Hello, folks. Welcome to tonight's meeting. It is 6 o'clock. The council meeting on December 15th, 2025. I ask the wonderful clerk to call the roll, please. Council Member Mangieri. Here. Hunnigan. Here. Miller. Here. White. Achera? Here. Saul? Yes. Cheeseman? Here. Mayor Schwartzman? Here. Eight are present, Your Honor. Okay, we're going to have the Pledge of Allegiance. We're going to have Mr. Miller start us off, and then we'll have invocation by Pastor Tony Franklin afterwards. greetings from Full Gospel Church. Before I pray, I want to just wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. That would be a joyful one. And also to my Jewish friends, I want to wish them a Happy Hanukkah. Let us all bow our heads. Our most precious Heavenly Fathers, we come to you this evening and we give you thanks and praise for just getting us through another year. We thank you, Lord, for your Son, Jesus, as we come up on this celebration. Jeremiah 29.7 reads, and seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it, for in its peace you will have peace. So we pray this evening for the families of those impacted by the mass shootings that are going on around this country. We also lift up those that are impacted by the unlawful ICE raids. We pray that judges across the nation will rule by integrity and justice and righteousness. We pray, Lord, that these that those that are lost loved ones this year, we just lift them up to you right now. Bless those who have been laid off from work. Pray, Lord, for those that have no shelter, no food, no clothes for the poor, for those that are hungry. We pray for all those that are unhoused on this time of the year. Meet their every need, Father, as only you can. And I pray that the spirit of poverty be broken over this city. Father, we pray that our leaders will turn to God, turn to you, in the spirit of love as opposed to greed and pride. We come against greed and pride right now in the name of Jesus. May our leaders have pure motives as they lead with integrity, compassion, and wisdom. We pray for Galesburg's economy, but more importantly, we ask that you help us be unified as a community, characterized by genuine love, kindness, and care for one another. And as we stand this evening as a community, I pray that you would bless this meeting, all that are present, all those that are watching. And we pray that our city government will operate with unity, with wisdom and discernment as they deliberate over all local affairs. And may all things be done decent and in order. And we ask this prayer in the name of our son, Jesus. Amen. Amen. Amen. Welcome. Thank you for those who could arrive in person as well as those online. We have a very special proclamation. Is Mr. Byron Baird in the house? Please step forward. And if his family wants to join him, please have them come down as well. Nice to meet you, sir. VERY WELL. SO THIS IS A VERY SPECIAL PROCLAMATION. AND IN FACT, WHAT WE'RE DOING TONIGHT WAS SCHEDULED TO OCCUR ABOUT A MONTH AGO AT WALMART. MS. LINDA HALLWATER PUTS TOGETHER AN AMAZING PROGRAM FOR THE VETERANS OF OUR REGION. AND MR. BEHR WASN'T ABLE TO ATTEND THAT MEETING, BUT WE'RE GLAD HE'S HERE TONIGHT. So this is the proclamation I'm reading, and then we'll have another presentation afterwards. It reads as follows. Whereas today we recognize the profound sacrifice and unwavering courage of a distinguished American soldier, Sergeant Byron Baird. And whereas Byron Baird, a farm boy whose rural upbringing instilled in him a foundational resilience, answered to the call to serve his nation. deploying to Afghanistan with the specialized and perilous duty of clearing minefields. And whereas on April 22, 2010, the skills of his service collided with the harsh reality of war when a devastating bomb exploded beneath his military vehicle, a truck he credits with saving his life, leaving him with grievous injuries including an inability to walk and lasting complications from a traumatic brain injury, and a loss of approximately 80% of his hearing. And whereas, displaying extraordinary commitment, Sergeant Baird chose to return to the front lines rather than return home, only to be struck a second time by another explosion shortly after his return to duty. And whereas these incidents and his resulting injuries qualified him for the Purple Heart, the oldest military award in the United States, originally established by George Washington as the badge of military merit, honoring these wounded or killed in service. And whereas, due to the timing of his medical leave, Sergeant Baird tragically missed his ceremony, and despite years of persistent effort, could not secure the formal presentation of this rightful honor. And whereas, this injustice motivated Mr. Bud Westbay, who, driven by deep conviction that, quote, this is the injustice that must be served, end quote, relentlessly wrote to the members of Congress and other officials, ultimately prompting a dedicated task force through the office of Congressman Eric Sorensen. And whereas, through the combined persistence of Mr. Westbay and the dedication of the congressman's team, Sergeant Baird's rightful honor was finally restored, culminating in a long-overdue presentation of his Purple Heart certificate and medal, bringing to an end a decade-long wait and acknowledging his monumental sacrifice. And now, therefore, I, Peter Schwartzman, Mayor of the City of Galesburg, do hereby proclaim and formally collectively recognize with the City Council Sergeant Baird's Byron Baird's valor, his profound sacrifice in the defense of freedom, and his indomitable perseverance. Dated the 11th day of November, 2025, presented the 15th day of December, 