[0:00] >>> welcome, folks. It's 6:00 we will begin our

[0:01] meeting at city

[0:04] council chambers, galesburg, and

[0:07] I ask the clerk to call the

[0:13] roll, please.

[0:16] >> council member mangieri.

[0:18] >> here. >> council member cheesman.

[0:19] >> here.

[0:25] >> council member hunigan.

[0:28] >>

[0:31] here.

[0:32] >> council member saul. >>

[0:34] here.

[0:35] >> council member white.

[0:37] >>

[0:41] here. I pledge allegiance to the flag

[0:43] of the united states of america

[0:44] and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god,

[0:45] indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[0:52] >> please remain standing.

[1:10] thank

[1:16] you.

[1:25] >>> will

[1:26] the after and chief meet me at the front.

[1:46] >>

[1:49] well, tonight is a

[1:50] very special night. It's not every

[1:52] night we get to

[1:55] retire someone, someone as distinguished as our

[1:58] friend there. Let me read the

[1:59] proclamation, and then I'll let the

[2:01] chief say

[2:04] a few words. Proclamation reads

[2:07] as follows.

[2:10] whereas the police

[2:16] department

[2:19] formally

[2:22] recognized, k-9 zeus, he

[2:25] entered active duty in november

[2:28] 2019 embarking on a

[2:31] six-year tenure,

[2:34] with bravery,

[2:37] unwavering loyalty, and a

[2:39] partnership with officer taylor. And

[2:43] the duo of officer

[2:46] taylor and k-9 zeus had

[2:49] a benchmark of excellence from

[2:51] their indicator to the daily commitment to

[2:55] the safety of the citizens of galesburg.

[2:58] whereas k-9 zeus proved himself as

[3:01] a critical asset

[3:04] most notably in a high-profile

[3:07] stabbing investigation where his skills

[3:09] were instrumental in the pursuitpursuit

[3:13] of justice, and it led to

[3:22] criminal and

[3:24] achievements contributeded to officer

[3:27] taylor being named the officer of

[3:28] the

[3:30] year. Whereas zeus has maintained

[3:31] the highest standard

[3:34] of operational liability,

[3:37] consistently certifying in narcotics

[3:38] detection,

[3:40] evidence recovery and handler protection

[3:41] throughout

[3:42] his decorated service, therefore there

[3:46] it be resolveded that

[3:49] I, mayor schwartzman,

[3:52] doing hereby express

[3:55] profound gratitude to

[3:58] k-9 zeus for his selfless

[4:01] service. As he transitions to a

[4:04] fearless protector to

[4:07] a home life, we honor

[4:10] his excellence. Dated this 2nd

[4:13] day of february, 2026.

[4:15] I present this to officer taylor and zeus.

[4:16] [ applause ]

[4:19] thank you so much.

[4:25] one last thing. I

[4:27] just looked. You might think an 8-year-

[4:28] old is too young

[4:30] to retire. For a large dog, eight

[4:31] years

[4:34] is equivalent to 64, so for that I

[4:35] think it's

[4:37] well deserved.

[4:40] thank you.

[4:43] chief.

[4:44] >> thank you. Yeah, there's

[4:46] a special bond between a k-9 and handler that

[4:47] most of

[4:48] us will never know. Jake has been

[4:50] committed

[4:52] to the k-9 program since he started

[4:53] it, and

[4:54] zeus and jake have served this community

[4:56] well, protecting the

[4:59] community, and I can't think

[5:04] --thank you enough, and we will continue on with

[5:05] the

[5:06] program.

[5:07] >> what about his present?

[5:08] >> oh,

[5:11] yeah, and on behalf of the

[5:14] city of galesburg, we would like

[5:17] to present dog treats. Zeus,

[5:19] go eat treats and take a nap. [ applause ]

[5:41] >>> okay.

[5:43] our next item is opening comments.

[5:44] we have a

[5:46] special guest who will give an opening

[5:49] comment and I'll turn it over to ms. Sheets.

[5:59] >> I'm

[6:00] with trajectorytrajectory partners,

[6:02] and we have a

[6:04] community solar project in galesburg, so

[6:05] I

[6:07] would like to present a check for

[6:11] a donation and read a little

[6:13] proclamation from our owner, john

[6:17] carson. Mayor schwartzman,

[6:20] fellow city council members, trajectory

[6:23] energy partners signed a benefit commitment

[6:25] letter with the city of galesburg

[6:26] dated november

[6:29] 27th, 2022, related to the south

[6:31] side community solar project. In the

[6:33] letter, trajectory committed to a

[6:35] further set of

[6:37] community-specific benefits that the

[6:41] project willwill to

[6:44] galesburg if the project is selected

[6:46] for the program administered by the

[6:50] power agency. Needs benefits

[6:52] shall include 10,000 for community

[6:53] parks on the

[6:56] south side of galesburg. Since that

[6:57] time, we are pleased to share that

[6:59] the solar project has been

[7:02] selected as a community-driven

[7:04] community solar project, and under --

[7:05] and it's

[7:06] under construction and we expect to begin operations this year.

[7:11] in recognition of

[7:12] the forward movement of the project and

[7:14] the continued partnership with the

[7:16] city of galesburg, we are pleased

[7:17] to make this

[7:19] donation to you today. We look forward

[7:20] to bringing the south side

[7:22] community solar project and all of

[7:23] its benefits to

[7:26] the galesburg community. Just for

[7:27] facts,

[7:29] and so you know where south side

[7:32] community solar is located, we have about

[7:35] 15 acres between

[7:38] locust and

[7:41] lumbared streets, and our

[7:43] estimated electric bill savings to

[7:44] local residents, in particular

[7:47] to south side residents is a total

[7:50] of $162,000 a year for subscribers.

[7:53] the 50% discount dedicated to

[7:55] south side residents should equate

[7:56] to

[7:59] $450 per household per

[8:01] year. South side solar is also expected

[8:02] to

[8:04] provide approximately $300,000 total

[8:05] in local

[8:07] tax revenue over the life of the project.

[8:08] so with

[8:11] that, I would be

[8:14] pleased to present a $10,000 check

[8:17] from trajectory energies to the

[8:18] city of galesburg.

[8:19] >> thank you. [ applause ]

[8:26] >> our park and rec director is coming down.

[8:29] he'll be gladly accepting this and putting it to good work.

