In our meeting at City Council Chambers, Galesburg City Council meeting, February 2nd, 2026. I ask the clerk to recall the roll, please. Councilmember Mangieri. Here. Hunnigan. Here. White. Present. Achera. Here. Saul. Yes, ma'am. Cheeseman. Here. Mayor Schwartzman. Here. Seven are present, Your Honor. Okay, thank you. We'll have the Pledge of Allegiance followed by a moment of silence. Will Officer Taylor and Chief Legate meet me at the front? Well, tonight is a very special night. It's not every night we get to retire someone, someone as distinguished as our friend there. But let me read the proclamation, and then I'll let the chief say a few words. The proclamation reads as follows. Whereas the Galesburg Police Department formally recognizes the distinguished career and retirement of K-9 Zeus, number 184, effective this second day of February, 2026, coinciding with his eighth birthday. And whereas K-9 Zeus entered active duty in November 2019, embarking on a six-year tenure, divined by bravery, unwavering loyalty, and extraordinary partnership with his handler, Officer Jake Taylor, number 171. Whereas the duo of Officer Taylor and K-9 Zeus established a benchmark of excellence for the K-9 unit from their initial certification in Decatur to their daily commitment to the safety of the citizens of Galesburg. And whereas K-9 Zeus proved himself an invaluable asset through critical evidence recovery, most notably in a high-profile stabbing investigation where his specialized skills were instrumental in the pursuit of justice. And whereas his keen proficiency led to significant criminal interdiction, including the seizure of over $170,000 in illicit currency in 2023, an achievement that contributed to Officer Taylor being named the Galesburg Area Crime Stopper Officer of the Year. And whereas K-9 Zeus has maintained the highest standard of operational liability, consistently... certifying in narcotics detection, evidence recovery, and handler protection throughout his decorated service. Therefore, there it be resolved that I, Mayor Peter Schwartzman, on behalf of the Galesburg Police Department and the City of Galesburg, do hereby express our profound gratitude to K9 Zeus, number 184, for his years of selfless service. Be it further proclaimed that as Zeus transitions from a fearless protector to a well-earned life of rest and retirement within the Taylor home, we honor his legacy of excellence. Dated this second day of February 2026, my signature in the city seal, I present this to Mr. Taylor, Officer Taylor, and Zeus. Thank you so much. And one last thing, I just looked. You might think an eight-year-old is too young to retire. For a large dog, eight years is equivalent to 64. So for that, I think it's well-deserved. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, there's a special bond between a canine and an officer that a lot of us don't know and we will never know. Jake has been committed to the canine program since he started it. Zeus and Jake have served this community well, protecting the community, and I can't thank them enough. We will continue on with our program. A lot to do with what you had to do for the program. Jake, thank you. Oh, yeah, and on behalf of the city of Galesburg, we'd like to present some dog treats. So, Zeus, go eat some treats and take a nap. Okay, our next item is opening comments. We have a special guest who will give an opening comment, and I'll turn it over to Mrs. Sheets. I'm with Trajectory Energy Partners. And we have a community solar project in Galesburg. So I would like to present a check for a donation and read a little proclamation from our owner, John Carson. Mayor Schwarzman, fellow city council members, Trajectory Energy Partners signed a community benefit commitment letter with the city of Galesburg dated November 7th, 2022, related to the Southside Community Solar Project. In this letter, Trajectory committed to a further set of community-specific benefits that the project will bring to Galesburg if the project is selected for the community-driven community solar program administered by the Illinois Power Agency. These benefits shall include $10,000 in direct support for improvements to community parks on the south side of Galesburg. Since that time, we are pleased to share that the solar project has been selected as a community-driven community solar project and it is under construction and we expect to begin operations this year. In recognition of the forward movement of the project and the continued partnership with the City of Galesburg, we are pleased to make this donation to you today. We look forward to bringing the Southside Community Solar Project and all of its benefits to the Galesburg community. Just for facts, and so you know where Southside Community Solar is located, we have about 15 acres between Locust and Lombard Streets just west of the Mary Davis Center. Our estimated annual electric bill savings to local residents, in particular to Southside residents, is a total of $162,000 a year for subscribers. The 50% discount dedicated to Southside residents should equate to about $450 per household per year. Southside Solar is also expected to provide approximately $300,000 total in local tax revenue over the life of the project. So with that, I'd be pleased to present a $10,000 check from Trajectory Energy to the City of Galesburg. Thank you. Our park and rec director is coming down. He'll be gladly accepting this and putting it to good work. We're still on