Welcome, everyone. It is May 19th. We are in city council chambers. We are about to begin the city council meeting. Thank you for your attendance, either online or in person. I ask the city clerk to call the roll, please. Council Member Hicks. Here. Hunnigan. Here. Miller. Here. White. Achera. Here. Saul. Here. Cheeseman. Here. Mayor Schwartzman. Here. Seven are present, Your Honor. We'll begin with the Pledge of Allegiance followed by the invocation by Reverend James Haley. Good evening to each and every one of you, to the mayor and all the citizens of Galesburg, Illinois. Let us go to our Heavenly Father, God Almighty, and pray tonight. Heavenly Father, we come with a heart of thanksgiving, thanking you for just allowing us to be able to gather together tonight here at the Galesburg City Hall. Heavenly Father, we come before you this evening asking you to please forgive us all of our sins that we have committed against you, whether it was today, yesterday, or even tomorrow. We come now together here to bless our city. Give us wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Please help us to realize that everyone, everyone, no matter how poor they are or how rich they are, No matter what educational background we have is important to you. So it should be important to us. Help us to make the best decisions for our city. Dear God, your vision is what we want for Galesburg. So help us to see it. Help us to write it down. Your word says if my people which are called by my name will humble themselves, help us to be humble and to turn from our sinful ways and to seek your face, then you will heal the hearts and minds of our people. You said to seek you while you are near and to call upon you. We, the citizens of Galesburg, Illinois, call on you tonight for guidance. for your guidance, and may you be pleased in all of our actions. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen, amen, and amen. God bless you. Are the poppy ladies here? Please come up front. Thank you for coming tonight. Thank you. So the proclamation tonight reads as follows. Whereas the red poppy grew in the battlefields of France and Belgium, where American servicemen died while protecting America's freedom during two world wars. And whereas the poppy has been designated as a symbol of sacrifice of lives in all wars, veterans assemble the flowers in workshops, nursing homes, and hospitals. And whereas the American Legion Auxiliary will distribute poppies at local businesses in May 23rd and May 24th, 2025, with contributions going to the welfare of our veterans and their families. And whereas at this time, especially, our nation knows the price of war and the debt owed to those who have paid the ultimate price while preserving our freedom. Now, therefore, I, Peter Schwarzman, Mayor of the City of Galesburg, Illinois, do hereby proclaim May 23rd and May 24th, 2025 as Poppy Days in the City of Galesburg and ask that all citizens purchase a poppy to show appreciation for the sacrifices of our honored soldiers. Dated on this 19th day of May, 2025, with the city seal and my signature, I present this to these lovely women. Thank you. Would you like to say a word? I would like to thank you all for this proclamation. My name is Cindy Unthank, and I am a proud daughter of a deceased atomic veteran a proud wife of a Vietnam veteran, and a proud US Navy vet myself. I am a member of both the Ralph M. Noble American Legion and the Ralph M. Noble American Legion Auxiliary. We would like the public to know that the Galesburg American Legion and Auxiliary are active in the community. Even though we no longer have a physical post building, we both meet each month and support the veterans here in OUR COMMUNITY AND AT THE DEPARTMENT OF ILLINOIS LEVEL. ALL FUNDS RECEIVED FROM POPPY DAYS ARE PLACED IN A SEPARATE ACCOUNT TO BE USED ONLY FOR VETERANS REHAB PROGRAMS AT VA FACILITIES AND LOCAL NURSING HOMES. ALL MONIES COLLECTED SUPPORT VETERANS ONLY. TONIGHT WE WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT MAYOR SWARTZMAN WITH THE FIRST POPPY OF THIS YEAR. EXCUSE ME. I WAS STEPPING OUT OF THE WAY. Please join us in honoring the war dead and assist our living hospital veterans by proudly wearing a poppy. Local merchants have consented to have volunteers distribute poppies or to place poppy canisters at their place of business. Regardless of your contribution, please take a poppy to honor our veterans. On a side note, there are poppy window displays at Lindstrom's TV and Appliances and also at Sabrina's Form Aware. Again, please honor our veterans by wearing a poppy. Thank you. Next item for tonight's meeting are the approval of the minutes from the May 5th, 2025 meeting. Thank you, Mr. Miller. Second. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Any questions about those minutes? Seeing none, I ask the clerk to call the roll, please. Hicks, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Sixth vote, yes, Your Honor. Thank you. Next are the executive session minutes from the March 17, 2025 meeting. Need a motion and a second? So moved. Thank you, Mr. Miller. Second. Thank you, Mr. Cheeseman. Any questions of those minutes? Seeing none, I ask the clerk to call the vote on the executive session minutes from March 17, 2025. Hicks, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Sixth vote, yes, Your Honor. Thank you. We have reached public comment. If you're here for public comment, please step forward, state your name, and you will have three minutes to address the dais. Good evening. My name is Reverend Andrew Jowers. It's an honor, privilege to be here tonight. To the mayor, to all the other persons, the staff, For those that are watching online, there's a big difference between the last council meeting and tonight. And I wish that those that were in attendance last council meeting were here tonight. And I hope that they're watching because it's very important that we be informed. And so I started something a few council sessions before on the term good governance. And I believe this be fitting that this really is official. uh... start for the new members term and so i i didn't get a chance to talk to mister dennis but we commend him for his uh... years of service and uh... he's a good man so i just want to encourage uh... those that are uh... serving that they represent the entire uh... district or ward that you represent whether they voted for you or not that would be an example of good governance. So I pulled this off the internet, so take no credit for it. Good governance refers to the way public institutions conduct public affairs and manage resources aiming for a system that is free from abuse and corruption while upholding the rule of law and respecting human rights. And I know we all face our challenges and it's incumbent upon us to really to I think Galesburg would be better, would be a better place to live if we all came together as one city, one community. Lay aside our differences. I just submitted an article to Many Paths, an opinion poll, and my subject was a nation at war with herself over race. And I believe that's where we are. We've been... dealing with this. This predates 1776, Declaration of Independence. We've had this for a long time. And it has impacted our productivity, our well-being, our creativity. Our limitless possibilities have been reduced because of we are a nation that is at war with herself over race. So it's high time we deal with it. It makes folks uncomfortable, but it's a subject that we can't sweep under the rug. And we surely can't kick the can down the road. So we need to address it, and I'm open to sit down with anybody. And so I encourage you to serve and serve well. And thank you for all that you're doing, each one of you. Appreciate you. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else here for a public comment? Thank you. Good evening again. I'm Pastor Haley. I want to thank Kelly for you inviting me to pray tonight because this is what I'm going to ask you all to do. You've heard what has happened in Missouri and Kentucky with the tornadoes. You've heard what is happening even in Texas and all up and down the East Coast, West Coast, and it may one day come to Galesburg. And if it does, I know what we're gonna do. We're gonna ask everyone to pray for us. So I'm gonna ask you all tonight to just take a moment of silence and pray for them. I know people who are in St. Louis, Missouri, could be Galesburg, Illinois. We ain't that perfect that the storms of life will pass us by. But one thing we can do is join others in prayer, whether it's us, because it is us, or not. So just take a moment of silence prayer. But again, thank you, Kelly. Amen. May we never have to cry tears because of a storm that has hit Galesburg. God bless. Thank you. Please step forward. Anyone else? Good evening. Mindy Knapp. By a third time to speak and I will continue until my voice is heard and until the homeless in this Galsburg, Illinois community are given an equal public opportunity to use a restroom daily morning and night. I told you the first time I had answers and it comes from the homeless community. Second time I spoke more was the public housing getting our homeless community shelter. Tonight I speak briefly about the concerns that are the truth and have been experienced by our Galesburg homeless community and others. Galesburg Salvation Army, Galesburg Knox County Housing, Galesburg Rescue Shelter, and the Galesburg Warning Center are, and I repeat, are not being run properly. Being they are not running these vital places as assistance shelter properly because of the numbers are growing and the new problems in these shelters are not being addressed. And handed... handle properly and fair to each person and family that are needing to use these assistance. I address each of you on this board tonight personally. I ask how many house in each sector are not occupied? How many houses and businesses are empty and how many are being occupied by squatters. What are squatters? They're defined as the homeless. It's lovely to drive downtown Galsburg to see the buildings in need of repair and our restaurants are barely scraping by. Our community that live and work here are working not on full-time jobs but part-time jobs and our small businesses are in trouble as well. Living in the rough time trying to pull visitors into our town to bring cash and flow and business, we don't have the community we had before. Our group like the community galsburg historical society is gone in our artifacts where are they and what's going on with the money that they had for the groups and other groups that have since coven decided not to be active in our community and no longer and this is bringing us back to the homeless community welcome to the homeless galsburg historical downtown enjoy yourself at our events in our weekly