[9:05] >>> we're still on public comment.

[9:07] if anybody is here for public comment, step

[9:08] forward

[9:10] and state your name --

[9:11] >> your honor, sorry.

[9:12] >> yes?

[9:14] >> can the council approve the minutes?

[9:17] >> sorry. >> no worries. >> getting

[9:18] ahead of myself.

[9:20] thank you for correcting me.

[9:21] >> thank you.

[9:22] >> so we do

[9:23] have the minutes from january 20th,

[9:24] 2026, so I

[9:25] need a motion and second for that.

[9:27] >> so moved.

[9:30] >> thank

[9:33] you, mr.

[9:36] chair. I will ask the

[9:38] clerk to call the roll on the january

[9:39] 20th, 2026 meeting.

[10:00] >> mangieri, yes, hunigan, yes,

[10:03] white, yes, acerra, yes, saul,

[10:06] yes, cheesman, yes, and a six-yes

[10:08] vote, your honor.

[10:09] >> we will go back

[10:10] to public comment.

[10:12] if anybody is here for

[10:14] public comment, please step forward.

[10:16] please state your name and you have three minutes

[10:18] to address the board.

[10:21] >> good evening, I'm mindy knapp,

[10:24] and I am representing

[10:26] the western humanitarian center. Every

[10:27] day

[10:29] people are in need of a warm shelter in

[10:30] the cold

[10:32] weather and we see people on the streets and

[10:33] the

[10:35] warming center here at the police

[10:36] station,

[10:38] and the real judgment is whether they

[10:39] do or do not

[10:41] do to put themselves out there, and

[10:42] the real judgment

[10:45] is on us as a society of what we

[10:48] haven't done to assure people at least

[10:51] have a warm shelter,

[10:54] an option of a shelter in times like these.

[10:57] we have a rescue shelter, and yeah, it's

[10:59] 40 people and 40 people, 80, and we

[11:00] have a warming

[11:02] center, yeah, the capacity is 20, and

[11:03] we have

[11:06] a police station if

[11:07] it's temporarytemporary or it's a warming

[11:09] center, kind

[11:12] of confused on that. We are out

[11:15] growing these by numbers, okay?

[11:17] we are not --20 people coming into

[11:18] the police station at

[11:21] night, 10, 11,

[11:24] 20, it's hard to --you

[11:27] can probably justify to

[11:30] this, chief, how to have somebody out there to make

[11:31] sure everything

[11:32] is being taken care of. Yeah, they are coming

[11:33] in

[11:35] and it's a temporary warming center.

[11:36] if it is, you

[11:37] know, to be able to come in because you

[11:39] can't go to the other two options

[11:41] and you don't want to be outside,

[11:42] who wants to

[11:45] be outside, okay? Some people in organizations

[11:48] are telling me that people actually

[11:51] choose to want to be outside. That,

[11:52] to me,

[11:54] I find that hard to believe, and I even

[11:56] asked the ones I still see in town that

[11:57] have not

[11:59] been asked to get somewhere to be

[12:00] warm, and

[12:02] I'm repeatedly telling them the places

[12:03] they can go to and

[12:06] get warm.

[12:08] anyway, this is serious. You know,

[12:09] the police station

[12:12] is dealing with a lot of

[12:14] people, with too much in there and

[12:15] what to do

[12:18] of cleaning it up and the safety of

[12:20] people with mental problems and everything,

[12:21] and they have

[12:23] rules, you can't eat in here, and

[12:24] you can't eat in here

[12:27] and can't use the bathroom,

[12:30] and you can't use the can,

[12:33] but you can sit in the chair and

[12:35] there's only four, and we have to work

[12:36] together as

[12:38] a society. It's cold times and people

[12:39] have the right to be in

[12:42] somewhere, warm, okay? And they have

[12:45] a right to eat, and they have

[12:48] a right to rest if

[12:51] that's the only options --homeless

[12:52] people are not what you

[12:53] think they are. They are survivors

[12:54] of what

[12:57] life has drugged them through

[13:00] hell. They are survivors and

[13:01] barely surviving and we need to take

[13:03] that into consideration as a

[13:05] society in galesburg and help people

[13:06] in the cold time we

[13:08] are having. In the summer, it's going to

[13:09] be hot, so let's

[13:11] start thinking of what to do. Thank you.

[13:12] >> thank you.

[13:15] anyone else here for public comment

[13:16] this evening?

[13:18] please step forward.

[13:27] >> I am also here to speak about the

[13:28] homeless problem

[13:30] we have in our town.

[13:31] >> can you state your

[13:32] name, please.

[13:33] >> I was getting ready to do that.

[13:34] my name

[13:37] is laura porter, and I'm

[13:38] a nonprofit of the illinoisillinois

[13:40] of elections, and

[13:43] I'm here because galesburg have

[13:46] large structurals sitting empty,

[13:48] and the old public libraries and the

[13:52] old eagles building, haha, and

[13:55] the cottage

[13:58] house and hawthorne court,

[14:01] and several rec buildings

[14:04] that were once

[14:05] schools, those buildings are completely

[14:07] vacant and are sitting and

[14:08] doing nothing and I'm sure they are

[14:10] sound enough we can

[14:11] do something with them. My organization

[14:13] is prepared

[14:15] to take responsibility for one of

[14:17] these properties and turn it into

[14:19] a

[14:21] community asset. Transitional housing

[14:22] youth services and

[14:25] a resource hub. This does not

[14:27] require city operating funds. It requires

[14:28] the city

[14:31] to open up a process allowing

[14:34] nonprocess to apply for the low

[14:37] cost transfer or long-term

[14:40] lease. This saves taxpayer money and

[14:41] provides stability for the people

[14:43] who need

[14:46] it most. I'm collecting

[14:47] signatures from the residents and

[14:49] I'm asking the council

[14:51] to take the first step tonight by

[14:55] allowing non-profits like

[14:58] mine

[15:01] to bring forward

[15:03] these proposals.

[15:04] >> thank you. >> thank you.

[15:05] >> anybody

[15:06] else here for public comment? Okay, we'll move on.

[15:07] thank you.

[15:10] we have reached

[15:13] the consent

[15:16] agenda 2026-03. All matters listed on

[15:17] the consent agenda are considered

[15:19] routine by the city council and

[15:22] will be enacted by one motion.