public comment. If anyone's here for public comment, please step forward. Say your name. Your Honor. Sorry. Yes. Can the council approve the minutes? Oh, I'm sorry. No worries. I'm getting ahead of myself. Thank you for correcting me. And then move back to public comment. So we do have the minutes from January 20th, 2026. So I need a motion and a second for that. Thank you, Ms. Saul and Ms. Chara. Any questions about those minutes? Seeing none, I'll ask the clerk to call the roll on the minutes from the January 20th, 2026 meeting. Manjeri, yes. Hunnigan, yes. White, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Sixth vote, yes, Your Honor. Thank you. Okay, we'll go back to public comment. If anyone's here for public comment, please step forward. Please state your name, and you have three minutes to address the board. Hello. Good evening. I'm Mindy Knapp. I'm representing the Midwestern Humanitarian Center. Every day, people in Galesburg, Illinois are in need of a warm shelter in this cold weather. And we see people on the streets in our warming center here at the police station. The real judgment is not whether they do or do not do to put themselves out there. And the real judgment is on us as a society of what we haven't done to assure people at least have a warm shelter, an option of a shelter. in times like these. We have the rescue shelter. Yeah, it's 40 people and 40 people 80. We got a warming center. Yeah, capacity is 20. We have a police station if it's temporary or if it's a warming center. Kind of confused on that. We are outgrowing these by numbers, okay? We are not, 20 people coming into the police station at night, 10, 11, 20. And it's hard to, you can probably justify this, Chief, on how to have someone out there to make sure everything's being taken care of. Yeah, they're coming in. It's a temporary warming center. If it is, then, you know, to be able to come in because you can't go to the other two options and you don't want to be outside, who wants to be outside, okay? Some people and organizations are telling me that people actually choose to want to be outside. Now, that, to me... I find that hard to believe. And I even asked the ones that I still see in town, that haven't been asked to get somewhere to be warm. I'm repeatedly telling them the places that they can go to and get warm. Anyway, the scenario is, you know, the police station is dealing with a lot of people with too much flow in there and then what to do with cleaning it up and the safety of people with mental problems and everything. And then you have rules. You know, you can't eat in here. You can't eat in here. You can't use the bathroom. You can't use can. You can sleep been here in a chair but there's only four chairs so what does the 11 and the 20 people do come on we got to work together as a society okay it's cold times and people have the right to be in somewhere warm okay and they have a right to eat and they have a right to rest if that's the only options homeless people are not what you think they are they are survivors of what life has drugged them through hell They are survivors and they are just barely surviving. And we need to take that into consideration as a society in Galesburg and help these people in this cold time we're having. In the summer, it's going to be hot. So let's start thinking of what to do. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else here for public comment this evening? Please step forward. I'm also here. to speak about the homeless problem we have in our town. Can you state your name, please? I was getting ready to do that. My name is Laura Porter. I am a founder of a nonprofit registered with the Illinois Board of Elections. I'm here because Galesburg has multiple large structural sound buildings sitting empty. The old public library, for instance, the former Eagles building out by Swankataha. Cottage Hospital, I believe, has quite a few empty spaces in it, Hawthorne Court. and several brick buildings that were once schools by Hawkinson and North Street, I believe, and also Mulberry Street. Those buildings are completely vacant, are sitting doing nothing, and I'm sure that they're pretty sound enough that we could do something with them. My organization is prepared to take responsibility for one of these unused properties and pursue grants, partnerships, and volunteer labor to turn it into a community asset. transitional housing, youth services, and a resource hub. This does not require city operating funds. It simply requires the city to open a formal process allowing nonprofits to apply for these unused buildings through low-cost transfer or long-term lease. This is a practical solution that reduces blight saves taxpayer money, and provides stability for the people who need it most. I'm collecting signatures from the residents who support reviewing these vacant buildings for community use, and I'm asking the council to take the first step tonight by allowing nonprofits like mine to bring forward adaptive reuse proposals. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else here for public comment? Okay, we'll move on. Thank you. We have reached the Consent Agenda 2026-03. All matters listed on the Consent Agenda are considered routine by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion. There are six items on Consent Agenda tonight. Let me read them quickly. 26-2002 is an MFT resolution for the 2026 Intermittent Resurfacing Project. We have 26-3003. This is a bid for 2026 parking lot seal coat We have 26-4006. This is an update to the zoning map. 26-4007, flood insurance renewal. 