[4:41] Hey, Bill.

[4:42] >> Hello.

[4:43] >> Yes.

[4:44] >> Hello.

[4:47] >> Yeah, I can hear you.

[4:48] >> He's there. Just barely.

[4:49] >> Yeah.

[4:51] >> Can you hear me at all?

[4:53] >> Yes.

[4:54] >> Hear you almost

[4:55] >> barely. Yeah. I was going to say getting

[4:56] a little better.

[4:57] >> There we go.

[4:57] >> We are live also right now. No, I mean

[5:01] >> can't hear him.

[5:02] >> Okay, I'm turning off the mic.

[5:05] >> Okay,

[5:21] » you're good, Bill. Okay. Can

[5:23] >> Can you hear me now?

[5:24] >> Yes, you're good.

[5:26] >> Okay. Thank you.

[5:53] If anyone else has public commentary,

[5:56] um, go ahead and grab a slip. because

[5:58] we'll be starting here shortly. Thank

[6:00] you.

[8:21] live.

[8:22] >> We're live.

[8:22] >> Okay.

[8:24] >> Good evening and welcome to the city of

[8:26] Rochelle regular city council meeting

[8:28] for Monday, April 27th, 2026.

[8:32] We ask you to please rise for the pledge

[8:33] to the flag and remain standing for the

[8:35] prayer.

[8:39] Jesus to the flag of the United States

[8:41] of America and to the republic for which

[8:44] it stands one nation

[8:47] indivisible with liberty and justice for

[8:50] all.

[8:53] » Please join me in praying your faith as

[8:55] I pray in mine. Heavenly Father, we

[8:58] gather tonight for the city of Ro city council meeting and ask for your

[9:01] guidance. Grant clarity to every mind

[9:04] and wisdom in every decision. remove

[9:07] confusion and bring understanding,

[9:09] respect, and unity among all present.

[9:11] Help us, help us as this community's

[9:14] leaders to act with integrity and serve

[9:17] the good of the whole community. In all

[9:19] things, let truth and sound judgment

[9:21] prevail. Lord, we place this meeting in

[9:23] your hands. Amen.

[9:25] >> Amen.

[9:41] Roll call when you're ready.

[9:42] >> Councelor Artega

[9:44] >> here.

[9:45] >> Councelor Vald Divaso

[9:46] >> here.

[9:47] >> Councelor Dan McDermott

[9:48] >> here.

[9:49] >> Councelor Tom McDermott

[9:50] >> here.

[9:51] >> Councelor Shawiki

[9:52] >> here.

[9:53] >> Mayor Barrows

[9:55] >> here.

[10:00] I'll entertain a motion for Councilman

[10:03] Hayes to be able to participate

[10:04] remotely. Please.

[10:07] >> I move Councilman Hayes be a or I move

[10:11] Councilman Hayes be able to attend or to

[10:14] participate remotely due due to work

[10:17] conflict.

[10:18] >> Motion by council member Dan McDermott.

[10:20] Is there a second? Second.

[10:21] >> Seconded by council member Kate Shaw

[10:23] Dicki.

[10:25] Uh roll call when you're ready. rules.

[10:29] >> Councelor Valdivo,

[10:30] >> yes.

[10:31] >> Councelor Dan McDermott,

[10:33] >> yes.

[10:33] >> Councelor Tega,

[10:34] >> yes.

[10:35] >> Councelor Tom McDermott,

[10:36] >> yes.

[10:36] >> Councelor Shawiki,

[10:38] >> yes.

[10:38] >> Mayor Barls,

[10:39] >> yes.

[10:40] >> Motion carries by a vote.

[10:43] >> 6 minutes now reflect that we have a

[10:45] full quorum.

[10:47] All members present.

[10:48] >> Oh, yes. Apologize. Yes, we do have a

[10:52] quorum.

[10:58] Okay, we will begin with the

[11:02] proclamations which

[11:13] next stop

[11:21] at the stop sign.

[11:29] We're begin with the first proclamation

[11:31] for Arbor Day, April 24th, 2026.

[11:35] Whereas in 1872, J. Sterling Morton

[11:38] proposed to the Nebraska Board of

[11:39] Agriculture that a special day be set

[11:42] aside for the planting of trees. And

[11:44] whereas the holiday called Arbor Day was

[11:47] first observed with the planting of more

[11:48] than 1 million trees in Nebraska. And

[11:51] whereas arborday is now absorbed

[11:53] throughout the nation and the world.

[11:55] Whereas trees can reduce the erosion of

[11:57] our precious top soil uh by wind and

[11:59] water, cut heating and cooling cost,

[12:01] moderate temperatures, clean the air,

[12:04] produce life-giving oxygen, and pre

[12:06] provide habitat for wildlife. And

[12:08] whereas trees are renewable resource,

[12:10] giving us paper, wood for our homes,

[12:13] fuel for our fires, and countless other

[12:14] wood products. And whereas trees in our

[12:18] city increase property values, enhance

[12:20] the economic vitality of business areas,

[12:22] and beautify our community. Whereas

[12:25] trees wherever they are planted are a

[12:27] source of joy and spiritual renewal. Now

[12:30] therefore, I, John Barrows, mayor of the

[12:32] city of Rochelle, do hereby proclaim

[12:34] April 24th, 2026, as in the city of

[12:37] Rochelle, and I urge all citizens to

[12:40] celebrate Arbor Day and support the

[12:42] efforts to pro protect our trees and

[12:44] woodlands. Do we have someone here to

[12:47] receive this? Tim

[13:03] go.

[13:18] Thank you.

[13:34] Next, we have motorcycle awareness

[13:35] month. Whereas safety is the highest

[13:38] priority for the highways and streets in

[13:40] the city of Rochelle and state of

[13:41] Illinois. And whereas the great state of

[13:43] Illinois is proud to be a national

[13:45] leader in motorcycle safety, education,

[13:47] and awareness. And whereas motorcycle

[13:50] are common and economical means of

[13:52] transportation that reduce fuel

[13:53] consumption and road wear and

[13:55] contributes in a significant way to the

[13:57] relief of traffic and parking

[13:58] congestion. Whereas it especially

[14:00] meaningful that the citizens of the city

[14:02] of RO shall be aware of motorcycles on

[14:04] the roadways and recognize the

[14:06] importance of motorcycle safety. And

[14:08] whereas the members of Abate, which is a

[14:11] brotherhood aimed towards education,

[14:13] continually promote motorcycle safety

[14:15] education and awareness in high school

[14:17] drivers education programs and to the

[14:20] general public in our city and state,

[14:21] presenting motorcycle awareness programs

[14:23] to over 120,000 participants in Illinois

[14:27] over the past six years. Whereas all

[14:30] motorcyclists should join a bait of

[14:31] Illinois, Inc. in in an activity promote

[14:34] in actively promoting the safe operation

[14:36] of motorcycles as well as promoting

[14:38] motorcycle safety, education, awareness,

[14:41] and respect of the citizens of the city

[14:43] of Rochelle.

[14:45] Whereas motorcyclist of Illinois have

[14:47] contributed extensive volunteerism and

[14:49] money to the national and community

[14:51] charitable organizations. Whereas during

[14:53] the month of May, all roadway users

[14:55] should unite in the safe sharing of the

[14:57] roadways within the city of Rochelle and

[14:59] throughout the great state of Illinois.

[15:01] Therefore, I, John Barrows, mayor of

[15:03] city Rochelle in the great state of

[15:05] Illinois in recognition to the continued

[15:07] role Illinois serves as a leader in

[15:08] motorcycle safety, education, and

[15:10] awareness, do hereby proclaim the month

[15:13] of May as motorcycle awareness month in

[15:16] the city of Rochelle and urge all motors

[15:18] to join in an effort to improve safety

[15:20] and awareness on our roadways.

[16:22] Okay, we'll move into reports.

[16:42] Okay. Uh, first of all, I want to thank

[16:45] everybody who attended the uh the recent

[16:47] child abuse awareness month event we

[16:49] held here at city hall uh last week. As

[16:52] a reminder, child abuse really should be

[16:54] an every day of the year concern. And

[16:57] I'd ask that you if you if you see

[17:00] something or suspect something, please

[17:01] say something. As I say, the child abuse

[17:04] has got to be something we think about

[17:05] every day, not just one month out of the

[17:07] year. Uh reminder of an upcoming town

[17:10] hall meeting for business owners this

[17:12] coming Tuesday, May 19th at 5:30. Uh

[17:16] this event will be an opportunity for

[17:17] business owners and perhaps those

[17:19] considering to start their own business

[17:21] to hear about various programs the city

[17:23] has in place to assist business owners.

[17:26] It will also be a time that we here in

[17:28] the city can learn how we can help

[17:31] within our limitations, how we can help

[17:33] the businesses. Uh we want to hear from

[17:35] the businesses what they need and if

[17:37] there's something we can help with, we

[17:39] want to be able to consider that. Um

[17:41] also watch our Facebook page for our

[17:45] series on local government 101. Uh keep

[17:48] an eye on that. It's going to be telling

[17:49] it is telling a little difference in

[17:52] kind of a spin on how the government

[17:53] works works the basic. Uh that's why

[17:56] it's government 101. Um, also I want to

[17:59] thank the city engineer community

[18:01] development and all departments for

[18:03] assisting on the downtown construction

[18:05] project and a special thank you to Jenny

[18:08] Thompson, uh, who has not only been

[18:11] keeping everybody informed about the

[18:13] road closures and diverted the entrances

[18:15] and all that, but her continuing

[18:17] communication with our downtown

[18:19] businesses to attempt to make it as

[18:20] smooth for them and encourage people to

[18:22] shop downtown. So, Jenny, thank you for

[18:24] that. Um, also this Saturday, May 2nd,

[18:28] is Pets and People at the Fountain at

[18:30] the Flag Township Museum. That's going

[18:33] to be at 1:00. So, you can stop there

[18:35] and see them fire up the fountain just

[18:39] before you head down to the rec center.

[18:41] Rosie, would you like to tell them about

[18:43] Saturday's event?

[18:44] >> Yes. Um, Cinco de Mayo will be held at

[18:47] the rec starts at 3, ends at 11:00.

[18:50] Everyone's invited. There's going to be

[18:51] live music, four bands, uh lots of food,

[18:54] lots of dancing, lots of information, uh

[18:58] lots of vendors. We have a kids zone, um

[19:01] activities for everybody. This is a free

[19:04] event. Everybody is welcome to come.

[19:10] » Yes.

[19:11] >> Outside at the wreck.

[19:15] And on behalf of the the entire

[19:17] community, Rosie, I want to say thank

[19:18] you on behalf of the council and our

[19:20] community because I know how much work

[19:21] you put into this and other events that

[19:23] you work on. So, we really appreciate

[19:25] you doing that.

[19:27] >> Thank you. And I would like to thank

[19:29] everybody who reaches out to me um for

[19:33] Sino because um the whole committee

[19:37] is me.

[19:40] So, when I'm short, I'm sorry.

[19:44] Don't fix what isn't broken, right? Just

[19:46] keep doing what you're doing. Thank you.

[19:49] All right. Other council members, any

[19:52] comments, further comments?

[19:55] Hearing none, move on to public

[19:58] commentary. We'll move into our public

[20:01] commentary if you have signed up and uh

[20:03] there will be a time limit and Rosie

[20:05] will alert you when there's one minute

[20:08] left on your presentation. So, we'll

[20:11] begin with who?

[20:13] We have Christian Bailey.

[20:28] » Good evening. My name is Christian

[20:29] Bailey. I grew up in Rochelle. In a

[20:32] previous career, I studied computer

[20:33] science and machine learning and worked

[20:35] in the AI industry. I left that career

[20:37] to become a telecommunications

[20:38] electrician. I have spent the years

[20:40] since building data centers all across

[20:42] Chicagoland in the Stateline area. I

[20:45] understand what these facilities require

[20:46] to build and I understand what runs

[20:48] inside of them. I am not here because

[20:50] I'm afraid of something that I don't

[20:52] understand. The developer has described

[20:54] this facility's cooling system as closed

[20:56] loop. Closed loop systems fill once and

[20:59] recirculate. Ongoing water loss is

[21:01] limited to minor losses. Rochelle's

[21:03] approved cap is 50,000 gallons per day,

[21:05] already reduced from 100,000 gallons.

[21:08] For comparison, a 50 megawatt facility

[21:10] proposed in Betavia negotiated cap of

[21:13] 1,000 gallons per day. Rochelle's

[21:15] reduced cap is still 50 times that.

[21:18] One of two things is true. Either the

[21:20] system isn't genuinely closed loop or

[21:23] the developer negotiated water headroom

[21:25] far beyond what the described technology

[21:27] requires with no public accounting for

[21:29] why. Either answer should concern this

[21:31] council.