[15:25] there are six items on the consent

[15:28] agenda tonight. 26-

[15:31] 2022 is an

[15:37] mft resurfacing project,

[15:40] and we have

[15:43] a 26-

[15:46] 3003, a parking lot seal

[15:49] coat, and

[15:52] 26-4006, a update zoning map,

[15:55] and

[15:58] 26-4007, flood insurance

[16:01] renewal, and lastly, 26-

[16:04] 8002, approval and warrants

[16:06] drawn in payment of same. Need a motion

[16:07] to move

[16:10] on this.

[16:13] thank you, ms.

[16:16] mangieri.

[16:17] >> a second. >>

[16:19] what parking lot is

[16:22] being sealed?

[16:23] >> yeah, the other half

[16:24] of parking lot d, which is the parking

[16:25] lot

[16:28] that is over just to the east

[16:31] of seminary

[16:34] street, would be north of packing house.

[16:37] we did half the lot last year and

[16:39] the other half this year --

[16:40] >> oh, okay.

[16:41] >> so this

[16:42] is finishing up the project and then

[16:43] we will move on

[16:46] to the next one.

[16:49] >> thank you. >> seeing no other comments,

[16:52] I ask for a vote

[16:58] on

[17:01] 26-3003.

[17:02] >>

[17:04] mangieri, yes,

[17:10] hunigan, yes --a six-vote yes,

[17:12] your honor.

[17:13] >> thank you. We have

[17:16] passages and resolutions

[17:19] of ordinances, and

[17:22] 26-1001, it's

[17:25] a parking ordinance for

[17:27] parking during school hours. It's

[17:28] final reading and I

[17:30] need a motion and second.

[17:31] >> so moved.

[17:32] >> thank

[17:34] you, mr. Saul.

[17:37] thanks, ms. Mangieri.

[17:38] >>

[17:40] staff recommends approval of an ordinance

[17:43] for parking on fifer street to yates

[17:44] streets during

[17:46] school hours. The traffic advisory

[17:49] committee reviewed concerns regarding

[17:52] congestion during peak school times and

[17:53] it

[17:54] allows parking on both sides currently

[17:55] and reduces

[17:58] traffic flow to one lane when

[18:01] fully parked. The study

[18:04] showed a majority

[18:07] support, and limiting parking on

[18:09] the east side would improve safety for

[18:10] students and parents. The

[18:13] ordinance would prohibit parking on the east side

[18:15] of willard street between 8:00 a.m.

[18:16] and 4:30

[18:19] on school days, and the gas tax fun

[18:20] staff

[18:21] is recommending approval.

[18:22] >> thank you.

[18:25] any questions about this

[18:28] item? Seeing none, I ask

[18:31] for a vote on 26-1001.

[18:37] >>

[18:40] mangieri,

[18:46] yes, hundred igan,

[18:50] yes, white, yes, saul, yes, and

[18:53] a six-vote yes, your honor.

[18:56] >> and then 26-

[18:58] 2003, it's a resolution, the build

[19:00] grant as it around. Need a motion and

[19:02] a second.

[19:03] >> so moved.

[19:05] >> thank you, ms.

[19:08] acerra.

[19:10] >> rather than go through all of this that

[19:11] is in

[19:13] the packet of material, this is the

[19:14] exact

[19:16] same project and the exact same amounts and

[19:17] the exact

[19:20] same match contributing,

[19:22] it's just another grant fund possibility.

[19:26] we already has a build grant out

[19:29] of the logistics parks, and I

[19:30] equated it on the radio this morning

[19:32] to going fishing

[19:33] and putting out a second line, but

[19:35] it's no different than

[19:37] the action you took at a meeting or

[19:40] so ago. It's just another opportunity

[19:41] for us

[19:43] to potentially leverage funds to correct

[19:46] and improve the south street underpass.

[19:47] happy

[19:48] to answer any additional questions.

[19:50] >> thank you, mr.

[19:56] hanson. Mr. Hunigan?

[19:57] >> how much are

[19:59] we asking for?

[20:00] >>

[20:02] it's just

[20:05] 3. 6 million, and

[20:07] there's a match on this one as well to partner

[20:08] and

[20:11] take 10%, so our match is

[20:14] 10%, for about 365,000.

[20:15] >> so the

[20:16] railroad is putting up the money,

[20:17] most of the money?

[20:18] >>

[20:20] the railroad is putting up 10%, plus they

[20:22] are also underwriting the entire cost of

[20:23] the engineering and application.

[20:24] >> great.

[20:32] >> thank you. Anybody else? Mr. White?

[20:35] >> I know part of this is closing

[20:38] off mulberry

[20:41] street crossing. Will they

[20:43] ever return that to a two-way street

[20:44] so you can turn

[20:46] left to go on west chambers, I think,

[20:49] when this is done or is that

[20:50] the plans?

[20:51] >> again, this is

[20:52] just the initial request. All of that

[20:53] has to

[20:56] be engineered and studied. It's in

[20:59] the preliminary request, but that's part of what we

[21:02] have to

[21:04] study, demonstrate and get feedback

[21:05] on as

[21:06] far as any further work that's done in

[21:08] that area.

[21:09] >> all right. Thank you.

[21:11] >> thank you. Mr. Saul? >> could

[21:13] you get your crystal ball out and tell

[21:14] us what

[21:17] are the chances of us getting it this time?

[21:20] >> yeah, great question. Last

[21:23] year's grant application, our application made

[21:25] it all the way through all of the

[21:26] phases, they

[21:29] just ran out of money. We were

[21:32] encouraged to apply again, and we

[21:33] have made

[21:35] a few updates, including adding

[21:36] the environmental, which is a plus

[21:38] in our favor because it moves

[21:41] the project along. The crystal ball

[21:44] is, you know, if I had a crystal ball

[21:45] about what goes on

[21:46] in washington, d.c., I would be in

[21:47] a different

[21:50] job, but the reality is, I think we

[21:52] have a strong application. It scored

[21:53] very well last

[21:55] time and we have been encouraged to

[21:56] reapply and

[21:59] hopefully we'll be successful in the

[22:02] funding with either sfp or

[22:05] build grant funds.

[22:06] >> another

[22:07] thing, have the prices changed any?

[22:08] >>

[22:10] not drastically from just last fall

[22:11] or

[22:13] last spring when we studied this.