2025, with my signature and the city seal. Thank you. We have another presentation. Representative Swanson is here. Thank you, Mayor, and thank you to the City Council for allowing this to take place tonight. It's not very often we get to recognize a true hero like this in a setting like this, and it's just a great opportunity to do that. You know, when you think of someone enlisting in the Army, you think of them joining the infantry. You think of them joining as a transportation, a truck driver, someone like that. You don't think of someone joining the Army to go out and look for mines. Look for things that go kaboom. Look for things that kill people. But you did that. And that's just amazing. A young farm boy, a person from our community who said, I want to do what I can to save lives and protect other soldiers. And for that, we're so grateful. We saw so many die in Iraq and Afghanistan because of IEDs. As we tried to build up our capacity to protect soldiers from these, the terrorists, the bad people just kept building bigger and bigger mines. And our vehicles went from a Humvee that wasn't protecting soldiers to MRAPs, those mine-resistant armored personnel carriers, and the vehicles that you used over there. So it's just amazing to think of somebody at 18 years old He said, I want to go protect soldiers and protect lives and go out and find mines. And you did that. And we're so grateful. And as a consequence of that, you've received lifelong injuries for that service to our country. And we're so thankful and grateful for that. I've got a couple presentations I'd like to make. The first one is Illinois House of Representatives Certificate of Recognition. And it says, State of Illinois, 104th General Assembly. House of Representatives acknowledges Byron Baird Army in recognition of your faithful service to those of us who live in this great nation. Your courage and sacrifices ensure the freedoms we continue to enjoy today. We owe you a debt of gratitude and thank you. Duty, honor, and country are three words that resonate throughout history, defining your service to protect the United States of America. We recognize and thank you on this Veterans Day 2025. offered by Representative Dan Swanson, signed Daniel M. Swanson, signed Emanuel Chris Welch, Speaker of the House, signed John Holloman, Clerk of the House. Thank you. Thank you. And I think in all of this, too, we need to recognize your parents for what they did and put up with, and not knowing where their son was, because all they heard was he was injured. Where's he at? What kind of injuries? Because word like that travels fast with social media. And I can't imagine the pins and needles you folks sat on for days wondering what had happened. I also have, and we package these so nicely after they're flown, just to protect them. The people of the grateful nation, or grateful state of Illinois, Illinois flag that was flown over Capitol Complex. It says, I, Alexi Janelius, Secretary of State, certify that this flag is flown at the Capitol Complex in Springfield, Illinois. Signed, Daniel M. Swanson, State Representative. Signed, Alexi Janelius, Secretary of State. And thank you. Thank you very much. Appreciate you being here tonight. And thank you for all that you did. The family is so important to us as a community. again, everyone. We have reached the approval of the minutes for the December 1st, 2025 meeting. I need a motion. Thank you, Mr. Miller. Second. Thank you, Ms. Echera. Any questions about those minutes? Seeing none, I'll call for a vote on the minutes from the December 1st, 2025 meeting and ask the clerk to call the roll. Manjeri, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. Acharya, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes, Your Honor. Thank you. We have reached public comment. Anyone here who has public comment, please step forward. Please state your name. Before you begin, you have three minutes. Bruce Cook from Ward 1. I have, surprisingly to myself, stood at this podium several times this year, commenting on subjects that some may find controversial with the intent of stimulating open minds to view things differently. I can't do anything about the closed minds. In fact, I hear the mental groans of those saying to themselves, not this guy again. What's he going to talk about now? Well, I could talk about encouraging homeowners to be diligent about removing the snow from their sidewalks around their houses. There's no reason there should still be ice from Thanksgiving weekend. Or maybe educate crossing guards and parents about the dangers of parking in restricted zones at intersections around schools. But since few will listen because I have no authority to speak for the city or its residents, I'll leave that up to you. I've been judgmental enough this year. Besides, I've had my 15 minutes of pain in three minute increments. Instead, I've decided to end the year on a lighter note with food for thought that wraps up all my comments in one sentence. If you feel like you're not reaching your goals because your life seems to be constantly moving one step forward and two steps back, turn around and go the other way. Thank you for your time and patience, and may God's hand be upon you and your families during this holiday season. Thank you. Anyone else here for public comment? Please step forward and say your name. Thank you. Good evening to everyone. I'm Pastor James Haley of Allen Chapel African Method Episcopal Church here in the city. I want to first of all greet you all in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And I come to just say thank you for your service this past year. We have had a great 2025 and looking