[21:33] Cooling system discharge carries

[21:34] biocides, corrosion inhibitors,

[21:36] antiscalants, and concentrated dissolved

[21:38] solids. And that concern is compounded

[21:40] by our recent wastewater discharge limit

[21:42] relaxations. We should not be absorbing

[21:44] greater industrial discharge at the same

[21:46] time as we are reducing our regulatory

[21:49] protections.

[21:50] The development agreement states the

[21:52] facility will participate in a load mana

[21:54] load management program as applicable.

[21:56] The community deserves clarity on what

[21:58] that means in practice. What is the

[22:00] customer's position in the load sequence

[22:01] relative to homes, businesses, and

[22:03] hospitals? This is not a life this is a

[22:06] life safety question and as applicable

[22:07] doesn't really answer it. A publicly

[22:09] disclosed, legally binding commitment to

[22:11] this facility's position in the load

[22:12] shedding sequence would

[22:15] a facility this size is a permanent

[22:17] industrial noise source. Computer room

[22:20] air handlers at the scale run 95 to 100

[22:22] dB. Backup generators exceed 100 dB, and

[22:25] they will run regularly, not just during

[22:27] outages, but during planned load tests

[22:29] and maintenance cycles. I have

[22:31] personally worked in data center

[22:33] facilities with 20ft soundwalls adjacent

[22:35] to major freight rail lines. The data

[22:38] center noise is still noticeable at an

[22:39] appreciable distance. Sound walls are

[22:42] not a solution. They are a mitigation

[22:44] and an incomplete mitigation at that.

[22:48] This brings me to the topic of

[22:49] enforcement more broadly. Once

[22:50] construction is complete, the city's

[22:51] primary enforcement mechanism for any

[22:53] violations of ordinances is likely a

[22:55] fine. Uh flat municipal fines are not a

[22:57] meaningful deterrent at the scale of

[22:59] revenue that these facilities generate.

[23:02] The FAQ published by the city estimates

[23:04] 25 to 35 permanent jobs as a primary

[23:07] community benefit. Illinois's own

[23:08] Department of Commerce estimates fewer

[23:10] than 20 permanent jobs per facility

[23:12] based on data from the last 5 years.

[23:14] Mostly janitorial security and

[23:16] facilities roles. Technical positions

[23:18] and other highly paying positions are

[23:20] typically filled by traveling

[23:21] contractors or workers relocated from

[23:23] other sites.

[23:25] Construction jobs are temporary by

[23:27] nature and a significant portion are

[23:29] typically filled by workers traveling

[23:30] from outside the area. I personally

[23:32] commute 110 miles one way per day to do

[23:35] this type of work. This is a standard

[23:37] practice in the industry. Whether local

[23:39] workers actually see these job benefits

[23:41] depends entirely on the developer's

[23:43] general contractor being signatory to

[23:45] local building trade union halls. This

[23:47] question hasn't been answered publicly.

[23:48] It should be. The tenant has not been

[23:51] disclosed. The council is being asked to

[23:53] authorize 50 megawatts of industrial

[23:55] computing capacity without knowing what

[23:56] it will be used for. If a tenant is

[23:58] already identified, the community is

[24:00] entitled to that information. If this is

[24:02] a generally speculative build, I have uh

[24:05] separate significant concerns.

[24:08] Another provision has not been

[24:09] adequately discussed. The development

[24:12] agreement requires that phase two and

[24:14] three be negotiated at terms no less

[24:16] beneficial to the developer than those

[24:18] established tonight. Whatever

[24:19] concessions are granted, protections

[24:21] omitted, and questions unanswered become

[24:23] the floor for every future phase. The

[24:25] city cannot correct course. It cannot

[24:27] use lessons from phase one to negotiate

[24:29] better terms later. It permanently

[24:31] transfers negotiating leverage away from

[24:33] this community before a single phase is

[24:35] built and before we have any operational

[24:37] data to evaluate. To be clear, I'm

[24:40] asking this council vote no to this

[24:42] development whole cloth if that is not

[24:44] something the council is willing to do.

[24:46] I feel the following conditions are the

[24:47] bare minimum required to safeguard our

[24:49] community.

[24:51] Independent verification of water

[24:53] consumption claims. A binding load

[24:55] shedding agreement commitment. Fines

[24:58] scaled to operator revenue with

[24:59] independent monitoring at the

[25:01] developer's expense. Public disclosure

[25:03] of the tenant. A binding local hire

[25:06] commitment with the verification

[25:08] mechanisms. A requirement that the

[25:10] general contractor and all

[25:11] subcontractors be signatory to local

[25:14] union agreements and removal of the

[25:16] provision tying future phase negotiation

[25:19] terms to no less favorable than

[25:21] tonight's. The developer does not live

[25:23] here. We do. This agreement is our

[25:26] leverage. Once it is signed, our

[25:28] leverage is gone. Thank you.

[25:40] Next one

[25:42] >> we have Ben Bar.

[25:54] Mr. Mayor and fellow council members,

[25:57] I've lived here for 20 years. I'm a

[25:58] teacher and a proud resident of here in

[26:01] Rochelle. I appreciate the previous

[26:03] speaker's comments. I am extremely

[26:06] concerned about the agreement between

[26:07] Midwest Power and Rochelle. I'm

[26:09] concerned about the lack of jobs this

[26:11] will bring. This most likely won't have

[26:13] their people living here in town. They

[26:15] won't be settling down and setting roots

[26:17] in our town. This will have diminished

[26:19] ability to grow our town. One example

[26:21] that I see every summer is that we get

[26:24] notices from RMU, please keep your

[26:27] thermostats higher to help reduce our

[26:28] demand on the grid and we have the

[26:31] access. Now, what happens when we've

[26:33] stretched that to the limit? What

[26:35] happens when we have industry wanting to

[26:37] move to town and we can't support it

[26:39] because we've taxed our power grid close

[26:41] to the limits. I believe that the

[26:43] agreement is severely underestimating

[26:45] the amount of water usage. Most

[26:47] facilities similarly sized use much more

[26:49] water. what happens when that water

[26:51] needs to be discarded and it will and

[26:53] what happens when that facility needs to

[26:55] be cleaned due to the hard water

[26:57] especially on the south side. I'm not

[26:59] against growth. I was supportive of

[27:01] Brian and Loves and I've been supportive

[27:04] of other projects here in town.

[27:06] Yorkville recently said no to data

[27:08] centers. Neighborville, Pacin, Lyall and

[27:11] Aurora have also said no. Champagne

[27:13] County place a moratorum on data

[27:15] centers. The state of Illinois is

[27:17] looking at regulations in the current

[27:19] session. Representative Jed Davis has

[27:21] expressed concerns in a local press

[27:23] release and neighboring states like

[27:24] Wisconsin are fighting back because they

[27:26] see these data centers as metaphorical

[27:28] dandelions popping up in our yards

[27:30] popping up because cities aren't

[27:32] stopping them. Better options. I would

[27:35] love to see us bringing businesses,

[27:37] especially developing the area on the

[27:39] south side. I would love to see our

[27:41] buildings like Eagle and Sullivan that

[27:43] uh sit empty today. I would love to see

[27:45] them filled with businesses. I would

[27:47] love to see us focus on housing,

[27:49] bringing in housing. We are in a

[27:51] desperate need of new housing and new

[27:53] housing developments. I urge this

[27:55] council to vote no on this agreement and

[27:58] I urge us to vote no tonight. Thank you.

[28:10] » Okay, we have a next one up.

[28:11] >> Yes, we have Zack Lamada.

[28:16] Good evening. I'm actually John Favia,

[28:18] the owner of Project Crossroads. I have

[28:21] uh owned the land for over 13 years,

[28:23] always with the hope of in of of

[28:26] developing it. Um we invested in

[28:28] Michelle because of its reputation to be

[28:32] of being prodevelopment. Our team has

[28:34] worked with, you know, Sam and Blake and

[28:36] Adam and um Tom and Dominic and even

[28:40] Jeff before on this for two years. um

[28:44] their thorough, thoughtful, diligent

[28:46] guidance has gotten us where we are now.

[28:49] Um their support for the project we

[28:51] believe is owned and I hope the council

[28:53] gives that the weight it deserves.

[28:57] Um at the last meeting we heard the

[28:59] council's concerns about the expansion

[29:01] phases and we would like to formally

[29:03] drop the expansion phases completely. No

[29:06] phase 2, no phase three options. Project

[29:08] crossroads capped at 48 megawws. The

[29:11] expansion's gone. Um what will remain is

[29:15] the tax revenue and the infrastructure

[29:17] improvements and the benefits that will

[29:19] flow to Relle's schools and the

[29:21] community at large. Um so this is not,

[29:24] you know, a hypers scale data center

[29:26] campus. It's a modest singlephase

[29:29] project on the south edge of town on an

[29:31] appropriate site, large site, um 120

[29:35] acre sites, just occupy a small

[29:37] footprint of it with plenty of room to

[29:39] mitigate um sound and and and other

[29:42] things, you know, landscaping, what

[29:44] whatever whatever works best for the

[29:46] community. Um, you know, it it Relle is

[29:51] home to industrial sites of similar

[29:53] scope. So, it it's not anything that

[29:56] isn't already here. Um, these are not

[29:58] like the massive campuses that are being

[30:01] built elsewhere or being rejected

[30:03] elsewhere. Um, once it's built, it will mostly go unnoticed and we can

[30:09] address the concerns about water, sound,

[30:12] and everything. We would like to address

[30:13] all those concerns because we want the community to be enthusiastic about

[30:17] it.

[30:18] um the impact the financial impact on

[30:21] the community can't be you know taken

[30:23] lightly you know and the time that I've owned the property it has sat as

[30:27] land and been a minimal um tax source of

[30:31] tax revenue for the community once the

[30:33] project is complete it is expected to

[30:35] generate over hund00 million in tax

[30:37] revenue over the next decade the

[30:39] majority of that will flow to the

[30:41] schools

[30:43] growth follow schools you know

[30:45] communities build off of schools People

[30:47] decide where they want to live as a

[30:50] function of school systems all the time.

[30:51] Businesses are drawn to places that have

[30:54] strong school systems. Um the rest and a

[30:56] lot of the the revenue will flow to the

[30:59] other services that the communities

[31:01] depend on. Um the construction of the

[31:04] facility and the infrastructure that

[31:05] supports it means work for electricians,

[31:07] pipe fitters, equipment operators,

[31:09] laborers across the region during

[31:10] construction. the the road work, the

[31:13] excavation, the paving, the utilities,

[31:15] all will go to local and regional

[31:16] businesses. Um the infrastructure

[31:19] improvements will also support future

[31:22] development. Um uh uh so just as another

[31:26] thing, it's not like you won't have that

[31:28] benefit. Also, um the project, the scale

[31:32] of the project, the scope, the site that

[31:34] it sits on, the location

[31:36] to us is a a good opportunity for Relle.

[31:39] And we want you and the community and

[31:41] everybody to be as excited about it as

[31:42] we are. Like I said, I've been here for

[31:44] 13 years and hope to always hope to

[31:46] develop that site. It's not like, you

[31:49] know, um we came from somewhere else to

[31:51] do this. Um I did not come to this

[31:54] project on a whim and I'm not going

[31:55] anywhere. I want to build something on

[31:57] the property that serves Relle for for

[32:00] decades to come. I think that this is an

[32:02] appropriate project. I respectfully ask

[32:04] the council to approve the development

[32:06] agreement tonight as a singlephase 48

[32:09] megawatt project. No expansion beyond.

[32:11] We can address the water. We can address

[32:14] the power abatement. We can address

[32:16] sound. We can address all the concerns

[32:18] and we look forward to doing it. In

[32:20] terms of the 50,000 G in terms of the

[32:22] 50,000 thing, just to address that

[32:24] quickly,

[32:26] when when we were first exploring and

[32:28] creating the development agreement, we

[32:29] weren't really sure what kind of s what kind of system there would be for

[32:34] cooling and and the town said just give

[32:36] us a number and we came up with that

[32:37] number which was a very small percentage

[32:39] of the town's capacity. Yes, a thousand

[32:42] gallons is probably more appropriate for

[32:44] this at this time running closed loop

[32:46] systems. I don't want to go over my

[32:48] time, but all of that can be discussed.

[32:50] All of that is open for discussion.

[32:53] >> Thank you.

[32:54] >> Okay. Thank you. Next up.

[33:00] » Now, we have Zack Lamada.

[33:04] » Uh, first and foremost, I appreciate

[33:06] this council's time tonight. Uh, my name

[33:09] is Zach Lamada, and I'm here with John

[33:11] Favia, who you just heard from.

