Galesburg Reporter

City of Galesburg City Council met Jan. 6

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

Called to order by Mayor Peter Schwartzman at 6:00 p.m.

Roll Call #1: Present: Mayor Peter Schwartzman, Council Members Bradley Hix, Wayne Dennis, Evan Miller, Dwight White, Heather Acerra, Sarah Carrington, and Steve Cheesman, 8. Also Present: City Manager Eric Hanson, City Attorney Dan Alcorn, and City Clerk Kelli Bennewitz.

Mayor Schwartzman declared a quorum present.

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

A moment of silence was observed in lieu of an invocation.

Council Member Dennis moved, seconded by Council Member Carrington, to approve the minutes of the City Council’s regular meeting from December 16, 2024.

Roll Call #2:

Ayes: Council Members Hix, Dennis, Miller, White, Acerra, Carrington, and Cheesman, 7.

Nays: None

Absent: None

Chairman declared the motion carried.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Jennifer Holmes addressed the Council and stated that while she was walking her dog on Cherry Street she encountered a homeless person who was in pain, confused and in need of help, so she called public safety. She believes our city has seen an increase in the number of people who are homeless and Galesburg residents and business owners need to know how to help and where to refer people. She added that if she hadn't recently had some workplace training on homelessness, she would have likely walked by this young woman. Currently, if a person gets off a train or a bus in Galesburg and is looking for help with shelter or a meal, the closest dependable shelter is the Galesburg Rescue Mission, which is located on Farnham Street.

Ms. Holmes feels that Galesburg should have a downtown day center, or drop in center, for people who are homeless similar to the Carpenter’s Place in Rockford. They have a day room with a common area, serve breakfast and lunch, offer a place to shower, clothing, telephones and a message service. It would also be helpful if residents and business owners could give people a card with information on local resources for shelter, food, counseling, etc. She urged the Council to take seriously the problem of homelessness in our community. She thanked them for listening and for serving.

CONSENT AGENDA #2025-01

All matters listed under the Consent Agenda are considered routine by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion.

25-3000

Approve the bid from Roanoke Concrete Products for the annual supply of fill and patch materials for the 2025 calendar year, except for:

● HMA Surface Course “D” N50 and High-Performance Patching Mixture – Tickle Asphalt Co.

● Mason Sand FA-9 (Picked Up), Fill Sand FA-1 (Picked Up), Trench Backfill FA-6 (Picked Up), and Cold Patch (Emulsion) – Galesburg Builders Supply

● Coarse Aggregate CA-6 (Crushed White Stone), Coarse Aggregate CA-6 (gravel or crushed) (Delivered), Mason Sand (Delivered), Fill Sand (Delivered), Trench Backfill Sand (Delivered) and 3/8 Pea Gravel CA-16 (Delivered) – Gunther Construction

● 3/8 Pea Gravel CA-16 (Picked Up) – Galena Road Gravel

25-3001

Approve the bid from Hawkins, Inc. in the amount of $1,722.00 per ton for the annual supply of gas chlorine for the 2025 calendar year.

25-3002

Approve waiving normal purchasing policies and approve the purchase of phosphate inhibitor from Hawkins, Inc. at a cost of $0.6699 per pound.

25-4000

Approve the Property Tax Assessment Freeze Program for historic, owner-occupied, residences.

25-5000

Approve the appointment of Tiffany Viggiano, Community Relations Commission, term expires February 2027.

25-8000

Approve bills in the amount of $812,783.21 and advance checks in the amount of $3,156,377.95.

Council Member Miller moved, seconded by Council Member Acerra, to approve Consent Agenda 2025-01.

Roll Call #3:

Ayes: Council Members Hix, Dennis, Miller, White, Acerra, Carrington, and Cheesman, 7.

Nays: None

Absent: None

Chairman declared the motion carried by omnibus vote.

PASSAGE OF ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS

25-2000

Council Member Dennis moved, seconded by Council Member Acerra, to approve Resolution 25-01 to take ownership of 1911 East Main Street for the purpose of demolition.

Roll Call #4:

Ayes: Council Members Hix, Dennis, Miller, White, Acerra, Carrington, and Cheesman, 7.

Nays: None

Absent: None

Chairman declared the motion carried.

BIDS, PETITIONS, AND COMMUNICATIONS

CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS (AGREEMENTS, APPROVALS, ETC.)

25-4001

Council Member Cheesman moved, seconded by Council Member Acerra, to approve the use of the sixth floor of the Public Safety Building for the construction of a new Public Safety Dispatch Center.

Roll Call #5:

Ayes: Council Members Hix, Dennis, Miller, White, Acerra, Carrington, and Cheesman, 7.

Nays: None

Absent: None

Chairman declared the motion carried.

25-4002

Council Member Dennis moved, seconded by Council Member White, to approve a sole source three-year support and licensing renewal of core network and wireless network equipment with Quibit in the amount of $90,000.

Roll Call #6:

Ayes: Council Members Hix, Dennis, Miller, White, Acerra, Carrington, and Cheesman, 7.

