WEBVTT

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Fathers, God, lead this council meeting tonight and every time we meet by your Holy Spirit.

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Let every discussion, let every resolution be good for the people of Freeport.

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Let no burdens fall upon the citizens that will cause any more financial hardships.

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Father God, set straight any crooked places and any cracks in the foundations of the laws and ordinances set forth in this city.

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Proverbs 2 says,

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When wisdom enters the heart and knowledge is pleasant to the soul

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Good sense

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Will look out for you. Understanding will keep us. We ask it all in Jesus Christ's name. Amen

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Thank you, so we'll officially call this meeting to order madam clerk, would you please take the roll mayor Miller here Alder persons Clem

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Monroe here Simmons is absent Parker here Stacy

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B.C. Here. Shadle? Here. Sanders? Here. And Sellers? Here. And could you please stand

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for the Pledge of Allegiance in light of Alderman Persons Simmons being absent. Alderman Parker,

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would you lead? Yes, ma'am. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America

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and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty

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and Alderman Parker if you wouldn't mind chairing this meeting okay well we called

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the meeting to order you can skip down to item number four number four okay okay

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need approval agenda so move second Clem and Monroe all in favor

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Number five. You have to ask for a post. Oh, need a vote on that? No, you're okay. Just ask if anyone opposes. Oh, okay. Anybody opposes that agenda? Thank you. Public comments? You got to do the minutes. Item number five. Approval of the minutes from the Committee of a Whole held on March 10th, 2025. So moved. Second.

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Shadel. Anybody opposed? Anybody? Let's vote on it. Anybody opposed? All them in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? Thank you. Now we'll try this. Public comments. We got three. Cheryl Altman. You got three minutes. Please give them your name. Good evening. My name is Cheryl Altman. My first concern is the discussion of

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with the ordinance.

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This ordinance was passed by you in 2017.

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You didn't follow the ordinance,

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but that's not the only ordinance

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that the city of Freeport does not follow.

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The fast track, instead of counting on the landlords

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to fix their property,

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how about the city be responsible for their properties?

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Matter of fact, one of your donors, your biggest donor,

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bought a whole bunch of properties on the tax sale.

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And they're the biggest piles of crap

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on the city of Freeport, along with the Raleigh building.

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My next one is about replacing Joshua

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with a guy that's a criminal.

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You can sit there and smile at me Mayor, I don't care.

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You smirking, that just shows you

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how much you care about the citizens of Freeport.

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You're replacing it with a criminal

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and he's got recent charges on him

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coming up for serious charges.

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So sit there and smirk all you want.

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But the city of Freeport, the people of Freeport

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will catch up with you.

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Next one is Linda Johnson, number 11.

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Hi, I'm Linda Johnson and Mayor Jodi

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and Manager, Boyer and Council.

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I'm addressing Ordinance 11.

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I questioned several people in my area,

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some I know and some I don't know.

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Following is the information and questions

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I presented to them as well as the results

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of those who responded.

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The first thing, I gave them a scenario.

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A person who has worked several years in a position

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that does not require living within the city limits,

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serve faithfully and are advanced to a higher position

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that has the requirement to live within city limits.

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I asked, should that person be required to move

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if they are not able to move?

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And the answer was that 92% said no,

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8% said it depends on the circumstance.

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The second question, should that person lose

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their opportunity if they're not able to move?

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92% said no, 8% said it depends on the circumstances.

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The third question, should the ordinance be changed

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to remove the stipulation that certain leaders

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live within city limits except for the city manager?

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44% said no, 55% said yes.

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A few that said yes stated that the people

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in these positions should live either within the county

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or in a three to 10 mile radius.

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One said the fire chief, police chief, and city manager

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should live within the city limits.

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Question number four, shall the council be empowered

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to make exceptions to the rules of the ordinance at any time?

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50% said yes and 50% said no.

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Also the argument regarding a person

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living outside the city limits

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not supporting this city financially

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is not necessarily true.

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In my working days, I worked in a different city

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than I lived in.

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I would buy groceries and gas and gifts

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in the city I worked in more than I did

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in the city I lived in because on my lunch hour

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I could go, it was quick, it was easy

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plus there was a different variety of stores

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in the place I lived in.

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So those who live outside the city

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We probably do provide some finances and taxes to this city and gas and food and other things.

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The bottom line is there was an issue with the ordinance.

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We can't change what happened yesterday, but we can take steps today to ensure that

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it does not happen again.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Okay.

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Next one, you get three minutes, Rhonda Scott.

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Good afternoon.

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I'm Rhonda Scott.

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I'm here to speak on the Lamb Road Tiff.

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I have my statement in writing with an attachment and I would like to submit it into the record

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if that's possible and we can discuss that later.

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The Lamb Road TIF is a tax increment financing district.

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It is a development that was formed as an industrial TIF in 2003 for the purpose of

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retaining and creating more industrial jobs which the community was losing.

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The development is located on the south end of town at Lamb Road and Route 26 where we

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where we had existing manufacturing including Sega, Tri-State, Metals, Honeywell, and a

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few others.

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I served on the Planning Commission in 2005 when plans were submitted to build a Walmart

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Superstore and a Menards Big Store within the boundaries of an industrial TIF.

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At the time there were concerns for the Planning Commission.

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Why were we moving existing Walmart and Menards stores into a Freeport TIF district in an

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and industrial area.

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They both needed bigger stores

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and the city's strategic plan had already identified

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that the future retail development site

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would be Route 20 and Route 26

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where the city had invested significant amounts of tax dollars

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to extend water service and a lift station to make it happen.

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But why didn't it happen?

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The explanation given by the group of developers

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at the Planning Commission in 2005

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was that moving the stores into the TIF by doing that,

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those new property tax dollars from Walmart Menards

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would be redirected from the community

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for the purpose of generating

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an industrial manufacturing job complex.

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To date, the Lamb Road TIF has collected $10 million

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in property tax and diverted it from our community.

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These property taxes have been used to pay development costs

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for various expenditures, including project construction,

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Huffines.

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In the last 20 years, we've been receiving tax dollars, legal fees, engineering studies,

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and marketing costs, and I've got them for you right here, all the people who've been

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receiving tax dollars.

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In 20 years, no manufacturing plants have received TIF funds to create new jobs.

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Only two existing industrial businesses have benefited.

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Sega Vending Machine Plant, owned by Steve Chesney, received $175,000, and Tri-State

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Menard's stores received 2.5 million in property taxes.

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So now with projects completed, there is a surplus of $3.8 million.

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Their surplus is being misused.

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Freeport Greater Partnership has received $1.3 million without accomplishing the mission

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of creating new manufacturing jobs.

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While they may be doing marketing and promoting for the entire city, the TIF eligible requirements

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may be doing marketing and promoting for the entire city

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the TIF eligible requirements limit the cost

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of marketing projects in the TIF to

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promoting the project to developers.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Number seven, Greater Freeport Partnership

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quarterly presentation.

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Ms. Winters.

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We're gonna distribute.

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We're gonna distribute some materials to you while I begin the presentation so bear with us

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You will also receive an updated version of our quarterly report when we mail that over

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Thank you so much appreciate that

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Tonight's presentation will cover highlights from our work in our key strategic focus areas

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This information has been outlined in more detail in our monthly board reports that you receive as well as our first quarter report

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Huffines.

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We have the report that you received in your packets. This

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is a reminder that this is a summary of our efforts in

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strategic focus areas, which are identified specific metrics in

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measuring progress to the goals. Just as a reminder, we've

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broken these. These are our key focus strategic, key strategic

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focus areas, excuse me, and that's how we've outlined our

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work in our quarterly report, and that's how we will proceed

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We will expand the boundaries of the Enterprise Zone to enable this project, and construction

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is slated for later this summer.

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Many of the workforce for this manufacturing plant are residents of Freeport.

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We hosted a vehicle manufacturer for site tours of existing buildings in Freeport.

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This is a direct result of our efforts promoting existing buildings and sites to intersect

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Illinois.

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The former visitor center building was sold late last year and is now home to AutoSmart

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which opened April 1st.

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This is a high-end consignment car dealership.

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The business has relocated from a Chicago-Collar County location and is already planning an

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expansion.

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We started our second year of our entrepreneurship program base camp, Bill will talk about this

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more later in the presentation, and in February our annual dinner recognized 10 individuals

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and organizations doing great work in the region.

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We were able to connect with and do business visitation visits with 33 businesses this

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last quarter.

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The information of some of the things that we heard was that geopolitical uncertainties

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and the ever-changing tariff regulations have created interest in some energy but has paused

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investment in others.

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Many are still operating under the wait-and-see attitude.

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Due to this economic uncertainty, our business support programming was really tailored to

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meet the questions that businesses were struggling with.

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We had the administrator for the foreign trade zone

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come and talk about the benefits of the foreign trade zone

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and how that can help a business defer tariffs.

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We also had the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center

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provide information on their supply chain portal.

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As businesses try to onshore, reshore,

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alter their supply chain, it's great for them

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to understand the resources that are there

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so that they can locate other vendors.

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It's also a great opportunity for our manufacturers

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to list their product and or service on this portal

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to be match made or matchmaker with other manufacturers.

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We assisted nine entrepreneurs

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in business development process

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plus the four current students that are in base camp.

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And we helped four businesses apply

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for a DCO small grant program.

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That application was just submitted last Monday.

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We hope to know that, we hope to find out

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that one of them have received some funding,

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if not all, early June.

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In Workforce Solutions, we continue to work on projects

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and initiatives with our partners

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to build our local workforce pipeline.

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We partnered with Midland Institute CEO

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Entrepreneurship Leadership Program

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to help our educational partners and business community.

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This program helps high school students

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learn how to start their businesses

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and be community leaders.

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The program is currently under development and programming

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and we're meeting with Freeport High School admin

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as well as teachers.

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And we plan to launch the fall of 2026.

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We had a wonderful meeting that manager Boyer

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and Mayor Miller were able to participate

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with executives from Honeywell early in the quarter.

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And they talked about the planned growth

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for Honeywell here.

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The locations for what plant one and plant four do here

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and others are instrumental to their overall operation.

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And they project nothing but growth.

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But their barrier for growth is workforce.

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And follow up conversation with them.

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We've connected them with Freeport High School,

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CareerTech and Highland Community College

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to talk about and help identify the programs

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that are already in existence

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and how Honeywell could partner with them

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to meet their needs.

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So we're having a tour of those facilities

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at different Highland at Freeport High School,

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talking with some students on Wednesday afternoon.

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In housing, we have partnered

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with the NAACP Housing Committee as well as the United Way

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to host a series of stakeholder engagement sessions.

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One of the flyers that was distributed to you

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was a notice of a stakeholder engagement session

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that will be May 1st.

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This is your invitation to attend, I hope you do.

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And childcare, we have surveyed,

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distributed a survey gauging the impact

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Child Care Shortage to our partners.

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Responses will help us develop a public information campaign

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in the second quarter.

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In this last quarter, we received 17 new business

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attraction leads.

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Eight of those leads came from Intersect, Illinois.

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Five of those leads we were able to respond to

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and submit proposals for existing sites

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and buildings that we have here in Freeport

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and Stevenson County.

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Three we could not respond to

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because we lacked sites that were over 100 acres

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and one because they were looking for an existing building

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and we did not have an existing facility

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that met the site or the specific requirements

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the company asked for.

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We had nine leads that were generated

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from local businesses or government agencies.

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Four of those were new businesses to the area

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and five were existing businesses

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that would like to expand or relocate within the area.

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I'm now gonna turn it over to Bill

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who's gonna talk about membership.

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Good evening.

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So membership, we had a good membership quarter.

00:17:00.700 --> 00:17:02.539
Our membership stayed strong.

00:17:02.539 --> 00:17:06.619
We added 18 new members to the partnership.

00:17:06.619 --> 00:17:09.860
And as you can see up on there, the basic breakdown

00:17:09.860 --> 00:17:12.579
is 249 basic members.

00:17:12.579 --> 00:17:14.660
That's our base level membership.

00:17:14.660 --> 00:17:19.099
120 are not-for-profit, courtesy or individuals.

00:17:19.099 --> 00:17:22.139
Courtesy is often government individuals.

00:17:22.139 --> 00:17:26.660
and then 39 are partner level or government partners.

00:17:26.660 --> 00:17:31.660
We had a very good retention rate of 97, almost 98%.

00:17:32.420 --> 00:17:35.819
One of the nice things about a lot of the new members

00:17:35.819 --> 00:17:39.740
is a lot of them came to us as referrals from other members

00:17:39.740 --> 00:17:44.039
and that's always a sign I feel that they like

00:17:44.039 --> 00:17:47.519
what we're doing so they want others to join also.

00:17:48.779 --> 00:17:50.680
Wanna also talk about Base Camp.

00:17:50.680 --> 00:17:54.579
Basecamp is a program we created last year

00:17:54.579 --> 00:17:59.579
to serve entrepreneurs and new and small businesses

00:17:59.779 --> 00:18:03.400
to provide them, expose them to some of the resources

00:18:03.400 --> 00:18:07.000
and information that can help them succeed.

00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:11.319
And we all know starting a business is a risky endeavor

00:18:11.319 --> 00:18:13.400
and we wanna make it a little less risky

00:18:13.400 --> 00:18:15.319
and give them a little more tools.

00:18:15.319 --> 00:18:20.319
What we do is we, in this year, we had six classes

00:18:20.680 --> 00:18:25.960
plus a bonus class for not-for-profits that students could come to.

00:18:25.960 --> 00:18:30.840
They were taught by local leaders and the reason we do that is not only do we want to share the

00:18:30.840 --> 00:18:35.400
information with those entrepreneurs and business people but we want to help them build their

00:18:35.400 --> 00:18:40.360
network, help them connect with people that can help them and that's exactly what happened.

00:18:41.960 --> 00:18:47.480
We had the last class last Tuesday and we talked about that and some of the a lot of the members

00:18:47.480 --> 00:18:51.639
and others have already reached out back out to some of the instructors to follow up on

00:18:51.639 --> 00:18:55.720
some questions, to work on business plans and things like that.

00:18:55.720 --> 00:18:56.720
So that's the idea.

00:18:56.720 --> 00:19:00.880
You know, it's not just here's the information, but we also want to help them build that network

00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:04.119
because we all know that's a big part of what we're doing.

00:19:04.119 --> 00:19:11.299
We had a diverse group again this year covering a lot of different areas of business.

00:19:11.299 --> 00:19:19.320
One of the two fun little points, one business opened their doors during base camp.

00:19:19.320 --> 00:19:22.460
That was the full circle cafe in the library.

00:19:22.460 --> 00:19:29.099
Kate and Amara are part of the base camp and they got to open their doors and have, from

00:19:29.099 --> 00:19:32.179
all I can see, been doing pretty well.