[33:13] Collectively, we represent Project

[33:15] Crossroads. Um, as John noted, we have

[33:17] formally proposed the removal of phase 2

[33:20] and phase three from the agreement on

[33:22] the table tonight. Project Crossroads

[33:25] will be limited to 48 megawws. This is

[33:28] not a hypers scale data center. It is a

[33:30] singlephase project. We see this as an

[33:33] opportunity for Rochelle to participate

[33:35] in the future of infrastructure at a

[33:38] modest and manageable scale that can be

[33:40] easil easily absorbed by this community.

[33:43] This development will be located on a

[33:45] small designated portion of our 120 acre

[33:49] site on the southeast corner of the

[33:52] southern site to be specific adjacent to

[33:54] the highway and the railroad tracks.

[33:57] This area was selected based on feedback

[34:00] from city staff and the land is already

[34:02] zoned I2 general industrial. Rochelle

[34:06] formally added data centers as a

[34:08] permitted use under I2 in March of 2025.

[34:12] We are using a small portion of a site

[34:14] that has been thoroughly vetted for

[34:16] exactly this use both internally and

[34:19] externally.

[34:20] The project pays for 100% of all

[34:23] infrastructure construction and utility

[34:26] improvements.

[34:28] In terms of tax revenue, even under the

[34:30] standard enterprise zone abatement,

[34:32] which is 50% for six years, this project

[34:36] will generate between 5 and 8 million

[34:39] per year in property tax revenue. After

[34:43] the abatement period, this scales to

[34:45] between 10 and 16 million per year

[34:48] permanently.

[34:50] Over the next decade alone, Project

[34:52] Crossroads is expected to generate

[34:54] roughly 100 million in total tax revenue

[34:56] for Rochelle. As this city council noted

[34:59] at the last meeting, 70% of property tax

[35:02] revenue flows directly to the school

[35:03] system. And like John said, growth

[35:06] follows schools.

[35:08] The project is also paying for water and

[35:11] sewer extensions along with street

[35:13] widening, curbs, gutters, storm

[35:16] drainage, and street lighting along

[35:18] Steuart Road. This is not a private

[35:20] access road. These are not private

[35:22] improvements. These are permanent public

[35:24] road improvements that will benefit

[35:26] businesses and residents.

[35:29] We have been receptive and sensitive to

[35:31] the feedback of this community. If this

[35:33] project creates any additional costs on

[35:36] the power side, we pay for all of it.

[35:38] Not the city, not the rateayers. This is

[35:42] written into the development agreement.

[35:44] And the power itself comes from a

[35:46] transformer that is not currently in

[35:48] use. This project simply activates it.

[35:51] This project will not touch any power

[35:54] currently serving homes or businesses

[35:57] today.

[35:58] On water, this project is capped at 1/

[36:02] half of 1% of the city's total capacity.

[36:06] We will not be a top five user of water

[36:08] in Rochelle. The facility will indeed

[36:11] use a closed loop cooling system that

[36:13] produces zero wastewater discharge. and

[36:15] RMU has the oversight framework in place

[36:18] to hold the project to strict standards.

[36:21] We would encourage you to ask those we

[36:23] have worked with over the last two

[36:25] years. Many of the people in this room

[36:27] helped shape this agreement. That is how

[36:29] we have gotten to this point through

[36:31] hard work and careful judgment largely

[36:34] by the professionals this community

[36:36] trusts to evaluate exactly these kind of

[36:38] projects.

[36:40] This project is a tremendous opportunity

[36:42] for Rochelle with significant benefit to

[36:44] the school system and greater community.

[36:47] It does not prevent other development,

[36:49] nor does it compete with housing or

[36:50] business growth. The council raised a

[36:53] concern about future expansion. We heard

[36:55] it and we acted on it. We are a small

[36:58] accessible team. We are excited about

[37:01] the opportunity and partnership and

[37:03] truly want this community to be excited

[37:06] about the project and what it does for

[37:08] Rochelle. We are asking this council to

[37:11] conditionally approve the development

[37:12] agreement subject to the removal of all

[37:15] future expansion options. Thank you for

[37:17] the continued partnership and continued

[37:19] consideration.

[37:29] » That's it.

[37:30] >> That it.

[37:30] >> Yeah.

[37:31] >> Okay. Thank you everybody. We're going

[37:33] to move into our consent agenda items.

[37:36] I'm sorry. Is there any discussion

[37:38] items? I don't think there is.

[37:41] Um, we'll move into our consent agenda

[37:43] items. Would you like to read the

[37:45] consent agenda items to see if there's

[37:46] anything council would like to have

[37:48] removed?

[37:50] >> A. Approve city council minutes April

[37:53] 13, 2026.

[37:55] B. Approve special city council meeting

[37:58] minutes March 30th, 2026.

[38:01] C. Approve special city council meeting

[38:04] minutes March 31st, 2026.

[38:07] D. Approve payroll March 30th, 2026

[38:11] through April 12, 2026.

[38:15] E approve payment registers April 13,

[38:18] 2026,

[38:20] April 20th, 2026.

[38:23] F accept and place on file March

[38:26] financials. Are there any items you wish

[38:28] to remove? Council, anything you'd like

[38:31] to have removed to discuss? Hearing

[38:34] none, entertain a motion.

[38:37] >> I move consent agenda items A through F

[38:39] be approved by omnivous vote as

[38:41] recommended.

[38:43] >> Motion by council member Rosie Ortega.

[38:45] Is there a second?

[38:46] >> Second.

[38:47] >> Seconded by Council Member Beno.

[38:51] Any further discussion?

[38:53] Roll call when you're ready.

[38:55] >> Okay. Councelor Dan McDermott.

[38:57] >> Yes.

[38:58] >> Councelor Tom McDermott. Yes.

[39:00] >> Councelor Shawiki.

[39:02] >> Yes.

[39:02] >> Councelor Hayes.

[39:04] >> Yes.

[39:06] >> Councelor Tiega.

[39:07] >> Yes.

[39:09] >> Councelor Valdivso.

[39:11] >> Yes.

[39:12] >> And Mayor Barrows.

[39:13] >> Yes.

[39:14] >> Motion carries by a vote 70.

[39:17] >> Okay. In addition to your current

[39:20] motions, I need a motion to remove the

[39:22] development agreement from the table for

[39:24] discussion.

[39:25] >> So there's mayor, if I may, there's two

[39:26] items or two corrections. Uh, first of

[39:29] all, it's listed on the motion list as R

[39:33] 2026-20.

[39:35] Um, I look back at the, uh, prior

[39:37] agenda. It should be -12 because that's

[39:40] the item. So, we would need a motion to

[39:43] take resolution R2026-12

[39:46] off the table and then we can move

[39:49] forward

[39:50] >> and then we'll have a motion.

[39:52] >> Motion to approve.

[39:53] >> It should not be name number 20. It

[39:55] should be 12 because

[39:56] >> take 20 off the table. No, no, no.

[39:58] Because the item was tabled instead of

[40:00] postponed.

[40:00] >> Mhm.

[40:01] >> Robert's rules require that you take the

[40:03] agenda item off the table so that we can

[40:06] move forward.

[40:07] >> So, we're actually going to have an

[40:08] extra motion. We're going to take it off

[40:09] the table. Then, we're going to have a

[40:11] motion to put it on the floor for

[40:12] discussion.

[40:13] >> Correct. Well, by taking off the table,

[40:15] that's what you're doing, mayor.

[40:16] >> Okay.

[40:16] >> But it's 2026-12. Okay.

[40:19] >> Which is the original number uh assigned

[40:22] to this particular

[40:23] >> duly noted. Entertain a motion to that

[40:25] effect. I move resolution R2026-12

[40:31] uh being removed from the agenda.

[40:33] >> No, be taken off the table.

[40:35] >> Taken off the table

[40:36] >> for consideration.

[40:38] >> Motion by council member Tom McDermad.

[40:39] Is there a second?

[40:40] >> Second.

[40:41] >> Seconded by council member Kate Shaw

[40:43] Dicki.

[40:49] And now we're open for discussion.

[40:51] >> Well, on on the table, Matt,

[40:53] >> it's on the table. So then you have to

[40:55] vote on that and then you can move

[40:56] forward with approving the resolution.

[40:59] >> Right.

[40:59] >> Motion approve. So

[41:00] >> roll call when you're ready.

[41:02] >> Okay. Councelor Hayes.

[41:07] » Yes. Yes.

[41:08] >> Okay.

[41:09] >> Councelor Shaiki.

[41:10] >> Yes.

[41:11] >> Councelor TGA.

[41:12] >> Yes.

[41:12] >> Councelor Vaso.

[41:13] >> Yes.

[41:14] >> Councelor Dan McDermott.

[41:15] >> Yes.

[41:16] >> Councelor Tom McDermott.

[41:17] >> Yes.

[41:17] >> And Mayor Barrows.

[41:19] >> Yes.

[41:19] >> Motion carries by a vote 70.

[41:22] I will entertain a motion to

[41:25] >> Yes, you could read as is except it's

[41:27] -12, not 20.

[41:28] >> Correct. Entertain a motion for that

[41:31] with a correction.

[41:33] >> I move resolution R2026-12,

[41:37] a resolution authorizing the development

[41:39] agreement between Midwest Power

[41:40] Investors LLC and the city of Rochelle

[41:43] be approved.

[41:44] >> Motion by council member Dan McDermott.

[41:46] Is there a second?

[41:47] >> Second.

[41:48] >> Seconded by council member Kate Shadiki.

[41:54] item is on the floor for discussion.

[41:56] >> Correct. Mayor,

[41:56] >> we'll open it up to council members if

[41:58] you have any questions or comments.

[42:00] >> I think Sam is going to read the U

[42:03] report. You want to do that first?

[42:05] >> Yes, please.

[42:06] >> Okay.

[42:08] >> Uh I realize that there's been some

[42:09] comments made here this evening. So,

[42:11] what I'm about to read uh may not

[42:13] necessarily reflect those those

[42:15] comments. Uh however, we're entertaining

[42:18] the the item as presented at the last

[42:21] council meeting. Since the beginning of

[42:23] 2025, the former city manager, city

[42:26] attorney, and staff have been working on

[42:27] a development agreement for a potential

[42:30] data center located north of Steuart

[42:32] Road, west of the BNSF Railroad and

[42:34] south of I 888. On March 3rd of 2025,

[42:39] city council approved an amendment to

[42:41] the zoning ordinance to define and

[42:43] further allow a data center in an I1,

[42:46] I2, and I3 district. Uh, and also a

[42:50] definition for data center was added,

[42:52] which means a physical facility with

[42:55] primary use is to store, process, and

[42:58] distribute data and applications.

[43:02] After months of developing set

[43:04] agreement, city and RMU staff along with

[43:06] city attorney and the developer held publicformational meeting in

[43:10] November of 2025 to discuss the proposed

[43:14] project and share information. In

[43:17] February 26, city and RMU staff

[43:21] presented the draft agreement as a city

[43:24] council discussion item with a follow-up

[43:26] business action item that occurred on

[43:29] March 23rd at which time said item was

[43:33] tabled. So that brings us to this

[43:35] evening.

[43:37] Um, in summary, the phase one includes

[43:40] construction of phase one electrical

[43:42] improvements, including a substation

[43:45] upgrades, dedicated feeder, primary

[43:47] metering. Uh, Midwest will fund all

[43:50] phase one electrical work up to $4.1

[43:53] million, and overages if they occur.

[43:56] Midwest must purchase all electricity

[43:59] for phase one from the city until costs

[44:01] are recovered. The city must make up to

[44:05] 48 megawatts available upon completion

[44:07] of the improvements. Midwest will fund

[44:10] all phase one water and sewer

[44:12] infrastructure estimated at $2.8 million

[44:15] with shy being required before

[44:16] construction begins.

[44:19] Up to 50,000 gallons per day to the

[44:21] subject site along with fiber optic

[44:23] service would be provided. Midwest funds

[44:26] all roadway improvements to Steward

[44:28] Road, which include a widening along the

[44:31] property frontage, including design and

[44:34] planning, lighting, rightway, and

[44:36] easement uh acquisition or dedication,

[44:40] plus an escrow or shity at 110% of those

[44:45] uh approved estimated costs for that

[44:47] widening. Phase one impact fees is

[44:49] $50,000 due when the 48 megs of power is

[44:53] available to the site. There's also a

[44:55] phase two that was considered within the

[44:57] agreement and Midwest may expand that

[45:00] the facility capacity to an additional

[45:02] 100 megawatts which will require a

[45:05] tripart agreement with Midwest, the city

[45:08] and comet. There's also a phase three

[45:11] within the current agreement where

[45:13] Midwest may expand the facility beyond

[45:16] 150 megawatts which will require a

[45:18] tripart agreement with Midwest, the city

[45:21] and comm.

[45:23] Additional site development conditions

[45:25] are as follow. The city has reasonable

[45:27] approval of the appearance of the

[45:29] development as well as suppression

[45:31] measures to reduce sound that are

[45:33] generated from subject property. Midwest

[45:36] shall not construct a data center

[45:38] storage facility on the portion of this

[45:41] subject property lying north of I88 for

[45:45] any phase.