26-4008, engineering services for 2026 material testing. And lastly, 26-8002, approval and warrants drawn in payment of same. Need a motion to move on this? Thank you, Ms. Mangieri. Need a second? Thanks, Mr. Chair. Any questions about any of these items? John, again? What parking lot is being sealed? Yeah, the other half of parking lot D, which is the parking lot that's over just to the east of Seminary Street, would be north of Packinghouse. We did half the lot last year. This is the other half this year, correct? Okay. Yep. So this is just actually finishing up a the project, and then we'll move on to the next one. Thank you, Ms. Dunnigan. So you know the comments, I ask for a vote on consent agenda 2026-03. Mangieri, yes. Hunnigan, yes. White, yes. Echera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Sixth vote, yes, Your Honor. Thank you. We have passages of ordinances and resolutions. We have two on the table tonight. 261001 is an ordinance. It's prohibit parking along the east side of Willard Street from Pfeiffer Street to Yates Street during school hours. It is on final reading. I need a motion and a second. Thank you, Mr. Saul. Thanks, Ms. Mangieri. Mr. Hanson, fill us in. Thank you, Your Honor. Staff recommends approval of an ordinance prohibiting parking on the east side of Willard Street from Pfeiffer Street to Yates Street during school hours. The Traffic Advisory Committee reviewed concerns regarding congestion during peak school times as Willard Street is only 27 feet wide and allows parking on both sides currently, which reduces traffic flow to one lane when fully parked. A resident parking survey showed majority support for restricting parking during school hours. Because the school is located on the west side of the street, limiting parking on the east side would reduce street crossings and improve safety for students and parents. The ordinance would prohibit parking on the east side of Willard Street between 8 a.m. and 4.30 on school days. Funds for required no parking signage are available in the gas tax fund. Staff is recommending approval. Thank you. Any questions about this item? Seeing none, I ask for a vote on 26-1001. And Jerry, yes. Hunnigan, yes. White, yes. Echera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Sixth vote, yes, Your Honor. Thank you. Second item in this part of the meeting, 26-2003, is a resolution. Support of better utilizing investments to leverage development. grant the build grant as it were need a motion in a second thank you mr chair thank you mr cheeseman mr hansen thank your honor uh rather than go through all of this uh that's in in the packet of material uh this is the exact same project the exact same amounts the exact same um match contributing. It's just another grant fund possibility. We already have a build grant out at the logistics park, so we have some experience in receiving and managing build grants. I equated it, I think, on the radio this morning to going fishing and putting out a second line. But it's no different than the action that you took at a meeting or so ago. It's just another opportunity for us to potentially leverage funds to correct and improve the South Street underpass. Happy to answer any additional questions. Thank you, Mr. Hanson. Ms. Jonigan? How much money are we asking for? In this case, it's for planning and environmental. It's just short of $3.7 million. It's $3.685. There's a 20% match of which BNSF has agreed on this one as well to partner and take 10%. So our match is 10% or about $365,000. So the railroad is putting the money, most of the money? The railroad is putting up 10%, plus they are also underwriting the entire cost of the engineering and application. Great. I think it was done again. Anyone else? Mr. White? I know part of this is closing off Mulberry Street crossing. Will they ever return that to Two-Way Street so you can turn left to go on to, what's Chambers, I think? when this is done, or is that in the plans? Well, again, this is just the initial request. All of that has to be engineered and studied. It's in the preliminary request, but that's part of what we have to study, demonstrate, and get feedback on as part of any further work that's done in that area. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Saul? Could you get your crystal ball out and tell us what are the chances of us getting it this time? Yeah, great question. Last year's grant application, our application made it all the way through all of the phases. They just ran out of money. We were encouraged to apply again, and we've made a few updates, including adding the environmental, which actually is a plus in our favor because it moves the project along. Crystal ball is, you know, if I had a crystal ball about what goes on in Washington, D.C., I'd be in a different job. But the reality is I think we have a strong application. It scored very well last time, and we've been encouraged to reapply, and hopefully we'll be successful in this funding with either FSP or BUILD grant funds. Another thing, have the prices changed any? Not drastically from just last fall or last spring when we studied this. The thing that changed in our application is adding all the environmental assessments as part of the grant. Last year's grant, I think, was around 1.7 or 1.8, but didn't include any environmental work, which obviously would be required either