downtown park events and farmers markets where if you have to go to the bathroom just like the homeless community each business has a sign that says not allowed to use the restrooms unless you purchase Do we need pickleball courts, roller skating parks, and sidewalks for children to walk to school? Seriously, okay? Let's look at the marks. How many kids are walking to school? Come on, come on, really. Most of them not even writing. Take the number down before you want to spend money like this. Public restrooms for our Galesburg streets, our Galesburg businesses, our paying visitors that we are living off of and our homeless community. Galesburg, we need public restrooms, please. Thank you. Thank you very much. Anyone else here for public comment? Please step forward. Bruce Cook from Ward 1. I'm about to piss somebody off. I used to be an alcoholic. Alcoholics hate when I say that because it contradicts the narrative that if you are an alcoholic you will always be one. 40 years ago I attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at the recommendation of a mental health clinic to determine if it would be helpful to me. For over an hour I listened to people talk about how miserable their lives were because of alcohol and how they went through each day afraid that the pressures of their lives might cause them to start drinking again. As I walked away at the close of that meeting, I was determined not to be like those people. I was no longer going to let alcohol be a problem in my life, nor would I live my life in fear. At that moment, I ceased to be an alcoholic. Oops, there I go again, upsetting the experts. While I sat in this chamber during the last council meeting, and again tonight, listening to the comments of the homeless, I had the impression that I was once again in that AA meeting. I heard the same stories of hardship, the same victim mentality, excuses, and blame, the same complaints that the help being offered is not good enough, and the demands for more. In reality, it is not the responsibility of the city government to help the homeless. That falls on the people of the city with the ability and willingness to help, on the organizations and religious institutions that preach compassion. But mostly it falls on the homeless themselves by taking an active rather than passive role for the betterment of their own lives. Having lived over 10 years of my own life in a state of homelessness, I know it's not easy, especially if you are reduced to just the clothes on your back and maybe a small bag with a few possessions. To the homeless, I offer this advice. Rid yourself of self-imposed limitations about what you can or cannot do. None of us, no matter who we are, can walk through life without help. So accept the help offered, but do so without complaint or expectation. Obey the laws to the best of your ability like any other citizen, and show respect for the property and possessions of others, even if they choose not to help you. It's the only way you can earn their respect for you. And finally, I personally do not want to see a tent city for the homeless because it simply illustrates that the situation is not being handled efficiently. Thank you for your time and attention. Thank you. Anyone else here for public comment? Okay, we'll move on. Thank you. The consent agenda 2025-10. All matters listed under the consent agenda are considered routine by the City Council and be enacted by one motion. Before I ask for that motion, the three items that are being considered under the consent agenda are as follows. 253014, demolition of six properties. 253015, demolition of fire training tower and paint building. And lastly, 258009, approval and warrants drawn in payments of same. With that being read, can I have a motion, please? Thank you, Mr. Miller. Second. Thank you, Mr. Saul. Any questions about any of those items? Seeing none, please vote on the consent agenda. Hicks, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. Echera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Sixth vote, yes, Your Honor. Thank you. We have three ordinances under ordinances and resolutions. The first is 251006, zoning amendment from R3A multifamily to R1A single family, 3176 Dover Lane. This is on final reading. Need a motion and a second. So moved. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Cheeseman. 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 in a line with the purpose of the are when a district the closest are when a zoning district is seven hundred sixteen feet uh... to the west of the property the twenty nineteen com plan indicates this area to be single-family staff the support of recommending approval thank you any questions about this item so you know that call vote for vote twenty five one zero zero Hicks, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Sixth vote, yes, Your Honor. Thank you. Next is 251007, zoning amendment from R3A multifamily and I institutional to B3 central business for 167 North Kellogg and adjacent parking lot. Final reading. Need a motion and a second? So moved. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Second. Thank you, Mr. Cheeseman. Mr. Hanson? Thank you, Your Honor. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommends rezoning the property at 167 North Kellogg Street from R3A Multifamily and 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 mixed use 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. Staff is recommending approval. Thank you. Any questions about this item? Seeing none, I call for a vote on 25-1007. Hicks, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. Aceri, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Six vote yes, Your Honor. Thank you. Next item. is 251008. This is a zoning amendment from B1 Neighborhood Business to B2 General Business at 1120 North Henderson Street. Final reading. Need a motion? So moved. Thank you, Mr. Saul. Thank you, Mr. Hicks. Mr. Hanson. Thank you, Your Honor. 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 this 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 Comprehensive Plan indicates this area to be regional commercial, which is equivalent to the B2 zoning request. Staff is recommending approval. Thank you. Any questions about this item? Seeing none, I ask the clerk to call the roll. Hicks, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Six vote yes, Your Honor. We've reached the city manager's report. Anything to add, Mr. Hanson? Just a couple quick things. Obviously, we have reached Memorial Day weekend, which means the pool will be opening soon. Just want to give a shout out to Mr. Miles and his team. A lot of effort goes into getting the pool ready. And although the temperatures don't look overly favorable for this weekend, from a swimming perspective, they most certainly will warm up soon. And folks will be out enjoying that facility and encourage them to do so. We have a tremendous facility out north at Lakeside. The other thing I just want to call attention to and counsel will receive this afternoon, we... issued and released an updated annual report that incorporates some of the things that we discussed in the strategic plan last August. We'll be discussing with council in more detail, but also will be available to the public and is already available on social media. So be sure and take a look at that. The staff did a tremendous job putting that together and putting out information that I think is important for folks to know. Happy to answer any additional questions. Thank you. Any additional questions for Mr. Hanson? One question. What is a strategic plan? That almost seems like a trick question. But, you know, from my perspective, good organizations plan their work and work their plan. They think strategically and intentionally about the things that they want to accomplish. they then budget for those activities and carry them out in a thoughtful and productive and timely manner. And I think that's what the council undertook last August, and I hope we continue to do going forward. But from my perspective, it should be the guiding document or the guiding principles that carry out the daily operations and the broader perspective as to what it is we're trying to accomplish as a community. Did I pass the test? Almost. Okay. What are some of our one or two, three priorities for this upcoming year? Yeah, excellent. Well, I mean, you know, we break these things down into things like capital projects, which are infrastructure, facilities, streets, sidewalks, parks. sewer, water, you know, we have miles and miles of roads and sidewalks and sewer and water that have to be fixed, or at least storm sewer. The sanitary district has the sewer, but we're certainly a part of that equation. Facilities as well, obviously operationally, any number of things related to public safety, parks and recreation, all of those things are important and services that we provide and are part of our endeavor. And then they encompass other larger goals, such as from an economic development standpoint, you know, opportunities to create jobs, opportunities to address housing, opportunities to provide, you know, support for our businesses and institutions to grow. So, I mean, I think it's multifaceted. And most folks, I don't think, fully understand all of the services that cities provide for what we collect. But I think we do a pretty good job. Are we prepared to announce anything related to the significant grant we received or is it too premature? If you're referring to the brownfield grant from last week I'm sure I don't want to steal Mr. Gugliotta's thunder but we did receive a million two I believe million two one three correct even from the U.S. EPA for brownfield remediation one for site assessments of The old gas station that used to be on the hotel property on the square, and there's two or three other sites in the downtown that potentially have. And then we received another large amount of funds for a cleanup, full cleanup of the former Knox Laundry site on Waters, I believe, right? Ferris? Kellogg and Ferris, yeah. So it's over there. But, yeah, no, it was exciting news. Steve and his team do a tremendous job, as all the staff do, at identifying opportunities to bring in state and federal support to address issues. And obviously, I'm thrilled with the work that they've accomplished. Thank you. Yeah, I was glad to hear that and receive that. Sometimes I get e-mails that I like to share. And great work, Steve and your staff. Wonderful. Okay, we'll move on. We have three items under miscellaneous business. One is 254040, purchase of cameras for public transportation fleet. Need a motion and a second. Thank you, Mr. Cheeseman. Mr. Saul. Mr. Hanson. Thank you, Your Honor. Staff is recommending approval of waiving standard purchasing policies to approve a 30... $4,517.29 