00:19:32.179 --> 00:19:35.920
Another person, and this has happened both years that we've done base camp, totally

00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:37.799
changed what they were going to do.

00:19:37.799 --> 00:19:39.920
They changed their mind and they went in a different direction.

00:19:39.920 --> 00:19:44.440
got some information, started thinking about it, and kind of got some clarity.

00:19:44.440 --> 00:19:45.440
So that's why we do it.

00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:52.079
We look at an opportunity to help give people some opportunity to know what's going on,

00:19:52.079 --> 00:19:57.480
and to kind of think through things before they make big investments.

00:19:57.480 --> 00:19:57.980
and now...

00:19:57.980 --> 00:20:06.650
So and now Nicole come and talk about marketing in the region. Thank you. I won't spend too much time on bullet one

00:20:06.650 --> 00:20:12.089
We passed it all out. We created and distributed the community guide the annual community guide

00:20:12.089 --> 00:20:16.470
Which serves as both our member directory as well as our visitor directory

00:20:16.529 --> 00:20:20.730
We know that there is a lot of ability to cross promote those two audiences

00:20:20.730 --> 00:20:22.890
So that's why we put it together in one guide

00:20:23.369 --> 00:20:26.250
Also the creation of the rediscover your downtown brochure

00:20:26.250 --> 00:20:27.250
Miller.

00:20:27.250 --> 00:20:31.529
We use this as a tool so that downtown businesses can cross promote each other and also the

00:20:31.529 --> 00:20:36.609
events that are happening not just on behalf of the partnership, but all events through

00:20:36.609 --> 00:20:37.990
downtown Freeport.

00:20:37.990 --> 00:20:40.089
And then that's accompanied with a map as well.

00:20:40.089 --> 00:20:43.710
So if people are new to the area, they can figure things out.

00:20:43.710 --> 00:20:49.410
Our talent attraction and retention plans for marketing and creating a campaign to keep

00:20:49.410 --> 00:20:54.789
people here, help employers keep people here and recruit new people.

00:20:54.789 --> 00:21:08.789
We're using a nationally recognized company to kind of put all of our ducks in a row, so we have a really well developed strategy for who we want to recruit and how best to get them here.

00:21:08.789 --> 00:21:15.789
And that strategy will be brought to all of you in second quarter. They've met with all of our stakeholders and they were actually in town last week.

00:21:15.789 --> 00:21:23.789
It was a fantastic visit. They see a lot of potential in Freeport and we're looking forward to seeing that report come full circle here in the next 60 days.

00:21:23.789 --> 00:21:30.789
We co-hosted the Illinois Underground Railroad exhibit with Lincoln-Douglas Society and the Freeport Public Library.

00:21:30.789 --> 00:21:37.789
It was a great success bringing new people into the library. It was great to have it over spring break so that families could go take advantage of that.

00:21:37.789 --> 00:21:45.789
There were four accompanying educational programs and all had at least 50 people in the room, which was phenomenal,

00:21:45.789 --> 00:21:50.789
and all of our speakers were very impressed with the people that we were able to bring for that program.

00:21:50.789 --> 00:21:59.750
In visitor attraction, our visitor campaigns have been finalized and those will all be starting in early May.

00:21:59.750 --> 00:22:04.950
Choose your adventure and rediscover your downtown are our two themes that we continue to stay with here.

00:22:04.950 --> 00:22:14.150
Also, despite decreased occupancy rates in 2024 that you have seen on that graph that we put on the back page of the quarterly reports,

00:22:14.150 --> 00:22:44.150
We pay very close attention to data because hotel-motel tax is the majority of the funding that we receive from the City of Freeport so it's very important to us that we keep a close eye on what that fund continues to do in the City of Freeport and both the City of Freeport and Stevenson County saw an increase of three percent of hotel-motel tax from 2023 to 2024. What that means is the

00:22:44.150 --> 00:22:49.150
and the average revenue per room was higher in 24 than 2023.

00:22:50.509 --> 00:22:54.150
Obviously some corporate rates get a discount.

00:22:54.150 --> 00:22:56.869
So we just had more tourists that pay full rate

00:22:56.869 --> 00:22:59.710
and less of those corporate rates coming in.

00:22:59.710 --> 00:23:02.069
So something that we like to see.

00:23:02.069 --> 00:23:05.389
We also organized a passport visitation program.

00:23:05.389 --> 00:23:09.349
One is a renewal of our Northwest Illinois Ale Trail

00:23:09.349 --> 00:23:12.150
that cross promotes our breweries with Joe Davis County.

00:23:12.150 --> 00:23:17.750
and also we're very excited that our local historical museums, we have a I believe eight

00:23:18.470 --> 00:23:23.029
and then if you count the Engine Museum and a couple other it's 10 that are going to be doing

00:23:23.029 --> 00:23:27.430
their own cross-promotion program from May through September and we're very excited to

00:23:27.430 --> 00:23:31.750
be able to help cross-promote all of those really fantastic gems in Stevenson County.

00:23:32.470 --> 00:23:41.720
Thank you. We'll take questions now. Any questions? Yes, I have a question.

00:23:41.720 --> 00:23:53.490
You spoke about AutoSmart opening April 1st. Did you have anything to do with that AutoSmart

00:23:53.490 --> 00:23:59.170
coming? Yes, we met with that business. We talked about the Enterprise Zone and they

00:23:59.170 --> 00:24:05.389
are hoping to expand. They filled the building with cars and they want to put another building

00:24:05.389 --> 00:24:09.730
on the lot, but we need to expand the Enterprise Zone to do so. So we're going to help them

00:24:09.730 --> 00:24:12.009
and some of them expand their business.

00:24:12.009 --> 00:24:15.569
I believe there was also some relationships

00:24:15.569 --> 00:24:19.089
between somebody who was a member of the board,

00:24:19.089 --> 00:24:23.009
the ownership board, the nonprofit that owned the facility

00:24:23.009 --> 00:24:25.869
had some connection in the car industry,

00:24:25.869 --> 00:24:29.490
the classic car shows with this dealership

00:24:29.490 --> 00:24:31.569
that was in the Collar Counties.

00:24:31.569 --> 00:24:34.069
And how did you say we're gonna help them expand?

00:24:34.069 --> 00:24:48.069
So the partnership administers the Northwest Illinois Enterprise Zone and I in the few months I will probably be coming before you asking to expand the Northwest Illinois Enterprise Zone.

00:24:48.069 --> 00:24:58.069
So that's an incentive zone that the state has basically allowed us to have to help incentivize business development.

00:24:58.069 --> 00:25:05.069
and that expands and it's in areas of Freeport, Stevenson County and Joe Davis

00:25:05.069 --> 00:25:15.740
County. Okay the 17 new business leads you spoke about, how many of them have

00:25:15.740 --> 00:25:25.110
committed and are coming? Well the five existing businesses that expand or

00:25:25.110 --> 00:25:30.130
relocate they've committed they're here. So the four new businesses starting are

00:25:30.130 --> 00:25:31.130
Huffines.

00:25:31.130 --> 00:25:47.670
And then as of right now, one of the leads that we had from Intersect Illinois, the business

00:25:47.670 --> 00:25:52.849
I talked about that came to give a tour, or we gave them a tour of existing facilities,

00:25:52.849 --> 00:25:57.170
they took that information back to their board of directors and they're evaluating it.

00:25:57.170 --> 00:25:58.170
Huffines.

00:25:58.170 --> 00:26:01.329
So we're looking at some of the factors that are beyond our control right now.

00:26:01.329 --> 00:26:06.289
It's, they're looking at geopolitical situations between Canada and the United States to make

00:26:06.289 --> 00:26:11.170
a determination of whether they're going to relocate some of their manufacturing here

00:26:11.170 --> 00:26:12.650
to Freeport.

00:26:12.650 --> 00:26:15.730
So, some factors that are a little bit beyond our control.

00:26:15.730 --> 00:26:19.930
Okay, you said base camp.

00:26:19.930 --> 00:26:23.170
Six classes taught by local leaders.

00:26:23.170 --> 00:26:25.210
Who are those local leaders?

00:26:25.210 --> 00:26:26.690
from the Community Development Department

00:26:26.690 --> 00:26:29.269
talking about the city regulation.

00:26:29.269 --> 00:26:33.809
We had some local bankers to talk about finance.

00:26:33.809 --> 00:26:36.049
We had the Small Business Development Center

00:26:36.049 --> 00:26:38.930
talking about how to develop a business plan.

00:26:38.930 --> 00:26:41.190
Ashley came and talked about some of the resources

00:26:41.190 --> 00:26:42.230
at the library.

00:26:43.170 --> 00:26:47.250
And we had marketing people come and talk about marketing.

00:26:47.250 --> 00:26:50.170
Attorneys, yes, to talk about some of the legal issues

00:26:50.170 --> 00:26:52.849
you have to look at, business structures and all that.

00:26:52.849 --> 00:26:54.970
So we had a wide range of people.

00:26:54.970 --> 00:26:59.930
Okay, so how does one find out about these classes?

00:26:59.930 --> 00:27:05.049
We market when enrollment is open, we market it pretty widely.

00:27:05.049 --> 00:27:09.889
We do a lot of advertising and I don't know, we do radio,

00:27:09.889 --> 00:27:14.930
we do print, we do online advertising to promote it.

00:27:14.930 --> 00:27:20.009
Did you all know about these classes?

00:27:20.009 --> 00:27:22.559
Okay.

00:27:22.559 --> 00:27:26.259
Any more questions?

00:27:26.259 --> 00:27:27.059
I do.

00:27:27.059 --> 00:27:34.139
Monroe. Thank you. This is probably going to expand a little bit but from the last

00:27:34.139 --> 00:27:38.180
presentation you gave a quarter ago how many of those businesses that you put on

00:27:38.180 --> 00:27:42.900
the new businesses starting or interested in the area have committed to

00:27:42.900 --> 00:27:49.799
moving to this area? And I apologize I don't have a list of right in front of

00:27:49.799 --> 00:27:56.799
my my face but um I know some of the businesses we're working with a project

00:27:56.799 --> 00:27:57.360
and

00:27:57.360 --> 00:27:57.799
James.

00:27:57.799 --> 00:27:58.799
I'm going to be honest.

00:27:58.799 --> 00:28:02.720
If a salesperson told me that, they didn't know, and they were talking about their territory,

00:28:02.720 --> 00:28:05.720
I would probably ask them why they're not doing their job.

00:28:05.720 --> 00:28:06.720
Point blank.

00:28:06.720 --> 00:28:13.720
I know that's a little harsh, but flat out, not knowing who, what, when, what to do, what

00:28:13.720 --> 00:28:15.720
to do, is not going to help them.

00:28:15.720 --> 00:28:17.720
So I think that's a little bit of a challenge.

00:28:17.720 --> 00:28:19.720
I think that's a little bit of a challenge.

00:28:19.720 --> 00:28:21.720
I think that's a little bit of a challenge.

00:28:21.720 --> 00:28:22.720
Fowler.

00:28:22.720 --> 00:28:23.720
That's a little harsh.

00:28:23.720 --> 00:28:30.000
But flat out, not knowing who, what, when, where coming to this city, that's why we're

00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:31.480
not getting anything.

00:28:31.480 --> 00:28:35.980
We're not working those leads and opportunities the way we should.

00:28:35.980 --> 00:28:41.599
Maybe if we weren't paying to put elevators in our buddies' buildings and putting business

00:28:41.599 --> 00:28:48.659
money into other entities that exist already here, a single owner business type of thing,

00:28:48.659 --> 00:28:53.860
We're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars coming out of funds that the city could desperately

00:28:53.860 --> 00:29:01.360
need and does need to expand our footprint for opportunities to come here.

00:29:01.360 --> 00:29:05.820
Because the biggest problem that we run into, we don't have 100 plus acre sites.

00:29:05.820 --> 00:29:11.460
We don't have water, sewer, power hooked up to places.

00:29:11.460 --> 00:29:15.940
And the reason we don't have that is because we keep giving all of our buddies within a

00:29:15.940 --> 00:29:20.480
and a small group of people the money to put into their businesses that they haven't paid

00:29:20.480 --> 00:29:22.440
back yet.

00:29:22.440 --> 00:29:28.079
So that special treatment and funding will stop us from ever being able to bring a business

00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:32.700
here that's meaningful and will bring jobs to the community.

00:29:32.700 --> 00:29:37.099
And we have to get to the bottom of what's going on already.

00:29:37.099 --> 00:29:41.079
So we've lost high V, the truck stop sounds like it's dead out in Lena now.

00:29:41.079 --> 00:29:45.220
So Stevenson County, even though it doesn't really, we gave up some of our enterprise

00:29:45.220 --> 00:29:49.659
Zone to that area to help develop that business, and now we're going to...

00:29:49.659 --> 00:29:54.659
We didn't give up any of our Enterprise Zone boundary or area to that project.

00:29:54.659 --> 00:29:55.940
We went through the process...

00:29:55.940 --> 00:30:03.000
We went through the process for the enterprise zone boundary expansion. The company that was leading that development decided to stop.

00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:14.000
I encouraged them to finish the application since we were 95% done in case they wanted to green light the project. They decided not to.

00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:20.000
So that is an area that I think was under about five acres, still in the zone.

00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:25.759
I'm not exactly sure what fund unless you're referring to a TIF fund that

00:30:25.759 --> 00:30:29.240
you're talking about. Are you implying that the partnership is giving money

00:30:29.240 --> 00:30:36.339
away? Potentially and the question I've got is when we get into the TIF

00:30:36.339 --> 00:30:40.720
districts and the TIF dollars that's going on around the city of Freeport and

00:30:40.720 --> 00:30:46.279
I start going through documents that were presented to me, I start asking

00:30:46.279 --> 00:30:48.279
and I have had a lot of questions.

00:30:49.420 --> 00:30:51.420
$95,161 to Sega.

00:30:52.740 --> 00:30:57.740
I look at another instance of money given to the Wagner house

00:30:57.740 --> 00:30:59.740
for an elevator.

00:31:01.039 --> 00:31:05.039
And these things are stopping or inhibiting our ability to

00:31:05.039 --> 00:31:11.039
expand upon shovel-ready ground, which I've heard for literally

00:31:11.039 --> 00:31:13.039
almost eight years.

00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:18.279
I think it's great. One of the things that was mentioned about the Lamb Road TIF is it did enable and help

00:31:18.279 --> 00:31:25.039
tri-star metals to expand and build in addition to their facility, which did create jobs. Any TIF

00:31:25.799 --> 00:31:27.619
redevelopment agreement is

00:31:27.619 --> 00:31:34.460
not approved by the partnership. It's approved by this governing body that's precise. It's meeting right here, right now.

00:31:35.319 --> 00:31:39.400
So you're saying the GFP has no input into where any of that?

