[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.