for a greater 2026. When you look at the Gospel lesson of Matthew, the 20th chapter, and it happened to be verse 26. So 2026, it reminds of us that if we want to be great among men, we become the servants. So we want to thank you all for being a servant for our city this year. It says, but it shall not be so among you, but whosoever will be great among you, let him become your minister, your servant. So we want to thank God for you all this year. We know you've had some ups and downs and some downs and ups, but we thank God for the victory. And we're looking forward to a greater 2026 than any other year of Galesburg existence. Amen? Can I get amen? Amen. You know, everyone talks about a greater America, a greater United States. Well, we want a greater Galesburg, including everybody and letting everybody know that they do have a right. And we do believe in standing and working together, even when we don't always agree. So God bless you. God keep you. And I want to say. Merry Christmas to all. Happy Hanukkah to those. And I hope that you have a blessed new year and look forward to seeing you on the first Monday. in January. But before I end, I would like to invite you to come to the last day, which is December 31st at Allen Chapel at noonday. We're going to have a noonday worship service. Pastor Randy Davis is going to share a word. We're going to have good singing and good testimony and even some good food later on. So God bless you. God keep you. Thank you so much. Anyone else here for public comment? Thanks to those that came tonight. We'll move to a consent agenda 2025-24. All matters listed under the consent agenda are considered routine by the City Council and be enacted by one motion. May I have that motion? Thank you, Mr. Miller and Mr. White. The four items being considered this evening are 25, 30, 49. That's the 2026 fill materials motor fuel tax. 253050, this is the 2026 fuel materials non-motor fuel tax. 255010, the 2022, excuse me, 2026 calendar of meetings. And 258023, approval of warrants drawn in payment of same. Any questions about any of those items, Council? Seeing none, I ask for a vote on the consent agenda 2025-24. Manjeri, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes. Your Honor. Thank you. We move to passages of ordinances and resolutions. We have two items to consider. 25-2035 is the abatement of bonds. I need a motion and a second. So moved. Thank you, Mr. White. Second. Thank you, Mr. Cheeseman. Mr. Hansen, please. Thank you, Your Honor. Staff recommends approval of a resolution abating property tax on the following general obligation bonds. Ordinance 13-3418 Series 2013A. Ordinance 15-3484 Series 2015. Ordinance 16-3508 Series 2016. Ordinance 17-3540 Series 2017. Ordinance 23-3692 Series 2017A. If approved, the city clerk will file the resolutions with the county clerk to ensure property tax is not extended for these bond payments. Without the abatement, property taxes would increase by $2,831,661. The abatement will not impact the city's budget as it simply prevents the property tax from being levied to cover these bond payments. Approval is required before the county clerk can extend the taxes. Happy to answer any questions. Thank you. Mr. White? Can you explain what the ramifications of this is for the public? Absolutely. So all of our bonds are backed. by the full faith and credit of the local government and are guaranteed by the property tax levy unless there's an alternative revenue source that's pegged to those bonds. In this case, all of our bonds have another funding source besides the property tax levy that was approved in your budget. They've all been budgeted and accounted for in the document that you all approved last meeting. This is just the formal... requirement so we can send over to the county clerk to let her know or let them know not to levy these taxes and we proceed on. Thank you very much. Anyone else? Mr. Hunnigan. Mr. Hanson, if this is to pay down city debt and am I correct? Well, it's for the annual payments on these bonds, which totaled the $2.8 million, but we're using other revenues to do that. Okay. I understand. Thank you. Seeing no other questions, I ask for a vote on 25-2035. Manjiri, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes, Your Honor. Thank you. Next item is 25-2036, Revision to Local Housing Repair Assistance Program. Need a motion and a second? So moved. Thank you, Mr. Cheeseman. And Mr. Chair, Mr. Hanson, fill us in, please. Thank you, Your Honor. Staff is recommending approval of a resolution revising the Local Housing Repair Assistance Program, which has supported over 100 home repairs projects since its inception in 2022. The proposed revisions expand eligibility to include rental occupied single family homes, increase the maximum award up to 5,000, and add new eligible exterior repairs such as painting, signing, windows, and tuck pointing. Additionally, supplemental funding up to $1,000 may be available for larger projects thanks to the support from CBI Bank and Trust and the Galesburg Community Foundation. This funding will assist low to moderate homeowners and renters with more extensive repairs. The program is funded through the Property Redevelopment Fund with $150,000 allocated for FY26. These revisions will help improve housing quality, strengthen neighborhoods, and enhance the city's appeal for residents and businesses. Just a little bit of additional background for Council. This program has been in place obviously for the last three years. We've looked at efforts at expanding it to include, in addition to HVAC and some of the life safety, also some of the things that are more aesthetic as well. We also expanded