00:31:39.400 --> 00:31:44.400
No, I think that we definitely have conversations with city administration and community development

00:31:44.400 --> 00:31:49.680
in the business about the TIF is an incentive tool just as the Northwest Illinois Enterprise

00:31:49.680 --> 00:31:57.680
Zone is as well. But we can't make decisions on how TIF funds are being spent. That's all

00:31:57.680 --> 00:32:02.720
of your job. We can make recommendations. We can talk about pros and cons. We can talk

00:32:02.720 --> 00:32:07.299
about when the Enterprise Zone would be more beneficial than the TIF district. TIF funds

00:32:07.299 --> 00:32:08.299
Huffines.

00:32:08.299 --> 00:32:11.860
We're happy to break those all down.

00:32:11.860 --> 00:32:14.500
And that's part of the expertise we bring.

00:32:14.500 --> 00:32:19.900
But then it's a redevelopment agreement would be decided upon by this governing body.

00:32:19.900 --> 00:32:21.460
Mr. Parker?

00:32:21.460 --> 00:32:24.940
Yes, Mr. Klemm.

00:32:24.940 --> 00:32:30.900
It's a little unfair to attack greater Freeport partnership for a couple of things you mentioned

00:32:30.900 --> 00:32:33.539
because all of that was done through the city council.

00:32:33.539 --> 00:32:40.539
Okay, you were not a member of it at the time. I don't know some of the history, just so you can pick up on some of the history.

00:32:40.539 --> 00:32:48.539
The elevator project that you talked about came from a revolving loan fund that the city of Freeport had.

00:32:48.539 --> 00:32:56.539
The state of Illinois called all the revolving loan funds back and said, either use them or turn them back to us at this date.

00:32:56.539 --> 00:33:01.539
One person applied for that revolving loan.

00:33:01.539 --> 00:33:03.700
and nobody else would apply for it.

00:33:03.700 --> 00:33:06.059
That person inherited it.

00:33:06.059 --> 00:33:10.099
The $95,000 that was given to Sega,

00:33:10.099 --> 00:33:12.460
that's the most controversial thing in the world

00:33:12.460 --> 00:33:15.019
and it was all done by this council.

00:33:15.019 --> 00:33:17.220
So you can own this council for that.

00:33:17.220 --> 00:33:21.819
Mr. Chesney came to the council

00:33:21.819 --> 00:33:26.180
and whined that he had been not getting a bunch of money,

00:33:26.180 --> 00:33:29.059
but it turned out that in the process

00:33:29.059 --> 00:33:32.139
when he cut a deal with the City of Freeport,

00:33:32.139 --> 00:33:36.380
the following year he applied to get his taxes cut

00:33:36.380 --> 00:33:38.519
because he didn't agree with them and they were.

00:33:38.519 --> 00:33:42.220
So he received monies that really weren't entitled to him

00:33:42.220 --> 00:33:43.900
if you want to look at it that way.

00:33:43.900 --> 00:33:47.259
I was one of the only two opposing votes to that.

00:33:47.259 --> 00:33:52.259
So, you know, these guys, City Greater Freeport Partnership

00:33:53.460 --> 00:33:54.920
doesn't give away money.

00:33:54.920 --> 00:33:58.380
If somebody's giving away money, it's the eight people up here.

00:33:59.059 --> 00:34:06.500
you know any other comments since you brought it up I'll read adopted April

00:34:06.500 --> 00:34:13.539
23rd 2018 eyes clem mcclanahan Smith busker brash a keister and there was one

00:34:13.539 --> 00:34:23.860
abstention you flat-out just lied on the floor you voted yes for what that what

00:34:23.860 --> 00:34:28.420
What is that? Is it a pile of shit or is it something you can talk about?

00:34:28.420 --> 00:34:29.900
It's a FOIA document, buddy.

00:34:29.900 --> 00:34:35.340
Well, that's okay. You come up with all this crap and you've done absolutely nothing to

00:34:35.340 --> 00:34:40.739
do anything to move the city of Freeport forward in the last six months, other than moan and

00:34:40.739 --> 00:34:46.300
groan about every member of the city that you have for employees and their board.

00:34:46.300 --> 00:34:49.220
Hey, let's get back to the subject here.

00:34:49.220 --> 00:34:50.220
Pardon me.

00:34:50.220 --> 00:34:51.220
The liar.

00:34:51.220 --> 00:34:52.220
Rachel's got a comment.

00:34:52.220 --> 00:35:08.220
I do have a question. Thank you for your presentation this evening. Both of you, thank you for your input. My question is though, as is public record, we pay you approximately about $400,000 a year upfront that everybody's aware of.

00:35:08.220 --> 00:35:21.220
What return outside of helping people apply for grants have you brought to the city? We are looking for industrial jobs. We're not looking for you to piggyback on events that have already happened initially that you have started.

00:35:21.220 --> 00:35:27.940
you have started what return can you say that you have brought to the city i think right now in this

00:35:27.940 --> 00:35:35.460
economy it's what jobs have we retained nope new that's my question we have honeywell has been here

00:35:35.460 --> 00:35:42.579
for years new jobs outside of minimum wage fast food restaurants that you've piggybacked on that

00:35:42.579 --> 00:35:48.579
have already decided they are coming here what new jobs have you brought to freeport illinois

00:35:48.579 --> 00:35:53.940
So if a new, if an existing company is expanding, you don't count those jobs?

00:35:53.940 --> 00:35:58.820
New company, please. Not existing. New companies. My question is new companies.

00:35:58.820 --> 00:36:06.500
And you just want specific manufacturing? Trayback Automotive. Trayback Automation, excuse me.

00:36:06.500 --> 00:36:12.260
They were outside of the city of Freeport. They're a small manufacturing company.

00:36:12.260 --> 00:36:18.340
They were in a really rural location, and they now are renting space in the first McNeist building.

00:36:18.340 --> 00:36:25.059
I would like to make a comment about it. Treyback's leaving the city. I'm sorry to hear that. Yeah, me too.

00:36:26.380 --> 00:36:27.980
Can you

00:36:27.980 --> 00:36:30.539
One more, one more time, go. Can you

00:36:31.019 --> 00:36:38.500
expand on Treyback? Were they already interested in the city or is this a lead that you reached out to and through your work process?

00:36:39.460 --> 00:36:41.779
Excuse me. And if so, how many jobs did that create?

00:36:42.579 --> 00:36:46.539
I think it's a small manufacturing and at the time they had

00:36:46.539 --> 00:36:51.539
We had somewhere between like under 10 employees.

00:36:52.019 --> 00:36:54.139
So I can't give you a breakdown right now.

00:36:54.139 --> 00:36:55.800
I don't know.

00:36:55.800 --> 00:37:00.800
And so yes, they were in a really rural location

00:37:02.279 --> 00:37:04.579
and they had a problem with freight getting in and out.

00:37:04.579 --> 00:37:07.460
And so they wanted something that had easier access

00:37:07.460 --> 00:37:08.779
for transportation.

00:37:08.779 --> 00:37:11.860
They were an automation company that worked

00:37:11.860 --> 00:37:15.960
with the food manufacturing industry.

00:37:15.960 --> 00:37:25.079
Thank you. Any more questions? Okay, we'll move on to number eight, unless you had something else to say.

00:37:27.079 --> 00:37:36.679
Discussion regarding revision to Fehr Graham letter of recommendation to lead service line replacement, phase four, manager Boyer.

00:37:36.679 --> 00:37:45.639
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On April 7th, 2025, the City Council approved a bid for five-star energy for lead service line replacement, phase four.

00:37:45.639 --> 00:37:49.440
This memo is for clarification of a conflicting amount

00:37:49.440 --> 00:37:51.699
and so we're clarifying that today.

00:37:51.699 --> 00:37:55.159
Fehr Graham bid recommendation letter inadvertently

00:37:55.159 --> 00:37:59.159
had a typo in the full project amount

00:37:59.159 --> 00:38:01.340
that did not match the submitted memo.

00:38:01.340 --> 00:38:04.199
This was discovered when issuing the notice of intent

00:38:04.199 --> 00:38:08.300
to award based on the IEPA concurrence of the bid.

00:38:08.300 --> 00:38:11.840
To confirm to the original city memo was correct,

00:38:11.840 --> 00:38:15.239
Five Star Services LLC out of Waukesha, Wisconsin

00:38:15.239 --> 00:38:21.320
was the low bidder at $19,731 per base bid total.

00:38:21.320 --> 00:38:24.079
The total contractor project amount for the phase

00:38:24.079 --> 00:38:30.239
will be $2,525,000 for service replacements.

00:38:30.239 --> 00:38:32.039
This is just being brought to the council

00:38:32.039 --> 00:38:35.119
for transparency purposes of the conflicting numbers

00:38:35.119 --> 00:38:37.279
in the previous agenda.

00:38:37.279 --> 00:38:41.559
The city of Freeport will fund the phase four project,

00:38:41.559 --> 00:38:42.559
and Stacey.

00:38:42.559 --> 00:39:10.349
In that $3 million, you said 100% forgivable loan.

00:39:10.349 --> 00:39:13.470
So what does that mean?

00:39:13.470 --> 00:39:17.650
What that means is the city will be reimbursed 100% of anything we spend on lead service

00:39:17.650 --> 00:39:20.150
line replacements for Phase 4.

00:39:20.150 --> 00:39:22.470
So it will not cost the city nothing?

00:39:22.470 --> 00:39:27.369
Correct.

00:39:27.369 --> 00:39:31.730
As that's been all of the phases?

00:39:31.730 --> 00:39:33.489
It costs the citizens nothing?

00:39:33.489 --> 00:39:34.489
That's correct.

00:39:34.489 --> 00:39:35.489
Well, I'm sorry.

00:39:35.489 --> 00:39:43.670
I just feel like I have to ask each time because we just don't know if we don't ask.

00:39:43.670 --> 00:39:50.150
Okay, no action to be taken on that, right? Okay, number nine, discussion regarding

00:39:50.150 --> 00:39:55.989
Lamroad Tax Increment Financing District presented by

00:39:55.989 --> 00:40:00.860
financing district, presented by Alderman Stacy and Simmons.

00:40:00.860 --> 00:40:06.469
You know, it's already been hit on.

00:40:06.469 --> 00:40:13.469
Councilpeople, you received the two papers before a meeting even started.

00:40:19.340 --> 00:40:27.809
This fund, this TIF fund, is being used illegally and it needs to be shut down.

00:40:27.809 --> 00:40:37.860
it needs to be shut down there's currently 3.8 million dollars in this

00:40:37.860 --> 00:40:47.789
fund returning the fund would help pay for all the government services that

00:40:47.789 --> 00:40:56.110
make property tax bills for homeowners so high the property taxes from Walmart

00:40:56.110 --> 00:41:04.869
Howard and Minaj should be going to help pay for running our community and should not be

00:41:04.869 --> 00:41:08.829
used as a slush fund.

00:41:08.829 --> 00:41:16.469
I recommend a call to action that the city terminates land relative and return all the

00:41:16.469 --> 00:41:21.170
to 3.8 million to those that actually need them

00:41:21.170 --> 00:41:25.750
to pay for police and fire protection,

00:41:25.750 --> 00:41:29.690
schools, parks, library, and the county.

00:41:30.789 --> 00:41:36.610
And let's not forget our roads,

00:41:36.610 --> 00:41:39.730
which is trying to keep the nursing home running

00:41:39.730 --> 00:41:41.510
so that it won't be shut down.

00:41:42.969 --> 00:41:46.849
This money can come back to the taxing bodies

00:41:46.849 --> 00:41:58.110
and not continue to sit there in a fund and continue to be misused.

00:41:58.110 --> 00:42:05.869
And I have a question for City Manager Boyer.

00:42:05.869 --> 00:42:10.190
And this question probably should have came first.

00:42:10.190 --> 00:42:21.230
Why are we continuing the Lamb Road Tif when all process projects are completed?

00:42:21.230 --> 00:42:28.670
and why are the funds going, currently going, to fund the Greater Freeport Partnership?

00:42:28.670 --> 00:42:34.500
Well, I'll start with saying the funds are not just sitting there.

00:42:34.500 --> 00:42:39.159
We are working on a lift station at the corner of Lamb and Walnut.

00:42:39.159 --> 00:42:44.659
That is to convey waste and create additional capacity in the Lamb Road to Tiff area.

00:42:44.659 --> 00:42:51.219
And it also will be useful in terms of making, ensuring that there is no issues with the

00:42:51.219 --> 00:42:55.219
Wastewater Collection System, adjacent to the nursing home.

00:42:55.219 --> 00:42:57.219
So why haven't we done this before?

00:42:57.219 --> 00:42:58.219
But I am not done talking.

00:42:58.219 --> 00:42:59.219
Why haven't we done this before now?

00:42:59.219 --> 00:43:00.219
I'm sorry.

00:43:00.219 --> 00:43:01.219
I'm not done talking.

00:43:01.219 --> 00:43:02.219
Let him finish, please.

00:43:02.219 --> 00:43:03.219
He can finish.

00:43:03.219 --> 00:43:04.219
Okay.

00:43:04.219 --> 00:43:05.219
Then good.

00:43:05.219 --> 00:43:06.219
We like to hear him finish.

00:43:06.219 --> 00:43:08.219
Then you can ask the next question.

00:43:08.219 --> 00:43:09.219
Okay.

00:43:09.219 --> 00:43:15.219
And the second part of that was, at this time, I don't have the information in front of me,

00:43:15.219 --> 00:43:16.219
so.

00:43:16.219 --> 00:43:17.219
Of course.

00:43:17.219 --> 00:43:18.219
You always have it.

00:43:18.219 --> 00:43:19.219
Well, I'm sorry.

00:43:19.219 --> 00:43:20.219
I don't have a memo here.

00:43:20.219 --> 00:43:24.099
and I have been provided so there's really no way for me to prepare for this item tonight.

00:43:24.099 --> 00:43:29.019
Okay, so from now on if I put something on the agenda, are you telling me I need to have

00:43:29.019 --> 00:43:30.380
a memo attached?

00:43:30.380 --> 00:43:33.380
I think you need to provide something so we know what you would like us to research.

00:43:33.380 --> 00:43:34.800
Okay, but that has never been said.

00:43:34.800 --> 00:43:39.260
My two years on the council, that has never been stated.

00:43:39.260 --> 00:43:45.260
And no one else that has put anything on the council other than you and the directors have

00:43:45.260 --> 00:43:47.739
ever had a memo.

00:43:47.739 --> 00:43:52.679
So now that I know that, and know to do better, I will do better.

00:43:52.679 --> 00:43:55.000
Thank you.

00:43:55.000 --> 00:44:01.219
So my question, why is this lift and everything coming up now?

00:44:01.219 --> 00:44:02.619
Why, why now?

00:44:02.619 --> 00:44:04.780
Because we want to close the TIF?