[22:14] the thing that

[22:17] changed is adding all the environmental

[22:18] assessments is part of the grant,

[22:20] and last year's grant was

[22:23] 1. 7 or 1.8 but did not include

[22:26] any environmental work, which is required either

[22:27] way,

[22:28] so including it up front helps our

[22:29] application, and

[22:32] obviously increases the cost but the

[22:33] grant picks

[22:35] up 80% of the costs as well, but it

[22:36] would put

[22:38] us further along for the actual construction if

[22:39] we

[22:42] were able to get the funds.

[22:48] >> mr.

[22:54] cheesman.

[22:55] >> mr.

[22:57] when you talked about it running out,

[22:59] does this help our cause?

[23:00] >> I think this

[23:03] is another round of grant

[23:06] funds, and the program, it was a

[23:08] hayes program and before that it was a

[23:09] tiger,

[23:11] if I'm not mistaken. This particular

[23:12] pot of funds is

[23:15] an annual thing, and there's a

[23:17] program with the fra that is a pretty

[23:19] common reinvestment in rail crossings

[23:21] and rail-

[23:24] related conflicts with vehicles

[23:27] and

[23:28] pedestrians. You know, there's again,

[23:30] a large pot

[23:33] of funds available

[23:36] andand obviously believe

[23:39] our engineers

[23:42] believe it's in our community's

[23:44] best interest to apply.

[23:45] >> thank you, all.

[23:46] no other questions,

[23:48] I ask for a vote on 26-2003.

[23:57] >> mangieri, yes,

[23:59] hunigan, yes, white, yes, acerra,

[24:00] yes,

[24:03] saul, yes, cheesman, yes.

[24:05] a six-vote yes, your honor.

[24:06] >> thank you.

[24:09] we have nothingnothing bids

[24:12] this meeting, and we

[24:15] will movemove to the manager's report,

[24:18] anything to add?

[24:20] >> unless there's questions, I have nothing

[24:23] to add.

[24:24] >> thank you for the report

[24:25] you

[24:26] sent. We will move on. We have five

[24:27] items under

[24:29] miscellaneous business, and we have first

[24:33] the retirement of

[24:34] k-9 officer zeus, need a motion and

[24:36] a second.

[24:39] >> thank you, mr.

[24:42] saul and mr. Cheesman. Any statements from

[24:45] the council about mr. Zeus?

[24:51] I will call

[24:54] for a vote on 26-4009.

[25:00] >>

[25:02] mangieri, yes, hundred begun, yes,

[25:03] white,

[25:06] yes, acerra, yes, saul,

[25:09] yes, cheesman, yes, a six-vote

[25:11] yes, your honor.

[25:12] >> now that he's

[25:13] officially retired,

[25:14] chief, is there another specialist coming in soon.

[25:15] >> yes,

[25:18] we're planning on, I believe,

[25:21] march 1st or 2nd is the next

[25:24] academy for the k-9 officers.

[25:25] >> thank you

[25:27] for that.

[25:28] >> 26-4010 is a

[25:30] minor plat of the

[25:33] davis & sons storage division. Need a

[25:34] motion

[25:35] to consider.

[25:36] >> so moved. >> thank

[25:37] you, mr. White.

[25:39] >> second. >> thank you, ms.

[25:42] acerra.

[25:43] >> staff is recommending approval

[25:45] of the minor plat

[25:48] for the

[25:51] store ageage following a public hearing

[25:52] on

[25:55] january 13th, 2026.

[25:58] it's located at 671

[26:01] knox road 1400 north is

[26:04] an existing

[26:06] storage unitunit complex zone, and

[26:07] it

[26:09] was divide the lots retaining retaining

[26:12] the mini storage buildings under the

[26:16] current ownership and

[26:19] a acre-lot to be sold.

[26:22] the commission unanimously

[26:25] recommended

[26:28] approval

[26:31] with a sidewalk.

[26:34] >> thank you. Anybody from

[26:37] the council? Mr. Hunigan?

[26:39] >> I'm not quite sure where this place

[26:40] is.

[26:43] can you give me --point

[26:46] me toward where this --

[26:52] can

[26:55] anybody?

[26:56] >>

[26:58] yep, it's --obviously

[27:01] south of town just

[27:03] where county 10 and grand avenue meet.

[27:07] it's just to the north of that

[27:09] parallel to actually the logistics park.

[27:13] >> the logistics park, okay. >>

[27:15] but it's on the west side rather than the east side.

[27:16] >> there

[27:19] we go. That's what I needed.

[27:20] >> thank

[27:22] you, across

[27:24] the street from --

[27:25] >> there we go.

[27:26] now I know.

[27:28] >> I just want to understand, I see

[27:30] the yellow here that's blocked out,

[27:31] which is

[27:32] the storage sheds, but I don't know

[27:34] what the subdividing --

[27:37] what other part of this picture are

[27:40] they --belongs to them that they are

[27:42] dividing so they can sell it.

[27:43] >> I

[27:44] think on

[27:46] the picture on page 70, there's actually

[27:47] a

[27:49] line that extends

[27:55] up to that big trapezoid type of

[27:58] shape, and there's the secondary --

[28:01] isn't that the second part?

[28:04] >> if you are looking at the aerial,

[28:05] there's

[28:06] a entrance on the south side of that property.

[28:07] >> yes. >> that's going to

[28:10] be a lot upon itself with a single building.

[28:11] that's

[28:12] the lot that will be sold off. Everything

[28:13] else with the longer

[28:16] buildings, the mini storage buildings

[28:17] will be what

[28:18] the owner retains.

[28:19] >> okay. Just wondering.

[28:20] >> okay.

[28:22] seeing nothing else, I

[28:25] will ask for

[28:28] the council to vote and the

[28:31] clerk to call the roll.

[28:32] >>

[28:34] mangieri, yes, hunigan, yes,

[28:43] white, yes, au

[28:46] acerra, yes,

[28:49] saul, yes, and

[28:53] white, yes.

[28:54] >> we need a motion

[28:56] and a second.

[28:57] >> staff

[28:58] recommends approval of the minor plat

[28:59] for the subdivision

[29:00] as recommended by the planning and

[29:01] zoning commission following a public

[29:04] hearing held on january 13th, 2026,

[29:05] the

[29:08] property located at 123 through

[29:10] 129 knox highway 31 currently consists

[29:11] of

[29:14] two residences with additional vacant

[29:17] acreage and a pond and the

[29:18] proposal would reconfigure the property into

[29:20] two lots.