way. So including it up front helps our application. Obviously, it increases the cost, but the grant picks up 80% of that cost as well. But it would put us further along for the actual construction if we were to be able to get the funds. Mr. Hansen, does applying at this particular time when you talked about the resources ran out, does this help our cause as well earlier? I think this is another round of grant funds. The BUILD grant, which is formally the RAISE program, Before that, I think it was Tiger, if I'm not mistaken. This particular pot of funds is pretty much an annual thing. The FSP is also another program with the FRA that's a pretty common reinvestment in rail crossings and rail-related conflicts with vehicles and pedestrians. There's, again, a large pot of funds available, and we... I obviously believe, our engineers believe, BNSF believes that it's in our best interest, the community's best interest to apply. Thank you all. No other questions? I'll ask for a vote on 26-2003. Mangieri, yes. Hunnigan, yes. White, yes. A chair, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Sixth vote, yes, Your Honor. Thank you. We have nothing under bids, petitions, and communications this meeting. We'll move to the City Manager's report. Mr. Hanson, anything to add? Only if Council has any questions. Otherwise, I have nothing to report tonight. Thank you. Anything for Mr. Hanson? Thank you for the report you sent. And we'll move on. We have five items under miscellaneous business. We have first, 26-4009, the retirement of K-9 Officer Zeus. Need a motion and a second. Thank you, Mr. Saul and Mr. Cheeseman. Any statements from the council about Mr. Zeus? Haven't practiced your barking lately? Okay, I'll call for vote on 26-4009. Manjari, yes. Hunnigan, yes. White, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Sixth vote, yes, Your Honor. Now that he's finally retired officially, I'll ask the Chief, is there another specialist coming in soon? Yes, we're planning, I believe, March 1st or 2nd is the next academy for the canine officers. Fantastic. Thank you for that. 264010 is a minor plat of the Davis and Sons Storage Subdivision. Need a motion and a second to consider. Thank you, Mr. White. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Hanson. your honor staff is recommending approval of the minor plat for the davis and sun storage subdivision as recommended by the planning and zoning commission following a public hearing on january 13th 2026 the property located at 688 u.s highway 150 east and 671 knox road 1400 north is an existing storage unit complex zone knox county b2 highway business The proposal would subdivide the site into two lots, including a 4.12-acre lot retaining most of the many storage buildings under current ownership and a .95-acre lot containing one building to be sold. The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval, including a waiver of public sidewalk installation due to the nearest sidewalk being approximately 2,000 feet away. Approval would have no anticipated budget impact. Happy to answer any questions. Thank you. Anyone from the Council? Mr. Hunnigan. I'm not quite sure where this place is. Can you give me a, point me toward where this... Yep, it's obviously south of town just where County 10... And Grand Avenue, it's just to the north of that, parallel to, actually, the logistics park. Logistics park, okay. But it's on the west side of the road rather than the east side. There we go. That's where I need to go. Yes, thank you. Across the street from Dick Blick. Okay, there we go. Now I know. I just want to understand, I see the yellow here that's blocked out, which is where the storage sits. but I don't know what the subdividing, what other part of this picture that belongs to them that they're dividing so they can sell it. I think in that picture on page 70, there's actually a line that extends up to that big trapezoid-type shape, and then there's a secondary kind of... Isn't that the separate part, Mr. Guglielmo? If you're looking at the aerial, there's an entrance on the south side of that property. Yes. That is going to be a lot upon itself with a single building. That's the lot that's going to be sold off. Everything else with the longer buildings, the mini storage buildings, are going to be what the owner retains. Just wondering. Okay. See nothing else? I'll ask for the council to vote on 26-4-10 for the clerk to call the roll. Mangieri, yes. Hunnigan, yes. White, yes. Cherry, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Sixth vote, yes, Your Honor. Thank you. Next item, 26-4-11, or 40-11, Minor Platt of the Ladner Land Subdivision. Need a motion and a second? So moved. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And Mr. Saul? Mr. Hanson? your honor staff recommends approval of the minor plat for the ladner land subdivision as recommended by the planning and zoning commission following a public hearing held on january 13th 2026 the property located at 123 through 129 knox highway 31 currently consists of two residences with an additional vacant acreage and a pond and the proposal would reconfigure the property into two lots The approximately 49.20-acre northern lot would be retained by the current owner, while the approximately 1.63-acre southern lot would be created for sale to the owner's son. Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the minor plat, including a waiver of public sidewalk installation, noting that the adjustment does not constitute new development, pedestrian traffic is minimal, and a neighboring property owner supported the waiver at the public hearing. There's no anticipated budget impact associated with the approval. Happy to answer any additional questions. Okay, thank you. Any questions about this item? Seeing none, I call for a vote on 264011. Mangieri, yes. Hunnigan, yes. White, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Sixth vote, yes, Your Honor. Thank you. Next item is 264012, change order for additional repairs to fixed route bust. 1701 need a motion in a second thank you mr white thank you mr cheeseman mr hansen thank your honor staff recommend approval of a change order with interstate power systems for additional repairs to fix bus route Bus 1701, the hybrid bus, began experience diagnostic issues in October 2023 and requires specialized vendor repair. After earlier repairs were completed and approved, further testing identified additional damage that was not detected sooner due to the step-by-step nature of the hybrid system diagnostics. Interstate Power Systems has submitted an updated quote that includes the additional parts estimated at $22,372.70 with no additional labor costs. The repairs will fully funded through authorized CARES funding resulting in no cost to the city's general fund. For those on council or newer to council as part of the IDOT agreement our buses can only be repaired in certain facilities that are approved by the state and there's a process we have to go through and so your action is required in order for us to proceed with repairs but they're ultimately covered through funding at the state level and so that's why this is before you and why we're utilizing that particular vendor who I think is in Springfield in this case. Thank you. Any questions on this item? Seeing none, I'll call for a vote on 264012. Mangieri, yes. Hunnigan, yes. White, yes. Aceri, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Sixth vote, yes, Your Honor. Thank you. Next item, last item in this section is 266001, the appointment memo, ward three, council member. Need a motion and a second? Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. Hunnigan. Anything to add? Mayor, I'll defer to you on your appointment. Happy to read, but if there's anything you want to share with the council or the public, I think that would be appropriate before the council votes. So I've submitted a letter of support for this gentleman, Mr. Charles or Chuck Reynolds. He's a long-standing resident of Ward 3, including having been born there. He has decades of employment with Azar Clinic, currently works for RFMS. He's been involved in a lot of volunteer work in Galesburg over his lifetime, and including recently. He's also a graduate of Galesburg High School and attended Cross Sandburg as well. I would encourage the council to support my nomination. Anyone have any questions, comments? Seeing none, I'll ask for a vote on 26-6001. Mangieri, yes. Hunnigan, yes. White, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Sixth vote, yes, Your Honor. Thank you. Wonderful. I'm sure Mr. Reynolds and his family will be very happy, and that seat should be occupied at the next council meeting. You know, it was six of you, and if it was 3-3 the last few meetings, I could have voted, but you guys didn't give me the opportunity. But anyway, I don't generally get to vote. Generally, the public knows this. The mayor doesn't vote unless there's a tie, and there's usually not a tie with seven members. So we'll have a full council, and I can be relieved of my voting responsibilities for the foreseeable future. So thank you for that, and thank you for your support. I know some of you reached out to this gentleman, and he was very thankful to talk with you, and I know he's looking forward to joining our council. I've already had inquiry about People want to know his email so they can get in touch with him. When do you think his city email will be up and running? Obviously, staff will begin working on this tomorrow. My guess is that that process is pretty fast, but I know our staff are going to reach out to him and try and get him in this week and get him through some of the required security protocols so that we can get him access to the system, the email system. whatever his preferred method of communicating and availability as you all do. So depending on his availability, it could be at this week, certainly before the next council meeting. Thank you. That's good to hear. I'm sure his constituents would be excited to hear that too. I need a motion to sit as the town board. So moved. Need a second? Second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? We are sitting as a town board. We have one item under town business. Surprise, surprise, 269002 are the bills. We need a motion for the bills. So moved. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Mangieri. Any questions about those bills? Okay, I call for a roll on the 269002. Manjari, yes. Hunnigan, yes. White, yes. Cherry, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Sixth vote, yes, Your Honor. Thank you. We need a motion to sit as, resume as the City Council. So moved. Thank you. Second. Second, thank you. All those in favor of resuming as City Council, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? We have resumed as the City Council. We now are at closing comments. Anyone wishing to lead off this evening? Okay, Ms. Mangieri, please do. I just wanted to welcome our newest council member. Unfortunately, I didn't get to work with Evan Miller while he was here as much as I could have, but I am looking forward to working with the new council member. I did get a chance to speak with him, and I feel good about us collaborating more together. So I hope that he feels as welcomed as I did when I joined. Thank you very much. Mr. Hunt again. I want to again recognize and honor Galesburg resident Rodney Bunch for being inducted into the Galesburg High School Hall of Fame class of 2025. I've known Mr. Bunch for the entire time I have lived in Galesburg. That's 50 years. He and his late wife, Betty, have been friends, not only to me, but my wife and my four children. He was a member of an undefeated football team while at GHS. He was a teacher for 21 years and is one of the founders and longest serving members of a mentoring program at the high school called the Streakstad, which started in 2013. The goal of the Streaks Dads program is to provide positive role models for students. He has been a volunteer in this program for over 10 years and is often at the high school five days a week. While some students require a high five or a simple conversation, several other students need one-on-one to tackle the tougher issues. One student said, His father has been absent from his life for nearly a year. Quote, I have a one-parent household. My mom has been raising me. My dad has been in and out of my life. He also said that he just had a birthday, but his father didn't call him. However, this emptiness he feels at times is filled by the support he receives from his street dad, like Rodney Bunch. Dwight White from our city council is also a Streaks dad mentor. We thank both of them for their dedication to our youth. Now, my other comment is on Sunday, yesterday at my church, we served breakfast to our Sunday school children as well as adults before we began Sunday school each week. Yesterday, a homeless individual named Steve, perhaps in his 50s, was standing at our church entrance, cold, hungry, tired, and out of options, asking for any kind of assistance. Steve was wearing a thin jacket. He had no hat, no gloves, and his jeans were worn, torn, and rather dirty. He told me that he had been permanently expelled from the rescue mission. Wouldn't give the reason why. He also said he had been suspended for 10 days from sitting in the police station to keep warm. Wouldn't give the reason why. In coming weeks, it's going to become colder rather than warmer. This man obviously needs more than just a meal. The pastor... My church and I want someone, including the members of this city council, to tell us what we can do when the needy people like Steve show up at our doors. How do we help people in our community who do not have a stable, safe, and adequate space to live? Those are my comments. Thank you, Mr. Hennigan. Mr. White? Last week was my shortest. It's almost like Jesus wept. But it was just about being blessed. I didn't mean that just for the people that like me. I meant that for people that don't like me. I didn't mean that for people that think the same way I think. I meant that for people that think different than me, live on a different part of town than me, have different ideas than I do, different color. different race, different ethnicity, different religion. I meant that to be blessed for anybody and everybody that I see and I know. I'm at a quagmire because I look and see what's going on in this world, in this nation, and I never believed it was so ugly. People that call themselves Christians are saying that that gentleman that should have been shot. I was at a meeting in Iowa City because me and another lady was talking about it. Another patient got angry with us and reported us to the administration because we were talking politics. We were just saying how sad we felt for that VA guy being murdered. And I couldn't believe how ugly that woman was doing that. I'm hurting. I really am hurting. Our nation is hurting. When one person believes that they can take the life of another person because they have a different view. This country is made up of all kinds of ethnicities. This is not Germany. We're not Germans, we're Americans. We're not Swedish, we're Americans. We're not Africans, we're Americans. And to be an American, that means you had to come from somewhere else. Your ancestors came from someplace else. And for us to wanna take the people that are born and raised here, or people that are trying to come here to make a better life and run them out, it hurts. It's not me they're doing to right now, but it still hurts. When some of the ancestors came here, Oregon was Mexico. The whole West Coast was Mexico. But those people are being told, go home. Go back to your country. Well, Nevada, Texas, that was their home. That was their country. Their ancestors grew up there. Please, step up. When people do things or say things or treat people ugly, you just can't step back and say, well, they're not doing it to me. I always used to tell people, if my mother and I were walking down the street, and she's seen some guy, and he was white or Mexican, and she just didn't like him. I would have to stop her from hitting him if she said, he's a beady-eyed guy. I'd have to stop her, because it's just not right. If the guy I voted for is doing something wrong, I'd have to say something, because it's just not right. Please, everybody, search your heart. Search your soul and your spirit. Step up. speak up and do