00:44:04.780 --> 00:44:08.400
No, this was in the plan for the last several years.

00:44:08.400 --> 00:44:09.400
But it's not down on the-

00:44:09.400 --> 00:44:10.619
We put it in the budget.

00:44:10.619 --> 00:44:15.739
It was in the, it was in our master plan for the year, our capital improvement plan.

00:44:15.739 --> 00:44:20.460
I'm sorry you didn't notice it there but it's been there for, it was there this last year.

00:44:20.460 --> 00:44:22.260
So who sees the master plan?

00:44:22.260 --> 00:44:23.260
You do.

00:44:23.260 --> 00:44:24.260
I do.

00:44:24.260 --> 00:44:25.260
Yes.

00:44:25.260 --> 00:44:26.260
Huh.

00:44:26.260 --> 00:44:27.260
You approved it.

00:44:27.260 --> 00:44:28.260
And it said a lift station?

00:44:28.260 --> 00:44:29.260
Yes.

00:44:29.260 --> 00:44:30.260
It pointed everything out?

00:44:30.260 --> 00:44:31.260
Yes.

00:44:31.260 --> 00:44:32.539
The capital plan included a lift station for Lambon.

00:44:32.539 --> 00:44:34.779
And how much money was budgeted for this?

00:44:34.779 --> 00:44:36.800
I don't recall off the top of my head.

00:44:36.800 --> 00:44:41.940
So if it's budgeted for, then we shouldn't be pulling from the Land Road Tif.

00:44:41.940 --> 00:44:42.940
Correct?

00:44:42.940 --> 00:44:43.940
Kessler.

00:44:43.940 --> 00:44:54.170
It's budgeted for through the Land Road TIF.

00:44:54.170 --> 00:44:55.630
Rachel has a follow-up to that.

00:44:55.630 --> 00:44:56.630
Okay.

00:44:56.630 --> 00:44:57.630
Alderman Klemm, then?

00:44:57.630 --> 00:44:58.630
Go ahead.

00:44:58.630 --> 00:45:00.630
She said go ahead and do you.

00:45:00.630 --> 00:45:01.630
Oh, okay.

00:45:01.630 --> 00:45:08.849
Attorney Zito, I'd like to ask a question if the Land Road TIF is being used properly

00:45:08.849 --> 00:45:12.659
and has been used properly.

00:45:12.659 --> 00:45:17.420
To my knowledge, again, this TIF predates me, but to my understanding, since I've been

00:45:17.420 --> 00:45:47.420
here. I'm unaware of any improper use of TIF funds there that the, for example, using it to build a lift station there. Those are public improvements within the TIF district. So that is an authorized TIF use there. There were redevelopment agreements that were entered into previous there, you know, reimbursing developers for TIF eligible costs is a allowable use of TIF funds. I'm assuming again, I don't know all the types of costs. I don't know all the agreements because they, some

00:45:47.420 --> 00:45:49.099
and a lot of them predate me there,

00:45:49.099 --> 00:45:51.940
but I'm unaware of any improper use of TIF funds.

00:45:53.019 --> 00:45:56.019
So if we were to use that Lamb Road TIF

00:45:56.019 --> 00:46:00.480
as part of what Manager Boyer brought up,

00:46:00.480 --> 00:46:04.980
and it was to extend water out to the airport,

00:46:04.980 --> 00:46:08.139
out to Mill Race Crossing, so on and so forth,

00:46:08.139 --> 00:46:11.019
monies from that could be used from the Lamb Road TIF.

00:46:12.099 --> 00:46:14.940
So monies from a TIF district

00:46:14.940 --> 00:46:16.980
can be used within the TIF district.

00:46:16.980 --> 00:46:26.739
thank you did you want to say something then yeah okay all right so I think the

00:46:26.739 --> 00:46:32.659
direction we're trying to influence everybody to maybe consider is once the

00:46:32.659 --> 00:46:39.500
lift station that has been budgeted in this budget is completed we have not had

00:46:39.500 --> 00:46:46.699
any successful real industrial growth in that TIF district which is why we

00:46:46.699 --> 00:46:52.699
implemented that and that maybe we look at moving that money back to the pot so

00:46:52.699 --> 00:46:56.940
that we can use it for infrastructure and what we really need it for. I think

00:46:56.940 --> 00:47:00.659
that is that is why we brought it up so that we can put that in your mind so

00:47:00.659 --> 00:47:04.500
maybe give it a give it some thought we've already allocated for that money

00:47:04.500 --> 00:47:07.860
for this year but in the future maybe thinking about bringing it back until

00:47:07.860 --> 00:47:13.420
we have actual strong leads looking to build industrial and and bring those

00:47:13.420 --> 00:47:14.420
Schadl.

00:47:14.420 --> 00:47:15.420
Thank you.

00:47:15.420 --> 00:47:29.420
The lift station at Walnut Street goes back at least a year and a half if not two years.

00:47:29.420 --> 00:47:37.099
It's been revised at least once to include a section of main by the landfill that was

00:47:37.099 --> 00:47:41.420
inverted.

00:47:41.420 --> 00:47:54.559
it's been voted on several times as far as moving money from this I think at this point

00:47:54.559 --> 00:48:00.119
in time everybody's number one concern is to get some jobs here it's been mentioned

00:48:00.119 --> 00:48:08.039
several times tonight and however there's nothing happening there's a well being drilled

00:48:08.039 --> 00:48:16.000
Holden Pump House being built this summer that's going to bring a source of water sufficient

00:48:16.000 --> 00:48:28.579
enough to feed industrial users and the expansion on the south side of town is going to need

00:48:28.579 --> 00:48:31.779
that money.

00:48:31.779 --> 00:48:41.220
I think it would be very short-sighted to fall away from a potential fix to what everybody

00:48:41.220 --> 00:48:44.300
pretty much agrees is the major issue.

00:48:44.300 --> 00:48:48.820
Alderman Rowe and then Alderman Sellers.

00:48:48.820 --> 00:48:49.820
Thank you.

00:48:49.820 --> 00:48:56.900
City Manager, this could potentially be the Director of Community Development and Public

00:48:56.900 --> 00:48:59.420
Works as well.

00:48:59.420 --> 00:49:04.079
to us where exactly is the lift station slotted to go and where do we approve it

00:49:04.079 --> 00:49:10.059
to go? The lift station is designed to go at the near the corner of Lamb Road and

00:49:10.059 --> 00:49:17.289
Walnut near the intersection on the west side east side it would be on the I

00:49:17.289 --> 00:49:23.989
guess it would be another side of the intersection north east or west east so

00:49:23.989 --> 00:49:28.489
that's not in the TIF district it's a it's actually going at the corner of the

00:49:28.489 --> 00:49:31.690
Landfill property, which I believe is in the district.

00:49:31.690 --> 00:49:34.849
That's where the drainage all goes to in that basin.

00:49:34.849 --> 00:49:37.010
Thank you.

00:49:37.010 --> 00:49:37.889
Only with Simmons.

00:49:37.889 --> 00:49:39.730
Sellers, I'm sorry.

00:49:39.730 --> 00:49:41.130
I would like some clarification.

00:49:41.130 --> 00:49:45.610
Can you take TIF money from one TIF

00:49:45.610 --> 00:49:48.210
and put it somewhere else and use it somewhere else,

00:49:48.210 --> 00:49:50.369
just like how they have the downtown TIF?

00:49:50.369 --> 00:49:51.970
We can't take the downtown TIF.

00:49:51.970 --> 00:49:53.139
We can't take the downtown TIF and put it somewhere else, Kim.

00:49:54.139 --> 00:49:57.139
Shadle, I mean, Zedal.

00:49:57.139 --> 00:50:02.039
I'll confirm this off the top of my head, though.

00:50:02.039 --> 00:50:07.440
I believe you can port TIF funds between TIF districts as long as the TIF districts are

00:50:07.880 --> 00:50:12.400
contiguous. If they're not contiguous to one another, like they're not touching each other, the two districts,

00:50:12.400 --> 00:50:15.440
then I don't think you can port the funds back and forth.

00:50:15.440 --> 00:50:18.199
But if they're together, I believe you can port them back and forth.

00:50:18.199 --> 00:50:21.199
What do you mean together when you say that?

00:50:21.199 --> 00:50:31.579
Oh, okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Okay. She done? I'm sorry, Simmons again.

00:50:31.579 --> 00:50:48.630
What I meant when I said until we actually really need those funds to develop that area,

00:50:48.630 --> 00:50:55.150
I meant it no longer being a TIF district. So then that money would not be specifically

00:50:55.150 --> 00:51:00.510
use for a TIF anymore, that will be money that goes back to the general fund for us to use.

00:51:01.150 --> 00:51:10.050
That's what I meant, not switching money between TIFs. Okay, Alderman Stacey. How long can a TIF

00:51:10.050 --> 00:51:18.929
exist? Is it 23 years? I'll tell you, I think the good news for everybody is that this thing is

00:51:18.929 --> 00:51:25.650
sunsets in one year, so this conversation is probably going to resolve itself. One year,

00:51:25.650 --> 00:51:26.429
Daudy,

00:51:26.429 --> 00:51:30.119
and then the other things dead.

00:51:30.119 --> 00:51:30.920
Okay.

00:51:30.920 --> 00:51:31.719
darned.

00:51:31.719 --> 00:51:32.559
I'm sorry.

00:51:32.559 --> 00:51:37.130
So yes, it's 23 years.

00:51:37.130 --> 00:51:40.889
Alderman Shadle, you spoke about a well.

00:51:40.889 --> 00:51:45.510
Are you speaking of well 12?

00:51:45.510 --> 00:51:51.110
Okay, so I thought it was said that we were no longer getting

00:51:51.110 --> 00:51:57.179
that money for well 12.

00:51:57.179 --> 00:52:02.719
Can someone explain what Sorson said about well 12?

00:52:02.719 --> 00:52:12.320
Darin. That's not factual at all. We do have what 13 million secured in different sources of funding.

00:52:13.280 --> 00:52:24.800
Okay, but. So the well money is secured. We have total of 13 million. There's three different funds

00:52:24.800 --> 00:52:32.480
for that. IEPA revolving forgiveness, then we have emergent contaminant money, and we also have

00:52:32.480 --> 00:52:36.400
just short of a million dollars from Eric Sorensen that has already been appropriate.

00:52:36.400 --> 00:52:42.159
The money I think that you're referring to is water main money that was appropriated for this

00:52:42.159 --> 00:52:49.519
year but did not pass. And that's the money that was never really allocated. It was sent out there

00:52:49.519 --> 00:52:55.599
but it wasn't approved at the federal level. So that's the money you're talking about. That

00:52:55.599 --> 00:53:00.800
was for this year for 2025. And that wasn't just for Freeport, that was all of the monies?

00:53:00.800 --> 00:53:07.760
Correct. All all congressionally direct spending was was frozen for this year and they said that they'll be reapplied for in

00:53:08.360 --> 00:53:09.840
2026, I believe.

00:53:09.840 --> 00:53:14.960
Okay, can you tell me out of the 13 million, where is that money

00:53:16.400 --> 00:53:18.400
being pulled from again?

00:53:18.559 --> 00:53:20.559
We have an an EPA

00:53:21.639 --> 00:53:23.639
revolving loan the same way we've done these other

00:53:24.159 --> 00:53:30.079
projects. EPA loan? I EPA, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

00:53:30.800 --> 00:53:37.519
We have five million from them in forgiveness. We have, I don't know the exact number, but it's like

00:53:37.519 --> 00:53:46.000
7.2 million dollars from emerging contaminants. And then we have 959,000 I believe it is from

00:53:46.000 --> 00:53:54.030
Eric Sorensen that is appropriated towards that project. Okay, can you help me understand this

00:53:54.030 --> 00:54:24.029
IEPA loan. Yes. And you said five million? Yes. So this is very similar to how we've done the wastewater treatment plants and other infrastructure projects. The Illinois EPA has a state revolving fund. It's called an SRF loan. And those are the projects that we go after that we get forgiveness off of projects. So for instance, if a project costs a million dollars,

00:54:24.029 --> 00:54:30.909
We can apply and we get we get basically state funding off of that project. So in the case of well

00:54:31.710 --> 00:54:33.710
12 we will get essentially

00:54:34.150 --> 00:54:41.929
12 million from the EPA and the other million from Eric Sorensen to put towards that project in whole to offset the cost of the taxpayers

00:54:42.150 --> 00:54:47.929
So that's going to be the 13 million. Yes, ma'am. So why are we taking a loan out for?

00:54:49.269 --> 00:54:52.110
Did you say 15 million 5 million?

00:54:52.110 --> 00:54:57.949
we will be taking the way the revolving fund works is you have to take out a

00:54:57.949 --> 00:55:02.010
loan for the full amount of the project so if we bid this project and it's 18

00:55:02.010 --> 00:55:06.110
million dollars you take out a loan and then when you're done with the project

00:55:06.110 --> 00:55:11.029
they subtract all the forgivable funds off of that project so that you end up

00:55:11.029 --> 00:55:16.070
with a net of say 5 million or something like that that's how all of the state

00:55:16.070 --> 00:55:17.070
Huffines.

00:55:17.070 --> 00:55:18.070
We have a lot of great revolving funds work.

00:55:18.070 --> 00:55:24.150
EPA grants, if you will, the money to Freeport for the infrastructure project, it's quite

00:55:24.150 --> 00:55:26.029
a process to get it.

00:55:26.029 --> 00:55:31.230
When the loan agreements are signed, that moneys, the forgivable moneys, is already

00:55:31.230 --> 00:55:33.849
booked and in there and everybody's aware of it.

00:55:33.849 --> 00:55:38.949
We build the project, we pay out the funds, and then when we go to sign the final loan,

00:55:38.949 --> 00:55:45.230
they forgive that amount of money that the citizens of Freeport have to pay back.

00:55:45.230 --> 00:55:47.949
I don't have the exact number, but we're probably pushing

00:55:47.949 --> 00:55:52.949
in the ballpark of 30, $35 million of a forgivable funds

00:55:54.710 --> 00:55:56.670
that we've received over the last 10 years

00:55:56.670 --> 00:55:59.269
to the city of Freeport that we haven't had to pay back.

00:55:59.269 --> 00:56:00.949
Does that sound fair?

00:56:00.949 --> 00:56:03.889
But the 5 million we'll pay back.

00:56:03.889 --> 00:56:05.150
We will have to pay back.

00:56:05.150 --> 00:56:08.429
Whatever the project bids at minus 13 million,

00:56:08.429 --> 00:56:10.010
that's what we'll have to pay back.

00:56:10.010 --> 00:56:14.510
And that's what we're set up through our CIP funds,

00:56:14.510 --> 00:56:14.750
and

00:56:14.750 --> 00:56:15.349
Scott.