purchase of cameras from Gatekeeper for the public transportation fleet, including new paratransit vehicles and anticipated fixed-route buses. Two quotes were obtained, one from the current camera provider and one from the transit dispatch software vendor. It is recommended to approve the preferred and substantially lower quote provided by Gatekeeper for a seven-camera system per vehicle, which will also ensure camera consistency across the fleet. Happy to answer any additional questions. Thank you, Mr. Hanson. Any questions about this item? Seeing none, I ask the clerk to call the roll on 25-40-40. Hicks, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. Echera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Sixth vote, yes, Your Honor. Thank you. Next item, 254041, replacement of a radiator for a backup generator at the Oquaca Water Treatment Plant. Need a motion and a second? So moved. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Second. Thank you, Mr. Cheeseman. Mr. Hanson? Thank you, Your Honor. Staff recommend approval of a $39,218.94 quote from Altafer. INCORPORATED FOR INSTALLATION OF A NEW RADIATOR FOR THE GENERATOR AT THE CUACA WELL FIELD. THE GENERATOR HAS SHOWN SIGNS OF FAILURE AND IF IT WERE TO FAIL DURING AN EMERGENCY POWER OUTAGE, THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT COULD BE SUPPLIED TO THE CITY WOULD BE LIMITED. THE CITY HAS A CONTRACT WITH ALTIFER FOR ALL MAINTENANCE WORK ON EMERGENCY GENERATORS AND SUFFICIENT FUNDING IS BUDGETED IN THE WATER FUND FOR THIS NECESSARY REPAIR. STAFF IS RECOMMENDING APPROVAL. THANK YOU, MR. HANSON. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ITEM? Seeing none, I call for a vote on 25-40-41. Hicks, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. Aceri, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Six vote yes, Your Honor. Thank you. Next item, 25-40-42. Proposal for falconry services to reduce the crow population in the downtown area. We need a motion and a second. So moved. Thank you, Mr. Saul. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Hansen. Thank you, Your Honor. Staff recommend approval of a $54,000 proposal from Viaway Bird Control Services to implement falconry as an effective, environmentally responsible solution to the negative effects of crow overpopulation downtown, a reoccurring issue for Galesburg during winter months. This natural approach harnesses the inherent predator-prey dynamic between falcons and crows. Even the presence of a falcon signals a significant threat, effectively prompting crows to disperse and avoid the targeted area. Utilizing the expertise of trained handlers, a team of seven falcons would be deployed across various downtown locations for a month period, ideally in November or December when post-harvest crow activity typically increases. This method offers a focused and humane deterrent as falconers can control when and where their falcons fly, ensuring targeted impact while avoiding the use of chemicals, noise pollutions, or other less favorably perceived interventions. Happy to answer any questions. Thank you, Mr. Hanson. Mr. Miller. I've had a couple people get a hold of me today, and I don't know too much about this other than We had a conversation some time ago about this. But one of the things that one of them wrote says falcons and other birds go hand in hand. Can you explain how the falcons will get rid of the crows? Well, I can try. I know you're no expert. I'm not a falcon expert. I mean, my understanding is that, you know, the falcons are a predator bird and the handlers can control where these seven fly and they create a deterrent that drives the crows away. I've only seen this once in one other application. It worked. at the place that I witnessed it, but we were looking for effective ways that didn't involve weapons, loud noises, other distractions that would obviously bring with it other concerns. From a staff perspective, we get a lot of complaints about this. I know council gets a lot of complaints about this. This was something that we put forth as an option. It's not something that obviously If the council said no, I promise I won't lose any sleep over this, but we do believe it's something that we ought to try given the sheer amount of crows and the challenges that they provided in our downtown. And then obviously if it's effective, we can obviously in the future spread it further. So that's kind of the concept behind it is they are there as a deterrent, they fly multiple times a day, to move the crows away and other birds away from the downtown from nesting. Ms. Chira. Could you speak to any municipalities that they've provided as references or anything in that regard? They offered additional references of where they've worked successfully. We certainly could get council more information. I really ask the question more for the benefit of the public who seem to be doubting the potential effectiveness of this. And so I just wanted some assurance that we had a fair amount of confidence that this would be effective. Yeah, fair question. And all of those things were offered up that they would be happy to provide that information as part of a contract before we signed. Mr. Saul? To that note, my brother-in-law was a supervisor out of BNSF, and they used the Falcons for over two years out there, and he said they work remarkably well. Thank you. Now, is this multi-year? I mean, I see it's one month, so