the budget this year up to $150,000 in an effort to improve more homes. I want to thank Mr. Gugliotta and his team for all of their efforts I think this is a great program, one we hope to continue to expand in the future. Ultimately, our goal is to tear down fewer houses and improve more houses, and this program is a vehicle to do that. Happy to answer any additional questions, as is Mr. Guglielmo. Thank you. Any questions from the council? Mr. Cheeseman. No question. Just want to say that this truly is an outstanding program, and expanding it like this. to do something that all of us, I think, in the room and through our city feel is important, and that is helping people keep their property up and providing assistance to do that when funds can be limited. This is outstanding, and again, doing some other things here that add more to it, just superb. So again, thank you to our city, and thank you to all of us for making this such a priority. Thank you, Mr. Cheeseman. Mr. Honigan? Several months ago, we were presented with the Western Illinois Regional Council in terms of home improvement. This is not any connection with that program at all. Correct. This is a city-initiated opportunity. The Western Illinois Regional Council was actually grant funds that came through HUD. Is that correct, Mr. Gugliana? Yeah, that's correct. So that was a specific HUD program. that was for a specific area, designated area of the city that was designated by the grant. This is a citywide housing assistance initiative that, again, we initiated in a smaller form about three years ago and have been working to expand. Obviously, if you take the max grant, theoretically, we could do up to 30 houses this year, and obviously, potentially, we'll look at expanding it in the future. How do residents go about applying for this program? The information is obviously on the website. We also put it out via social media and through our other channels. And Mr. Brooks, who's our associate planner, coordinates this for us. We also take referrals from elected officials, so feel free to send folks our way. Okay, I'm going to hold you to that. Thank you so much. Thank you. Seeing no other comments, I ask for a vote on 25-20-36. Mangieri, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes. Your Honor? Thank you. We move to bids, petitions, and communications. We have three of those tonight. 25-30-51, emergency demolition contractor services. 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 an agreement with, is it Jim Maxx? Jimax? Okay, thank you. Jimax Corp for emergency demolition services from January 1st, 2026 to December 31st, 2026 with a one-year extension option. The company will provide 24-7 on-call demolition services for unsafe or hazardous structures within the city. The agreement ensures timely demolitions to reduce public safety risks separate from regular demolition work. Three vendors responded to the city's proposal with Jimax was Thank you very much. This is the program we implemented a couple years ago, so if there's a significant structure, fire structures deemed unsafe, the goal of this particular effort is to control the costs. If council remembers, although we've taken down a couple of structures, the last one being the significant fire down on North Cherry Street. When you do them, you know, as emergencies, they can get very expensive. And so this puts some parameters around it to help control the cost exposure for the city, but still allows us to get the properties down in a timely manner. Mr. Gugata, anything to add? Any other questions? Be happy to answer them. Thank you, Mr. Hanson. Okay, I'll call for vote. 25, 30, 51. Mangieri, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. Aceri, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes, Your Honor. Thank you. The next two relate to purchases as well. 25, 30, 52. Purchase of two team dugouts. And we need a motion and a second. Motion. Thank you, Mr. Cheeseman. Mr. Chair, Mr. Hanson. Thank you, Your Honor. Staff recommends approval of the bid submitted by Unlimited Sports Solutions in the amount of $35,630 for the design and construction of two new team dugouts at the Jimmy Isaacson Ball Diamond in H.T. Custer Park. The existing concrete dugouts lack proper airflow and need replacement to improve player comfort during hot summer months. The new dugouts will be part of a broader effort to upgrade the field and attract more teams and games throughout the year. The bid includes the design and construction of the steel frame dugouts with a metal roof, as well as an alternative bid for the black vinyl chain link fencing at $6,580. Unlimited sports solution bid offers a 10-year warranty on the metal structure and 25-year warranty on the roof, making it the most advantageous option, despite being slightly higher than the competitor's bid. Sufficient funds are available in the Community Improvement Fund 12 to cover the cost of the project. Happy to answer any questions. Mr. Chair? I have a question, just a comment. I think this is really exciting. I encourage others to vote for this enhancement. We've, over time, been enhancing H.T. Custer Park, and I think this is just going to reinforce the ability for our programs to support our youth. So I say let's vote yes. Anyone else? Ms. Cheeseman. I certainly concur with that point. I really appreciate how much has been put in, extensive improvements, little by little, to really make H.T. Custer Park not only as a baseball park, but all the other things, the amenities that are going with it, just a go-to place where lots and lots of people have went in the past, and lots of people are going there in the future. And it's not only