00:56:15.349 --> 00:56:16.550
So, we have been trying to get

00:56:16.550 --> 00:56:18.150
into the infrastructure

00:56:18.150 --> 00:56:19.849
that we have been incurring for

00:56:19.849 --> 00:56:25.889
several last years for these

00:56:25.889 --> 00:56:26.389
projects.

00:56:26.389 --> 00:56:27.929
I should also state that those,

00:56:27.929 --> 00:56:29.929
we call them SRF funds, also

00:56:29.929 --> 00:56:31.929
come with a potential 30-year

00:56:31.929 --> 00:56:33.929
loan and 1% interest, which we

00:56:33.929 --> 00:56:35.929
have done quite a bit of

00:56:35.929 --> 00:56:37.929
research on that, and there's

00:56:37.929 --> 00:56:39.929
nothing that can touch these

00:56:39.929 --> 00:56:41.929
infrastructure loans for

00:56:41.929 --> 00:56:45.010
financing.

00:56:45.010 --> 00:56:46.010
Alderperson?

00:56:46.010 --> 00:56:47.010
Yes, ma'am.

00:56:47.010 --> 00:56:48.010
Thank you.

00:56:48.010 --> 00:56:50.010
So, my question, this goes back

00:56:50.010 --> 00:56:51.010
Huffines.

00:56:51.010 --> 00:56:56.789
My question, this goes back to really what I was getting to with the GFP, is as I look

00:56:56.789 --> 00:57:07.130
through a long laundry list of recipients here of almost $2 million, million and a half

00:57:07.130 --> 00:57:11.429
to $2 million, math is a little rough.

00:57:11.429 --> 00:57:17.590
My question really becomes, we've got 3.85 million in that surplus.

00:57:17.590 --> 00:57:22.970
We've got a bunch of vacant land in areas that we've got water, sewer, electric, we've got

00:57:22.970 --> 00:57:24.610
services in place.

00:57:24.610 --> 00:57:33.869
Why have we done nothing, nothing, in developing that area, which is really a manufacturing

00:57:33.869 --> 00:57:39.110
zone or, you know, behind Menards, behind Wal-Mart, where it really doesn't make a lot

00:57:39.110 --> 00:57:42.150
of sense for housing and things like that.

00:57:42.150 --> 00:57:47.349
Why have we not taken this money and developed that into shovel-ready ground, bought the

00:57:47.349 --> 00:57:52.789
Fowler,铆the man with this money, and developed industry with it.

00:57:52.789 --> 00:57:59.949
Instead, we would rather do things for our friends.

00:57:59.949 --> 00:58:03.630
That's what I'm trying to get to.

00:58:03.630 --> 00:58:09.739
Can anybody answer that?

00:58:09.739 --> 00:58:11.360
That's fine.

00:58:11.360 --> 00:58:16.699
So, I can't speak to specifics, but I can tell you generally speaking, just with TIFFs

00:58:16.699 --> 00:58:22.220
in general, the way that they're typically intended to be used, the funds are, usually

00:58:52.220 --> 00:58:53.980
and

00:58:53.980 --> 00:58:55.220
Kelley.

00:58:55.220 --> 00:58:57.420
And then we have a couple of more questions,

00:58:57.420 --> 00:59:00.059
a couple of them from the panel.

00:59:00.059 --> 00:59:01.659
One of them is from the panel.

00:59:01.659 --> 00:59:01.820
And I'll say this,

00:59:01.820 --> 00:59:05.539
I'll say this,

00:59:05.539 --> 00:59:07.659
because this is the first time that we've done something

00:59:07.659 --> 00:59:11.460
that we've done something like this before.

00:59:11.460 --> 00:59:13.059
And we're not going to do it again.

00:59:13.059 --> 00:59:13.900
We want to do it again.

00:59:13.900 --> 00:59:15.900
But it's a good idea.

00:59:15.900 --> 00:59:17.139
We want to do it again.

00:59:17.139 --> 00:59:18.579
We want to do it again.

00:59:18.579 --> 00:59:19.779
And I think one thing that we're doing

00:59:19.779 --> 00:59:22.619
but we can put a lift station and a well

00:59:22.619 --> 00:59:24.380
and other things in with it.

00:59:24.380 --> 00:59:26.539
Why can't we do things to develop it further

00:59:26.539 --> 00:59:30.579
to bring industry in and make it so GFP

00:59:30.579 --> 00:59:34.380
actually brings real viable jobs to this community

00:59:34.380 --> 00:59:36.139
instead of a half a million dollars

00:59:36.139 --> 00:59:39.059
basically going away every single year.

00:59:39.059 --> 00:59:43.179
I think we have to and this is what we've been asking for.

00:59:43.179 --> 00:59:47.579
I know I have since today I got my first seat here.

00:59:47.579 --> 00:59:49.579
I've asked for that.

00:59:49.579 --> 01:00:18.000
I've asked for that. I've asked for ideas. From the previous director to the current director, it has been four-plus years of nothingness and it's disappointing and we've got this money sitting in this diff, we've got, and I walk through there, there's a lot of property that could easily be developed down there in the south side of town that we could use these funds for in that zone to make it attractive to somebody who wants to bring meaningful jobs

01:00:18.000 --> 01:00:20.000
and

01:00:21.119 --> 01:00:22.000
the other

01:00:22.000 --> 01:00:24.000
people.

01:00:25.119 --> 01:00:27.119
And we're doing nothing to stop the

01:00:28.320 --> 01:00:30.320
people from getting the jobs to the citizens of Freeport. Period.

01:00:31.800 --> 01:00:33.800
And that's, I think they should, everybody should be asking

01:00:34.920 --> 01:00:36.920
these questions. What is the vision?

01:00:38.920 --> 01:00:40.920
We put out these 2040 plans that are field goods.

01:00:42.719 --> 01:00:44.719
We need meaningful development. We need meaningful jobs for

01:00:45.820 --> 01:00:47.820
people to live and survive in the city of Freeport.

01:00:48.000 --> 01:00:58.559
To fix it and you know and here it's it's absolutely a slap in the face to sit and go well we did 10

01:00:59.760 --> 01:01:09.920
business retention visits and I know as a sales executive that 10 visits could be two days.

01:01:11.440 --> 01:01:19.199
Two days. I've done 30 meetings in two days and I'm not a superstar,

01:01:19.199 --> 01:01:20.199
Miller.

01:01:20.199 --> 01:01:21.199
I'm not anything special.

01:01:21.199 --> 01:01:24.480
I'm just a person that lives in the city of Freeport, pays his taxes, spends his money

01:01:24.480 --> 01:01:30.860
in this community, and takes it to heart when his money that he worked so hard for that's

01:01:30.860 --> 01:01:39.000
taken from his family, from his friends, from his friends' friends, and is this wasted.

01:01:39.000 --> 01:01:45.719
And you know, we've got this ongoing question about how do we do stuff.

01:01:45.719 --> 01:01:51.800
and you brought it up Alderman Klemm and we keep wanting to run water all the way out

01:01:51.800 --> 01:02:00.000
east of town and go out to this area to develop, I have no idea why, it makes no sense to me.

01:02:00.000 --> 01:02:05.199
We've got infrastructure in the city of Freeport that is decaying that we can't even pump enough

01:02:05.199 --> 01:02:12.519
water for a fire and we want to run brand new pipe out into an area with six farmers

01:02:12.519 --> 01:02:15.360
Johnson, Len, Thomas, Keene, Nicole, Paul, Jeff, Mike, and

01:02:15.360 --> 01:02:17.360
Gertrude.

01:02:19.280 --> 01:02:20.579
So we've got a couple of strong

01:02:20.579 --> 01:02:22.579
providers along the edge of the road that really don't even want

01:02:22.579 --> 01:02:24.579
us coming through there.

01:02:25.900 --> 01:02:29.460
So we can put business outside of the city limits and not be

01:02:29.460 --> 01:02:31.460
able to tax it.

01:02:32.739 --> 01:02:35.260
We've got businesses inside the city of Freeport that don't even

01:02:35.260 --> 01:02:37.260
pay taxes. One of them is at the airport.

01:02:39.260 --> 01:02:41.260
And GFP goes out and throws a party for them.

01:02:42.519 --> 01:02:43.519
Fowler.

01:02:43.519 --> 01:03:02.280
We've got to have the will and the strength to do it, and as long as we sit here with

01:03:02.280 --> 01:03:08.119
no plan, no ethics, no morals, it's not going to happen, because we're going to be friends

01:03:08.119 --> 01:03:10.679
with our buddies and everybody else be damned.

01:03:10.679 --> 01:03:43.380
We move to number 10, discussion regarding future plans for EV charging stations and discussion regarding possibly resending resolution RES-2025-42, approving the agreement with Fehr Graham to provide civil engineering services related to EV charging stations installation projects, Stacy Simmons.

01:03:43.380 --> 01:03:48.380
Okay, so this was presented to the council upon last week.

01:03:51.019 --> 01:03:56.019
And it was presented in two agenda items, 23 and 27.

01:04:03.400 --> 01:04:07.519
So long story short, everything on 23 said

01:04:07.519 --> 01:04:11.139
that the program is 100% funded.

01:04:11.139 --> 01:04:29.279
So, I won't speak on item 23, but I do want to speak on item 27 and what we were not told.

01:04:29.279 --> 01:04:32.920
And so people don't think I'm being harsh and mean.

01:04:32.920 --> 01:04:36.199
Darren and I talk.

01:04:36.199 --> 01:04:39.880
And we don't have a problem with one another.

01:04:39.880 --> 01:04:43.599
So don't think I'm trying to make him look bad

01:04:43.599 --> 01:04:50.699
or throw him under the bus because it's not him.

01:04:50.699 --> 01:04:56.710
This project with these EV chargers,

01:04:56.710 --> 01:05:01.840
when it's all said and done,

01:05:01.840 --> 01:05:06.300
it's gonna cost the city right around $200,000.

01:05:12.340 --> 01:05:17.340
How do we have $200,000 for EV chargers?

01:05:17.340 --> 01:05:19.139
for EV Chargers.

01:05:19.139 --> 01:05:24.139
We don't have $200,000 for our roads, for our streets.

01:05:25.900 --> 01:05:29.739
We're told, oh, well, there's no street fund

01:05:29.739 --> 01:05:32.380
or this or that.

01:05:33.500 --> 01:05:39.599
Why not put $200,000 in our street fund?

01:05:39.599 --> 01:05:44.599
Now you're trying to add out-by-crate

01:05:45.260 --> 01:05:49.279
into the, what is it, Glade Woods?

01:05:49.579 --> 01:05:57.940
and to the solution when we get four more years of our own roads before you're saying we will

01:05:57.940 --> 01:06:05.039
have enough money to even complete four more years.

01:06:05.039 --> 01:06:10.199
That's why I made the comment that I made, do they realize how far back they are?

01:06:10.199 --> 01:06:19.519
However, it was not said about the electrical work and making it A, something ready.

01:06:19.519 --> 01:06:29.519
We did figure out we don't need eight, we only need four, because it's two hookups per one charger.

01:06:29.519 --> 01:06:39.519
We did figure out we don't need eight, we only need four, because it's two hookups per one charger.

01:06:39.519 --> 01:07:02.489
We did figure out we don't need eight, we only need four because it's two hookups per one charger, but it's gonna cost us $90,730 just to design the doggone thing.

01:07:02.489 --> 01:07:16.550
We need to prioritize some things. I don't see how we have $200,000 for this.

01:07:16.550 --> 01:07:35.699
Now, I will say, Mr. Galret was here earlier, come in. I will say that there's some more money out there that we might qualify for. Am I correct?

01:07:35.699 --> 01:07:37.699
Do qualify for it.

01:07:37.699 --> 01:07:42.699
that we do qualify for, but we haven't gone after it yet.

01:07:43.019 --> 01:07:47.779
And we have not got confirmation that we're gonna get it.

01:07:47.779 --> 01:07:49.519
So I can't count on that.

01:07:50.779 --> 01:07:54.500
All I can count on is what's for sure.

01:07:54.500 --> 01:08:02.980
And that's the $320,000 that we know we have.

01:08:03.300 --> 01:08:07.119
I just don't know how this come.

01:08:07.119 --> 01:08:12.119
is this really something we need to be focused on right now?

01:08:12.720 --> 01:08:16.640
And how do this come before our streets?

01:08:17.720 --> 01:08:22.720
$200,000 could help a whole lot on our roads.

01:08:25.840 --> 01:08:27.239
Thank you.

01:08:27.239 --> 01:08:28.140
Anybody else?

01:08:30.119 --> 01:08:31.520
Go ahead.

01:08:31.520 --> 01:08:33.039
I just wanna add one comment.

01:08:33.039 --> 01:08:34.039
Fowler.

01:08:34.039 --> 01:08:41.319
I got a phone call after our last meeting when we discussed the chargers that are located

01:08:41.319 --> 01:08:43.359
at Freeport Ford.

01:08:43.359 --> 01:08:48.239
I just want everybody to be aware that the company that put those in, installed them,

01:08:48.239 --> 01:08:54.479
gave warranty service for it, promptly then filed for bankruptcy shortly thereafter.

01:08:54.479 --> 01:09:01.000
So the EV industry is very much upside down and crazy.

01:09:01.000 --> 01:09:04.119
I'm not sure honestly how to proceed with this,

01:09:04.119 --> 01:09:07.079
but to be honest, I think we have to proceed carefully.

01:09:08.880 --> 01:09:11.180
Are electric cars the future?

01:09:11.180 --> 01:09:13.600
A lot of Americans are voting with their pocketbooks

01:09:13.600 --> 01:09:17.460
and saying no, but there are some that are voting

01:09:17.460 --> 01:09:18.640
and saying yes.

01:09:18.640 --> 01:09:23.640
So do we try to welcome people here that have said yes?

01:09:23.800 --> 01:09:26.940
Do we create opportunities for them to charge their cars?

01:09:26.940 --> 01:09:39.940
I don't know. It seems like a lot of money to me, you know, to put these types of chargers in place, especially in areas that I haven't seen a lot of EVs downtown.

01:09:39.940 --> 01:09:45.940
And I've done a bit of driving around and I just haven't seen them.

01:09:45.940 --> 01:09:47.940
But

01:09:47.940 --> 01:10:12.000
and the rest of it, their CEO came back and said, we're going back to V8 motors and getting away from EVs, but Chevy's doubling down on EVs. So take it for what it's worth. I don't know. I'm not a big car guy, but I just wanted to put that out there and I was corrected after our last meeting.

