[5:59] Good evening, everyone. It is 6 o'clock, PM on Tuesday, August 24th, 2026.

[6:10] I'd like to call the meeting of the Peoria City Council to order.

[6:17] I'll let those bells ring.

[6:49] I'd also like to welcome everyone here in our historic City Council chambers, as well as our listening audience watching on cable channel 22 and the City of Peoria YouTube channel.

[7:02] Madam

[7:06] Clerk, the council mics are open. Please call the roll. Mayor Ali, present, councilmember Allen, present, councilmember Carmona, here, councilmember Sear, councilmember Gordon Young, present, councilmember Jackson,

[7:22] Councilmember Kelley.

[7:24] Here.

[7:24] Councilmember Euler.

[7:26] Here.

[7:26] Councilmember Regenbach.

[7:28] Here.

[7:28] Councilmember Vell Pula.

[7:29] Present.

[7:30] And Councilmember Vespa.

[7:32] Here.

[7:32] You have a corn present, Madam Mayor.

[7:33] Thank you, Madam Clerk.

[7:35] Everyone please join me in stand for a moment of silent prayer or silent reflection followed

[7:40] by the pledge of allegiance.

[8:17] We have one proclamation tonight. First I'd like to welcome and acknowledge our scouts

[8:29] that are in the audience. Our scout executive director, Ben Bloomingberg, is here. Raise

[8:38] your hand, Ben. Good to see you again. And he also has his children that are here. I mean,

[8:45] he has many, many hundreds and thousands of children. But these are actually his biological

[8:50] children. And they are scouts as well. Braden and Abby Bloomingberg. Welcome.

[9:03] Braden and

[9:04] And Abby are attending tonight's City Council meeting for a communications and citizenship

[9:12] in the community merit badge.

[9:15] They'll both earn those as a result of attending this meeting.

[9:20] So our proclamation for tonight is acknowledging supporting every mental health journey.

[9:31] And we have Dr. Sarah Friend, who is the CEO of MetalView Behavioral Hospital.

[9:39] Dr. Friend, if you could come forth.

[9:42] Also, Christina Gerleck-Money, who is the Director of Assessment and Referral at MetalBook Behavioral Hospitals.

[9:51] Great to see you ladies again.

[9:55] Proclamation reads,

[9:57] Whereas the City of Peoria recognizes that mental health is an essential component of

[10:04] overall health and well-being, and every individual deserves access to compassionate, evident

[10:11] space behavioral health care delivered with dignity, respect, and hope.

[10:17] And whereas individuals experiencing mental health challenges are more than their diagnosis

[10:23] or moment of crisis, and recovery is a personal journey made possible through

[10:29] understanding, support, clinical excellence, and meaningful community connections,

[10:35] and whereas we appreciate providers who serve as trusted resources for

[10:40] individuals and families by providing a safe, healing environment that empowers

[10:45] people to move from crisis towards stability, resilience, recovery, and renewed

[10:51] purpose. And whereas reducing stigma, promoting awareness, fostering education, and encouraging

[10:58] open conversations about mental health, Struthens are a community and ensures that no one has

[11:05] to face their journey alone. And whereas dedicated physicians, nurses, therapies, therapists,

[11:12] social workers, behavioral health technicians, and support staff demonstrate each day an unwavering

[11:20] commitment to delivering compassionate, patient-centered care while advocating for the health,

[11:26] safety, and recovery of every patient. Now, therefore, I, Rita Lee, Mayor of the

[11:32] City of Peoria, Illinois, do hereby recognize Metal View, Behavioral Hospital, and other

[11:38] providers in our community for supporting every mental health journey in Peoria.

[11:45] thank you.

[11:52] And welcome and congratulations on your new facility here in

[11:56] Peoria. Thank you Mayor Ali and the City of Peoria for this recognition. On

[12:02] behalf of everyone at Meadowview Behavioral Hospital we are truly honored to be

[12:07] a part of the community. Our goal is simple to be there for people and families when

[12:12] they need us the most and to provide care with compassion dignity and hope.

[12:20] We're

[12:20] Peoria and look forward to being a strong partner in supporting mental health throughout

[12:25] our community.

[12:27] We thank you for this very meaningful recognition, and we do have our whole leadership team here

[12:33] with us today.

[12:34] Hey, great.

[12:37] We're very excited to be celebrating our passing of joint commission two weeks ago, so thank

[12:44] you again.

[12:46] Thank you very much.

[12:47] Thanks

[12:58] for coming out. The entire team. Yes,

[13:06] Madam Clerk. We are at the approval of the minutes.

[13:12] Councilmember Wringenbach. I move to approve the minutes of the Joint

[13:16] City Council on Town Board meeting held August 11, 2026 as printed. Seconded by Councilmember

[13:22] Kelly. Questions, comments? Please cast your ballots.