[45:47] RMU has incorporated conditions that uh

[45:51] increases in capacity charges nits

[45:54] charges trans transmission charges above

[45:57] our current levels and they will be the

[45:59] responsibility of the developer and the

[46:01] data center occupants.

[46:04] Some of the benefits which were also

[46:06] identified here this evening are

[46:08] expanded infrastructure along Stewart

[46:10] Road including the electrical upgrades,

[46:13] the water and sewer extensions,

[46:15] roadway and pedestrian path improvements

[46:18] along that section of road. Additional

[46:20] revenue to RMU is in excess of $1

[46:23] million and the utility tax fund will

[46:26] increase over $400,000 annually.

[46:29] Additional property tax to the community

[46:32] taxing bodies even if the enterprise

[46:34] zone is abated. Additional revenue will

[46:37] help defay costs associated with RMU's

[46:40] integrated resource plan that can be be

[46:43] completed over the next 12 months. And

[46:45] the recommendation was to consider

[46:47] approval of a resolution authorizing a

[46:49] development agreement between Midwest

[46:51] Power Investors and the city of

[46:53] Rochelle.

[46:57] » Okay. We'll

[47:00] begin with comments from council.

[47:03] Ben, you want to start?

[47:04] >> Sure. Um, I think since I've been on the

[47:08] council, this is the most uh I don't

[47:11] want to say heated topic, but the most

[47:13] discussed topic. um through my own

[47:16] research, through um talking with um our

[47:20] experts with the city who's been dealing

[47:23] with the power aspect, the water aspect.

[47:25] Um you know, throughout that whole time,

[47:28] there has been

[47:30] a couple concerns to me that I've kind

[47:32] of mitigated over the time. Um first of

[47:35] all, I wanted to say I wasn't going to

[47:37] approve this with phase two or three on

[47:39] it. And um I'm glad that um you know

[47:44] that was brought up that that can be

[47:46] removed. Um

[47:49] we use data centers every day regardless

[47:52] of if we want to or not. Um I am not a

[47:55] proponent of having a large data center

[47:58] in our city. Um I want that to be very

[48:01] clear. Um we already have a couple data

[48:04] centers here that have been functioning

[48:07] very well since they have been there. Um

[48:10] they've helped um you know the city gain

[48:13] revenue from taxes um which is what this

[48:16] data center would do as well. um the

[48:19] water issue. Um if Adam's comfortable

[48:23] with the 50,000 gallons and he's

[48:25] comfortable with um you know being able

[48:29] to process the descaling solution that

[48:31] they use, he's the expert from our city.

[48:34] That's who I have to go off of.

[48:38] As far as jobs coming to build the data

[48:40] center, I mean, it will be, I think, a

[48:44] revenue in of itself with having that

[48:47] many people coming to our town. I'm

[48:49] friends with half a dozen to a dozen

[48:51] union workers. Um, whether that's

[48:54] machine operators or iron workers, they

[48:58] travel,

[49:00] like Mr. Bailey said, 50, 100, 120 miles

[49:02] to jobs to um complete those jobs

[49:05] because that's where the money's at. If

[49:07] we can use local union guys, that's

[49:10] absolutely what I'd like to do. Um,

[49:11] that's a no-brainer. That's part of the

[49:13] reason why I'm on city council is I want

[49:15] more infrastructure here. I want more

[49:17] money to come to the city so my kids can

[49:19] have a great city to grow up in. Um,

[49:21] just like I did.

[49:24] Those jobs, uh, I think there was

[49:26] concern at one point in one of the past

[49:28] meetings about those jobs

[49:32] overwhelming our housing in the area.

[49:35] From my perspective and from people I've

[49:37] talked to, that's not how union guys

[49:39] work all the time. Um, they drive an

[49:42] hour or two in the morning and drive an

[49:44] hour or two after uh after work. They

[49:46] drive to the sites. There are some guys

[49:48] that will stay in hotels, which I don't

[49:50] think that would be a bad thing if our

[49:52] hotels were full up um for a year or two

[49:55] or three years or however long it takes

[49:56] to to develop this.

[49:59] The 48 megawws I'm still concerned

[50:03] about. That is a large number. Um,

[50:06] that's double what our largest I think.

[50:08] What's our largest customer right now?

[50:10] Like 20 megawatts.

[50:11] >> What's that?

[50:12] >> About 10 megawatt.

[50:13] >> Yeah. So that's well over what our our

[50:15] largest customer is right now.

[50:18] I don't know if I would be for the 48

[50:20] megawws. Um, but I don't want to say I

[50:24] would be against something that would be

[50:25] lower than that. Again,

[50:28] a lot of the data centers have been

[50:29] issues throughout the country are the

[50:32] huge hypers scale data centers. Um,

[50:36] and again, AI is just one portion of

[50:39] what data centers are used for.

[50:41] A lot of the comments and stuff I've

[50:43] seen have been through Facebook, and

[50:46] Facebook is actually one of the largest

[50:47] users of data centers. So, it I may get

[50:51] flack for this, but it's kind of

[50:52] hypocritical to say we don't like data

[50:54] centers when we're using them daily. Um,

[50:56] again, I'm not for a huge data center.

[50:59] Um, I don't think I'm for one that would

[51:02] be up to even the 48 megawatts. However,

[51:05] I'm not against one in total being at

[51:08] that site.

[51:11] >> Okay, Tom.

[51:14] >> I'm going to sound a slightly

[51:15] repetitious here, I guess. Um, Rochelle

[51:18] in 2006, as you probably all remember,

[51:20] because we've been researching this for

[51:23] three, four, five months now. While we

[51:26] complain that people can't get permits

[51:28] and get stuff built in Rochelle, uh,

[51:31] Rochelle has three data centers to be

[51:34] exact. Uh,

[51:36] basically about seven acres under roof,

[51:39] so the three combined would be about

[51:41] half of what we're going to put in. But

[51:43] it gives us a great chance. We're one of

[51:46] the few communities that gets a great

[51:48] chance to look at what a data center's

[51:50] impact has been. And to the best of my

[51:53] knowledge, those three data centers that

[51:55] we have, one of them we own. I expect if

[51:58] this is a bad idea, we'll be closing

[51:59] that down. But right now, I I don't see

[52:01] it coming. Uh we we haven't yet had any

[52:05] problem with debris from cleaning of the

[52:08] pipes or anything like that. And we

[52:12] mentioned this a couple meetings back

[52:13] when I attended. Uh the EPA sets the

[52:17] standards for what they can put in it.

[52:19] It's not like, oh, we're we're going to

[52:22] clo turn a blind eye and nobody's going

[52:23] to know what's happening here.

[52:26] So So we've had data centers. We're

[52:28] going to have I mean since 20 we we

[52:30] bought a large acreage of land for the

[52:34] express purposes in 2006 of putting in

[52:38] more data centers. We just couldn't get

[52:40] people to buy our land to put their data

[52:42] centers on. So, these folks have come

[52:44] and found a lovely piece of land, but

[52:49] half of it's going to be water retention

[52:52] because it's on the south side of town

[52:53] and it's a swamp.

[52:56] So,

[52:57] uh we've seen them. We know what they

[52:59] do. I think sometimes we forget them. I

[53:01] drove my wife out there because she

[53:02] says, "Well, you know, they say there's

[53:04] a lot of noise." And I granted ours are

[53:06] small like like I say the three combined

[53:08] are about seven acres under roof.

[53:11] Drove out there just north of proof if

[53:13] you want to see what a data center looks

[53:15] like. Uh nice construction because we

[53:18] can dictate what the outside has to look

[53:20] like. We can dictate what kind of

[53:22] burming they have to have. We we've got

[53:24] some control. We drove by to hear the

[53:26] sound. rolled down the window, stopped

[53:29] the car, turned it off,

[53:32] and some yaki doc was out mowing the

[53:34] lawn on a riding mower. Three data

[53:37] centers all in a row. Could not hear a

[53:40] data center running over the riding

[53:42] lawnmower. So, I told my wife, I said,

[53:44] "They're probably pretty loud. We're

[53:45] just going to have to come back out when

[53:46] that one guy quits mowing because I

[53:49] couldn't hear a dang thing out there."

[53:51] We've gone to the head of our water

[53:53] department who we have over the last

[53:55] several years uh declared to be one of

[53:59] the most genius hardworking fellows in

[54:02] the water industry and he assures me

[54:05] that we can supply the water for this.

[54:09] Now

[54:12] I I got I went to Kishwalki but I don't

[54:14] know as much about water as he does. We

[54:17] went to the head of our our electrical

[54:20] utilities,

[54:21] a fine young man. I've sat here many a

[54:23] night when we've all sung his praises

[54:25] for the job he's done and what he's been

[54:27] doing.

[54:28] He assures me that we can provide the

[54:32] electrical.

[54:35] Once again, I've I've been to school,

[54:37] but not in that field. I have to trust

[54:40] him. We pay him a lot of money, so we

[54:42] can trust him.

[54:44] I torment and tease our city attorney

[54:47] endlessly,

[54:49] but he has kept us on track and well

[54:51] directed for a long time now.

[54:55] He has set up a contract,

[54:58] which appears to me now we're kind of

[55:00] tearing down and going to rebuild or

[55:02] something. And he assures me that the

[55:04] contract he's closed every loophole that

[55:07] he feels can be used to the detriment of

[55:09] our community.

[55:14] We pay him a lot. I trust my department

[55:17] heads. I trust my city attorney. And I'm

[55:21] on a second city manager cuz they go

[55:24] kind of quick around here. And and all

[55:27] of them have assured me that nobody

[55:30] is intending, nobody makes any money on

[55:32] the side on these deals. I know

[55:33] everybody gets on Facebook, one of my

[55:35] favorite places in the world, and uh

[55:37] gets all their information from it and

[55:38] says, "Oh, you know, they're all getting

[55:39] kickbacks. They're all stealing money

[55:40] and lot uh drive by my house sometime. I

[55:44] think I can pretty much attest from that I did not get my kickback yet. Uh

[55:48] they assure me that it can be done. I

[55:51] agree with Mr. Valo. A matter of fact,

[55:53] I'm even worse. I'm I'll go one worse

[55:55] than Mr. Valo.

[55:57] I would like to see us, if we're going

[55:59] to be renegotiating part of this, you

[56:02] guys may well say no. I mean, that's

[56:04] your job. Um, let's see if we can lower

[56:07] how much how how many megawws you're

[56:09] going to need from us. That just means

[56:11] you got to go out ahead and make a

[56:12] contract with Commonwealth Edison or

[56:15] whomever like you would have done if you

[56:17] had to do phase two and see if you can

[56:19] buy some out on the open market and then

[56:21] have that shipped in and then you pay

[56:22] for that. We'll charge you to put it

[56:24] over our wires, but we're trying to help

[56:26] you here. Uh, and then the other thing

[56:28] is

[56:30] the tax abatement.

[56:32] I know that it helps you build your

[56:34] programs. The land will make more money

[56:36] on taxes

[56:39] as soon as you start building than it's

[56:41] been paying for the last million years.

[56:45] Okay? Just because it'll be improved.

[56:47] Now, will it be paying at the full

[56:48] portion it would be? The sooner we could

[56:51] get to that full portion, the happier

[56:52] I'll be. So, if you want to take that

[56:55] whatever six or seven years and knock

[56:56] that down to three years, you'd make me

[56:58] a happier camper. Uh, but it's been

[57:02] mentioned by several people. Is it going

[57:03] to bring a lot of jobs to town? No. It's

[57:06] going to bring a lot of workers to town

[57:08] after construction. It's going to

[57:09] construction is going to be good. No.

[57:11] Permanently? No. That means in a

[57:14] community that's complaining that we

[57:15] don't have enough housing right now.

[57:18] We're not going to bring in 30, 40, 50

[57:20] families that need housing that we don't

[57:23] have according to us. You know, is it

[57:26] going to fill our schools to where we

[57:28] have to put additions onto our schools

[57:30] to accommodate all the children of these

[57:31] families? No, they're not bringing

[57:34] families. Small workforce, very little

[57:37] of it, if any, is going to be from

[57:38] Rochelle.

[57:40] But 6 million at the low end

[57:44] will come into my city.

[57:47] which has unions to pay, my city

[57:49] which has fire departments, police

[57:51] departments, street departments, and

[57:53] everybody else to pay. We get everybody

[57:55] gets a little bit of that money that

[57:56] comes through the utilities. Every

[57:58] department in Rochelle and with sales

[58:00] tax dropping all the time. We need it.