01:10:12.000 --> 01:10:18.079
Thank you, Darren. Yeah. I just wanted to clarify a few things if I could

01:10:19.000 --> 01:10:20.399
so

01:10:20.399 --> 01:10:22.279
please know that

01:10:22.279 --> 01:10:25.079
The monies that are here are not to fully

01:10:25.760 --> 01:10:27.640
remodel the

01:10:27.640 --> 01:10:32.279
Municipal lot or the we call it the Lindo lab, but it's a city lot at State and Maine

01:10:32.359 --> 01:10:39.119
This is just to the monies that are needed are just to repair the areas that will become the EV charging station

01:10:39.119 --> 01:10:41.119
if you will so

01:10:41.119 --> 01:10:47.119
I also have been working a lot on this over the last few days trying to figure

01:10:47.119 --> 01:10:53.159
this out so I want to give some explanations we just approved the

01:10:53.159 --> 01:10:59.800
contract last week it just was returned to me today I haven't been able to dig

01:10:59.800 --> 01:11:04.640
deep into this yet this is kind of a design build type contract right because

01:11:04.640 --> 01:11:09.880
EV Chargers are not our typical type of construction project where we put a plan

01:11:09.880 --> 01:11:10.880
Huffines.

01:11:10.880 --> 01:11:14.199
And then we put it out to bid and we build it.

01:11:14.199 --> 01:11:23.720
So we have strategically partnered with two companies, or will if this moves forward,

01:11:23.720 --> 01:11:27.279
Thayer Energy Solutions out of, I believe it's Belvedere.

01:11:27.279 --> 01:11:34.600
They're one of the leading area places that service and sell chargers.

01:11:34.600 --> 01:11:37.399
They're a very reputable company.

01:11:37.399 --> 01:11:45.720
My research shows that they represent a lot of different charging outfits.

01:11:45.720 --> 01:11:49.640
Something that's important to me if we move forward with these systems would be to be

01:11:49.640 --> 01:11:53.680
honestly on ChargePoint, which is a brand, like a model.

01:11:53.680 --> 01:11:58.680
ChargePoint is one of the national leaders, and when you drive your EV cars around and

01:11:58.680 --> 01:12:03.359
you look for level three charging opportunities, if you're part of their system, which is

01:12:03.359 --> 01:12:05.159
is the most recognized out there.

01:12:05.159 --> 01:12:07.840
Freeport would come up on them and show the locations

01:12:07.840 --> 01:12:10.199
and the availability for people to charge.

01:12:10.199 --> 01:12:12.720
So that's one of the reasons we like them.

01:12:12.720 --> 01:12:15.560
Also, Thayer services what they sell.

01:12:15.560 --> 01:12:17.979
So they've been in business for a long time.

01:12:17.979 --> 01:12:20.840
They've led the charge of EV in the market

01:12:20.840 --> 01:12:22.659
and I do trust their judgment.

01:12:23.600 --> 01:12:25.619
Something that is rolling on this

01:12:25.619 --> 01:12:28.579
because we haven't been able to dig deep into it yet,

01:12:28.579 --> 01:12:33.180
again, because it's, we submitted a grant a long time ago

01:12:33.180 --> 01:12:35.420
to see if we could get money to build this.

01:12:35.420 --> 01:12:37.539
And the grant took forever.

01:12:37.539 --> 01:12:39.739
Things have changed in the industry.

01:12:39.739 --> 01:12:45.659
But realistically, I can confirm we have the CEJA money, which

01:12:45.659 --> 01:12:49.180
is the EV charger money for $320,000.

01:12:49.180 --> 01:12:53.539
We qualify for, as of today, at 4 o'clock,

01:12:53.539 --> 01:12:58.180
we qualify for potentially another $500,000 from ComEd

01:12:58.180 --> 01:13:02.300
because it's based on the grant conditions and the kilowatts.

01:13:02.300 --> 01:13:03.859
So it's a scale.

01:13:03.859 --> 01:13:05.899
You get basically $1,000 per kilowatt

01:13:05.899 --> 01:13:08.140
that you're installing.

01:13:08.140 --> 01:13:10.100
And the grant has many requirements

01:13:10.100 --> 01:13:13.899
that have to be done, which one of them is ADA compliance.

01:13:13.899 --> 01:13:17.539
I've saw some posts on why did we choose the downtown lots?

01:13:17.539 --> 01:13:20.819
As a municipality, right now, when we submitted the grant,

01:13:20.819 --> 01:13:23.060
you had to own the lots that you put them in, right?

01:13:23.060 --> 01:13:27.659
It wasn't an option to go throw them out at Menards or Walmart.

01:13:27.659 --> 01:13:30.140
Now there's new grants that are out there that allow you

01:13:30.140 --> 01:13:31.539
to build them at other locations.

01:13:31.539 --> 01:13:34.039
but our grant is locked down for the two locations

01:13:34.039 --> 01:13:35.619
that were previously selected.

01:13:38.140 --> 01:13:42.979
Whereas I think the project could cost potentially 200,000,

01:13:42.979 --> 01:13:46.520
we're not far enough along with the process.

01:13:46.520 --> 01:13:49.140
I haven't signed a contract with Fehr

01:13:49.140 --> 01:13:53.100
because we got sure if you guys wanna move forward or not

01:13:53.100 --> 01:13:55.180
so I'm not gonna sign somebody up for a bunch of costs

01:13:55.180 --> 01:13:58.020
that we're not gonna move forward or if we are.

01:13:58.020 --> 01:14:00.699
EV Chargers is changing the world.

01:14:01.539 --> 01:14:12.579
I think it was stated at the last meeting while it would be great if people could use the EV chargers here in town and had a car and wanted to charge the real draw of this is trying to get more people into Freeport to spend money.

01:14:12.579 --> 01:14:16.699
So there's a couple of things.

01:14:16.699 --> 01:14:26.500
So right now, as of today, we have about eight hundred and twenty thousand dollars that should be committed to this project between ComEd and the CJA grants.

01:14:26.500 --> 01:14:31.779
I don't have enough information and I would need at least probably another month to figure out

01:14:32.340 --> 01:14:36.579
You know what the exact costs and nail them down to the close to a penny

01:14:36.739 --> 01:14:43.060
That's not something I can do overnight and it's an awful big projects. The reason the two lots were selected

01:14:43.859 --> 01:14:50.340
Was because we have the minis plots our biggest lot, but there's the power requirement these these chargers take a lot of power

01:14:50.500 --> 01:14:52.659
There's a requirement in the alley at the post office

01:14:52.659 --> 01:15:22.659
So when we built Chicago Avenue, we actually built the infrastructure under the street to power the chargers at the municipal lot in that that corner by the park and the library, right? A spot that everybody goes to the other the state and main lot were picked because the power requirements are right there in the alley. We were trying to minimize the cost of the connections, the transformers, all those things that go along with the project. So while I say it's controversial, this is a thing that communities our size are doing and entertaining and trying to

01:15:22.659 --> 01:15:23.659
and John.

01:15:23.659 --> 01:15:26.300
This is a process that is very important.

01:15:26.300 --> 01:15:29.739
And it will continue to attract new people to our community.

01:15:29.739 --> 01:15:31.439
It is progressive.

01:15:31.439 --> 01:15:32.640
It's not perfect.

01:15:32.640 --> 01:15:35.939
I'll be the first to say it's not perfect.

01:15:35.939 --> 01:15:38.380
But we have to work through the process if we want to do it.

01:15:38.380 --> 01:15:40.880
And I'm being honest with everybody around that.

01:15:40.880 --> 01:15:44.380
There's nothing to hide that we submitted for this grant

01:15:44.380 --> 01:15:45.119
as a group.

01:15:45.119 --> 01:15:46.859
We received it as a group.

01:15:46.859 --> 01:15:50.199
I want to say this has been lingering on for up to a year

01:15:50.199 --> 01:15:52.359
Warded, and the whole nine yards.

01:15:52.359 --> 01:15:56.880
And we did budget $180,000 in the 2025 budget

01:15:56.880 --> 01:16:00.800
to address this project for the construction,

01:16:00.800 --> 01:16:02.800
because we knew or thought that there

01:16:02.800 --> 01:16:06.800
may be some costs that would not be covered by the grant.

01:16:06.800 --> 01:16:07.800
Thank you.

01:16:07.800 --> 01:16:09.720
Alderman Sanders.

01:16:09.720 --> 01:16:11.039
Yeah.

01:16:11.039 --> 01:16:15.920
Listening to the lecture that you've just

01:16:15.920 --> 01:16:16.920
Huffines.

01:16:16.920 --> 01:16:17.920
Thank you.

01:16:17.920 --> 01:16:21.199
Thank you for giving us in terms of the EV charging.

01:16:21.199 --> 01:16:30.579
Have you considered a survey of the population here in Freeport to make a real good judgment

01:16:30.579 --> 01:16:36.859
whether or not the city of Freeport need a charging station or whether or not there's

01:16:36.859 --> 01:16:43.640
enough EV cars or anything like that that's driving around complaining about charging

01:16:43.640 --> 01:16:57.520
and their vehicles and my thing is I can understand the grant if it's appropriated for these things.

01:16:57.520 --> 01:17:07.720
If it is, I don't see a whole lot that taxpayers will be taking up on, but the thing about

01:17:07.720 --> 01:17:14.880
and others, let us get an insight on what the population of Freeport is saying and making

01:17:14.880 --> 01:17:25.199
sure that the car dealerships here are selling EV cars because my studies and my research

01:17:25.199 --> 01:17:32.840
is that I will say within the next five years these things will become obsolete, electric

01:17:32.840 --> 01:17:37.840
vehicles will be coming obsolete within the next 2030.

01:17:40.199 --> 01:17:41.600
They're gonna start phasing out.

01:17:41.600 --> 01:17:46.600
They're gonna be just items that's sitting in vacant lots

01:17:48.359 --> 01:17:52.539
hoping somebody drive through the city with electric car

01:17:52.539 --> 01:17:56.000
that might wanna find an electric charger

01:17:56.000 --> 01:17:57.840
for convenience or whatever.

01:17:57.840 --> 01:18:00.239
But my thing is, have we done a survey

01:18:00.239 --> 01:18:05.239
to understand the magnitude of whether or not

01:18:05.880 --> 01:18:09.560
we should have these kinds of stations

01:18:09.560 --> 01:18:12.060
occupying the city of Freeport.

01:18:12.060 --> 01:18:14.840
I'm just asking because if there's something

01:18:14.840 --> 01:18:18.800
that we can consider that will be beneficial

01:18:19.720 --> 01:18:22.039
to the city of Freeport and if we can,

01:18:24.039 --> 01:18:26.680
if the grant purpose, the grants that are coming in

01:18:26.680 --> 01:18:29.180
for these particular items,

01:18:29.180 --> 01:18:33.460
are they solely designed for the EV stations?

01:18:33.460 --> 01:18:37.420
Is one of the things that I wanted to take on.

01:18:37.420 --> 01:18:40.300
Yeah, so the CEJA grant that we received

01:18:40.300 --> 01:18:42.699
is for EV chargers only.

01:18:42.699 --> 01:18:46.779
We can't use it for anything else out there.

01:18:46.779 --> 01:18:50.779
I believe the answer to the survey question is no.

01:18:50.779 --> 01:18:55.579
And I think the reason that is, I guess I can only surmise,

01:18:55.579 --> 01:18:58.699
people that own EV charger cars here in town

01:18:58.699 --> 01:19:03.539
have chargers in their house or they wouldn't be able to charge them. So that's probably

01:19:03.539 --> 01:19:09.180
not the clientele that we're trying to entertain with. Exterior chargers is probably not our

01:19:09.180 --> 01:19:14.180
own people. It'd be out of town people trying to draw people to our events, to our hotels,

01:19:14.180 --> 01:19:21.380
those types of things to spend money, sales tax dollars for Freeport. I forgot to mention

01:19:21.380 --> 01:19:26.619
something that you kind of remind me of while you were talking. So we submitted for this

01:19:26.619 --> 01:19:45.619
We've accepted this grant and it will be a black eye on Freeport if we decide to return it, which we would have to do if we decide not to move forward, but it would be a black eye on our community on future grant opportunities because we took dollars from some other community.

01:19:45.619 --> 01:19:47.600
We took dollars from some other community when it gets returned.

01:19:47.600 --> 01:19:54.819
These dollars that we have here from CEJA and ComEd, they need to be spent in 2025 as part

01:19:54.819 --> 01:19:55.819
of the grant program.

01:19:55.819 --> 01:19:59.659
And that's why we're talking about it now, so it gives us enough time to get these in

01:19:59.659 --> 01:20:01.199
place by the end of the year.

01:20:02.449 --> 01:20:03.449
Okay, Rob?

01:20:03.449 --> 01:20:10.109
And just to follow up on that, Alderman Sanders, kind of the idea here was we've got people

01:20:10.109 --> 01:20:13.569
coming from Chicago to Galena every single day.

01:20:13.569 --> 01:20:17.609
A lot of them have electric cars, not all of them, but quite a few of them.

01:20:17.609 --> 01:20:21.130
So the idea here is they get off the bypass,

01:20:21.130 --> 01:20:25.050
they come to downtown, they charge their car because there's really no other place

01:20:25.050 --> 01:20:26.289
to charge between

01:20:26.289 --> 01:20:30.850
here and maybe there's a place outside Galena, but there's really not that much

01:20:30.850 --> 01:20:34.850
charging infrastructure in this part of the area. So kind of the whole idea is

01:20:34.850 --> 01:20:38.729
for very little money, the city drives traffic to our downtown,

01:20:38.729 --> 01:20:42.810
then we also collect the charging fees related to the charging.

01:20:42.810 --> 01:20:48.250
so you know we look at $200,000 and we got eight eight chargers we're

01:20:48.250 --> 01:20:53.069
potentially bringing on here I look at as a revenue generating stream that would

01:20:53.069 --> 01:21:06.489
also help bring tourism to our downtown area director Darren I'm sorry if I

01:21:06.489 --> 01:21:10.970
and I misspoke about redoing the entire lot.

01:21:10.970 --> 01:21:14.350
When we talked and you had said

01:21:14.350 --> 01:21:19.350
that we need to put $100,000 for that process,

01:21:19.529 --> 01:21:23.489
I just thought $100,000, we got to repair the whole lot.

01:21:23.489 --> 01:21:28.489
But still, it's still $100,000 just for preparing the lots

01:21:30.689 --> 01:21:33.630
and that's not even fixing the raggedy things.

01:21:34.489 --> 01:21:35.329
Okay.

01:21:35.329 --> 01:21:40.979
Thank you.

01:21:40.979 --> 01:21:53.979
Further discussion on ordinance 2025-17, amending codified ordinance regarding residency requirements for certain positions presented by Alderman Stacey and Simmons.

01:21:53.979 --> 01:21:57.579
Okay.

01:21:57.579 --> 01:22:05.810
So, I asked the question.

01:22:05.810 --> 01:22:13.119
Last week, the City Manager Boyer was not able to answer.

