obviously, I think the entire project's in Ward 2. Is that correct? Yeah, most or almost all. Talked about this a little bit, Aaron and I did on GIL a couple weeks ago, also talked about it again this morning. This is just the preliminary look, but the goal is to improve the roadway through that area in its entirety to address safety concerns. If you're familiar with that area, which obviously you are, Mr. Honegan, the sidewalks are right on the curb. and leaving little room. And there's also power utility poles that are also in the sidewalk and areas. If you traverse that area very often, oftentimes you'll find people walking in the road. You'll find bicycles weaving in and out of the poles and the sidewalk and out onto the road. And so this project is looking to create a better environment, a safer environment for all those that may traverse, including cars, bicycles, pedestrians, and so forth. In addition to just improving the surface, which for those of us who go up and down East Main Street on a regular basis, it certainly has some issues to address. Aside from that, like I said in our discussion and we said in the discussion earlier, on GIL, 12 to 18 months just for engineering before we actually have an idea of how far. Typically, these projects are five to seven years out minimum, but it's the starting process to what we hope is an approved corridor on East Main Street, which again is all or mostly in Ward 2. Did you say seven years to complete this project? Depending on funding? Yes, absolutely. But, you know, if all the stars align with engineering and funding and everything else, you know, four to five years potentially. But realistically, because this will be, what are we estimating, close to $6 million? Yeah, a $6 million project to go from Walnut to Grand. It will take some time to put together the funding for that, given that we have... Lots of other needs throughout the city with which we also have to find road funds for. Any other comments? Yes, one more. Just to find out, is this mainly going to widen the sidewalks or is it going to affect the lanes on Main Street? Both. Okay. Other comments? Mr. Cheeseman. I just think this has real promise, real potential to help that area over there that's much needed in all kinds of ways, from aesthetics to safety to drivability, all of those kinds of things. And that's sort of the gateway to the city there, and it's been neglected for a long, long time. So all of these kinds of things I hope will get a, when it's finished, be something that really, really is a great help to that area, to that ward, and into our city. Thank you, Ms. Cheeseman. Mr. Hennegan? It's unbelievable with East Main Street, how many children walk on that street on any given day. And I'm just surprised that there has never been a serious accident on East Main Street. It is heavily traveled, perhaps one of the most heavily traveled areas in our city. So I look forward to this project. And I will give it my full support. Thank you. I'll call for a vote on 254037. Hicks, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. Cherry, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes, Your Honor. Thank you. Next item, 254038, Minor Platte of the Knight Subdivision, southeast corner of Locust Street and Conger Street. We need a motion and a second. Mr. Saul and Mr. Chera. Mr. Hanson. Thank you, Your Honor. Planning and Zoning Commission recommend approval of a Minor Platte for the Knight Subdivision located at the southeast corner of Conger and Locust Streets. Staff concur with the recommendation. The current vacant lot is proposed to be divided into two approximately .30 acre lots zoned R1B for the construction of single family homes. Have any answer any additional questions? Any questions on this? Seeing none, I call a vote on 254038. Hicks, yes. Hennigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. Echera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes, Your Honor. Last item under miscellaneous business 254039, IDOT joint funding agreement for a safe routes to school project. Need a motion and a second. So moved. Thank you, Mr. Cheeseman. Mr. Miller. Mr. Hanson, please. Thank you, Your Honor. Staff recommend approval of a joint funding agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation for a Safe Routes to School project. The project will fund the installation of new sidewalks and curb ramps on the south side of Pfeiffer Street near Silas Willard School. The section of Pfeiffer Street leads directly to the Silas Willard School property and currently has no existing sidewalks for students to use to walk to school. The Safe Routes to School grant will cover up to 235,376 of the estimated 275,000 one seventy eight sixty project cost with the city responsible for the remaining thirty nine thousand eight oh two sixty which is budgeted in the twenty twenty five city gas tax fund the project is scheduled for state bid letting in june uh... this project continues uh... as you know uh... we we uh... take full advantage of the safe routes to school project and have made improvements throughout the city adjacent to schools and will continue to do so as grant funds are available have any