[13:32] Motion passes unanimously.

[13:37] We are at the consent agenda.

[13:41] 26-214 is a communication with request to approve the estimate to replace the engine

[13:47] block and purifier department engine 19 from Cummins in the amount of $54,354,319.60.

[13:59] sense.

[14:02] 26-215 is a communication with request 2, A, adopt an ordinance vacating certain portions

[14:09] of the Bond Street right away pursuant to the redevelopment agreement with O'Brien

[14:14] Enterprise's LLC approving the plot of vacation and authorizing recording with the Peory County

[14:20] Recorder and B, adopt an ordinance providing for a quick claim deed for a portion of former

[14:25] a real right-of-way to a Bryan Enterprise's LLC.

[14:32] 26-216 is a communication with Request to Approve.

[14:36] The side application for a class GB beer and wine

[14:39] only restaurant liquor license for the retail cell of alcohol

[14:43] at Mr. Cajun LLC doing business as Ken Pai,

[14:48] a sushi 7-14 West Lake Avenue contingent upon

[14:53] issuance of a certificate of occupancy

[14:55] with recommendation from the Liquor Commission to approve.

[15:00] 26-217 is a communication with request to deny the site application for a class CG beer and wine only gas station. Liquor license for the retail sale of alcohol at Knoxville and Lake Avenue Inc. Doing business as BP, Knoxville and Lake Avenue Inc. 42-45 North Knoxville Avenue with recommendation from the liquor commission to deny.

[15:26] 26-218 is a communication from the city manager and corporation council with request to deny the site

[15:32] application for a class CG beer and wine only gas station liquor license for the retail

[15:38] sale of alcohol at Knoxville and Archer Avenue Inc. doing business as BP Knoxville and Archer

[15:45] Avenue Inc. 2312 North Knoxville Avenue with recommendation from the liquor commission to deny.

[15:54] And 26-219 is an reappointment by Mayor Alley to the Peoria Housing Authority

[16:00] with a request to concur of Bridget Carter Meacham, and that concludes our consent agenda.

[16:07] Are there any items to remove from consent? Council Member Kelly?

[16:12] Thank you Madam Mayor. 26, 215, please.

[16:21] Are there any other items to remove from consent?

[16:24] Can I get a motion to approve all the other items moved by Councilmember Carona?

[16:29] Seconded by Councilmember Allen, please cash your ballots.

[16:37] motion passes unanimously.

[16:41] Madam Clerk, 26-215 is a communication from the City Manager and Corporation Council

[16:47] with a request for the following.

[16:49] A, Adopt and Ordnance, vacating certain portions of Bond Street right away, pursuant to the redevelopment

[16:55] agreement with O'Brien Enterprises LLC, approving the platt of vacation and authorizing recording

[17:01] with Puri County Recorder.

[17:03] and be adopted in ordinance providing for a quick claim deed of a portion of former

[17:08] rail right of way to O'Brien Enterprises LLC and will need motions on each, please.

[17:15] Council Member Kelly.

[17:16] Thank you, Madam Mayor.

[17:18] I have a comment or two, but before I make such a comment, I would ask the privilege of

[17:25] the floor for Mr. Blair Gamble to speak on this item.

[17:29] If there's no objection, Mr. Gamal, can you come forth?

[17:34] About three or four minutes.

[17:40] Your Honor and Council, I'm here today because there's a lot of concern in the community

[17:48] about this area and there has been for quite some time.

[17:52] Those of you that don't know, this is right next to the debt-wilder playground in Marina.

[17:59] The reason I'm bringing this up today is that this is the original French village that

[18:08] was actually the village before downtown Peoria.

[18:11] A lot of people don't realize that.

[18:14] This is where John Biptiste, Pont de Salle, owned land for ten years and farmed and got

[18:26] mirrored to a Potawatomi person at that time, and then moved to Chicago and spent the

[18:37] next 20 years there and he was the first resident of Chicago, but before that he was a resident

[18:42] here. On this area there within Adam Street to North and South of Caroline, there has been

[18:53] many things found that date back to that French or the Padawatomie tribe or the Peoria tribe.

[19:04] What's important about that is we also have here the first African American and French descent

[19:11] individual in our state, down state, right here and they've given him all kinds of accolades

[19:20] in Chicago. In fact, the name renamed Lakeshore Drive after him, so it's a big deal. Now, why am I bringing this up?

[19:29] I'm bringing this up because we've found an actual excavation, a foot under the ground block away from where this is.