[29:23] the approximately 49. 2 acre

[29:26] northern lot would be retained

[29:27] by the current owner while the 6.

[29:29] 3 acres southern lot would

[29:32] be created to sale for

[29:35] the owner's son, and there

[29:38] was a unanimous

[29:40] recommendation for approval. Pedestrian

[29:41] traffic is

[29:44] minimal and a neighboring

[29:47] property owner supported

[29:50] the

[29:53] waver at

[29:55] the public hearing. Happy to answer

[29:56] any additional questions.

[29:57] >> thank you. Any questions about

[29:59] this item. Seeing none, I call for

[30:02] a vote on 26-4011.

[30:05] >>

[30:08] mangieri, yes, hunigan, yes,

[30:11] white, yes, acerra, yes,

[30:14] saul, yes, cheesman, yes.

[30:17] a six-vote yes, sir.

[30:20] >>

[30:23] and

[30:26] then 26-4012, change order for additional

[30:29] repairs to the fixed bus route

[30:32] 1701.

[30:35] >> staff recommends approval

[30:38] for additional repairs to

[30:41] fix bus route bus 1701.

[30:44] the hybrid bus began to

[30:47] experience diagnostic

[30:49] issues, and after repairs were completed

[30:50] and

[30:52] approved further testing identified

[30:53] further

[30:56] damage that was not detected sooner,

[30:59] and interstate power system and updated

[31:00] quote that

[31:02] includes the additional parts estimated

[31:05] at $22,372.

[31:08] 70 with no additional

[31:11] labor cost.

[31:14] for those on

[31:17] councilcouncil newer

[31:20] to council,

[31:23] as part of the I dot agreement,

[31:25] there's a process we have to go through.

[31:26] so

[31:29] your action is required in order for

[31:30] us

[31:32] to proceedproceed with repairs but they

[31:33] are

[31:34] ultimately covered through funding at the

[31:35] state level, so

[31:37] that's why this is before you and

[31:38] why we're utilizing that

[31:41] particular vendor, who I this is in

[31:42] springfield

[31:44] in this case.

[31:45] >> thank you. Any questions on this item?

[31:50] seeing none, I'll call for a

[31:54] vote on 26-4012.

[31:57] >>

[31:59] mangieri, yes, hunigan, yes, white,

[32:03] yes, acerra, yes, saul, yes,

[32:05] cheesman, yes, a six-vote yes, your honor.

[32:08] >> thank you. Next item, last item in

[32:12] the section is 26-6001,6001,

[32:15] appointment

[32:17] memo, ward 3 council member. We need a motion

[32:18] and

[32:21] a second.

[32:22] >> so moved.

[32:24] >> thank you, ms. Acerra.

[32:27] >> second. >> thank

[32:30] you, mr. Hunigan.

[32:31] >> I'm

[32:33] happy to read, but if there's

[32:35] anything you want to share with the

[32:36] public

[32:37] I think that would be appropriate.

[32:39] >> I submitted

[32:42] a letter of support for this gentleman, mr.

[32:45] chuck reynolds, he's

[32:46] a long-standing resident of ward 3

[32:48] including him being

[32:51] born there. He has

[32:53] decades of employment with the clinic,

[32:54] and

[32:57] currently works for

[33:00] rfms and has been involved in

[33:02] a lot of volunteer work in galesburg

[33:03] over his lifetime and

[33:06] he's a graduate

[33:09] of galesburg high school and I

[33:11] would encourage the council to support my nomination.

[33:21] anyone have any questions,

[33:24] comments? Seeing none, I'll ask

[33:27] for a vote

[33:30] on 26-6001.

[33:36] >> mangieri,

[33:38] yes, hunigan, yes, white, yes, acerra,

[33:39] yes,

[33:42] saul, yes, cheesman, yes.

[33:45] a six-vote yes, your honor.

[33:46] >>

[33:47] thank you. Wonderful. I am sure mr.

[33:48] reynolds and his

[33:50] family will be happy and that seat should

[33:51] be occupied at

[33:53] the next council meeting. You know,

[33:54] it

[33:57] was six of you, and

[34:00] if it was 3-

[34:03] 3, the last few meetings I could have

[34:04] voted, but you did

[34:05] not give me the opportunity, so --

[34:09] but, anyway, I don't generally get

[34:10] to

[34:12] vote, and the public knows

[34:15] this, the mayor doesn't vote unless

[34:18] there's a tie and

[34:20] you can't have a tie with seven members.

[34:21] thank you for

[34:23] that and thank you for your support.

[34:24] I know some of you

[34:27] reached out to this gentleman and he

[34:28] was

[34:29] very thankful to talk with you and I

[34:30] know he's looking forward

[34:33] to joining our council. I have

[34:36] already had an inquiry about people

[34:38] wanting to know his email so they

[34:40] can get in touch with him.

[34:43] when do you think his city email

[34:45] and running?

[34:46] >> staff will begin working on

[34:47] this tomorrow.

[34:48] my guess is that process is pretty

[34:52] fast, but I know our know

[34:53] are going to reach out to him and try and

[34:55] get him in this

[34:56] week and get him through some of the

[34:58] required

[35:00] security protocols so that we can

[35:01] get

[35:03] him access to the system, the email

[35:04] system, and

[35:07] then obviously whatever his

[35:10] preferred method of

[35:15] communicating and availability is, as

[35:19] you all

[35:22] do. Depending on

[35:25] his

[35:28] availability.

[35:29] >>

[35:30] I need to motormotor as citizen of

[35:31] the town board.

[35:33] all those in favor say aye. Anybody

[35:34] opposed.

[35:36] we are sitting as a town board, and we

[35:37] have

[35:39] one item under the town business.

[35:43] surprise,

[35:46] surprise, 26-9002 are the bills.

[35:47] need a motion for the bills.

[35:48] >> so moved.

[35:52] >> thank you, ms.

[35:54] mangieri.

[35:55] >> any questions about the

[35:56] bills?

[35:58] >> I call for roll on the

[36:01] 26-9002.

[36:02] >> mangieri,

[36:07] yes, hundred igan,

[36:10] yes, white,

[36:13] yes, saul, yes,

[36:16] a six-man yes, your honor.

[36:19] >> all those in favor of resuming the city council say

[36:22] aye.