01:22:13.119 --> 01:22:24.939
however I did receive my answer today and I can tell you that the jobs that were

01:22:24.939 --> 01:22:46.810
listed last Monday totaled 15. Ten of the 15 are here in Freeport and five are not

01:22:46.810 --> 01:23:01.909
and I. I don't believe that that was really the issue. The issue was that we have an ordinance

01:23:01.909 --> 01:23:20.239
that's in place and have been in place, but has not been properly used, properly acknowledged.

01:23:20.239 --> 01:23:28.640
and this is not my first time of saying this, we put these rules and regulations in place

01:23:28.640 --> 01:23:33.079
and then we pick and choose who they apply to.

01:23:33.079 --> 01:23:48.899
Not right, not fair, no matter how you look at it, it has to be the same across the board.

01:23:48.899 --> 01:23:58.779
I believe if I applied for a job, and after accepting the job, I knew I had six months

01:23:58.779 --> 01:24:08.510
to move, and if I don't plan on moving, why would I take the job?

01:24:08.510 --> 01:24:09.510
It's an ordinance.

01:24:09.510 --> 01:24:10.789
It's already in place.

01:24:10.789 --> 01:24:12.869
It's been in place.

01:24:12.869 --> 01:24:20.420
But what's even bigger than that is why you wouldn't enforce it.

01:24:20.420 --> 01:24:30.060
That's my theme with this ordinance. We pick and choose who we do for and who we don't

01:24:30.060 --> 01:24:37.329
do for, who we're going to make it work for and who we're not going to make it work for.

01:24:37.329 --> 01:24:47.420
And I'm not even blaming the people that's in position. Heck, they want a job, but they

01:24:47.420 --> 01:24:55.359
don't want to move to Freeport. So behind the scenes on the side under the carpet, we'll

01:24:55.359 --> 01:25:05.220
to work out this and it's all good. Not good. And we just got to stop that. Right is right

01:25:05.220 --> 01:25:06.720
and wrong is wrong.

01:25:06.720 --> 01:25:14.100
Okay. You done? Can I speak? Okay. Several years ago it was not enforced. And that was

01:25:14.100 --> 01:25:18.920
under Mayor Goetz. It was not enforced and it should have been taken care of then. I

01:25:18.920 --> 01:25:25.319
agree. But we want the best person for the job. So now we are trying to fix the issue.

01:25:25.319 --> 01:25:29.060
That's my...

01:25:29.060 --> 01:25:43.630
I just can't help but feel that if we had, and Chief Miller and Chief Shenberger, I don't

01:25:43.630 --> 01:25:53.930
think ill of you all, we communicate, we talk, but I just think if, I can't say all these

01:25:53.930 --> 01:26:17.770
and I. I'm not saying that they don't go above and beyond because our police have come a long

01:26:17.770 --> 01:26:18.770
way.

01:26:18.770 --> 01:26:27.609
but if this was their city, maybe there's an extra mile that they would go to secure

01:26:27.609 --> 01:26:31.289
whatever needs securing in our city.

01:26:31.289 --> 01:26:43.539
I'm answering about the ordinance, so any more?

01:26:43.539 --> 01:26:46.819
Yeah, one last, I'll add something as well.

01:26:46.819 --> 01:26:52.220
You know, I don't work in the city of Freeport, haven't for a long time, always had jobs

01:26:52.220 --> 01:26:56.340
outside of Freeport, have to travel for a living.

01:26:56.340 --> 01:27:04.340
And honestly, where I work now, I only, you know, I don't really care about that community

01:27:04.340 --> 01:27:06.579
where I'm going to work every day.

01:27:06.579 --> 01:27:07.579
I don't live there.

01:27:07.579 --> 01:27:09.859
My family's not there every day.

01:27:09.859 --> 01:27:17.380
And one of the things, and this was, this goes back many, many years to a good friend

01:27:17.380 --> 01:27:21.720
who was the chief of police at a much, much larger department who I have a lot of respect

01:27:21.720 --> 01:27:23.340
for.

01:27:23.340 --> 01:27:31.979
and he fought to get law enforcement officers living in various parts of the community and

01:27:31.979 --> 01:27:37.060
he got money for them, extra money, significant money, 10 grand a year kind of money to put

01:27:37.060 --> 01:27:46.939
them in the areas and it was very, very successful in bringing crime down and I know our past

01:27:46.939 --> 01:27:53.779
and the Chief of Police came in and was very upset because he felt like he had been targeted

01:27:53.779 --> 01:27:56.579
in the community.

01:27:56.579 --> 01:28:03.500
But at the end of the day, I don't think that happens as much as people say it does.

01:28:03.500 --> 01:28:06.439
I know it does happen.

01:28:06.439 --> 01:28:13.039
Because if it did happen, my address wouldn't have been given out to somebody who I reported.

01:28:13.039 --> 01:28:20.539
But at the end of the day, we own this community and we can't be fearful of people that want

01:28:20.539 --> 01:28:22.800
to run around and try to bully us in our community.

01:28:22.800 --> 01:28:26.979
We have to love our town, we love our community, we stand up for it.

01:28:26.979 --> 01:28:32.800
And sometimes we take positions that are not always well accepted in the community, but

01:28:32.800 --> 01:28:37.760
it's the right thing for the community at large.

01:28:37.760 --> 01:28:43.880
and you know I I too wished it had been dealt with but it wasn't and it's

01:28:43.880 --> 01:28:48.760
hypocritical not to enforce the rules equally across the board and that's the

01:28:48.760 --> 01:28:52.479
problem and that's where it lies and I know we're gonna go back I know it's

01:28:52.479 --> 01:28:59.960
gonna vote it's gonna happen it's gonna pass but it doesn't it doesn't mean it

01:28:59.960 --> 01:29:07.359
was ever right and you really have to be you have to take your oath that you take

01:29:07.359 --> 01:29:08.359
Fremont.

01:29:08.359 --> 01:29:13.279
I want to take for that office seriously and that means equal protections under the law

01:29:13.279 --> 01:29:20.239
across the board and our city ordinance is essentially a law saying you live here if

01:29:20.239 --> 01:29:25.399
you take this position and if you can't do that then don't take the position.

01:29:25.399 --> 01:29:31.440
But to say, I mean you're from Freeport, you served as chief of police, you know, you've

01:29:31.440 --> 01:29:38.020
We've done a lot of years here, and you know a lot of people, and that buys you.

01:29:38.020 --> 01:29:42.699
That ability to communicate with the community, it's huge.

01:29:42.699 --> 01:29:43.720
It's very huge.

01:29:43.720 --> 01:29:44.000
It's huge.

01:29:44.000 --> 01:29:49.239
It's very huge because people will tell you things because they know you that they won't

01:29:49.239 --> 01:29:51.239
tell somebody that's from out of town.

01:29:51.239 --> 01:29:54.140
And I think that's part of the problem we run into here.

01:29:54.140 --> 01:30:00.239
When we hide from the problems and we don't face those problems direct on, we end up in

01:30:00.239 --> 01:30:05.560
a situation we're in right now where we've got some thugs, let's call them what they

01:30:05.560 --> 01:30:08.859
are, causing issues in Freeport.

01:30:08.859 --> 01:30:10.720
But I commend the chief.

01:30:10.720 --> 01:30:15.600
I didn't think that we would make as big a dent as we have with the challenges that we

01:30:15.600 --> 01:30:23.920
face from our state government, but he's done a pretty damn good job doing what he's supposed

01:30:23.920 --> 01:30:24.920
to be doing.

01:30:24.920 --> 01:30:26.960
Yes, he has.

01:30:26.960 --> 01:30:31.920
But at the same time, I think there's things that we could have done that would have helped

01:30:31.920 --> 01:30:34.000
the situation along as well.

01:30:34.000 --> 01:30:37.920
Larry, Rob wants to speak, do you want him to talk before you or do you want to go first?

01:30:37.920 --> 01:30:40.000
No, I need to go first.

01:30:40.000 --> 01:30:47.439
You did mention me first. Yeah, because I don't want to. Maybe he'd answer your question.

01:30:47.439 --> 01:30:55.279
No, he won't answer this question. I just want to give the people of the city of Freeport

01:30:55.279 --> 01:31:02.000
a reminder that when aldermen are sitting, councils are sitting here making judgments

01:31:02.000 --> 01:31:09.640
and decisions and people don't understand how do we come up with ordinances. They don't

01:31:09.640 --> 01:31:10.640
and John.

01:31:10.640 --> 01:31:12.960
They don't understand what we are facing as aldermen.

01:31:12.960 --> 01:31:19.600
They assume that when we're looking at our agenda for today, it's based upon whatever

01:31:19.600 --> 01:31:28.399
is being said, but to be honest with you, the ordinances are designed to help govern

01:31:28.399 --> 01:31:32.079
the body of the council.

01:31:32.079 --> 01:31:39.180
It also helps the citizens of Freeport to understand that these ordinances are put in

01:31:39.180 --> 01:31:48.939
in place so the council can be trusted in following the governmental procedures of our ordinances.

01:31:48.939 --> 01:31:54.939
The ordinance of this city governs this body and the people within the city.

01:31:54.939 --> 01:31:59.859
Violate one of those ordinances as a citizen here in Freeport.

01:31:59.859 --> 01:32:04.600
You're subject to be locked up in jail or fined or whatever the case may be.

01:32:04.600 --> 01:32:06.340
Just violate them.

01:32:06.340 --> 01:32:09.979
and so those individuals who don't know all of the ordinance

01:32:09.979 --> 01:32:12.939
that are applied here in the city

01:32:14.939 --> 01:32:18.260
could get a rude awakening of not understanding

01:32:19.899 --> 01:32:23.300
how I violated an ordinance.

01:32:23.300 --> 01:32:25.659
Well, here's the thing, people of the city

01:32:25.659 --> 01:32:29.300
have to also understand that you can actually

01:32:29.300 --> 01:32:33.460
draft ordinances that goes before the council

01:32:33.460 --> 01:32:35.340
to be put on the agenda.

01:32:35.340 --> 01:32:39.939
You as citizens, it's not, the council has no jurisdiction

01:32:39.939 --> 01:32:42.180
in putting ordinances together.

01:32:42.180 --> 01:32:44.260
It comes from the citizens of Freeport

01:32:44.260 --> 01:32:45.979
who draft these ordinances.

01:32:45.979 --> 01:32:50.659
They have, we have forms where you can make your complaint

01:32:50.659 --> 01:32:55.460
or issue about something that can be adopted

01:32:55.460 --> 01:32:59.460
as an ordinance or placed on the docket as an ordinance,

01:32:59.460 --> 01:33:02.659
just like all the hundreds of ordinances

01:33:02.659 --> 01:33:07.260
that we have currently here in the city of Freeport.

01:33:07.260 --> 01:33:10.640
We just have ordinances all over the place.

01:33:11.600 --> 01:33:16.140
And the thing about it is who's creating these ordinances?

01:33:16.140 --> 01:33:19.260
And I think the people of Freeport don't understand

01:33:19.260 --> 01:33:23.079
that the ordinances are drafted by someone.

01:33:23.079 --> 01:33:25.340
Someone has to be accountable

01:33:25.340 --> 01:33:28.979
for introducing these ordinances.

01:33:28.979 --> 01:33:32.220
And so we as a citizen, the citizens of Freeport

01:33:32.220 --> 01:33:37.180
has to understand how the development of ordinances

01:33:37.180 --> 01:33:42.180
come to mind or come into the city government

01:33:44.079 --> 01:33:46.180
by citizens of the city of Freeport.

01:33:46.180 --> 01:33:47.720
There's a process.

01:33:47.720 --> 01:33:49.739
I want you to know that there's a process

01:33:49.739 --> 01:33:54.140
that you go through in order to file for ordinances

01:33:54.140 --> 01:33:56.520
that you feel that is dear to your heart

01:33:56.520 --> 01:33:59.840
or complaints or whatever the case may be

01:33:59.840 --> 01:34:04.840
that you have the rights to draft ordinances.

01:34:05.020 --> 01:34:08.159
We sit here every day looking at agendas

01:34:08.159 --> 01:34:11.819
with ordinances in them that guides us through the process.

01:34:11.819 --> 01:34:14.899
And if we can't violate that ordinance

01:34:14.899 --> 01:34:16.420
because it's already set,

01:34:17.659 --> 01:34:21.939
try an ordinance that is not on the agenda

01:34:21.939 --> 01:34:25.300
and violate one of them as a public citizen,

01:34:25.300 --> 01:34:26.979
you have to answer that.

01:34:26.979 --> 01:34:31.100
you are going to be accountable for that.

01:34:31.100 --> 01:34:32.420
Yeah, we're getting back to that stuff.

01:34:32.420 --> 01:34:33.260
Yeah, I'm talking-

01:34:33.260 --> 01:34:35.380
Not all ordinances and the attorney's got something to-

01:34:35.380 --> 01:34:37.899
Well, I'm saying what I'm saying.

01:34:37.899 --> 01:34:38.720
Okay.

01:34:38.720 --> 01:34:39.560
I'm saying what I'm saying

01:34:39.560 --> 01:34:42.779
because I want to give an, this is informative.

01:34:43.680 --> 01:34:45.420
This is informed information.

01:34:45.420 --> 01:34:50.420
I want people to know where it's not always

01:34:50.420 --> 01:34:55.420
the council's objection to make things seem like it.

01:35:25.420 --> 01:35:26.420
and John.

01:35:26.420 --> 01:35:27.420
It's going to be midnight pretty soon.

01:35:27.420 --> 01:35:36.420
Look, look, look, okay, okay, I'll say something different for you, Shadle.

01:35:36.420 --> 01:35:46.460
Just remember, you have a right as a citizen to draft an ordinance, and don't let the council

01:35:46.460 --> 01:35:48.979
bring the ordinance to you.

01:35:48.979 --> 01:35:51.779
You make sure that your ordinances are on the docket.

01:35:51.779 --> 01:35:53.300
I don't care how many times it is.

01:35:53.300 --> 01:36:00.159
I just want to make sure the citizens of Freeport understand that they have a right to bring

01:36:00.159 --> 01:36:04.060
ordinances just like council does.

01:36:04.060 --> 01:36:12.260
Well I hope it's done and your remarks does not enthuse me at all.

01:36:12.260 --> 01:36:13.260
Okay.

01:36:13.260 --> 01:36:17.939
So my thing is again, if you want to interrupt me again, I will keep on talking.

01:36:17.939 --> 01:36:18.939
Okay.

01:36:18.939 --> 01:36:19.939
Respect everybody.

01:36:19.939 --> 01:36:44.939
Well, you interrupted me! Who's saying that? I just want to remind the council please that we have to stay on topic. The topic that was on the floor for discussion right now is about the residency ordinance.

01:36:44.939 --> 01:36:48.939
I'm just reminding people to keep all their comments about the residency ordinance. Thank you.