[19:40] All right. We're talking about this spot right here. One of the things that we found in these excavations throughout cities,

[19:47] throughout Illinois and the St. Louis area and here and so forth is areas that

[19:51] actually have a real way or a road that's not a very deep excavation seem to

[19:58] have a lot of that past history underneath the surface. Now this may, this may

[20:06] not, I don't know, but I guess I'm saying this is something we need to think

[20:12] about. You know there's a lot of things in puria we try to bring people here and

[20:16] we try to get people to the area to travel here and see our beautiful river and the city

[20:24] and so forth. But this is free. This is our history. And we already have it. And we

[20:30] should take advantage of making sure that anything we can do to save that history we do.

[20:37] Once we do that, fine. Okay. But I just, I look at this has been 15 years. 2011 is when

[20:45] this, it was originally brought up. This is a different city sunset. It's a different council

[20:50] sunset. It's a different environment. And these things that weren't important, none have become

[20:55] important since then. So I'm asking that we give a little thought and process to this before we just

[21:05] go ahead and send it over to O'Brien. Not that this, I understand he's wanted this

[21:12] This railway spot for a long time, and it's been a long time coming, and it's hard to deal with the railroad, and I do understand that.

[21:21] But since some things have changed, and maybe we should look at this, not that he wouldn't get it eventually or whatever, but maybe it needs to be looked into to see whether there's anything there.

[21:32] Maybe he can help us, maybe it can be done to the universities because we've done that before or the state.

[21:39] I just want to bring this out because I don't want to be saying well you should have brought

[21:44] that out a year ago and then we maybe would have thought of it differently. I'm here to point it

[21:48] out. That's all I'm here for. It's your decision. I would hope that you vote to give us a little bit

[21:55] more time. I don't think it's going to go anywhere and I don't think it's a immediate response that we

[22:02] We need to get that real road spur accepted for him today.

[22:08] Thank you.

[22:09] Thank you, Mr. Gamble.

[22:11] Did you have more commentary, Council Member Kelly?

[22:15] Yes, Madam Mayor.

[22:17] Since I pulled it, I'll start to talk.

[22:20] Anyway, first of all, on item A,

[22:27] this is the bond street right away.

[22:31] a vacation is part of a very rather old redevelopment agreement and it's been vetted and vetted

[22:46] and re-vetted and so first of all I would move to approve item A.

[22:54] Is there a second? Seconded by Councilman Riggand-Bock? Is there a more discussion? I was going

[23:02] to have the City Manager kind of walk us through a document and I think we can still do that

[23:07] right now. Mr. Manager. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Yes, this is a redevelopment agreement that dates

[23:14] back to 2011 and it has come to our attention that when that redevelopment agreement

[23:22] was executed, we didn't adopt a ordinance vacating this right away.

[23:28] We agreed to give it to O'Brien's steel.

[23:32] O'Brien's steel is utilizing that property today, not as a road, but as part of the plant where they're operating O'Brien enterprises.

[23:42] So I'm going to turn it over to our Corporation Council to walk through the specific documentation and

[23:49] And what we're actually talking about with item A, and then I'll let our corporation council talk about item B as well.

[23:55] Okay, council haze.

[23:57] Thank you.

[23:59] So this is why people don't like lawyers.

[24:04] So we missed an opportunity to do this well and completely in 2011.

[24:10] And get a vacation ordinance on file and the municipal code requires that.

[24:15] And so to have title resolved correctly.

[24:18] We need to adapt an ordinance following through with commitments we made in the 2011 redevelopment agreement.

[24:25] So in that vacation ordinance, there's a exhibit J1, which is a small sliver of land on the north side of Bond Street, basically north of the existing rail right away.

[24:40] J2 is the southern portion of that, and so we agreed to vacate those portions of the

[24:47] street back in 2011 by adopting the ordinance tonight, we're just perfecting that issue.

[24:56] In that same redevelopment agreement, we agreed to grant an easement for the middle piece,

[25:03] the railway to O'Brien.

[25:06] And now they're asking us to go ahead and do a quick claim deed in item B for that.

[25:13] And the reason for that is, in 2024, we deeded the rail right of way to O'Brien that

[25:23] was north of Caroline Street that's within their footprint.

[25:26] And in doing that, we found out that a couple of things.

[25:29] First, we hadn't done this vacation ordinance in a second.

[25:32] But nobody can figure out who actually owns the property underneath this easement in

[25:38] Bonn Street.

[25:39] That includes the efforts of multiple title companies, your legal staff, private council.

[25:46] So in order to resolve that, and this is likely created by an accident over time in the

[25:52] different transfers between different railways.

[25:55] As railways came into business, or came into ownership, and went out of business that true

[26:00] ownership was lost. O'Brien has proposed that they would file an action to quiet title.