is the thought we'd have to deter them each month, I mean, each year, or one year keeps them away for a couple years? I can speak to this, and Mr. Gigliotti, feel free to jump in. The intent was to try it this year to see first if it worked not to commit the city into any long-term arrangement. Obviously, if we find it effective and we want to expand services, we would definitely talk to them in the future and or talk to other partners. Obviously, this has a pretty dramatic impact on the county as well and some of the county facilities as well as the downtown and other parts of the city. But this is kind of a pilot, one year, one time, one committed expense to see if it's effective. Thank you, Mr. Hanson. Mr. Hunnigan. Again, how long will the Falcons be here? It's for a month. FOR ONE MONTH, OKAY. WELL, I'M NOT SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF KNOX COLLEGE, BUT I WILL SAY THIS. IF THIS IS EFFECTIVE, THIS WILL BE ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN THIS INNER AREA, SO WE'RE REALLY CROSSING OUR FINGERS THAT THIS WILL HELP. IF IT IS EFFECTIVE, THE CROWDS WILL BE GONE FOR... likely, you know, if it's effective, I don't know that it'll have to be every year, but we'll have to do it consistently enough to get the crows to change their habits. Mr. Miller? One thing about doing something like this, we all know we have problems here with the crows. We also have a problem with the geese out at Lake Story. We as a council or at least I must speak for myself, but we want to try to do things the most humane way. I've seen where the poisoning has been put out, the cruelty from that. I think I would like to see something like this and see if it works. I wish it wasn't so expensive, but... That's quite a bit of money for just a 30-day period. But it would be nice to be able to do it without poisonings and stuff like that. Thank you. Anything else? Seeing none, I call for a vote on 25-40-42. Hicks, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Sixth vote, yes, Your Honor. Thank you. I now ask for a motion to sit as a town board. Please, if you want to sit as a town board, we need a motion and a second. Mr. Miller? Second. Mr. Saul, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? We are now sitting as the town board. We have two items under town business. First are the bills, 259012. Do we have a motion for the bills? So moved. Thank you, Mr. Cheeseman. Second. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Any questions about the bills? Seeing none, 259012, please call the roll. Hicks, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Sixth vote, yes, Your Honor. Second item is 259013. This is a contract for services with Property Evaluation and Tax Advisors, LLC. We need a motion. So moved. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Second. Thank you, Mr. Cheeseman. Ms. Benitez, anything to add? I have nothing to add. If there's any questions, the assessor's in the audience. We did talk about this before at the annual town meeting, so Laura has went ahead and procured this agreement. Seeing no questions, I call Mr. Hennigan, please. Exactly what are you going to be doing in regard to this project? With this project, the company that Mr. Twist owns will be helping reassess 39 of the multifamily apartment buildings. We also have the ability then to do more than that if we need to. But with that, they are going to be providing us with information by doing field work inspections, sketching, helping sketch those in the CAMA system, which will be a benefit also to the county because that will eventually then show on their website so that people that are questioning the different multifamily apartments can actually go to the website to see a sketch and some other information and data. When they are doing this, they are also going to be using comparable sales, which is something that is hard to find, comparable sales within a limited area. So they have CoStar available to them, which is a very expensive thing for the township to actually budget for and pay for annually. So it's good to use a company that already has that available to them. And Quincy is one of the other areas that I know they have been utilizing the services of Mr. Twist and looking at different property types at different years to help with the commercial reassessments. So most of this will be directed toward apartments? Yes, this time only. This time only, yes. Okay. This time. Thank you, Mr. Hicks. Thank you, Mayor. Will this have any potential impact on future tax bills? If the reassessments are determined to lower or raise the assessments, yes, it will. Anything else? Thank you for the questions. Thank you for your responses. I'll call for a vote on 259013. Hicks, yes. Hunnigan, yes. Miller, yes. Achera, yes. Saul, yes. Cheeseman, yes. Sixth vote, yes, Your Honor. Thank you. Need a motion to resume as the City Council? Thank you, Mr. Miller. Thanks, Mr. Chair. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? We are now sitting as a city council. We've reached closing comments. Who wants to lead off this evening? Let's start with Mr. Cheeseman. Okay. A number of just different odds and ends, but I think all of them are important. First of all, you know, we're hearing lots about different groups that do things in our town, and I hope folks take note of all the different things that organizations and just groups that are unnamed even do for our city. The other day, I was at Galesburg High School for their awards night, and I don't know how many scholarships were given away that were sponsored by individuals, groups, businesses. that means so much to our youth, that allow them to potentially achieve their dreams. Many of these organizations also do things in our community to help with feeding those in need or providing other services. I just think that we need to be grateful for, or I would like to point out how grateful I am at least, for all of these different groups. I know the other night the Hispanic Latino Resource Group had a number of different scholarships that they gave out in the name of or in memory of a number of family members and folks that had passed away so lots and lots of good things happening with groups in our community. I want to also commend Steve and I think one of the things that that all cities need to do if we're going to be effective and I think our city does well with this and we're going to continue and we all need to help with this is as the grant kinds of things there's lots of money available out there that can help a variety of things, and we've seen that tonight in action, and we've seen it previously in action. I know we're going to see it down the line as well. We had a skating party at Skate Palace the other day for our Gale Scholars, and we're treated just to a very, very nice evening. So again, as we frequent our businesses in town, we have a lot of different options there, and sort of that... Buy it in Galesburg, use it in Galesburg is certainly something that we should consider too because we have lots of good businesses that take care of our public. And finally, this is the time of the year where we certainly want to take a look at our spring cleaning, so to speak, and making sure that the grass is mowed and things are picked up. And if we can try to avoid littering to make our town as beautiful as it can be, not only for us as residents, but for those that come in to visit and those that potentially are are going to try to bring businesses in here. And I want to also say that you were talking about apartments a little while. That's a special invitation to rental property owners and apartment owners to make sure that their places are cleaned up as well. We're a better city when all of us pitch in and do our part. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Cheeseman. Mr. Hicks. Thank you, Mayor. I just want to express some support or some appreciation for all the folks to the right. Jennifer's staff in finance IT had an issue with the iPad and the IT team took care of it in like an hour or two. Don's staff, I went golfing yesterday and went by Lincoln Park and I don't know what was going on. It must have been something to do with fishing. But it looked like they had a very well-organized event out there. and they do so much for the city. Steve, I've had a few issues with constituents with some lawns and some overgrowth stuff, and your staff always is on top of it. And Aaron and I have been communicating on a couple issues, and all the staff, all the directors have gotten on top of all these issues and just appreciate everything you guys do. I'm sure you don't want to hear from all of us very often, but when you do, you're always very professional, so thank you. Thank you, Mr. Hicks. Mr. Hunnigan. Well, I don't have a whole lot to comment since this is only my second meeting, but I do want to recognize Steve Cheeseman for all the wonderful work he has done with the Gale Scholars Program. And I saw your interview on WGIL where the kids are having grade point average. The average grade point average is 3.64. which is just outstanding. I'm with a group called the Support Group of African American Affairs. We're also going to honor some youth here in the community, and we have one scholarship recipient who has a four-point average at Galesburg High School. So, again, job well done, Steve. Thank you, Mr. Honecker. Mr. Miller? Well, last Friday, I had been out doing a couple things and was coming back into town. I want to shout out to Aaron and our wonderful street department. Don't know who did it yet, but there was a pretty good stretch of clay, gravel on Michigan and Grand Avenue that some contractor had dumped. And it was... I found it right around 3.30. Our city staff stayed, they came out. I helped them clean it up, but we got it cleaned up so that our street was safe. It was quite a mess. So this is out to all of our staff, whether it be streets department, parks department, our wonderful police and fire, they don't get enough recognition A lot of things that is done behind the scenes that the normal public don't see what they do on a day-to-day basis. So this is a shout-out to, and this also goes for the people working in the city hall here. Everybody does an exceptional job. They just don't get enough credit. So thank you all. Thank you, Mr. Miller. Mr. Chair? Thank you. I'd like to echo appreciation for our staff. It seems like things are just moving along so wonderfully. I think the park is lovely. I'm so glad to hear that we're getting grants to help clean things up. And I also just want to speak to the wonderful volunteers we have across so many segments. There's a whole row of volunteers right there. I know all the great work that you guys do with the Parks Department and planting trees and things like this. I also... I want