what's right. It's called humanity. It's called integrity. Please, please, please look for humanity and integrity. Thank you. Thank you. I definitely agree that we should look for the humanity in one another. Absolutely. I listen to a lot of podcasts and I heard one individual who I would say is more of an independent. Maybe he's been seen as more conservative interviewing or having a great conversation with someone who would be typically seen as left of the aisle. So I think that it's amazing. the love and unity that can come about by actually sitting down and talking with someone and rather than focusing on what you may disagree on, think about what you can agree on and there's certainly plenty. One positive example that we experienced here in Galesburg recently I heard about in the news, but commending again our local public safety, so many good things. There was an officer who was called to a gym where a young man was sneaking in without a membership, and rather than arrest that individual or get him in further trouble, he actually chose to pay for that individual's membership. And I think that's really extraordinary, and I do hope that that individual, who was the beneficiary of that kindness, passes that along and remembers that. So when you do kind things and pass that along, it can make this a better place. I also want to commend our public safety for responding to the very large fire today. I understand that both the fire department and the police and emergency folks were there and it was quite big. So we really have a great, great public safety team. Both teams are excellent here. Finally, I want to put in a plug for a professional development event that I'm responsible for along with the Illinois State Human Resources Society and the Oak Brook Human Resources Chapter. That is the Statewide Student Human Resources Conference. That will be on March 28th, so I know I've got a couple months here, but if anybody knows any students at all in the state, doesn't matter if they're at a junior college or a regular college that may be interested in pursuing a career such as HR, we're going to have a full day full of professional development sessions on how to optimize your LinkedIn profile, how to interview very well, and I've been really blessed that I have so many volunteers from across the state that are professionals that come to support these students in their careers. So I just wanted to put a plug out there. If you have an interest, you know someone who's interested, please reach out and I'll send you more information. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Saul. Thank you. Mine's going to be short and sweet. Congratulations to Zeus on his retirement. They said he could take a nap now. Since I've been retired, I can count on one hand the amount of naps that I've had, so good luck. I doubt that he'll get very many naps, but congratulations on your retirement. The other thing that I have is Galesburg grew by one person this weekend. I finished moving my mother-in-law from Keesburg to Galesburg. And thank you, Jesus, for that. And everyone who helped, I appreciate their help. And I just hope everything goes well. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Saul. Mr. Cheeseman. Sportsman, again, I can't tell you how much I admire the comments that our council makes and how so worthwhile and so meaningful. I want to also congratulate Mr. Reynolds and I look forward to working with him. He will be a great addition. Mr. Hunnigan, you mentioned about Mr. Bunch. I've known Mr. Bunch for a long, long time, taught with him and coached with him. He is quite an individual and has means so much to our town, has done so much for so many people. I wanna also, I don't wanna say happy. I don't think that's appropriate. I want to say how grateful I am, honor, remember, learn from, be appreciative of, of all the contributions during Black History Month that so many people have made, oftentimes overcoming so much. Like Mr. White, I wish we could just say, They're all great Americans who've done their part, and I know they didn't think of it anything else but making those great contributions. But I certainly want to recognize them as well. We're making progress at the mall little by little. You see the things with Sears, and I know that there's lots more to be done, but we're certainly on the trail to doing something that. I went out and visited the warming center tonight. I did that last year as well. I know Mayor Schwartzman brought some food over there. I'd like to see how things are going there. They sent out something the other day and I wanna reinforce it from Jordan Belleville who operates that for the city and the Knox County Housing Authority that does a great job with it. They're looking for washcloths, dish rags, hygiene items for both men and women, laundry soap and any book bags. And I know that they don't get the food that they did before, so any food is appreciated out there. And I know the folks there are in need of those things and they're grateful for those things. There are openings out there, there were tonight, and I think there are most nights. But again, we want to do everything we can to take care of folks in those situations, but by the grace of God. I want to also thank those folks on the city water department that had to go out in sub-zero weather on Friday morning and repair a water main out there on Seminary Street. And going by there a couple times, the work that they had to do in those