[26:06] That action is a lot easier to do if the city quick claims any interest it may have in

[26:11] that property to O'Brien's steel. Keeping in mind that we had previously in 2011 agreed

[26:18] to grant them an easement for the very same property. So it's a small adjustment to what

[26:23] we've done. What O'Brien will intend to do as we understand it is seek an action to quiet

[26:29] In some point in the future, we may come back to vacate this part of Bond Street to O'Brien.

[26:36] We can't do that until titles resolve.

[26:38] Chicken and egg, this is why we all hate lawyers.

[26:42] But these two actions together will help us to fully live up to the ambition and

[26:47] the intent of the redevelopment agreement that we approve with O'Brien's steel back in 2011.

[26:52] So I'd ask for your support and be happy to answer any questions.

[26:55] Thank you.

[26:55] Thank you, thank you, Councilor Mr. Manager.

[26:59] Council Member Reganbach?

[27:01] Thank you, Madam Mayor.

[27:02] And I think the two Patrick's gave us the appropriate summary.

[27:09] And the reason I didn't pull this being that it's in my district is because this was a redevelopment

[27:16] agreement approved by the Council on 2011.

[27:18] And if you look at the first paragraph, it says the redevelopment project has since been

[27:23] completed.

[27:23] So it's not like we're giving them anything new.

[27:29] This is something that was agreed to all those years ago.

[27:33] It's been accomplished, and now we just need to tie up the legal end.

[27:38] So I'm supporting this as well.

[27:41] Thank you.

[27:43] Councilmember Carmona.

[27:45] Thank you Madam Mayor.

[27:47] Yeah, I'm glad this got pulled off the consent agenda because with all the

[27:53] The current issues and things that have been happening down at the Debtwala Marina, I think it's good for transparency to let the public know that this has nothing to do with that portion on that issue.

[28:07] And while I do respect Mr. Gamble, your remarks very much because this was an agreement that was made in 2011 and it was an oversight by the city to not

[28:21] I will not see the land over basically, I'll be supporting this as well, thank you Madam Mayor.

[28:27] You're welcome, there's no other commentary, I would ask for you to cast your ballots please.

[28:35] This is for item A,

[28:40] motion passes unanimously.

[28:45] Council Member Kelly, did you want to make a motion on B?

[28:50] Thank you, Madam Mayor. Yes, I would just a short comment. This railroad, the transferring

[29:01] of this spur has been just a nightmare and it's dragged out for many, many, many years

[29:09] beyond, and this is beyond the redevelopment agreement.

[29:15] I'm very pleased now that we can finally adopt this strategy to get this, to be able

[29:28] to serve O'Brien's steel, it's an asset that's been sitting there without, all right.

[29:36] So, yes, I would move to adopt item B.

[29:41] Seconded by councilmember Brighenbach.

[29:44] Any questions or comments?

[29:48] Please cast your ballots on item B.

[29:53] Motion passes unanimously.

[29:57] Thank you, Madam Clerk.

[30:00] We do not have regular business, so we would be on to unfinished business. 26-210 is a communication from the city manager and director of community development with a request to adopt an ordinance approving a redevelopment agreement with Peoria Opportunities Foundation, a garthir senior flats, LLC, to be located in the South Village TIF district. Mr. Manager. Thank you Madam Mayor. I'm going to turn it over to our community development director.

[30:30] Joe Dullin, to explain this item.

[30:33] Thank you, Manager, thank you, Mayor, thank you, Council.

[30:36] This item actually was approved by Council three or four months ago.

[30:42] And as they're getting closer to closing on MacArthur flats, which is about a 47 senior housing

[30:48] apartment building down on MacArthur, it came to our attention that there are a couple different

[30:53] airs in the RDA around legal descriptions and a couple things.

[30:57] They are looking to close at the end of October, so we had time to bring this back to get

[31:02] it amended.

[31:03] So it's just an amendment to what Council has already passed.

[31:05] And I would just point out, senior housing, in this case, it's...

[31:10] 55 plus.

[31:12] Yeah.

[31:13] Young seniors.

[31:14] Young seniors.

[31:14] Yes.

[31:16] I'd have caused that age seniors, not me personally.

[31:23] Any questions for Director Doolan?

[31:25] Can I get a motion? Councilmember Euler, move to approve.

[31:32] Okay. Can I get a second? Seconded by Councilmember Vellpula.

[31:36] Please cast your ballots.

[31:43] Motion passes with one abstention, rig and

[31:46] buck.

[31:49] And clerk, if we do not have any further and finished business, we'd be on to new business.

[31:57] Is there any new business?

[32:03] Okay, let's keep it rolling.

[32:04] then we would be on to citizens' opportunity to address the City Council. We have not received any cards.

[32:11] Okay.

City Council Meeting

Transcript