to say, you know, there's so many parents that get involved and volunteer, the people that are running the Boy Scout troops. We've had two Girl Scout troops come through Lux Blocks and spend some time with us there. And, you know, they're not only doing that for their own children, but they're helping the community by doing those sorts of things. People that are running the Legion, all kinds of opportunities for our youth that are so important. I also want to mention that I do think there are many people that care about the homeless here in town. And the woman came earlier was expressing. concerns about some of the entities that address those issues. And I know some have rules and things of this nature, but I feel that their hearts are in the right place. I also went to the Lighthouse. I forgot to mention that at the last meeting. So again, more and more people just pop up. They want to make a difference in the way that they can. And that's something that I think we should be very proud of in our community. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Saul. I want to thank the school systems uh... basically i attended a graduation yesterday and it was of my nephew who is artistic and he was very excited about graduating and i want to thank the school systems for including these children in their classes uh... i think it's a good thing uh... and Just to see their faces light up when they get that diploma is amazing. Also, I want to thank the people who came here for Poppy Days. My favorite veteran is my dad. He's gone now, but he graduated from Morgan Park Military Academy in Chicago and went right to World War II. He captured Hermann Goering's headquarters over in Germany. I don't know if anybody knows this, but the flag that was flying over that headquarters is out at the VFW. My mom donated it to the VFW. So I want to thank them for reminding people there are people who gave their lives for our freedom. And that's very important to me. I want to want people to remember that Memorial Day is not just a day off of work. It's to remember those people who did that. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Sol. Can you tell us your father's name, please? Ken Sol. Thank you for sharing that. And I would echo that. I mean, I wear this puppy and it may seem like just a small thing, but it is a big thing. Both of my grandfathers fought in wars. World War I, believe it or not, one grandfather, and World War II, second. They were both injured, but they survived to live a long, productive lives. But they instilled in me a great deal of respect for those who did sacrifice everything for our benefit. And you're absolutely right. We do need to remember that. And we need to remind particularly young people that this is real. This is not just a video game. And this is part of our history that we should be proud of. And the VFW, by the way, I didn't know that about the flag. That's very interesting. But we have an amazing VFW museum in our town that should be visited by more and more people, particularly our young people. So to the extent that we can arrange that, maybe the Gale Scholars could take a trip there, among others, to make that a more regular event. I think that would be very accommodating. So thank you for that. There's a lot. I just came back from a graduation this weekend. My daughter, who went to schools, was born in Galesburg, went to all the schools, wonderful public schools in Galesburg, graduated with very high honors. And I'm just very proud of her, but many of her friends as well, who graduated this past weekend or next weekend. started in Galesburg, and they've done remarkably well in its tribute to the school system and all of the sacrifices our teachers make to give them a Class A education here. So I was just sitting in that three-plus-hour graduation thinking about those moments that all the parents have over time. And I appreciate you mentioning the teachers as well this evening. The reality is, right, school is going to be out very soon. And there are going to be a lot of young people running around town looking for things to do on their bikes, on their skateboards, maybe running across the street. So be very careful and cautious over the next couple of weeks to avoid running into any of them. Look out for them. You know, when they get out of school, it's like reckless abandon. and we have to be conscientious of them, particularly in the roads. And with that, we're not ready to adjourn the meeting. So, Mr. Cheeseman? Yes. Mayor Schwarzman, one other thing about the poppies, and I wished I would have said it, but it didn't seem to be the time. Mrs. Johnson, Alice, who is sitting there on the far corner, she's 95 years old, and I cannot tell you how many poppy... events that she's done. And talk about a person that's done so much for our Legion, and there are many like her. And as you said, Mr. Sala, these are marvelous people who have done so much. We are now ready to convene into closed-door executive session for the purpose of discussing A, May 5th, 2025 executive session minutes, five ILCS, 120 slash 2C21, and B, personnel, 5ILCS120-2C3. We have a motion. Do we have a second? Second. Okay. All those in favor of moving to executive session, say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? We are now adjourning to executive session. Those who are leaving the chamber, please be safe this evening. See you in a few weeks.