the nice things that have been done that are... are needed in terms of the actual execution of all of this stuff, but the aesthetics of all of this really makes it an attractive place too. So again, thank you. And so many of these things have been done in this past year or two that have added so much to our city. So this is another one of those. Thank you. Mr. Miller. I want to say also with this down at HT Custer Park, there have been so many improvements We have the property that's just east of there. That was the old nursing home care center, whatever. It's been a goal of mine to put a community center down there, try to do maybe some pickleball down in that area. So I ask that we keep looking to expand H.T. Custer Park. I live fairly close to it, and there are a lot of people that take advantage of that park every day during the summer. Thank you. Thank you. One more thing, Mr. Schwartzman. I think that the American Legion baseball program going back down there and making that their home, which had been their home for so many years, is another one of these things that make this not only appealing, but so many people from outside the community will come and see this as well. Thank you. Thank you. I'll ask for a vote on 25-30-52. Manjari, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes, Your Honor. Thank you. Next item, 25-30-53, compact utility tractor. and front-end loader. Need a motion and a second? Mr. Hanson, please fill us in. Thank you, Your Honor. Staff recommends approving the bid from Heritage Tractor in Galesburg, Illinois for $60,000 including trade to purchase a John Deere 4075R Compact Utility Tractor for the Golf Division. The new tractor will replace a 2007 John Deere 4320, which will be traded in, while the 2008 John Deere will remain in the fleet as a backup. Although Parallel Ag offered the lowest bid, their tractor did not meet the bid specifications. Heritage Tractor bid of $70,000 with a $10,000 trade-in allowance meets all requirements and is recommended Delivery is expected in August of next year. Sufficient funds are available in the vehicle replacement fund for this purchase. Happy to answer any questions. Thank you. Any questions on this item? I have one question. Mr. Honigan, yes. Where is this tractor going to be used, at the golf course or all over the community? Primarily at the golf course. Obviously, if there's... If there's some need elsewhere within the Parks Division, our departments do share, but the primary purpose is at the golf course. Okay, I'll call for a vote on 25-30-53. Manjeri, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes, Your Honor. Thank you. We move to the city manager's report. Mr. Hanson, anything to add? Mayor, just briefly, I want to thank the council, as you are probably aware. Last week, I completed my second year here and very much appreciate the opportunity. I thank the council for your continued support and all the work that we were able to accomplish in 2025 and obviously look forward to 2026. Very grateful for our tremendous staff who proved themselves time and time again and are certainly a testament to our ongoing success. And obviously to the residents for providing the opportunity to serve in this capacity. It's a tremendous honor. So thank you for another great year and happy holidays to all those out there. And we're looking forward to an exciting 2026. Happy to answer any questions. Any questions for Mr. Hansen? Seeing none, thank you for that. Miscellaneous business, we have two items. First is 254084, the United Medical Resources, UMR health plan agreement. Need a motion and a second? Mr. White and Mr. Miller. Mr. Hansen, please. Thank you, Your Honor. Staff is recommending approval of a self-insured employee health plan with United Medical Resources as the administrator star X for pharmacy services and stop loss coverage through HCC life insurance effective January 1st, 2026. This follows a 22.8% premium increase quoted by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois for 2026, who is our current health care provider. The self-funded option with UMR offers the same coverage as BCBS Illinois, but with a 5.4% increase saving the city an estimated $881,000. Under this plan, the city will pay employee claims while UMR administers the plan. Stop-loss insurance will protect against catastrophic claims. UMR's plans include enhanced benefits such as $0 virtual visits and better pharmaceutical pricing. The transition is expected to maintain employee benefits while significantly reducing costs to the city. The 2026 budget includes sufficient funding for this plan. Appreciate all the work that went into this and specifically to Ms. Pease and the HR team who have been going crazy the last 45 days trying to get this implemented. But ultimately, we hope this is a better pathway for our overall insurance approach going forward. Happy to answer any questions. Thank you. Any questions on this item? Seeing none, I call for a vote on 254084. And Jerry, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. A cherry, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes. Your Honor? This is the type of thing that, you know, comes up now and again. But, I mean, the city staff and their due diligence, I mean, they're saving our budget almost a million dollars. Very significant work that's being done. And I appreciate every single effort, all the folks in finance and other areas to make this happen. The next item is 254085, Letter of Commitment, Illinois Department of Transportation, Lake Story Shared Use Path. Motion? So moved. Second. Mr. Cheeseman and Mr. Saul. Mr. Hanson, fill us in. Thank you, Your Honor. Staff recommend approval of