[36:23] >> aye. >> we have resumed as

[36:24] a city

[36:25] council. We are now at closing

[36:26] comments. Anybody wishing to leadoff this

[36:28] evening?

[36:31] okay, ms.

[36:34] mangieri, please do.

[36:35] >> I just wanted

[36:37] to welcome our

[36:39] newest council member. Unfortunately

[36:40] I didn't get to work

[36:42] with evan miller while he was there

[36:43] as much as I could have,

[36:46] but I am looking forward to working with

[36:47] the new councilcouncil member. I did

[36:49] get a chance

[36:52] to speak with him and I feel good

[36:55] about us collaborating more together,

[36:58] so I hope that he feels as

[37:00] welcomed as I did when I joined, so.

[37:01] >> thank

[37:04] you very

[37:07] much.

[37:10] >> mr. Hunigan. >> I want

[37:13] to, again, recognize and honor the

[37:16] galesburg resident rodney bunch for

[37:17] being

[37:19] inducted into the galesburg

[37:22] high school hall of fame class of

[37:25] 2025. I have known mr. Bunch for the

[37:26] entire

[37:28] time I have lived in galesburg. That's 50 years.

[37:31] he and his late wife, betty, have

[37:33] been friends, not only to me but my

[37:34] wife

[37:36] and my four children. He was a member

[37:37] of

[37:40] an undefeated football team while

[37:43] at ghs. He was a teacher for

[37:46] 21 years and is one of the

[37:48] founders and longest serving members

[37:49] of

[37:52] a mentoring program at the high school

[37:55] called the streaks dad that started

[37:58] in 2013. The goal of the streaks dad's

[37:59] program is

[38:01] to provide positive role models for students.

[38:05] he's

[38:07] been a volunteer in this program for over

[38:08] ten

[38:11] years, and is

[38:13] often at the high school five days

[38:14] a week.

[38:16] while some students require a hi-five

[38:17] or a

[38:20] simple conversation, several

[38:22] other students need one-on-one to

[38:23] tackle

[38:26] the tougher issues. One

[38:28] student said his father has been absent

[38:29] from his

[38:32] life for nearly a year,

[38:35] quote, I have a one-

[38:36] parent household. My mom has been

[38:38] raising me. My dad

[38:40] has been in and out of my life. He

[38:41] also said that he

[38:43] just had a birthday but his father

[38:47] didn't call him. However,

[38:49] this emptiness he feels at times is

[38:50] filled by

[38:53] the support he receives from his

[38:56] street dad like rodney

[39:02] bunch.

[39:05] dwight white from

[39:08] our council

[39:11] is

[39:14] also a street dad.

[39:17] yesterday at my church we served

[39:19] breakfast to our sunday schoolchildren as

[39:20] well

[39:23] as adults before we begin sunday

[39:26] school each week. Yesterday a

[39:27] homeless individualindividual steve,

[39:29] perhaps in his

[39:32] 50s, was standing at our church

[39:35] entrance cold,

[39:38] hungry, tired and out of

[39:41] options asking for any kind

[39:44] of assistance. Steve was wearing

[39:47] a thin jacket. He

[39:50] had no hat, no gloves, and

[39:52] his jeans were worn, torn and rather dirty.

[39:53] he told me

[39:56] that he had been permanently

[39:59] expelled from the rescue

[40:01] mission, wouldn't give the reason why.

[40:02] he

[40:05] also said he had been suspended for

[40:06] ten

[40:08] days from sitting in the

[40:10] police station to keep warm. Wouldn't give the

[40:11] reason why.

[40:14] in coming weeks it's

[40:17] going to become colder rather than

[40:20] warmer. This man obviously needs more

[40:21] than just

[40:23] a meal. The pastor of my church

[40:26] and I, want

[40:28] somebody including the members of

[40:29] the city council to tell us what

[40:32] we can do when the needy people like

[40:33] steve

[40:35] show up at our doors?

[40:38] how do we help people in our community

[40:39] who do

[40:42] not have a

[40:45] stable, safe and adequate safe

[40:47] to live? Those are my comments.

[40:48] >>

[40:51] thank you. Mr. White?

[40:54] >> last week was

[40:57] my shortest,

[41:00] almost like

[41:03] jesus wept.

[41:04] I didn't mean that just for people

[41:06] that like me, but

[41:08] for people that don't like me, and

[41:10] I didn't mean that for people that

[41:12] think the same way

[41:15] I think, I meant that for people

[41:17] that think differently than me and

[41:18] live

[41:20] in a different part of town that I

[41:23] do, and different color and race and

[41:26] ethnicity, and I meant that to that

[41:28] blessed for anybody and everybody

[41:30] I see. I

[41:32] know I'm at a quagmire, because I

[41:33] look and

[41:35] see what's going on in this world,

[41:36] in this

[41:39] nation, and I never believed

[41:42] it was

[41:45] so ugly. People that call

[41:48] themselves christians

[41:51] are saying that

[41:53] gentleman that should have been shot.

[41:54] I was there at

[41:56] a meeting in iowa city, and because

[41:57] me and another lady

[42:00] was talking about it,

[42:03] another patient got angry with us and reported

[42:04] us to the administration because we

[42:06] were

[42:09] talking politics. We were just

[42:12] saying how sad we felt for the va

[42:13] guy

[42:15] being murdered. I couldn't believe

[42:17] how ugly that woman was doing that.

[42:20] I'm hurting. I really am hurting.

[42:24] our nation is hurting. When one person believes they

[42:27] can take the life of another person

[42:28] because they have a different view,

[42:30] this country is made up

[42:33] of all kinds of ethnicities.

[42:36] this is not germany. We are

[42:39] not germans, we're americans. We

[42:42] are not swedish,

[42:45] or africans, we are americans. To be

[42:46] an

[42:48] american, that means your ancestors

[42:50] came from someplace else, and for

[42:51] us to want to take

[42:54] the people that are born and raised

[42:56] here, or people trying to come here to

[42:57] make a better life and

[43:00] run them out,

[43:03] it hurts. It's not

[43:06] me they are doing

[43:09] that to right now, but it still hurts.

[43:10] when some of the

[43:13] ancestors came

[43:16] here, oregon was mexico.

[43:19] the whole east --west coast was

[43:21] mexico, but those people are being

[43:22] told to go home,

[43:25] go back to your country. Nevada,

[43:27] texas, that was their home, their

[43:31] country, their ancestors grew

[43:34] up there. Please, step up.