Nays: None

Absent: None

Chairman declared the motion carried.

Council Member Miller moved, seconded by Council Member Acerra, to sit as the Town Board.

The motion carried.

TOWN BUSINESS

25-9000

Trustee Carrington moved, seconded by Trustee Acerra, to approve Town bills and warrants to be drawn in payment of same.

Fund Title Amount

Town Fund $1,339.97

General Assistance Fund $11,053.11

IMRF Fund

Social Security/Medicare Fund

Liability Fund

Audit Fund

Total $12,393.08

Roll Call #7:

Ayes: Trustees Hix, Dennis, Miller, White, Acerra, Carrington, and Cheesman, 7.

Nays: None

Absent: None

Chairman declared the motion carried.

25-9001

Trustee Acerra moved, seconded by Trustee Miller, to approve the quote from Baker Tilly US, LLP, to audit the Township funds for fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, in the amount of $19,500.

Roll Call #8:

Ayes: Trustees Hix, Dennis, Miller, White, Acerra, Carrington, and Cheesman, 7.

Nays: None

Absent: None

Chairman declared the motion carried.

Trustee Miller moved, seconded by Trustee Acerra, to resume as the City Council. The motion carried.

CLOSING COMMENTS

Council Member White wished everyone a Happy New Year.

Council Member Acerra also wished everyone a Happy New Year.

Council Member Carrington announced that she has been married for over a week now and is absolutely delighted. She stated that it’s been a wonderful new year so far and wished everyone a Happy New Year.

Council Member Cheesman thanked Ms. Holmes for attending the meeting and speaking tonight and believes that everyone realizes the challenge that we all have as a society, as a City, and in the United States, in addressing housing and homelessness issues. He feels it's going to take a multidimensional approach to come up with answers. He also noted that at the high school there is a picture on one of the revolving boards of students who are being recognized for perfect attendance. He believes this is very noteworthy and applauds those who grow up with that kind of value system where they make it to school in a consistent and near perfect way. In our society, one sign of success is the dependability of the people.

Council Member Cheesman also wished those that observe Christianity a happy epiphany. This is the day that it was made known to Christians throughout the world that Jesus was the Christ child, but also a day when the Magi came and visited, giving gifts. He has said oftentimes at these meetings that our City's best attribute is its people, and there are many who give of themselves and should be commended, whether it's their time, talents, or their money. Finally, he added that thinking of someone who certainly contributed greatly to our society and a person who served others in a big way and lived a life of honor was President Jimmy Carter, who passed away this last week.

Council Member Dennis wished everyone a Happy New Year.

Council Member Miller wished everyone a Happy New Year and also stated that he is grateful to have been a part of the City Council in 2024 and thankful for the many great things that have been accomplished. Many votes were unanimous, which says a lot for all of them working together. He is looking forward to 2025 and hopes that the City has another wonderful year.

Mayor Schwartzman also wished everyone a Happy New Year. He also stated that 2025 is a propitious year and we are a quarter of the way through this century, which is pretty amazing.

He noted that he teaches a lot of students who actually were born in this century, and they don't fully understand that 25 years is a big milestone. He agreed that there are a lot of things that have been accomplished as Council Member Miller indicated, and as seen in the budget, there is a lot to be accomplished this year as well. This will require the diligence of the City Council and the staff, but it will also require public input. When the City engages in big projects, we need the input of the community. Hopefully other Council Members will be requesting that input as things evolve, as there is a lot to do in the next 12 months. The Mayor agreed that the City will need to deal with the housing issue, as well as transportation, and he hopes to make continued progress with the homeless issue. He thanked those who attended on a cold night, and added that the Council will be seeking their input over the course of the next several months to make 2025 as successful as 2024.

Council Member Cheesman moved, seconded by Council Member Miller, to adjourn into executive session at 6:19 p.m. for the purposes of discussing approval of the executive session meeting for November 4, 2024, 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(21) and Litigation 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(11).

Roll Call #9:

Ayes: Council Members Hix, Dennis, Miller, White, Acerra, Carrington, and Cheesman, 7.

Nays: None

Absent: None

Chairman declared the motion carried.

During the Executive Session, Council Member Carrington moved, seconded by Council Member Acerra, to adjourn the Executive Session at 7:02 p.m.

Roll Call #10:

January 6, 2025 Page 5 of 6

Ayes: Council Members Hix, Dennis, Miller, White, Acerra, Carrington, and Cheesman, 7.

Nays: None

Absent: None

Chairman declared the motion carried.

There being no further business, Council Member Acerra moved, seconded by Council Member Dennis, to adjourn the regular meeting at 7:02 p.m.

Roll Call #11:

Ayes: Council Members Hix, Dennis, Miller, White, Acerra, Carrington, and Cheesman, 7.

Nays: None

Absent: None

Chairman declared the motion carried.

https://www.ci.galesburg.il.us/Document_Center/Agendas%20and%20Minutes/City%20Council/2025/010625%20City%20Council%20Meeting%20Minutes.pdf