answer any additional questions Thank you. Any additional questions, Mr. Cheeseman? No question. I just continue to think this is important that we add sidewalks for kids to be able to walk to school on or people in general to be able to walk to school on. And I know that it's certainly, I can't speak for everyone up here, but I think most of us in our community believe that we've got to continue to make the construction of sidewalks in areas where they sort of end. where they're now needed. For instance, I look out on Seminary Street where Graham Clinic has been constructed, and we have a sidewalk there, and then it ends. So those are all things that we've got to continue to look at, and I know our staff will continue to look at that. They're a must and need to be a high priority. So I appreciate this and appreciate our team continuing to look at that stuff. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Cheeseman. So you know the comments, I call for a vote on 254039. Hicks, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes, Your Honor. Thank you. We now are, I need a motion to sit as a town board. Thank you, Mr. Miller. Mr. White. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? We are now sitting as a town board. We have one item under town business, 259011, the bills. I need a motion for the bills. Thank you, Mr. Miller. Second. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Any questions about the bills? Call vote on the bills, 259011. Please vote and please call the roll. Thank you. Hicks, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes, Your Honor. Thank you. We now need a motion to sit as the City Council. Thank you, Mr. White. Mr. Miller. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? We are now sitting as the City Council. We need closing comments. Who here wants to lead off? Mr. White. This has taken a lot of thought. And I'm so proud that Mr. Hung has got elected. There are certain things that happened in Galesburg that are historical. I'm the third African-American city council member. WC Jackson, Mo Mac Payton, and myself We had a fourth person that was appointed, Kevin Wallace. And Mr. Honeygun represents two different numbers. He's the fourth elected, but he's the fifth to sit on the council. There was a day when I was sitting on this council and it hurt, it really hurt. Mr. Wallace voted on something and one of my colleagues said his vote should not count because he was not elected. Mr. Hunnigan was elected. His vote will count. I'll never, ever, ever hear that again. This is hard to bring up, but I could not sit here and not say that hurt. That hurt me to my core. We live in a society where everybody's supposed to be acknowledge an equal. And that really hurt. And I'm not going to forget it, but I do forgive it because people do make mistakes. But I'm proud to be sitting on the city council with an African American, Mr. Wendell Hunnigan. Thank you for all the hard work you're going to do and the hard work you got to get here. This is the first time we have two elected in the history of Galesburg, Illinois. a town that was started on abolitionism, freedom of all people and all men. My last but not least is I'm gonna say, go to the city council's page, go to the bottom and do what? Get notified, learn and find out what's going on. It was just so great to see all the people here today. People had discourse, things that they have brought to the city council where We're doing a good job. We're not doing a good job. But you are the city. You are your voices. Make your voices heard. We will listen. And hopefully we will do what's best for Galesburg. Not one individual, but Galesburg as a whole. We're moving forward. Thank you. Ms. Dwight, Ms. Chair. I'd like to thank Mr. Dennis and Ms. Carrington for their service. It really is a commitment and I know that they cared about giving good service to their community. I'd also like to congratulate Mr. White for retaining his seat and welcome Mr. Hunnigan and Mr. Saul. There are sometimes things such as technology that can be a problem. Please reach out. We're all going to help. I'm happy to discuss items as you see something on the agenda. Of course, Mr. Hansen's excellent and so is Mayor Schwartzman about discussing these things. But if you ever just want to you know, discuss items before they come to vote, I'm happy to provide that as well. So thank you guys. Okay, Mr. Saul. Well, I'd like to wish all my Mexican friends a happy Cinco de Mayo. I'd also like to thank all my constituents for their votes, and I appreciate their support. And I appreciate all the support of all the people who've helped me up here. I appreciate that. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Saul. Mr. Cheeseman. Again, thank you to those members that left us. They did a great job. And welcome to those that have been reelected, Mayor Schwartzman, Mr. White, and to our two newest members. I look forward to working with you. You're going to bring a lot to the table. I would also like to wish all of us, and especially our Mexican residents, Happy Cinco de Mayo, but I think that it's important that we don't view it as what lots of commercial aspects of our society do, as a fun day that you go out and use it as an excuse to drink. There's a lot more historically behind this, and it's certainly something that, as an old history teacher, that I think that we make sure that on all these kinds of things that we dig deep into what these things are really about, and oftentimes there are great accomplishments or great pain involved. A week or so ago, I was able to attend the Thrive Community Service fundraiser, their yearly fundraiser, and it just hits me every time that I attend something like that, and I know we have so many in our community that do so many things for their clients and for their particular area of expertise, the compassion and the care that all of those folks that work at those places or volunteer at those places show for their clients is magnificent, and it's what makes our world go around, and they're appreciated. Tomorrow, our Gale Scholars class of 2029 will be inducted into the Gale Scholars program at Galesburg High School, going through a long process of interviews and applications. They had to do more than someone would for a really nice job. And they are an extremely impressive group of kids that come from all walks of life, all races, genders. They are kids that are impressive academically and more impressive academically. as human beings. So I look forward to working with them and I know they're going to make great contributions to our community. Finally, I don't normally talk about my family, but big news and I'm proud of that and just grateful to God. I had my son Carson and my daughter-in-law Morgan recently had their first child on Friday night late. So that's our first grandchild for my wife Kelly and I. So just extremely grateful and over the moon, a little baby boy, Bo. So he's here and... grateful for that. So thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Cheeseman. Mr. Hicks. Thank you, Mayor. Just congratulations for the newly elected members and the returning members. And thanks to the folks that went out the door today. served four and 16 years collectively, so they're definitely going to be missed, but looking forward to working with everybody that's new and returning. And just finally, as I always keep mine very, very short, just like to thank the letter carriers. They do a lot of work as it is, and the heat, the rain, the snow, the sleet, and pick up all those... items for people that need food is very, very good. And Anne and I always donate for that, but encourage everybody in the city to help them out so we can solve a problem. Thank you, Mr. Hicks. Ms. John again. Okay. Good evening, everyone. My heart is full today, full of gratitude for the trust Galesburg voters have placed in me. And it's full of love I have, excuse me, for the city of Galesburg. I am truly grateful. Thank you for your faith and support. I want to begin today by thanking my family. First, my partner and best friend, the love of my life, Elvira Hunnigan. This too also includes my parents, Wendell and Theresa Hunnigan, who departed this world two decades ago. but who left behind a set of values around honor and decency that will endure as long as there are good people in our world. Second, I want to thank my friends and neighbors like Andrea for encouraging me to run for office. And I want to thank especially two people, Pam Davidson and Jim Jacobs. Pam gathered the voters on just one Saturday afternoon in my ward to sign my petition. And Jim Jacobs knew exactly what doors to knock on and what I should say when those doors were opened. Third, I want to acknowledge my opponent, Mr. Wayne Dennis, who is the longest serving councilman in the city of Galesburg. Wayne always made an effort to be accessible to the constituents of this ward, Ward 2, and this included my family as well as the youth of Galesburg. At no time during this campaign did he become disrespectful toward me or say things about me that were not true. During his 16 years on consul, Wayne created a high standard of service and I will attempt to live up to that service. I ran for this office for two reasons. The ward where my wife and I raised four children is in decline and in need of renewal. I have two goals. During my being a councilman, I'm a strong believer in constituent services, and I want the mayor, the city council, and the city manager to pay more attention to Ward 2 and to the drug houses of Ward 2 and Greater Galesburg. We know where you live. We know we are watching. We are listening to you, and we're coming for you when you least expect it. Happy Cinco de Mayo. Thank you, Mr. Hunnigan. Mr. Miller. What? I have drug problems in my ward too, so we'll work together. That's the greater Galesburg. As we all heard tonight, there was a lot of comment about the homeless in Galesburg. There's a new place. that has opened up to help people. This place is called the Lighthouse. It's at the corner of South and Pearl Street. It is going to be run by Dale and Connie Jacobs. They had a ribbon cutting. I attended it instead of going to Mass. But I attended that here recently. have dedicated their life to trying to help underprivileged people. And I think it's a wonderful thing. We'll be supporting