[58:03] The school districts, park districts,

[58:06] you library districts, whomever

[58:10] you're talking in the neighborhood then

[58:14] of, you know, we'll get a couple

[58:15] million, they're going to get four

[58:16] million at the beginning. If we wave

[58:19] some of these tax abatements

[58:21] fairly soon,

[58:23] we're going to be getting about $15

[58:24] million

[58:26] without any negative impacts on our

[58:30] school districts, park districts,

[58:32] libraries,

[58:33] or anything else. We're not going to be increasing the

[58:36] number of ambulance calls. We're not

[58:37] going to be increasing the demand for

[58:38] housing. We're just going to get money.

[58:41] And I hate to

[58:44] sound like money is the biggest thing in

[58:46] the world because it's not. community is

[58:48] the biggest thing. But once again, we

[58:50] have we have three data centers now that

[58:54] have been up. They've been running.

[58:57] They're all closed loop. Correct me if

[58:59] I'm wrong on that one, but I believe

[59:00] they're all closed loop. Um,

[59:03] and they've been running for 16 years.

[59:07] Has anybody heard

[59:10] of a negative impact from having the

[59:12] data centers?

[59:16] That's where That's where I'm at. So,

[59:23] » wait a minute. We can't just open this

[59:25] up for discussion. Please

[59:26] >> public commentary earlier. I'm sorry,

[59:28] Tom. You done?

[59:29] >> Yeah. I'm done.

[59:30] >> Uh, we'll move to Bill, I think, is on

[59:32] the phone next. You have comments, Bill?

[59:37] >> Yeah. Um, can you hear me? All right.

[59:40] >> Perfect.

[59:41] >> Um, yeah. All I have to say is uh after

[59:45] being on the council for 24 years and

[59:49] having to deal with the different

[59:50] budgets over the years over 100 million

[59:53] I don't want to have to rely on AI pay

[59:57] the bills and so that's all I have to

[1:00:00] say.

[1:00:03] » Okay. Thank you Bill Rosie

[1:00:07] >> me. Um,

[1:00:11] like Ben said, this has been one of the

[1:00:14] most heated topics and it's been about 2

[1:00:17] years worth of work. And unfortunately,

[1:00:21] it is all about the money.

[1:00:24] And they'll say, "Oh, it's going to go

[1:00:26] here and it's going to go there."

[1:00:30] But

[1:00:32] does Rochelle really need it?

[1:00:36] Can we live without it?

[1:00:40] There's three.

[1:00:42] Why do we need more?

[1:00:46] I'm also a teacher, so yes, it's always

[1:00:51] nice to have money, but

[1:00:55] do we really need it? Are we in the red?

[1:00:59] No.

[1:01:02] And as such a heated topic, I've heard

[1:01:05] our community members. I've heard fellow

[1:01:08] teachers. And I did ask people that I

[1:01:11] really, really trusted who have been

[1:01:13] working on this for two years.

[1:01:16] Can we live with it? Do we need it? Can

[1:01:19] we live without it? Do we need it?

[1:01:23] We can live without it.

[1:01:28] I would like to see more work. Two years

[1:01:32] is a lot a lot of time, a lot of work. I

[1:01:34] understand that. I respect that. But we

[1:01:37] do need more housing, more businesses,

[1:01:40] grocery stores.

[1:01:43] And like you said, you're here. This is

[1:01:44] your land. Can we talk about making

[1:01:46] something else?

[1:01:49] Some build some residences,

[1:01:51] make some housing. Let's get more people

[1:01:54] into town.

[1:01:57] So that is what I have to say.

[1:02:01] >> Thank you, Rosie. Okay.

[1:02:04] >> Um

[1:02:06] I won't repeat any of the things that

[1:02:07] have already been said. Um I agree with

[1:02:10] a lot of what Ben and Tom shared as well

[1:02:13] as what Rosie shared. Um I'm probably

[1:02:16] somewhere in the middle. I I don't think

[1:02:17] that 48 megawatts is a project that we

[1:02:19] need in this community, but what is that

[1:02:21] number? I think our responsibility is

[1:02:23] really to say

[1:02:25] what are we comfortable with. Let's set

[1:02:27] our parameters and figure out what we

[1:02:29] would allow, what we feel is okay, what

[1:02:31] we feel is safe. Um,

[1:02:34] no one wants a a mega scale data center

[1:02:36] like what's being built elsewhere. I

[1:02:38] don't think that's a win for anyone. Um,

[1:02:41] there are some features of this that

[1:02:43] could maybe help us do some of the

[1:02:44] housing and that's the part where I'm

[1:02:46] really a little bit torn because there

[1:02:49] are some greater needs in our community

[1:02:50] that I would like to do. Um, but kind of

[1:02:54] back to that power issue, in order to do

[1:02:56] some of those things, I want to make

[1:02:58] sure that the power grid is there to be

[1:03:00] able to support it. And while yes, Adam

[1:03:01] and Blake are the experts in that um,

[1:03:04] and kind of go with the things they say,

[1:03:07] we also have to think future forward.

[1:03:09] and other industries and other projects

[1:03:10] and other things that may come. Um, so

[1:03:13] as this agreement stands, I think the 48

[1:03:16] is outside of my comfort zone. Um,

[1:03:19] the couple things to point out though or

[1:03:21] questions to ask to just be perfectly

[1:03:24] clear and make sure that the correct

[1:03:25] information is circulating. Um, what is

[1:03:28] the cost to the city if this project

[1:03:29] were to move forward

[1:03:33] as

[1:03:33] >> presented? cost is zero.

[1:03:35] >> Okay.

[1:03:37] >> Um

[1:03:39] with that zero cost because one of the

[1:03:41] big concerns that everyone talks about

[1:03:43] is the impact to rateayers and the

[1:03:45] increase in in in that in their rates

[1:03:47] and their bills and all of those pieces.

[1:03:49] So if we're not incurring any costs to

[1:03:51] do that, the likelihood that any of

[1:03:53] those costs would increase or relatively

[1:03:56] minimal, almost non-existent

[1:03:59] due to this project, not due to market

[1:04:01] demands, not due to other things that

[1:04:03] would happen anyway.

[1:04:04] But based on this project, if we have no

[1:04:06] infrastructure costs, our rates

[1:04:08] shouldn't increase because of this

[1:04:10] project.

[1:04:11] >> Okay.

[1:04:13] Um

[1:04:16] that's kind of I wanted to clarify that

[1:04:18] there's a lot of information out on

[1:04:20] Facebook and the one comment that I

[1:04:21] would make to people is please don't

[1:04:23] rely on Facebook to get information to

[1:04:25] us. I've had less than five people reach

[1:04:27] out to me about this issue. So, for

[1:04:29] everyone wanting to to share opinions

[1:04:31] and thoughts, I would welcome those

[1:04:33] thoughts and feedback. And I literally

[1:04:35] think I had two emails and probably

[1:04:37] three conversations from people that are

[1:04:39] outside of my social circle. So, please

[1:04:41] feel free to reach out and share those

[1:04:44] ahead of of coming to a meeting. We want

[1:04:46] to hear from people. We want to know

[1:04:48] what your thoughts and opinions are, but please give us time to to hear that

[1:04:52] and respond to that. Um, especially on

[1:04:55] topics like this, but on any topic

[1:04:57] really.

[1:04:59] That's what I got.

[1:05:00] >> Okay. Thank you. Okay, Dan.

[1:05:03] She used up

[1:05:04] >> tough act to follow, right?

[1:05:05] >> Yeah, they used up a lot of stuff. I'm g

[1:05:07] start with uh I started building houses

[1:05:10] in this town in 1970 or so. I started

[1:05:15] teaching school in this area 1974.

[1:05:19] I started the fire department about

[1:05:22] 1980.

[1:05:24] was on that. All those are 30 to 35 year

[1:05:27] 10 years on those jobs. We've had empty

[1:05:30] store buildings in this town forever. We

[1:05:32] can't bring

[1:05:34] It's not the city's job to bring a

[1:05:36] grocery store to town.

[1:05:38] If we take over, I mean, we try to

[1:05:41] entice them, but the opportunity has

[1:05:45] been there. The enticements have been

[1:05:47] there.

[1:05:50] The the demand is not there. I hate to

[1:05:53] say it.

[1:05:54] My my wife gets on the phone or not the

[1:05:57] phone, she gets on her iPad and tells me

[1:06:00] that in two hours you got to pick up the

[1:06:02] groceries outside of Walmart.

[1:06:05] Okay. I'm not opposed to not going up

[1:06:08] and down the aisles anymore. I've done

[1:06:09] that for 77 years now in Rochelle.

[1:06:16] I just see there's

[1:06:19] Yeah, we're looking for projects that

[1:06:21] bring us money. Our job is not to bring

[1:06:23] ones that even break even because it's a

[1:06:27] lot of work to get into them and get

[1:06:28] started. I kind of like the idea of the

[1:06:33] minimal impact on the community and

[1:06:36] maximum in input.

[1:06:38] That's about it.

[1:06:43] Okay.

[1:06:45] Well, the nice part about finishing up

[1:06:47] last is you can make sure that you

[1:06:49] clarify some things that were stated.

[1:06:51] One is we do not have three data centers

[1:06:54] that are doing AI locally. They're

[1:06:56] storage systems. And those data centers

[1:07:00] that we have, Blake, correct me if I'm

[1:07:02] wrong, are about 7 megawws currently.

[1:07:05] Long ways from 48 megawws. So, I don't

[1:07:09] want people to think that we're already

[1:07:10] running data centers because we're not.

[1:07:12] We're running I mean, you can call it a

[1:07:14] data center, but it's to store data for

[1:07:16] Northwest and the other ones that are

[1:07:18] out there, including our own. we rent

[1:07:20] space in um for off-site storage. And I

[1:07:23] want to clarify another comment that was

[1:07:25] made uh by someone that um we trust our

[1:07:28] department heads. I'm going to

[1:07:30] explicitly and openly say I trust every

[1:07:33] department head that we have, but I also

[1:07:36] know that I have an obligation to those

[1:07:37] folks that elected me to do my due

[1:07:40] diligence and do some digging into what

[1:07:42] we're talking about doing for the city.

[1:07:45] That's that's my obligation, I feel. And

[1:07:48] maybe I'm the only one that feels that

[1:07:49] way, but um there was a great article by

[1:07:52] the NBC out of Chicago about a huge

[1:07:56] strain on our power grid. And it says

[1:07:59] that Illinois is already projecting a

[1:08:02] power capacity shortage in early 29.

[1:08:07] Folks, that's two and a half years from

[1:08:09] now. They're talking about a shortage of

[1:08:10] power.

[1:08:12] I know 38 or 48 or whatever megawws

[1:08:15] we're talking about does not seem like a

[1:08:17] huge amount, but I'm going to tell you,

[1:08:19] I got a hospital that we need to be

[1:08:21] thinking about. I got nursing homes that

[1:08:23] we need to be thinking about and all

[1:08:25] these other things that they can't be

[1:08:27] without power so that somebody can look

[1:08:29] up Facebook to tell you what they had

[1:08:31] for dinner. So, I've got a slight

[1:08:34] statement and mine's a little different

[1:08:35] than everyone else's, but uh as we

[1:08:38] consider the proposed data center, I

[1:08:40] want to give you some very real facts

[1:08:42] relating to the numbers regarding

[1:08:44] Rochelle's current financial physic

[1:08:46] financial realities and the potential

[1:08:48] impact to our community.

[1:08:51] Our city is currently carrying $175

[1:08:53] million debt in long-term debt. Roughly

[1:08:57] 140 million is from our investment in

[1:08:59] the Prairie State Energy Campus and

[1:09:02] another roughly 35 million for essential

[1:09:05] infrastructure items.

[1:09:07] Though these numbers are not out of line

[1:09:09] for a community of 10,000 people,

[1:09:14] if in the future Praise State Energy

[1:09:17] Campus closes prematurely to our bonds

[1:09:20] being paid off in 2042,

[1:09:24] that will be a strain for our community

[1:09:26] well enough just by itself.

[1:09:29] Let alone if we're talking about a power

[1:09:31] shortage in 29

[1:09:34] and let alone adding a large electric

[1:09:36] user when we're unsure of what is going

[1:09:40] to be 10 years from now.

[1:09:42] We know we can handle it today. I agree.

[1:09:46] I trust my department heads immensely. I

[1:09:48] wish I had a crystal ball to tell us

[1:09:51] what it'll be in 10 years, but I don't

[1:09:52] have that ability. Nor does anyone else

[1:09:54] sitting up here. So, we have to make the

[1:09:56] decision that's right for our

[1:09:58] community's future. Every new project we

[1:10:01] consider must be weighed against the

[1:10:04] current financial burden and the limited

[1:10:07] electricity availability.