[43:35] when people do things or say things

[43:37] or treat

[43:39] people ugly, you just can't step back

[43:40] and

[43:43] say, well, they are not doing it

[43:46] to me. I always used to tell

[43:48] people, if my mother and I were walking

[43:49] down

[43:51] the street and see seen some guy and

[43:52] he was

[43:55] white or mexican and she just didn't

[43:58] like him, I would have to stop

[44:01] her from hitting him if she

[44:04] said, he's a beede-eyed guy. I

[44:07] would stop her because it's not right.

[44:10] if

[44:13] the guy is doing something

[44:15] wrong, I have to stop him because it's

[44:19] not right.

[44:21] everybody, search your heart and spirit,

[44:22] step

[44:25] up and do what is right. It's

[44:28] called humanity. It's called integrity.

[44:31] please, please, please, look

[44:32] for humanity and integrity. Thank you.

[44:37] >>

[44:40] thank you, mr. Hunigan --

[44:43] I mean, mr.

[44:46] white.

[44:47] >> I definitely agree while

[44:48] we should look

[44:49] for humanity in one another, absolutely,

[44:50] I

[44:52] listen to a lot of

[44:55] podcasts and I heard one

[44:58] individual seen as

[45:00] an conservative and having conversations

[45:01] with

[45:03] somebody typically thought of as left

[45:04] of the aisle,

[45:07] and it's amazing the

[45:10] love that can come from sitting down

[45:12] and talking instead of focusing on

[45:13] what you

[45:15] disagree on, and think about what you

[45:16] can

[45:19] agree on, and

[45:22] there's certainly plenty. In our

[45:25] news, the public safety, there was

[45:28] an officer who was called to a gym

[45:29] where

[45:31] a young young was sneaking in without

[45:32] a

[45:33] membership, and rather than arrest

[45:35] that individual or get

[45:37] him in further trouble, he chose to

[45:38] pay for

[45:39] that individual's membership. I think

[45:41] that's extraordinary,

[45:44] and I do hope that individual

[45:47] who

[45:50] is the beneficiary

[45:53] of that kindness,

[45:56] appreciates that. I want

[45:59] to thank our publicpublic for responding to

[46:01] the large fire today, and emergency

[46:04] folks were there and it's quite big, and

[46:05] we have a

[46:07] great public safety team, both teams

[46:08] are

[46:09] excellent here. Finally, I want to

[46:11] put in a

[46:13] plug for a professional development

[46:14] event

[46:16] that I'm responsible for along with the

[46:17] illinois

[46:19] state human resources society and

[46:23] the oakbrook human

[46:25] resources chapter. That's the statewide

[46:26] student human

[46:27] resources conference that will be

[46:29] on march 28th, so

[46:31] I know I have a couple months here.

[46:32] if

[46:33] anybody knows any students at all in the

[46:35] state, doesn't matter if they are

[46:36] at

[46:37] a junior collegecollege a --you know,

[46:41] a four-year college, that may be interested

[46:44] in pursuing a career such as hr,

[46:47] we hr, going to have a full day full

[46:48] of

[46:50] development sessions on how to

[46:53] optimize your linkedin

[46:54] profile and how to interview, and

[46:56] I'm blessed because I

[46:57] have so many volunteers across the

[46:59] state that are professionals that come to

[47:02] support the students and

[47:05] their careers. If you know anybody

[47:07] interested, please reach out and I'll

[47:08] send more information.

[47:11] thank you.

[47:12] >> thank you.

[47:14] mr. Saul.

[47:15] >> thank you. Mine will be

[47:16] short

[47:17] and sweet. Congratulations to zeus

[47:20] on his

[47:23] retirement. They said you

[47:26] can take a nap now. Since I retired

[47:28] I can count on one hand the amount

[47:29] of

[47:32] naps I have had, so good luck. I

[47:34] doubt he'll get very many naps, but

[47:35] congratulations on

[47:39] the other

[47:42] thing that I have is

[47:45] galesburg grew by one

[47:48] person this weekend. I finished

[47:51] moving my

[47:54] mother-in-law to galesburg,

[47:57] and

[48:03] thank you, jesus for

[48:05] that, and everybody that helps, and

[48:06] I hope

[48:08] everything goes well.

[48:09] >> thank you.

[48:12] >> mr. Cheesman. >>

[48:15] again, I can't tell

[48:17] you how much I appreciate the comments

[48:18] from the

[48:20] council, so worthwhile and meaningful.

[48:24] I also want to congratulate mr.

[48:26] reynolds and I look forward to working

[48:27] with him.

[48:30] he will be a great addition.

[48:33] and I have known mr. Bunch for a long,

[48:35] long time and taught and coached with

[48:36] him and he's quite an

[48:38] individual and means so much to our

[48:39] town and

[48:42] has done so

[48:45] much for so many people.

[48:47] also, I don't want to say happy --

[48:48] I don't think

[48:51] that's appropriate, but I want

[48:54] to saysay learning from

[48:57] and appreciative of black

[49:00] history month, often times overcoming

[49:03] so much like mr. White. I wish

[49:06] we could just say they are all great

[49:08] americans that done their part, and I don't

[49:09] know they didn't

[49:12] think of it as anything else but making

[49:13] those

[49:14] great contributions, but I want to

[49:15] recognize them as well.

[49:17] and we are making progress at the

[49:18] mall little by little,

[49:21] and there's lots more to be done

[49:24] and we are on the trail. I went out

[49:25] and

[49:26] visited the warming center tonight

[49:28] and did that last year as well,

[49:29] and mayor schwartzman brought food

[49:31] over there. I like to

[49:33] see how things are going over there,

[49:34] and

[49:37] they brought out something there

[49:40] and I want to talk about that,

[49:43] and they are looking for

[49:44] washcloths, dishrags, hygiene items for

[49:46] men

[49:49] and women, laundry soap and book

[49:50] bags. I know they didn't get the food

[49:52] they did before,

[49:55] so food is appreciated.