it. So to all the people out there that's homeless, there is somebody up here on the city council that has a heart and will work to try to come up with a remedy. Thank you, Mr. Miller. I'm excited to hear you say that. And I know City Manager and I have been talking. We know that the community is going through some new challenges in this regard, and we need to address it. And it would take the entire Council to make headway, but we can do it. I'm a little under the weather tonight. You might notice that. I don't have my rah-rah spirit. Just some infection that I have to get some medicine for. But whenever you take on the responsibility that all of us around this dais take on, for four years, it's a lot of time. And we're all part timers, that's the truth. So it takes the community to assist in anything we wanna do. And I'm beginning to see that coalescence of concern around important issues like homelessness, mental health, and a variety of other things. Right? We got to get people jobs. We got to give people... Thank you. They're helping me out. If you know me, I am happy. So I'm very happy tonight to be around these folks. There is great promise here. And it's going to take connecting. There's a lot of distractions out there. There's a lot of people, so-called politicians, on both sides or multiple sides of the political spectrum, who seem their primary desire is to separate us. That's not going to happen in Galesburg. folks that were here at the beginning of the meeting. I wish I was with them because, again, I'd rather be sleeping at the moment to get better, get better. But there was an amazing room of people here from all walks of life here to support someone they may have voted for or worked for to celebrate the accomplishments that Mr. White has pointed out. But there's other accomplishments, too. We just have to dig a little deeper. We were at an event this Friday at the library. And Mr. Hanson and Ms. Benowitz were the city administrators there. And we had two Knox administrators. And it was one of the first times that I've been here 27 years for the college and the city to sit in a room together and really think about their common interests and how they have to work together. And if they do, there's nothing we can't achieve. So that is the start. And there are people in the room much older than me who said they have never seen that happen in all the years they've been alive in Galesburg. So that's a good, good thing. And I want to thank Mr. Hanson for his leadership and the president of Knox College, Dr. McGadney, for having the vision, not just talking the talk, but actually walking the walk. And we had so many people there who were trustees of the college. And they come here and they've been coming here for years. They went to school here, most of them, but yet they don't necessarily understand how important Galesburg is to the success of the college that they trust and trust in them and their work. But I think, I honestly think looking around, I was a facilitator. I got to see the eyes and the nods. It was really powerful. It's really powerful. So that's one thing. In closing, like the trolls, T-R-O-L-S, if you don't know about them, they have adopted the trails within Lake Story. And they're doing phenomenal work to keep them clean and keep them safe. They went out and did a cleanup this past weekend. And Hy-Vee participated in it as well. We had the CEO event out of Carl Sandburg last week. And we had seven young people from this area who have really are flying high because they have tremendous entrepreneurial spirit, and their success is our success. I met one of them who is a swimmer, and for his project, he wanted to promote the accomplishments of the secondary sports that don't get any attention, like swimming, like track, and so on, because we've had a lot of great successes. We need to project them. Their success is our success. The more we can work on that and project a positive image of our community, we will attract, as we have the last year, we will attract investment. We will attract people to come and visit and then maybe want to stay. This council, in the next few months, we're going to have to really dig deep and figure out how we're going to invest in housing because we know we need it. We knew we needed it two years ago. We definitely need it now. And that's going to be a task. But I think, I believe this council can do it. And we need the feedback and input from the community when we do that. So thank you for your attention. I don't know where I got this energy from, but I draw it from you. I draw it from you. I honestly do. So we're not done. I mean, you guys might be done. This council has more work to do. Mr. Cheeseman. We will now convene to close for executive session for the purpose of discussing A, March 17, 2025, executive session minutes. 5 ILCS 120 slash 2C21. And B, property acquisition. 5 ILCS 120 slash 2C5. And C, litigation. 5 ILCS 120 slash 2C11, Mr. Mayor. Thank you. We have a motion from Mr. Cheeseman. Do we have a second? Mr. White, I heard first. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? We are adjourning. This meeting for the executive session. Thank you all. Be safe.