[1:10:09] All I've heard so far is all sunshine

[1:10:12] and roses about how much revenue the

[1:10:15] school will get, how much revenue the

[1:10:16] city will get, how much revenue RMU is

[1:10:19] going to get. I hear all these positive

[1:10:21] things. But our debt, folks, will not

[1:10:24] just disappear. And that debt is with

[1:10:27] Praise State Energy Campus, $140

[1:10:29] million. And by the way, if you want to

[1:10:31] do the math, we have about 7,000

[1:10:34] customers on our system. So if that

[1:10:37] closes prematurely and we have to pay

[1:10:38] that off, guess what's going to happen?

[1:10:40] And also, if there is a power shortage

[1:10:44] for us to buy power on the open market,

[1:10:46] the cost will go up. Is that correct,

[1:10:49] Blake? It's supply and demand. If

[1:10:51] there's a shortage, won't the cost go

[1:10:52] up?

[1:10:54] >> Currently, not today. No,

[1:10:56] >> not under our current contract.

[1:11:02] » The the current market conditions are

[1:11:04] actually cheaper than what we're buying

[1:11:05] our power from Prairie State. So, if we

[1:11:08] had to go out and procure power today,

[1:11:09] it would be cheaper than what we're

[1:11:11] paying Prairie State for the energy

[1:11:12] that's delivered to our doorstep. So,

[1:11:14] that is not a valid statement today.

[1:11:17] What that's going to say 10 years from

[1:11:19] now, I don't know. The main savings that

[1:11:21] we see from Prairie State is our

[1:11:23] capacity savings. We are tied to a

[1:11:25] generation asset that is a accredited

[1:11:29] base load generation asset. So we avoid

[1:11:32] capacity charges on those 30 megawws.

[1:11:35] Those 30 megawatts that are delivered

[1:11:37] here saves us about $4 million a year in

[1:11:42] capacity savings plus some of the other

[1:11:44] transmission revenues because Prairie

[1:11:47] State is in the MYSO market. We're in

[1:11:48] the PJM market. So there's revenues

[1:11:50] across the tile lines for power being

[1:11:53] delivered. So roughly we save about $10

[1:11:57] million a year. Our bond payments are $7

[1:11:59] million a year. So currently our stake

[1:12:03] in Curry State is saving this community

[1:12:05] about $3 million a year after all

[1:12:07] payments are made.

[1:12:09] >> I I totally agree with that. My point is today if you pull up to any gas

[1:12:14] station, they talk about how the

[1:12:16] shortage because of the canal being

[1:12:18] closed. Look what it does to the gas

[1:12:20] prices. So, I got to believe if there's

[1:12:22] an energy shortage, the prices are not

[1:12:24] going to be lower than we have today.

[1:12:27] It's just my opinion. I'm not going to

[1:12:28] debate it. This is my opinion. Everyone

[1:12:30] was allowed their opinion. We must

[1:12:33] remember that we currently have

[1:12:34] limitations

[1:12:36] on our two transmission lines feeding

[1:12:39] our current uh current distribution

[1:12:41] system. While we consider the revenue

[1:12:44] stream that seems to be the main topic,

[1:12:47] the positives are there. There's no

[1:12:49] doubt. However, in my opinion, there are

[1:12:52] many unknown risks that have not been

[1:12:55] talked about.

[1:12:57] The largest being that of electric. If

[1:13:00] approved, the data c center's

[1:13:02] unprecedented electric use could put

[1:13:04] additional pressure on the city's inf

[1:13:06] infrastructure currently,

[1:13:10] possibly leading to limited capacity for

[1:13:12] other types of of future growth. We need

[1:13:15] to ask ourselves as council members,

[1:13:18] what kind of growth do we want for

[1:13:20] Rochelle? approving such a large

[1:13:23] resource intense facility that might

[1:13:26] limit our ability to invest in the kind

[1:13:28] of housing amenities and family-friendly

[1:13:31] projects that help the community thrive

[1:13:34] by bringing much larger numbers of jobs

[1:13:36] to each operation that we bring to town.

[1:13:40] It could also make Rochelle less

[1:13:41] attractive to other businesses that if

[1:13:44] there is a shortage and we're short of

[1:13:46] power and we have someone come in here

[1:13:48] that only wants and it's a large company

[1:13:50] that only wants 15 megawws. I hate to

[1:13:53] have to be sitting at this council and

[1:13:55] turn them down because we just don't

[1:13:56] have enough power. And and Rochelle is a

[1:14:01] little bit unique in that we do have our

[1:14:03] own power company and our main

[1:14:05] uniqueness is our two feeder lines that

[1:14:07] come into this community and we have to

[1:14:09] base our base load of power on the

[1:14:11] smallest of the two feeder lines.

[1:14:14] Now, lastly, um I I want to I want to

[1:14:18] say that I'm a little disappointed that

[1:14:21] in the 11th hour tonight, I hear about

[1:14:25] the changes other than the phase two and

[1:14:27] three. I heard about that, but I also

[1:14:30] hear about talk about negotiating on

[1:14:32] megawws and all this stuff that could be

[1:14:34] changed and altered.

[1:14:37] I'm of the opinion that based on what I

[1:14:40] have discovered over the past several

[1:14:42] weeks, and I didn't just come up with

[1:14:44] this decision lightly. I did my

[1:14:47] research, and yes, my research does

[1:14:50] involve AI,

[1:14:52] but I'm also assuming there's someone

[1:14:54] providing AI and all the data off of

[1:14:57] Google today because we don't have a

[1:14:59] data center here yet. So, it's working

[1:15:02] fine.

[1:15:04] It's for all of these reasons I cannot

[1:15:06] support this project and I won't and I

[1:15:09] ask council to join me in voting this

[1:15:11] contract down. If we need to come back

[1:15:14] with something else, let them do it.

[1:15:16] Your base shell of the contract is

[1:15:18] already laid out. If there's changes

[1:15:20] that need to be made, I would hope it

[1:15:21] wouldn't take two years, but I cannot

[1:15:24] support this. And my vote's going to be

[1:15:25] no. That's all I have.

[1:15:31] » Council, anything else? Anything

[1:15:34] else? Nope.

[1:15:36] >> Remember, we are currently the motion on

[1:15:38] the floor is to vote in favor of or deny

[1:15:42] the current contract as presented.

[1:15:45] Nothing said about any reductions or

[1:15:49] removals.

[1:15:50] We brought it off the table as it was

[1:15:52] presented a month ago, I believe. Two

[1:15:55] week three weeks ago, three meetings.

[1:15:57] So, we're voting as it is today. So if

[1:16:01] there's no more questions or comments, I

[1:16:03] call for the question.

[1:16:05] >> Go ahead.

[1:16:06] >> Okay. Councelor Vald deo.

[1:16:09] >> No.

[1:16:10] >> Councelor Tega.

[1:16:11] >> No.

[1:16:12] >> Councelor Hayes.

[1:16:14] >> No.

[1:16:16] >> Councelor Dam McDermott.

[1:16:17] >> No.

[1:16:18] >> Councelor Tom McDermott.

[1:16:19] >> No.

[1:16:20] >> Councelor Shadiki.

[1:16:22] >> No.

[1:16:22] >> Mayor Barls.

[1:16:23] >> No.

[1:16:25] >> Motion carries by vote 07.

[1:16:28] >> Thank you very much.

[1:16:34] Uh, in closing before we move on, I just

[1:16:36] want to thank our staff and I know uh

[1:16:38] Dominic and Sam and Blake and former

[1:16:41] city manager Jeff Hagens who worked on

[1:16:43] this thing a long time. I appreciate

[1:16:45] that. But we also moving forward, if

[1:16:49] there's another contract that someone

[1:16:52] brings forward, regardless of who it is,

[1:16:54] I feel like we should have at least two

[1:16:56] council members on a rotating basis in

[1:16:58] those meetings because the first time we

[1:17:01] heard about this this item was just the

[1:17:03] week or two before we voted on it

[1:17:06] originally when it was tabled. So I

[1:17:08] think we need to have on a rotating

[1:17:10] basis a couple council member in those

[1:17:12] meetings. I'm not saying I will support

[1:17:14] it. I'll openly say that, but I think we

[1:17:17] should have some input to the contract

[1:17:19] before it comes to us for a vote. Thank

[1:17:22] you.

[1:17:27] » Next, I'll entertain a motion for item

[1:17:29] number three on the agenda waving

[1:17:30] competitive bidding. I move ordinance

[1:17:33] 2026-21,

[1:17:35] an ordinance waving competitive bidding

[1:17:36] requirements and authorizing a purchase

[1:17:38] of four transformers from Westco

[1:17:40] distribution under Sourcewell contract

[1:17:43] 091422-WES

[1:17:46] be approved.

[1:17:47] >> Motion by council member Kate Shaw

[1:17:48] Dicki. Is there a second?

[1:17:50] >> Second.

[1:17:51] >> Seconded by council member Dan

[1:17:52] McDermott. Blake, you're up.

[1:17:58] » I know it says waiver of competitive

[1:18:00] bidding, but it's a source swell quote.

[1:18:01] So, um there were multiple quotes that

[1:18:04] you can see that were included with the

[1:18:06] agenda item. Um the source well quote

[1:18:10] was still the was actually the um

[1:18:13] lowest. So um this is for two 1500 KVA

[1:18:16] transformers and two 2500 KVA

[1:18:18] transformers to replace stock that we've

[1:18:21] used for projects here and there. Um so

[1:18:24] these are just for um stock in our yard.

[1:18:28] They're not necessarily proposed to go

[1:18:30] to projects, but um we need them in case

[1:18:33] one lays down somewhere. And then also

[1:18:36] pricing right now is um the best I've

[1:18:38] seen it in the last four years. So um

[1:18:40] I'm asking council's approval to

[1:18:42] purchase these four transformers from

[1:18:44] Wisco Distribution in the amount of

[1:18:45] $267,962.

[1:18:49] » And this is basically because you went

[1:18:51] non bidding is because this is same as

[1:18:54] the other ones you kind currently use.

[1:18:56] >> Well, no. This is a Sourcewell contract.

[1:18:58] So all the competitive bidding has been

[1:19:00] done for us through Sourcewell.

[1:19:03] meets all of the state's

[1:19:04] bidding requirements.

[1:19:06] >> Okay.

[1:19:08] >> So I

[1:19:08] >> Okay. Thank you.

[1:19:09] >> The the the waiver of competitive

[1:19:11] bidding is I I don't quite understand

[1:19:14] that part I guess because Sourcewell

[1:19:16] technically has done the competitive

[1:19:17] bidding for us. So

[1:19:18] >> we didn't do it. They did it for us.

[1:19:20] >> Right. We didn't put out the RFP,

[1:19:21] publish it and do that process. So it's

[1:19:23] a technicality but it is bid

[1:19:25] competitive. We have bought vehicles

[1:19:27] that way too under the state bid same

[1:19:28] way.

[1:19:30] >> Okay. Thank you, Blake.

[1:19:32] >> Thank you.

[1:19:32] >> Questions, comments from councel?

[1:19:34] >> Blake, are you still experiencing

[1:19:36] lengthy lead times on this type of

[1:19:38] material?

[1:19:39] >> Um,

[1:19:40] >> or is that getting better?

[1:19:41] >> Actually, uh, 18 to 22 weeks, which is

[1:19:46] relatively normal. I mean, it used to be

[1:19:48] 10 to 14. We were up over 65 at one

[1:19:52] point. So, um, these lead times are very

[1:19:56] favorable,

[1:19:56] >> okay,

[1:19:57] >> compared to what they were. So,

[1:19:58] >> thank you.

[1:19:59] Blake. Okay, we have any

[1:20:02] other comments? We have a motion, a

[1:20:04] second on the floor. Roll call when

[1:20:05] you're ready.

[1:20:06] >> Okay.

[1:20:06] >> Councelor Shawiki,

[1:20:08] >> yes.

[1:20:08] >> Councor,

[1:20:10] >> yes. Councelor Hayes,

[1:20:12] >> yes.

[1:20:13] >> Councelor Tom McDermott,

[1:20:14] >> yes.

[1:20:15] >> Councelor Dan McDermott,

[1:20:16] >> yes.

[1:20:17] >> Councelor Valo,

[1:20:18] >> yes.

[1:20:18] >> Mayor Barrows,

[1:20:19] >> yes. Motion carries by a vote 70.

[1:20:22] >> Thank you much. We'll move on to item

[1:20:24] number four regarding the vehicle sales

[1:20:26] agreement.

[1:20:27] >> I move resolution R2026-21.

[1:20:31] A resolution authorizing a vehicle sales

[1:20:34] agreement with Enterprise Fleet

[1:20:35] Management be approved.

[1:20:37] >> Motion by Council Member Rosie. Is there

[1:20:40] a second?

[1:20:41] >> Second. Seconded by Council Member Tom

[1:20:44] McDermott. Blake, you're up again.

[1:20:47] Um, we're asking for council's approval

[1:20:50] to sell uh the 2011 F750

[1:20:54] um bucket truck. It was our old E9.