[49:56] they are in need for those things and

[49:58] grateful

[50:01] for those things. There are openings out

[50:03] there tonight and there are most nights,

[50:04] and we want

[50:07] to take care of those folks in that

[50:09] situation, by the grace of god. And on

[50:10] the

[50:12] city water department who had to go

[50:13] out

[50:16] in sub zero

[50:17] weather on sunday morning and repair

[50:19] a water main on

[50:20] seminary street, and going by there

[50:22] a couple

[50:24] times, they had tough conditions but

[50:25] they did it and did

[50:27] it well and I want to recognize them

[50:30] as well. Speaking of something a lot

[50:31] of folks

[50:33] have mentioned, knox college hosted

[50:34] the other

[50:37] night two very, very well-known individuals that made a

[50:38] life

[50:39] of getting the message out concerning

[50:40] when people

[50:42] have differences of opinion in terms

[50:43] of politics,

[50:46] and how they can hear each other out,

[50:47] how

[50:49] they can respect each

[50:52] other, how they have civil discourse

[50:53] as they are talking,

[50:55] and some things that are

[50:57] nonnegotiables and that kind of thing,

[50:58] and I think

[50:59] everybody draws lots of positives from

[51:01] that, and one of the things I certainly

[51:02] drew from

[51:03] that, and I

[51:04] just

[51:07] from listening and watching

[51:10] and observing what we are all

[51:12] seeing, and it doesn't take a rocket

[51:13] scientist to know

[51:16] that people have to be civil to

[51:18] one another and not call each other

[51:19] names, and work together when

[51:21] there are differences, and seeing by the

[51:22] same

[51:24] token, things that are nonnegotiable

[51:25] in terms of how

[51:28] we treat each other. That's

[51:31] a high priority in my life to treat

[51:34] everybody with dignity and respect,

[51:35] and I

[51:37] know I don't walk in their shoes but

[51:40] I'm not better than they are and they are and

[51:44] better than anybody else, and

[51:45] that's a lot on our minds right now,

[51:47] to try and make a better america

[51:48] and people doing their part to make

[51:50] it a better america in

[51:53] a civil way, so thank you for

[51:54] that. Thank you.

[51:55] >> thank you, mr.

[51:56] cheesman.

[51:59] I really do appreciate your

[52:02] comments related to the two

[52:05] speakers, mr.

[52:07] george, or dr. George and dr. Cornell west.

[52:09] yeah, they came to our community and

[52:11] it was a special event

[52:13] in my 28 years at knox college --

[52:17] >> it was packed. >> yeah, it was

[52:19] obviously a cold night and well attended

[52:20] by the community

[52:22] as well as students. You know, the

[52:23] topic

[52:25] couldn't be more relevant in our community

[52:26] in

[52:29] terms of being civil, listening

[52:32] and being open-minded, not --

[52:34] being open to realize, and one of the things

[52:35] I remember

[52:38] one of them said, you

[52:40] know, we --we think a lot of things,

[52:41] all of

[52:44] us, and just --it's without a doubt --

[52:46] some of those things are true and some

[52:47] of those things are false.

[52:50] the problem is we don't know which

[52:51] are

[52:53] true and which are false. If

[52:56] we recognize that, each of us is

[52:58] carrying around beliefs that some

[52:59] are true and some are false,

[53:02] and that humidity allows us to

[53:05] be more respectful of others in our

[53:07] dialogue and decision making. I appreciate that.

[53:10] and I appreciate your willingness to

[53:11] go to the warming shelter and

[53:14] see what's going on

[53:17] there.

[53:18] >> they are grateful for food --

[53:19] >>

[53:20] it's a difficult task. I was meeting --

[53:23] I met with the city manager, assistant

[53:24] city

[53:26] manager and several folks that run

[53:30] that facility today for over two hours, talking about

[53:32] ways to improve, talking about what

[53:33] things

[53:34] could look like two months from now,

[53:36] six months there now and down the road.

[53:39] I think the council, there will be opportunities for you

[53:40] guys to contribute to the conversation

[53:42] and to, you

[53:45] know, where funding may go or

[53:47] how organizations can contribute to that end.

[53:50] we definitely need to do more. We

[53:51] know the task

[53:54] is ever greater by the day. Thank you to

[53:56] everybody in the community who has

[53:57] reached out

[53:59] and who supported, you know, those who

[54:00] are struggling in all

[54:03] walks of life. You

[54:06] know, I want to thank mr. --

[54:09] officer taylor as well

[54:12] well officer zeus. That's a

[54:15] tag team. You're going to be

[54:17] lost without your buddy, but I'm sure

[54:18] you will find

[54:20] another one to train and to be part

[54:21] of your

[54:23] unit, so I really do appreciate his

[54:24] service. Thank you

[54:27] for your leadership to make sure

[54:30] that went well. His seven years of

[54:33] service, practically,

[54:36] was remarkable. Yes, we're going to

[54:37] have

[54:39] a new council member. I am very pleased

[54:41] the council voted unanimously to bring this

[54:42] person on.

[54:45] I think that is something

[54:48] that I

[54:51] appreciate much as someone who is

[54:52] in

[54:53] a difficult position making these

[54:54] appointments, and I

[54:57] do my best but it's a lot of

[54:58] responsibility and you never know

[55:00] how it's going

[55:02] to pan out until the vote is taken, so

[55:03] thank you for that. I look forward to

[55:06] that person, mr. Reynolds,

[55:09] participating in our council and our

[55:10] continued communications

[55:12] on a lot of very important fronts.

[55:13] 2026, there are

[55:16] a lot of things going on behind

[55:19] the scenes. Some of them have

[55:21] come forward already for votes, but some

[55:22] things will

[55:23] come forward in the near future. I

[55:25] say pay attention and

[55:28] be involved. I want to thank ms.

[55:30] sheets and trajectory for your commitment

[55:34] to galesburg, not only from a

[55:37] entrepreneurial, from that

[55:39] standpoint, but also for the service you provide and

[55:40] the

[55:41] savings you have brought to many,

[55:43] many residents in galesburg.

[55:44] the electric bills continue to go

[55:46] up and we need all the

[55:47] tools in our shed in order to help

[55:49] people manage that. I

[55:51] want to end on that very positive note.

[55:52] thank you, again,

[55:54] for the contribution for the south

[55:55] side parks. That will

[55:57] be a wonderful addition. With that,

[55:58] I will ask for

[56:01] an adjournment. Do we have a

[56:03] motion and second? Thank you, mr.

[56:04] saul. Mr.

[56:07] white seconds. All those in

[56:10] favor, say aye.

February 2 2026 - Galesburg, IL City Council meeting

Transcript