tough conditions, and they did it. And they did it well, and I want to recognize them as well. Speaking also of something that a lot of folks have just mentioned here, both Mr. White and Mrs. Echera, Knox College hosted the other night two very, very well-known individuals that made a life of getting the message out concerning when people have differences of opinion in terms of politics and how that they can hear each other out, how they can respect each other, how they... have civil discourse as they're talking, some of the things that are non-negotiables and that kind of thing. But from one of the, and I think everybody draws lots of positives from that, but one of the things that I certainly drew from that, and I think I've seen that just from listening to what and watching and observing what we all are seeing, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see this, that people do have to listen to one another and be civil to one another and not call each other names. and work to try to understand when there are some differences, but by the same token, seeing that there are some things that are non-negotiable in terms of how we treat each other. And these guys did a good job of that, and that's a high priority in my life, to treat everybody with dignity and respect, and know that I don't walk in their shoes, but I'm sure I'm no better than they are, and they're no better than anyone else, and we all try to make the world a better place, and we need to be doing that. I think that that's a lot on our minds right now to try to make a better America and people doing their part to make it a better America in a civil way. So thank you for that. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Cheeseman. I really do appreciate your comments related to the two speakers, Mr. George or Dr. George and Dr. Cornel West. Yeah, they came to our community. It was a very special event in my 28 years at Knox College. Impact House over at Central Church. Yeah, it was a beautiful location. It was obviously a very cold night. It was well attended by the community as well as students. And the topic couldn't be more relevant into our community in terms of being civil, listening, being open-minded, not being open to realize. And one of the things I remember, one of them said, you know, We think a lot of things, all of us, and just it's without a doubt, some of those things are true and some of those things are false. The problem is we don't know which ones are true, which ones are false. And so if we recognize that each one of us is carrying around beliefs, some are true and some are false, that humility I think allows us to be more respectful of others in our dialogue and in our decision making. So I do appreciate you mentioning that. I also very much appreciate your willingness to go to the Warmington shelter and see what's going on there. And I mean, it's a difficult task. And I was meeting, I met with the city manager, assistant city manager, and several folks who run that facility today for over two hours, talking about ways to improve, looking at what things could look like, you know, two months from now, six months from now, and down the road. So I think the council will be some opportunities for you guys to contribute to the conversation and to where funding may go or how organizations can contribute to that end. We definitely need to do more. We know that the task is ever greater by the day. And thank you to everyone in the community who has reached out and who supported those who are struggling in all walks of life. You know, I want to thank Mr. Taylor as well as Officer Zeus. That's a tag team. You're going to be lost without your buddy, but I'm sure you'll find another one to train and to be part of your unit. So I really do appreciate his service, and thank you for your leadership to make sure that that went well. His seven years of service practically was were remarkable yes we're gonna have a new council member i'm i'm very pleased that the council uh... voted unanimously to bring this person on uh... i think that this something that i appreciate a much as as someone who is in a difficult position making these appointments uh... you know i do my very best but it's it's it's not you know it it's a lot of responsibility and it's you know you never know how it's gonna pan out until the vote is taken So thank you for that. I look forward to that person, Mr. Reynolds, participating in our council and our continued communications on a lot of very important fronts. There's 2026. There are a lot of things going on behind the scenes. Some of them that have come forward are ready for votes, but things that will come forward in the near future. And I just say pay attention and be involved. I also want to thank Ms. Sheets and Trajectory for your continued support commitment to Galesburg, not only, you know, from an entrepreneurial and, you know, from that standpoint, but also, you know, the service you provide and the savings you have brought to many, many residents in Galesburg. The electric bills continue to go up and we need all the tools in our shed in order to help people manage that. So I want to end on that very positive note and thank you again for your contribution to the Southside Parks. That would be a wonderful addition. With that, I'll ask for an adjournment. We have a motion and a second. Thank you, Mr. Saul. Second. Mr. White seconds. All those in favor say aye. Aye. All right, we are adjourned. You guys all be safe.