[1:20:56] We've replaced it. The new one is here

[1:20:58] and has been in service. So, we're just

[1:21:00] asking to offload the the one that it

[1:21:03] replaced.

[1:21:04] >> Okay.

[1:21:06] Any questions or comments, council?

[1:21:10] >> Roll call when you're ready. Thank you,

[1:21:11] Blake.

[1:21:12] >> Councelor Vivo.

[1:21:13] >> Yes.

[1:21:14] >> Councelor Hayes.

[1:21:16] Yes.

[1:21:17] >> Councelor Tom McDermott.

[1:21:18] >> Yes.

[1:21:19] >> Councelor Shadiki.

[1:21:20] >> Yes.

[1:21:20] >> Councelor Dan McDermott.

[1:21:22] >> Yes.

[1:21:23] >> Councelor Artega.

[1:21:24] >> Yes.

[1:21:24] >> And Mayor Barls.

[1:21:25] >> Yes.

[1:21:26] >> Motion carries by vote 70.

[1:21:29] >> Thank you. Entertain a motion relative

[1:21:30] to the adoption of a city safety

[1:21:32] compliance program.

[1:21:34] >> I move resolution R 2026-22.

[1:21:39] A resolution authorizing adoption of

[1:21:41] amended

[1:21:43] an echo amended city of Rochelle safety

[1:21:46] compliance program be approved.

[1:21:48] >> Motion by council member Dan McDermott.

[1:21:50] Is there a second?

[1:21:52] >> Second.

[1:21:53] >> Seconded by council member Benal Devso.

[1:21:56] Bick, you're up.

[1:22:00] >> Mayor and um council members. Tonight

[1:22:02] I'm here in regard to the city's safety

[1:22:04] compliance program that was created in

[1:22:06] 2020 actually by Adam Lanning's

[1:22:09] department. Um this written program

[1:22:11] encompasses all departments and outlines

[1:22:13] the city's overall safety strategy. Um

[1:22:16] these programs were amended to ensure

[1:22:18] regulatory compliance and to reflect new

[1:22:21] and safer techniques and technologies.

[1:22:23] Um over the past 16 months, the city

[1:22:26] collaborated with Fair Graham to assist

[1:22:28] us in reviewing, revising, and adding to

[1:22:31] our current safety programs. Considering

[1:22:33] this, a number of programs were revised

[1:22:36] to address regulatory updates and

[1:22:38] program deficiencies. Um these programs,

[1:22:41] um a 466 page document were included in

[1:22:44] your packet. Um but I'd be happy to, you

[1:22:46] know, go through the list if you would

[1:22:48] like. Um, in addition, we added some

[1:22:50] safety programs to this um, written

[1:22:53] compliance program as well. Some of

[1:22:55] these include a silica safety program, a

[1:22:58] job briefing policy, an extreme

[1:23:00] temperature exposure control plan, and a

[1:23:03] contractor safety handbook, which I'm

[1:23:04] really excited for our departments to

[1:23:06] begin using. Um, these written programs

[1:23:08] provide a roadmap for a safe workplace

[1:23:10] by transforming our safety practices

[1:23:13] from reactive to proactive. And once

[1:23:16] approved, these programs will be

[1:23:17] available on the ESS platform as well is

[1:23:20] as in the HR department. Um, considering

[1:23:24] this, I am asking that you approve the

[1:23:27] resolution authorizing the adoption of

[1:23:29] the amended city of Rochelle safety

[1:23:31] compliance program.

[1:23:34] >> Okay. Thank you. Comments, council,

[1:23:38] questions, comments?

[1:23:39] >> How is that plan then distributed to

[1:23:41] like what's the trickle down effect? How

[1:23:43] does that get to department heads, city

[1:23:45] staff?

[1:23:45] >> Sure. So, once you if if and once you

[1:23:47] approve it, um tomorrow I will actually

[1:23:50] alert all of our superintendents and our

[1:23:52] department heads that it's been

[1:23:53] approved, I'm going to just kind of

[1:23:54] highlight some of the important changes.

[1:23:57] Um kind of provide an overview of the

[1:23:59] contractor safety handbook um and let

[1:24:01] them as well as our employees know where

[1:24:03] those programs are available on ESS. Or,

[1:24:06] you know, if somebody um has a question

[1:24:07] about a specific program, I actually

[1:24:10] created it as a searchable document. So,

[1:24:12] um you can, you know, very quickly like

[1:24:15] look up like the um exposure the extreme

[1:24:18] exposure control plan. Let's say OSHA

[1:24:20] showed up at one of our departments

[1:24:22] tomorrow. They can easily look that up

[1:24:24] or they could call me and in about you

[1:24:25] know 60 seconds I could have that up and

[1:24:27] available for them in the compliance

[1:24:29] officer.

[1:24:31] >> Okay, thank you. Any further questions

[1:24:34] or comments?

[1:24:36] >> Yeah, just a quick question.

[1:24:38] >> I'm sorry.

[1:24:38] >> Just just one

[1:24:39] >> one comment. Um uh a as a contractor for

[1:24:44] most of my life um to to other to other

[1:24:48] companies uh it's extremely important

[1:24:51] that that the uh company like uh the

[1:24:55] municipality understands

[1:24:57] uh what the the protocol is supposed to

[1:24:59] be for the contractors because it gets

[1:25:02] abused all the time and I've been

[1:25:04] through some of the most strenuous uh

[1:25:06] training every single day to to be a

[1:25:09] contractor on the job site and so it's

[1:25:12] really important especially for our

[1:25:13] insurance purposes. I just thought I'd

[1:25:15] point that out from my perspective.

[1:25:21] » Okay. Thank you, Bill.

[1:25:23] >> Thank you.

[1:25:24] >> And thanks to Brett for the work she

[1:25:26] puts in not only in this issue but all

[1:25:29] the other training that we get which

[1:25:30] seems like a lot even as council

[1:25:32] members. Uh but everything you have seen

[1:25:35] from um open trench safety explosion

[1:25:39] whatever uh she does a great job of

[1:25:41] keeping everybody safe that uh works in

[1:25:43] this organization. So I appreciate that.

[1:25:47] Any other questions or comments? Hearing

[1:25:49] none. We got a motion second on the

[1:25:51] floor. Roll call when you're ready.

[1:25:54] >> Councelor Dan McDermott.

[1:25:56] >> Yes.

[1:25:56] >> Councelor Valdo.

[1:25:58] >> Yes.

[1:25:58] >> Councor. Yes. Councelor Shadiki.

[1:26:01] >> Yes. Councelor Hayes,

[1:26:03] >> yes.

[1:26:04] >> Councelor Tom McDermott,

[1:26:06] >> yes.

[1:26:06] >> Mayor Barls,

[1:26:07] >> yes.

[1:26:08] >> Motion carries by vote 70.

[1:26:10] >> Thank you. Next, we'll have an agreement

[1:26:12] with Willlet and Hoffman. Entertain a

[1:26:14] motion.

[1:26:16] I move resolution R2026-23,

[1:26:21] a resolution authorizing an engineering

[1:26:23] services agreement with Willlet Hoffman

[1:26:25] and Associates Incorporated for the

[1:26:28] parking lot at the corner of North Main

[1:26:30] Street and Fifth Avenue be approved.

[1:26:32] Motion

[1:26:32] >> by council member Tom McDermott. Is

[1:26:34] there a second?

[1:26:35] >> Second.

[1:26:36] by council member Rosie Artierga.

[1:26:40] And Jeff was going to Jeff Star was

[1:26:42] going to do this. Sam is going to cover

[1:26:43] for him.

[1:26:46] Uh over the past few months, the city

[1:26:47] has purchased uh properties located at

[1:26:50] 503 North Main Street, 313 West 5th

[1:26:53] Avenue. And uh in addition, we have also

[1:26:58] removed two structures from the site. Uh

[1:27:01] the site is is currently in uh or

[1:27:05] incomplete condition over there. So what

[1:27:08] we'd like to do is move s forward with a

[1:27:11] professional services agreement for

[1:27:12] engineering services. Uh, in 2023, the

[1:27:16] city council authorized entering into a

[1:27:18] professional services agreement with

[1:27:20] Willlet Hoffman and Associates in

[1:27:21] connection with the Rebuild Illinois

[1:27:23] downtown and Main Street's capital

[1:27:26] project. Uh, the grant funded project

[1:27:29] included downtown parking lot

[1:27:30] improvements, construction of the new

[1:27:32] parking lots uh, located north of 4th

[1:27:35] Avenue and west of Main Street. the

[1:27:39] grant-f funded project including

[1:27:41] uh construction of a new public restroom

[1:27:44] facility. Council subsequently approved

[1:27:47] a resolution authorizing Will Hoffman

[1:27:50] and Associates to provide that related

[1:27:53] professional services for the overall

[1:27:55] project. So, what we'd like to do is

[1:27:57] continue uh with that and add the

[1:28:00] engineering services agreement for the

[1:28:03] uh design of the parking lot, which will

[1:28:05] also in include uh bidding assistance

[1:28:08] and construction engineering and uh

[1:28:10] field layout services for the new

[1:28:12] municipal lot located at the north

[1:28:15] quadrant of Fifth Avenue and Main

[1:28:16] Street. There is a total fee of not to

[1:28:19] exceed $36,700

[1:28:22] and um we believe that is reasonable and

[1:28:26] in the city's best interest to wave

[1:28:28] competitive bidding and approved the

[1:28:29] attached engineering agreement.

[1:28:32] And the recommendation is to authorize

[1:28:34] the city manager to execute the

[1:28:36] professional services agreement with

[1:28:37] Willa Hoffman and Associates for

[1:28:40] Services related to the municipal

[1:28:42] parking lot project an amount not to

[1:28:44] exceed $36,700.

[1:28:49] Just a quick question with that. Um,

[1:28:52] since we have both of those and I see

[1:28:55] today they were torn out on the far east

[1:28:57] lot, the second one there, the last one

[1:29:00] we purchased. What's What's the

[1:29:02] estimated completion date? Because with

[1:29:04] all the construction we've got going, I

[1:29:07] was hoping since it was two bare lots,

[1:29:09] we could get a parking lot done sometime

[1:29:11] this summer. Um, what's the estimated

[1:29:13] completion? So, right now, what you're

[1:29:15] seeing is some uh prep work where we can

[1:29:18] get a temporary parking lot in there to

[1:29:20] alleviate some of the parking concerns

[1:29:21] that are happening downtown. Obviously,

[1:29:23] the the two parking lots north of 4th

[1:29:26] Avenue and west of Main Street are going

[1:29:28] to disappear soon, be taken out of of

[1:29:30] service due to the the full

[1:29:32] reconstruction of those those lots. So

[1:29:35] the intent right now is to provide that

[1:29:37] temporary aggregate base in there to

[1:29:39] help alleviate those concerns. After the

[1:29:41] uh the engineering is completed, which

[1:29:43] we anticipate probably a month, month

[1:29:45] and a half, we'll go out for bid. We'll

[1:29:48] bring that back to the council for

[1:29:50] approval and then we'll proceed forward

[1:29:51] with a construction contract to complete

[1:29:54] that. So I would anticipate that we'd be

[1:29:56] in a position to uh start construction

[1:30:00] sometime in August on the parking lot.

[1:30:03] So the temporary parking would not be

[1:30:05] available till after it comes back to

[1:30:07] council again.

[1:30:08] >> No, the temporary parking will be

[1:30:10] available as soon as publicated that. So

[1:30:12] right now all we're doing is prepping it

[1:30:14] with the stone base.

[1:30:16] >> Correct.

[1:30:16] >> But of course there's curb gutter

[1:30:18] construction, pavement, storm sewer

[1:30:20] works. Um the curbon gutter around the

[1:30:22] perimeter of of that lot will be

[1:30:24] completely reconstructed as well. And

[1:30:26] there will be some modifications in the

[1:30:28] intersection too. So it's not just the

[1:30:30] parking lot itself. Uh we're going to

[1:30:32] see all new um infrastructure

[1:30:34] improvements related to that lot,

[1:30:36] including sidewalks.

[1:30:39] Okay.

[1:30:40] All right. Any other questions or

[1:30:43] comments?

[1:30:47] I I guess I have a question about that

[1:30:49] as we go forward. when when we do

[1:30:52] projects like this

[1:30:55] back when we voted council voted to

[1:30:58] purchase those properties either one but

[1:31:00] now we have two of them when we vote

[1:31:02] when the council votes to purchase those

[1:31:05] could the engineering portion and all

[1:31:09] that other stuff be a part of that at

[1:31:11] that time because it seems like we

[1:31:13] purchased them and and I apologize if

[1:31:16] this comes from the private sector but

[1:31:17] we do things much quicker so we

[1:31:20] purchased them and we authorized to tear

[1:31:22] them down at another vote and now

[1:31:25] they're torn down and flat. Now we have

[1:31:28] to come back for engineering. Just now

[1:31:31] what what if the council didn't approve

[1:31:32] the engineering? I mean it seems like it

[1:31:34] could all kind of be wrapped up in one

[1:31:36] at the start the engineering at least.