the Letter of Commitment for the second phase of the Shared Use Path Project around Lake Story, extending from Woodblock Road to Gatewood Lane. This phase will use IDOT's bridge on U.S. Route 150 to cross the lake. The letter outlines the city's responsibility for all right-of-way, construction, and engineering costs while IDOT will manage the bidding process. The city will also maintain the path and any bridge additions such as barrier walls and railings. IDOT will continue to maintain the existing bridge and U.S. Route 150. The project is set for bidding in 2026 with no budget impact anticipated. This has obviously been on the council's radar for a while. It's still our intent. The first, well, it would be the second phase connecting to the existing path down by the entrance to Carl Sandburg is actually scheduled to go to Letting in January, if I'm not mistaken. And this is one of the final pieces for us to finish that last leg around the lake. We are still hoping to let this section in 2026. Mother Nature will dictate whether or not it's completed in 26 or 27, but we're our full go to get this path finally completed around the lake. I thank Mr. Gavin for all of his efforts. is a long time coming and we're excited to see this project come to fruition. Happy to answer any questions. Thank you. Any questions? Mr. White? I just noticed the word non-motorized traffic on this path. I know there are some people that are handicapped, sort of, and they will use their little rascals just to see. Will there be a problem with that at all? I think it's referring to licensed motorized vehicles. Although I will tell you communities have some challenge regulating the new e-bikes and some of those things. So we'll see how that goes, whether or not we're added to that list. But it doesn't have any impact on the types of things you're talking about. Thank you. Anyone else? Seeing none, let's vote on 254085. Manjeri, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes, Your Honor. Thank you. We need a motion to sit as a town board. Thank you. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? We are now sitting as a town board. We have one item under town business, the bills, 259033. Need a motion for the bills. Thank you, Mr. Miller. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Any questions about the bills? Somebody's calling in with a question. Oh, too bad. They missed out. All right. No questions on the bills. I call for a vote on the bills. 25-9033. Mangieri, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. White, yes. A cherry, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Seven vote yes, Your Honor. Thank you. We need a motion to sit as the City Council. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? I'm just waiting for that one day. So we're sitting in City Council. We will move to closing comments. Mr. White's going to lead off this evening. Thank you very much. I want to thank my pastor, first of all, for his beautiful prayer at this time and place in our nation, in our city, in our country. It was a well... needed prayer that we do come together. I want to wish everybody Happy New Year and a Merry Christmas. I won't be seeing any of you unless you come by my house to eat. Is that an invitation? Of course, anytime. Let me know when you're coming and what you want. There's a gentleman that's not here anymore and he's sitting in Ms. Manjeri's seat and he had me read a book about injustice. And I tell kids out in my high school is reading is knowledge and knowledge is education. Without it, you have nothing. Sometimes when we read, it stirs up emotions and situations. I just read something the other day by Franz Fons. He said, the poor are not accidental failures. There are purposeful outcomes of economic architecture. It made me think, is that really true? Because reading is knowledge and knowledge is education. Another gentleman by the name of Jason Wilson said, a thinking man cannot be fooled. And we're in a tough situation now in our nation. And those sit with me very heavily. Be kind to everybody. Have a little empathy for people. Because you never know how they got there. Thank you for this good year we've had. We've all grown. I told the gentleman earlier we started out kind of rough, but we ended up on a good note. And I just thank everybody's work that they've done on the council this year. have a good holiday, great holiday. Thank you, Mr. White. Ms. Chair? Thank you. Yes, good. I agree with a lot of what you said there. I think it's always important to do your research, too, because there's a lot of information out there. And I always say, don't take things at face value. Do your own research, because there's lots of opinions out there. I think that we ended this year on a wonderful note. I'm so excited by some of these things that we passed in terms of improving our community. Of course, I'm a big baseball fan, so I love what we're doing there. But I also use the Lake Story path, and I'm very excited to be able to go all the way around there. So I'm glad we're continuing to work on that. And especially since I was able to... Since I was elected to be in this position, I've been concerned about the way our community looks. And this expansion of the local housing repair ordinance is really hopeful. I'm hopeful that it's going to make an impact. So I think we have a lot to look forward to in 2026. And thanks to everyone, staff especially, for all the great things you do. So thank you. Thank you, Ms. Chair. Mr. Saul. Eighty-one years ago, last Friday, My father got shot in France by a sniper, a German sniper. The bullet entered his body right about where that collarbone has that big