[1:31:40] >> Well, that's certainly a possibility,

[1:31:41] mayor, but um knowing that we purchased

[1:31:45] those lights for a specific reason and

[1:31:47] that was parking. We had a lengthy

[1:31:49] discussion on that before we purchased

[1:31:52] the properties and what the intent was.

[1:31:54] Um, so this is just part and parcel of that process. Um, could certain steps

[1:31:59] be combined in the future? Sure they

[1:32:01] could.

[1:32:02] >> Okay. Thank you. Any other questions or

[1:32:06] comments?

[1:32:08] >> All right. Thank you, Sam. Hearing none.

[1:32:10] You got a motion and second on the

[1:32:12] floor. Roll call when you're ready.

[1:32:13] >> Councelor Vivaso.

[1:32:15] >> Yes.

[1:32:15] >> Councelor Tom McDermott.

[1:32:16] >> Yes. Councelor Hayes,

[1:32:19] >> yes.

[1:32:20] >> Councelor Dan McDermott,

[1:32:22] >> yes.

[1:32:22] >> Councelor Shaw Dicki,

[1:32:23] >> yes.

[1:32:24] >> Councelor Artega,

[1:32:25] >> yes.

[1:32:25] >> Mayor Barls,

[1:32:26] >> yes.

[1:32:27] >> Motion carries by vote 70.

[1:32:30] >> Next up, item number seven, repair of

[1:32:33] well, entertain a motion.

[1:32:34] >> I move ordinance 2026-22,

[1:32:37] an ordinance waving competitive bidding

[1:32:39] requirements and authorizing an

[1:32:41] emergency repair to well 12 be approved.

[1:32:43] >> Motion by council member Ben Valdivaso.

[1:32:45] Is there a second? Second

[1:32:47] >> seconded by council member Kate Shaw

[1:32:49] Dicki.

[1:32:51] >> Adam, you're up. You well 12 is located

[1:32:54] on Hayes Road and the pump experienced

[1:32:57] an equipment failure on March 31st. At

[1:33:00] the same time that we were in the

[1:33:01] process of starting the well 8 up after

[1:33:04] its recent completion. Um and during the

[1:33:07] process, well 8 was intermittently

[1:33:08] offline. So in an effort to repair the

[1:33:11] equipment as swiftly as possible, um we

[1:33:13] got a hold of municipal well and pump to

[1:33:15] uh which came the next business day.

[1:33:17] They pulled the pump motor and equipment

[1:33:20] um which upon they took to their shop

[1:33:22] and inspected and found that there was

[1:33:25] minimal damage. It was just some

[1:33:27] insulation on a motor lead. So they made

[1:33:29] the repairs um actually got it back in

[1:33:32] the hole last week and it is running

[1:33:34] now. So, it's pumped about two two and a

[1:33:38] half billion gallons of water. I hope it

[1:33:40] can get another billion or so out of it.

[1:33:42] So, we'll run it till it dies and in the

[1:33:45] meantime, maybe we'll come back and ask

[1:33:46] for purchase of new equipment so that we

[1:33:48] have it in hand and when it does die, we

[1:33:51] can replace it because the lead times

[1:33:52] are not good on that kind of equipment.

[1:33:54] So, so the recommendation is to approve

[1:33:57] an ordinance waving competitive bidding

[1:33:59] requirements and hire municipal well and

[1:34:01] pump to repair the pump motor and cable

[1:34:03] for well 12 in the amount of $38,730.

[1:34:07] » Okay,

[1:34:12] » D, I have a question for you. If if uh

[1:34:15] something like this happens where a well

[1:34:17] goes down or a pump quits,

[1:34:19] >> does that even have to come to council

[1:34:20] if it's under an emergency purchase? it

[1:34:23] would come back back for ratification.

[1:34:25] So if it's life safety health concern

[1:34:29] and there's an emergency goes down

[1:34:33] it's up to a certain amount

[1:34:36] that amount um then that comes before

[1:34:38] the city council in order just to ratify

[1:34:41] on the public record.

[1:34:43] Okay.

[1:34:50] » Adam, how old is this wall?

[1:34:52] 2017 it was down for about two years. We

[1:34:56] put online in 2017 then took it offline

[1:34:58] about a year later for radium. Built the

[1:35:01] radium removal plant. So it was offline

[1:35:02] for about two years and then it's been

[1:35:04] online since 2020.

[1:35:07] >> And that's the original pump.

[1:35:09] >> Yes.

[1:35:13] » That's kind of one of our main sources

[1:35:15] for that whole development area down

[1:35:17] there too. that well feeds the ethanol

[1:35:20] plant primarily in the industrial area.

[1:35:23] >> Okay. Thank you, Adam. Any further

[1:35:26] comments or questions?

[1:35:28] >> Roll call when you're ready.

[1:35:30] >> Councelor Tom McDermott.

[1:35:31] >> Yes.

[1:35:32] >> Councelor Shadiki.

[1:35:33] >> Yes.

[1:35:33] >> Councelor Hayes.

[1:35:35] >> Yes.

[1:35:36] >> Councelor Tega.

[1:35:37] >> Yes.

[1:35:39] >> Councelor Valdivso.

[1:35:40] >> Yes.

[1:35:41] >> Councelor Dan McDermott.

[1:35:42] >> Yes.

[1:35:42] >> Mayor Barrows.

[1:35:44] >> Yes.

[1:35:44] >> Motion carry by vote 70.

[1:35:47] >> Thank you Adam. Next up, uh, Adam's got

[1:35:49] a broke truck. Obtain a motion.

[1:35:54] >> I move ordinance 2026-23,

[1:35:58] an ordinance waving competitive bidding

[1:36:00] requirements and authorizing an

[1:36:02] emergency repair of the city's vac

[1:36:07] approved. Motion by council member Tom

[1:36:09] McDermott. Is there a second?

[1:36:11] >> Second. Seconded by council member Dan

[1:36:14] McDermott.

[1:36:17] Adam, you're up.

[1:36:19] >> I won't bother reading all this, but the

[1:36:22] truck is the old it's the sewer

[1:36:24] department's old truck that we used for

[1:36:26] cleaning and jetting sewers. Um, it

[1:36:30] recently had needed some work done. So,

[1:36:32] we took it to standard equipment. Upon

[1:36:34] inspection, they found that it needed

[1:36:36] significantly more repair work than we

[1:36:38] thought. So that is why we're asking to

[1:36:42] wave competitive bidding because it is

[1:36:43] disassembled and in their shop waiting

[1:36:45] basically for the repairs to be

[1:36:47] completed. So the uh recommendation is

[1:36:51] to approve an ordinance waving

[1:36:52] competitive bidding to repair the vector

[1:36:53] in the amount of $41,14.76.

[1:36:56] And this again this this is a shared uh

[1:36:59] collectively between the streets water

[1:37:01] and uh electric department.

[1:37:04] >> How old is the vehicle?

[1:37:05] >> 2011.

[1:37:07] It's nearing the end of its life, but

[1:37:10] it's got a little bit left in it.

[1:37:14] >> Okay. Is this a backup unit compared to

[1:37:17] the new one we bought?

[1:37:19] >> It can be used as a backup. Yeah,

[1:37:20] >> it's a second one.

[1:37:21] Yeah, we we purchased

[1:37:23] a new one about Gosh, it's been four

[1:37:25] years ago, I think.

[1:37:30] » Okay. Questions, comments, councel?

[1:37:33] Anybody? Hearing? None. We got a motion,

[1:37:35] a second on the floor. Roll call when

[1:37:37] you're ready. Thank you, Adam.

[1:37:38] >> Councelor Tega,

[1:37:40] >> yes.

[1:37:40] >> Councelor Hayes,

[1:37:42] >> yes.

[1:37:43] >> Councelor Dan McDermott,

[1:37:45] >> yes.

[1:37:45] >> Councelor Tom McDermott,

[1:37:47] >> yes.

[1:37:47] >> Councelor Shiki,

[1:37:48] >> yes.

[1:37:49] >> Councelor Vesso,

[1:37:50] >> yes.

[1:37:51] >> And Mayor Barls,

[1:37:52] >> yes.

[1:37:52] >> Motion carries by vote 70.

[1:37:55] >> Excellent. Entertain a motion for number

[1:37:57] nine, the last item on your agenda

[1:37:59] regarding the competitive bidding.

[1:38:00] Again, I move ordinance 2026-24,

[1:38:05] an ordinance waving competitive bidding

[1:38:07] requirements and authorize

[1:38:10] Arison USA Corporation to repair blower

[1:38:14] number three at the wastewater treatment

[1:38:16] plant be approved. Motion by council

[1:38:19] member Dan McDermott. Is there a second?

[1:38:21] >> Second.

[1:38:21] >> Seconded by council member Kate Shaw

[1:38:23] Dicki.

[1:38:26] >> Adam, one more time.

[1:38:27] >> All right. So we use the 200 horsepower

[1:38:30] turbo blowers at the wastewater

[1:38:32] treatment plant for uh biological

[1:38:34] treatment of wastewater. Um due to the

[1:38:37] proprietary nature of the equipment, the

[1:38:39] original manufacturer is it's a South

[1:38:41] Korean company uniquely qualified to

[1:38:43] provide the maintenance necessary. I

[1:38:45] haven't been able to find anybody that

[1:38:46] can work on these. So I know you don't

[1:38:48] like waving competitive bidding. But in

[1:38:50] this case, um I am asking to approve an

[1:38:54] ordinance waving the competitive bidding

[1:38:56] to repair blower number three. in the

[1:38:57] amount of $37,343.81.

[1:39:03] » Okay. Questions, comments?

[1:39:07] Hearing none. Got a motion. Second on

[1:39:09] the floor. Roll call when you're ready.

[1:39:11] >> Councelor Tiega.

[1:39:12] >> Yes.

[1:39:13] >> Councelor Vivso.

[1:39:15] >> Yes.

[1:39:16] >> Councelor Dan McDermott.

[1:39:17] >> Yes.

[1:39:18] >> Councelor Shadiki.

[1:39:19] >> Yes.

[1:39:20] >> Councelor Hayes.

[1:39:22] >> Yes.

[1:39:22] >> Councelor Tom McDermott.

[1:39:24] >> Yes.

[1:39:24] >> Mayor Barrows.

[1:39:25] >> Yes. Motion carries by a vote 70.

[1:39:29] >> Thank you, Adam. Ladies and gentlemen,

[1:39:31] that complet con completes our business

[1:39:33] items for the evening. I appreciate

[1:39:35] everybody being here. Once again, I uh

[1:39:38] if you didn't get a chance to catch the

[1:39:40] entire meeting, you can catch it on our

[1:39:41] Facebook page. Hopefully, we got that

[1:39:44] rectified after last week. We had a

[1:39:46] little glitch last week. We apologize

[1:39:48] for that. Um before we leave, council

[1:39:50] members, anybody have anything they want

[1:39:52] to share?

[1:39:53] Don't forget this Saturday at 3:00 be up

[1:39:56] to the rec center outside 3 to 11.

[1:39:59] >> 3 to 11.

[1:40:00] >> Lots of great activities, food,

[1:40:01] >> lots of ideas, lots of activities, lots

[1:40:04] of family fun, food, dancing.

[1:40:07] Come enjoy yourself. Just hoping for

[1:40:09] some good weather.

[1:40:11] >> Super. And also don't forget at one

[1:40:13] o'clock this Saturday at the museum,

[1:40:16] they're going to power up the old cast

[1:40:18] iron uh that was for horses, people, and

[1:40:22] dogs, I believe.

[1:40:24] >> Uh so they're going to power that up

[1:40:26] this Saturday at 1:00. So stop and see.

[1:40:28] I think Steve Frank goes down in the

[1:40:30] little manhole to turn it on. So you can

[1:40:32] stop. They're going to have a little

[1:40:33] celebration when they open it up. So

[1:40:35] stop and see them. All right. Anything

[1:40:38] else?

[1:40:39] Hearing none. Thank you everybody for

[1:40:41] being here. I entertain a motion to

[1:40:42] adjurnn.

[1:40:43] >> I move the council adjourn.

[1:40:45] >> Motion by council member Ben Valdi. Is

[1:40:47] there a second?

[1:40:48] >> Second.

[1:40:49] by council member Tom McDerman.

[1:40:51] All in favor say I.

[1:40:52] >> I.

[1:40:53] >> Opposed. Same sign.

[1:40:55] >> Motion carries. Meeting adjourned. Thank

[1:40:57] you everybody.

[1:41:07] » You too.

4/27/2026 City Council Meeting

Transcript