gap in between your neck. It went out the middle of his back, one inch from his spine. Lucky for me, because I wouldn't be here if that would have been one inch closer. to his spine. I wanna take the time to hope that all of you when you're gathering at Christmas to hug your parents. I wish I could do that, but I'm not that lucky. I'm glad we did all this stuff together. with the city council. We have worked hard. Staff has worked outrageously hard. And I want you to know that I appreciate all that you do and all that we do. And I want to thank you all. And I hope you have a Merry Christmas. Thank you, Mr. Saul. Mr. Cheeseman. Well said by all three of you. Hard to top that. And I'm fortunate, Mr. Saul, that I do have that 96-year-old man who's my hero sitting at home watching and a veteran, too, and who's just had a great impact in a positive way on my life, my dad, Jack. I want to also recognize a true American hero there. Thank you, Sergeant Baird, for your service and all that you've done. And Mr. Swanson here, too, is another tremendous, tremendous servant for our country in the military. On a negative, not a negative note, but a terribly sad note, we've lost, and everyone's life is important, and certainly their death is something that hits people hard, but we've had a couple of deaths in our community here in the last couple weeks since we last met. One of a tremendous servant to our city as a nurse, a school nurse, and other things within our city, Marty Glass. that was a victim of an automobile accident. We certainly remember her this night, and also a young school teacher and young father who was also lost to us in an accident, Jordan Ball. We remember them tonight, and God bless them and their families. On a positive note, besides all these nice things that have happened, and I know that we've talked about helping our unhoused. We've got a number of things in place, and there certainly needs to be more things looked at. But great partnerships between our city and our county housing authority out at our shelter on Iowa Court. The Salvation Army has opened up something during the daytime. our rescue mission and other groups have done things and stepped in with meals during the day. People really caring about and looking out for those that are not as fortunate. We must continue to do that and show compassion toward folks in those situations. And again, one other individual that is, you know, I've always said and I'll say it forever that the best part of our town are our citizens and they all care and they all matter. We have a young man here in our town that if you, I would encourage you to find out about his story, Michael Martinez, who is a graduate of Knox College and the things that he's went through and the inspiration he is to so many people is a story that all of us, we learn about him, we're gonna be better because of it. So I certainly wanna remember tonight and think about Michael Martinez. and the things that he does for others and how much he inspires me and others in our community. And again, Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah and Happy Holidays to all of you. And again, it's a pleasure and an honor and a privilege to work with all of you here on the council and Mayor Schwartzman and certainly all of our staff and our citizens. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Cheeseman. Can I add something to that, Mr. Cheeseman? Everybody, I didn't know who he was talking about, but that's Big Mike to me. Big Mike. Big Mike. He's larger than life. Ms. Mangieri. So I actually see Mr. Sphinx in the audience. I just wanted to mention that they will be doing a Christmas party that is open to the community. I believe it's Thursday, December 18th from 5 to 8 p.m. It's free. So there's photos with Santa, photos with the Grinch, and food and drinks and holiday giveaways. So I encourage everyone to share that. That is on Facebook on their website, All Stars Sports Academy. Sorry. I would like to end my closing comments with I have been the newest one here on the council and everyone has been very welcoming. And it will be in January that I will have completed three, four months on the council. So I want to thank everyone for their work and then also carrying me along. So I really appreciate everyone's collaboration and it's been good. It's been great. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Hunnigan. I have very few comments this month, so everybody might be surprised. But again, I want to give honor to Byron Baird for the service that he has given to this country. And I know your mother, and I know your father, and they have been... I'm sure essential in your development as a human being and a soldier. And I also want to give tribute to Mr. Bud West Bay, who was your advocate and made people aware of the sacrifice that you gave to this country. So congratulations. We are so happy to have you here this evening. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Hunnigan. Mr. Miller. I want to thank you for your service also. I've got family that was in the military, shot down in Nam, carries it to this day. I know you will carry it for the rest of your life. And as one American to you, thank you for your service. Thank you for my freedom. Now we'll go on to other things. Two and a half years ago, I was put in office to represent Ward 3. Had no idea that something would come available. Tonight is my last meeting. I have bought a home out in the country. I was born and raised on a farm in Iowa, so I love the country. I've been in the city of Galesbrook 17 years. Same house. Did a lot of work to it. I've enjoyed being on city council. I almost ran against our mayor for mayor's position, but I thought that. It's been a pleasure to represent Ward 3. The people of my ward, I got the best ward in the city of Gillsburg. I have got so many people that stand behind me. When I have questions from residents, I will call them, they will answer me. The council has been wonderful to work with. I've learned a lot. We have accomplished a lot in two and a half years. One of the big things is we have created at least two, 300 jobs in the city of Gillsburg coming. And I think that is a big push and a big plus for the city of Gillsburg. I hope that Mayor Swartzman, who you appoint to be fill my shoes, that would hope to have the people in Ward 3 with input as to who gets appointed. I could say a lot, but I just want to tell everybody thank you. I want also everybody, every employee in the city. My first summer that after I was appointed, I went to every department. I met every city employee. I got to go police car ride for almost a full night. I got to try on a fireman's suit in the dark, and I got to go to a real house fire and see how our firemen work. Our streets department, we've had two big snowstorms. I'll put our street department against any street department in the United States, including New York, anybody. Our streets have been taken care of very well. So Gavin, thank you very much for guiding that. To our city manager, thank you very much for all your guidance. I have enjoyed my time on city council, but it's time for me to move into the country. So thank you. Thank you, Mr. Miller. I sometimes, you know, prepare a statement to speak. This evening was one, you know, the last meeting of the year. I wanted to speak from the heart, and a lot of things were conveyed by the council. There's a lot, and some of what I'm going to say are probably kind of mixed up, but Mr. Miller, I want to first say when you first started, I think we were adversaries, but I think two and a half years later, we consider ourselves friends, and that's significant that's not insignificant and I think it speaks to you know what we're trying to build in Galesburg so I think I think that's if I had if I could toast I would toast to that and thank you for your service thank you for your service to Galesburg the the names you mentioned the people we've lost in the last couple weeks very tremendous thank you Mr. Cheeseman for sharing their names we have lost some very significant people in our community. And as you mentioned as well, we've accomplished a lot. I've been serving now, this is my 15th year serving as an elected official. That's a long time. Got a lot of gray hair as a result of all that. And I've worked with many counselors over the time, worked with several city managers. And I would... I believe we have accomplished quite a bit in the last year, the last couple of years, in fact. And Mr. Hanson, I want to thank you for your two years of service. You came into this job that was very contentious time. And it took a lot of resolve for you personally and your family to come here and serve. And I hope you feel it was worth it. It's certainly we feel blessed that you did that. And I'm looking forward to the holidays coming forward, to celebrating with my friends and family locally. And I think it's, you know, even though it was probably 10 degrees outside, we still held a Christmas parade in our community. And it was jolly. And there were beautiful, beautiful floats from all over the community. I don't know how they decided who won because they were all winners in my view. But that's testament to our resolve as a community. 2025 has been a very blessed year for Galesburg and with some challenges remaining. And as we look forward to 2026, I echo the Reverend here in front of me and his words, both of them, in fact, in speaking to the future of our Galesburg and its continued efforts to improve and to look out for each other. Just this past weekend, I was asked, I think, blessed to be connected with a homeless family. And I found them literally sleeping at the doors of a church. And I worked. It's one of the few times I've made that effort individually, but I worked to try to find them housing. And what I've determined over the course of the last three days, finding them housing is very difficult. One of these people has a full time job in Galesburg. But yet, due to various family complications, is not able to find a place to live, despite having the funds to do so. So I ask, I plead, I request, if you know of a place to live, and you're willing to give somebody a second chance, please contact me. That couple is not alone in that situation. I've come across two other situations very similar only in the course of a weekend. And if you can imagine sleeping outside this weekend, unbelievable. So thankfully, with the help of some folks, this couple did not sleep outside. And they, I saw them again today, they are, They were so thankful and so happy. And it convinced me, because I saw it face to face, that if I can do it, we can all do it. So let's do what we can to make sure that every person is housed in 2026. And I'll end with, where we started this meeting. Mr. Baird, you're a very humble man, but you are a hero. And we don't have to turn on the TV to see the heroes in our community. We have to come to a council meeting. But I thank you, bottom of my heart, for what you've done, what leadership you've shown. and will resolve you and your family have. And you're still a young man. So I hope to connect with you more and see what we can grow and build together. Thank you. And I ask for a motion to adjourn. All those in favor? Aye. Anyone want to stay longer? Okay, we're resolved. You guys have a lovely holiday.