01:36:48.939 --> 01:36:57.630
thank you thank you I just want to make one statement about our police fire and

01:36:57.630 --> 01:37:03.149
the folks that are impacted by this residency requirement I want to just say

01:37:03.149 --> 01:37:09.350
number one the residency in this environment is very challenging because

01:37:09.350 --> 01:37:14.430
we are not we're in a different area we have a different generation now we are

01:37:14.430 --> 01:37:20.310
all fighting for the same small pool of policemen and firemen and I also want to

01:37:20.310 --> 01:37:28.350
support the firemen and police they they do care very much and living in Freeport

01:37:28.350 --> 01:37:33.270
is not an indication about how much they care they come in they

01:37:33.270 --> 01:37:37.510
give of their life and they give of their energies every single day to this

01:37:37.510 --> 01:37:42.949
city and I think it's it's not appropriate to be talking about them in

01:37:42.949 --> 01:37:49.229
those terms so I just wanted to say that although this is kind of a vestige of a

01:37:49.229 --> 01:37:53.130
Bagan, Bagan-Era when there was plenty of people to work and Freeport was a very competitive

01:37:53.130 --> 01:37:59.750
wage wise employer. Today, we appreciate everything that our officers, police and fire are doing

01:37:59.750 --> 01:38:06.149
as well as public works, but we need to be able to have a little bit of an open policy

01:38:06.149 --> 01:38:12.229
so that folks can live where they feel safest and also where it makes the most sense. And

01:38:12.229 --> 01:38:17.149
that'll make us able to be more competitive in terms of the folks that we hire, getting

01:38:17.149 --> 01:38:21.309
the most qualified people in those positions when they come open.

01:38:21.309 --> 01:38:24.989
One quick statement and then Stacy wants to talk, but I'm going to make one quick one.

01:38:24.989 --> 01:38:29.510
I got a phone call the other day, Belvedere and the city of DeKalb have also eliminated

01:38:29.510 --> 01:38:30.510
residency.

01:38:30.510 --> 01:38:32.510
Just going to say that, it's your turn, Cecelia.

01:38:32.510 --> 01:38:35.309
Okay, we're not Belvedere.

01:38:35.309 --> 01:38:36.309
And you said who?

01:38:36.309 --> 01:38:37.309
Who else?

01:38:37.309 --> 01:38:38.309
Belvedere and DeKalb.

01:38:38.309 --> 01:38:47.789
We're not Belvedere, we're not DeKalb, we're not Rockford, we're Freeport.

01:38:47.789 --> 01:38:48.789
Boyer.

01:38:48.789 --> 01:39:02.930
I don't know if you have had hands-on in hiring any of these people that's in this position.

01:39:02.930 --> 01:39:11.309
And with that said, if it was said, I missed it because I don't think anyone was putting

01:39:11.309 --> 01:39:20.789
down Chief Miller nor Chief Shenberger as if they were not doing their job.

01:39:20.789 --> 01:39:27.989
I heard that Chief Shenberger was applauded for the changes

01:39:27.989 --> 01:39:30.989
and the difference he has made.

01:39:30.989 --> 01:39:35.590
So please don't paint a picture that anybody

01:39:35.590 --> 01:39:38.510
is putting anybody down.

01:39:38.510 --> 01:39:40.829
They able to do what they do because you let them.

01:39:40.829 --> 01:39:42.279
How'd you let them?

01:39:42.279 --> 01:39:45.560
And that's basically it.

01:39:45.560 --> 01:39:47.560
Nothing more, nothing less.

01:39:47.560 --> 01:39:48.560
Okay.

01:39:48.560 --> 01:39:49.560
James?

01:39:49.560 --> 01:39:50.560
Thank you.

01:39:50.560 --> 01:39:57.640
And I'd like to remind the city manager that it also applies to Public Works, who seems

01:39:57.640 --> 01:40:02.119
to be an afterthought of this administration.

01:40:02.119 --> 01:40:07.840
And quite honestly, they deserve just as much pats on the back as anybody.

01:40:07.840 --> 01:40:09.560
They've worked hard.

01:40:09.560 --> 01:40:13.619
I know I've been really hard on them, but at the same time, what I've been really hard

01:40:13.619 --> 01:40:17.020
on is we haven't staffed them appropriately.

01:40:17.020 --> 01:40:18.460
We haven't paid them appropriately.

01:40:18.460 --> 01:40:23.020
We haven't done the things that we've done for the other two departments.

01:40:23.020 --> 01:40:29.539
So this residency requirement is very, very important to deal with for them.

01:40:29.539 --> 01:40:37.100
And quite honestly, they probably, it matters least to the city about them, just because

01:40:37.100 --> 01:40:41.500
because they're not policing and fighting fires and other things that they would notice

01:40:41.500 --> 01:40:43.659
on a daily basis if they lived here.

01:40:43.659 --> 01:40:44.659
Okay.

01:40:44.659 --> 01:40:45.659
Oh, Rob.

01:40:45.659 --> 01:40:46.659
Go ahead.

01:40:46.659 --> 01:40:47.659
I just have one quick question.

01:40:47.659 --> 01:40:48.659
Item number 12?

01:40:48.659 --> 01:40:49.659
No.

01:40:49.659 --> 01:40:50.659
I have one quick question.

01:40:50.659 --> 01:40:51.659
Oh, I'm sorry.

01:40:51.659 --> 01:40:52.659
Didn't see you.

01:40:52.659 --> 01:41:02.699
If this was to pass and be gone, would that also apply to our 9-1-1 dispatchers?

01:41:02.699 --> 01:41:04.659
I think they're labeled TC's.

01:41:04.659 --> 01:41:05.659
No.

01:41:05.659 --> 01:41:08.819
Did this also apply to them?

01:41:08.819 --> 01:41:15.020
Residents, the number of miles outside the center of Freeport is dealt with through the

01:41:15.020 --> 01:41:16.020
contract.

01:41:16.020 --> 01:41:19.100
So if you have people in public works, the contract stipulates that.

01:41:19.100 --> 01:41:24.899
If you have people in TC's, if you have fire officers, or you have police officers, that's

01:41:24.899 --> 01:41:26.779
all in the contract.

01:41:26.779 --> 01:41:31.140
What we're talking about is individuals who are not covered by a collective bargaining

01:41:31.140 --> 01:41:32.140
agreement.

01:41:32.140 --> 01:41:34.020
We've got to open it up for everybody.

01:41:34.020 --> 01:41:36.920
Okay, Aaron.

01:41:36.920 --> 01:41:38.960
So currently this ordinance just deals with,

01:41:38.960 --> 01:41:41.739
for lack of a better term, your department heads.

01:41:41.739 --> 01:41:45.439
Okay, right now, this ordinance that's on the table now.

01:41:45.439 --> 01:41:49.520
Your police, for the most part, I'm generically saying that,

01:41:49.520 --> 01:41:51.800
but for the most part, it's the department heads, okay?

01:41:51.800 --> 01:41:53.819
Or your supervisory levels.

01:41:53.819 --> 01:41:57.439
Your police department is governed by their own contract.

01:41:57.439 --> 01:41:59.119
Fire department's covered by their own contract.

01:41:59.119 --> 01:42:01.359
Police union is covered by their own contract.

01:42:01.359 --> 01:42:03.239
I believe police and fire contracts

01:42:03.239 --> 01:42:06.600
already removed the residency requirement

01:42:06.600 --> 01:42:11.600
and Public Works is up for bargaining coming up

01:42:11.680 --> 01:42:14.079
you know, or soon there.

01:42:14.079 --> 01:42:16.079
So that potentially could be discussed

01:42:16.079 --> 01:42:19.039
during bargaining there, so.

01:42:19.039 --> 01:42:20.279
Okay.

01:42:20.279 --> 01:42:21.359
Number 12, okay.

01:42:21.359 --> 01:42:25.180
Number 12, discussion regarding status

01:42:25.180 --> 01:42:30.079
of landlord registration deadline ending April 1, 2025.

01:42:30.079 --> 01:42:31.699
Alderman Stacey and Simmons.

01:42:33.239 --> 01:43:04.279
Okay, so, as you all may recall, we had a lot of landlords that were not even registered in the city of Freeport last year so a letter was composed and sent out to all landlords and they had till April the 1st to comply.

01:43:04.279 --> 01:43:30.390
Well, today is April the 14th, and I would just like an update on this matter. Where we're at, who complied, who didn't, are we finding people, and where do we go from here?

01:43:30.390 --> 01:44:00.390
Good news is we doubled our participation rate. 72 percent of landlords in this town have registered. That's 2003 registered properties. Last year we had 1,000. So I really want to thank the council for supporting the Tollamay software. It made this possible. Right now we have 763 properties in violation and we are in the process of

01:44:00.390 --> 01:44:02.390
and

01:44:03.390 --> 01:44:05.390
John.

01:44:07.390 --> 01:44:11.119
And then the next step is to

01:44:13.119 --> 01:44:15.119
take the process of issuing the fines.

01:44:17.119 --> 01:44:19.119
And where we go from here is sit back, relax, and I guess let the

01:44:19.119 --> 01:44:21.119
fines come in.

01:44:23.119 --> 01:44:27.119
» Okay. Also, there's an ordinance or a law or a rule that

01:44:27.119 --> 01:44:31.119
says any landlord that's 20 miles outside of Freeport must

01:44:32.119 --> 01:44:33.119
and Lenny.

01:44:33.119 --> 01:44:34.760
But our software takes care of that, yes.

01:44:34.760 --> 01:44:38.899
So, is that happening?

01:44:38.899 --> 01:44:43.600
As I said earlier, our software takes care of that, yes.

01:44:43.600 --> 01:44:44.600
Thank you.

01:44:44.600 --> 01:44:46.119
That's good news.

01:44:46.119 --> 01:44:49.560
Okay, number 13.

01:44:49.560 --> 01:44:55.079
Discussion regarding appointment of Dustin Wilkinson to the Planning Commission replacing

01:44:55.079 --> 01:45:03.319
Josh Atkins, Stacy, and Simmons.

01:45:03.319 --> 01:45:32.920
Last week on the agenda, last week agenda, we were asked about appointing this person,

01:45:32.920 --> 01:45:39.560
Dustin Wilkinson, to the planning committee.

01:45:39.560 --> 01:45:53.810
However, what we were not told was that there was no open position on the planning committee.

01:45:53.810 --> 01:45:56.489
You know, we see these things just like you do.

01:45:56.489 --> 01:46:01.489
So when someone is being appointed by the mayor,

01:46:01.770 --> 01:46:04.590
we think there's an open position.

01:46:04.590 --> 01:46:07.890
We don't think that someone is being fired

01:46:07.890 --> 01:46:09.909
because that's never exposed.

01:46:11.130 --> 01:46:17.760
However, Tuesday, Joshua Atkinson received an email

01:46:18.680 --> 01:46:23.680
being terminated from his position on the planning board

01:46:23.680 --> 01:46:33.100
and replaced by this guy, Dustin Wilkinson.

01:46:40.189 --> 01:46:43.909
I'm not gonna talk about him and what all he is

01:46:44.909 --> 01:46:49.909
and what all he don't do and the trouble that he's in.

01:46:50.109 --> 01:46:58.489
Look him up, it's public information and it's out there.

01:46:58.489 --> 01:47:03.109
I don't understand why, well, maybe I will talk about it.

01:47:03.109 --> 01:47:21.859
Why a drug addict, a felony, a domestic violence person is made to be such a good person who's

01:47:21.859 --> 01:47:31.180
in trouble facing charges now to where you would ask the council not knowing who he is,

01:47:31.180 --> 01:47:39.770
I know who he is now, to vote him in and not even say because I want to get rid of Joshua

01:47:39.770 --> 01:47:44.529
and Joshua Atkinson, or I plan on firing Joshua Atkinson.

01:47:44.529 --> 01:47:48.170
You bring him to the council like there's an open position

01:47:48.170 --> 01:47:54.420
and there isn't, and there's an ordinance on this matter.

01:47:57.140 --> 01:48:00.779
And guess what, Madam Mayor, you can't do that.

01:48:02.340 --> 01:48:06.819
The ordinance tell how someone will be removed

01:48:06.819 --> 01:48:08.260
from a committee.

01:48:08.260 --> 01:48:16.180
you put him on the committee we have to accept who you choose but there's a law

01:48:16.180 --> 01:48:26.670
on how and when and why he can be removed so I don't want a drug addict a

01:48:26.670 --> 01:48:41.309
wife-beater on a committee for the city like he's all of that when you know he's

01:48:41.309 --> 01:48:52.340
is not. These positions are supposed to be filled with pride and just anything won't do.

01:48:52.340 --> 01:49:06.180
I don't care if it is just the planning committee. Shame on you for doing that to us and making

01:49:06.180 --> 01:49:19.229
me have to call you out on it. So I don't know where we're going to go from here, but

01:49:19.229 --> 01:49:23.430
But as I said, it was not done properly.

01:49:23.430 --> 01:49:25.989
He cannot be fired.

01:49:25.989 --> 01:49:28.869
It just don't happen like that.

01:49:28.869 --> 01:49:38.029
And I ask that this matter be resolved ASAP and that Joshua Atkinson is put back onto

01:49:38.029 --> 01:49:39.029
that committee.

01:49:39.029 --> 01:49:41.439
and

01:49:42.720 --> 01:49:44.720
Mr. Scott, I want to make public comments.

01:49:46.800 --> 01:49:50.300
I want to make public comments to that committee.

01:49:52.180 --> 01:49:54.180
And Destin Wilkerson is removed.

01:49:55.380 --> 01:49:57.380
≫ Any other comments?

01:50:01.670 --> 01:50:03.670
Okay, we'll go on to 14, which is public comments.

01:50:05.029 --> 01:50:07.109
Anybody want to make public? Okay, Ms. Scott, name in three

01:50:07.109 --> 01:50:09.109
minutes.

01:50:10.229 --> 01:50:11.710
≫ Ron to Scott, I have to follow up on something that was

01:50:11.710 --> 01:50:12.710
Taylor.

01:50:12.710 --> 01:50:13.710
I have receipts on this.

01:50:13.710 --> 01:50:14.710
It was not a loan.

01:50:14.710 --> 01:50:16.949
It was not a revolving loan.

01:50:16.949 --> 01:50:20.789
I only happened to find this out by accident.

01:50:20.789 --> 01:50:27.750
There was a $1 million bond taken out of the downtown TIF.

01:50:27.750 --> 01:50:33.189
And when I looked at the TIF report, I show the actual amount of that bond for financing

01:50:33.189 --> 01:50:34.189
is $1.3 million.

01:50:34.189 --> 01:50:35.189
$89,446.

01:50:35.189 --> 01:50:38.590
There you go.

01:50:38.590 --> 01:50:44.829
So I asked the city what was this money used for because it didn't say in the TIF report.

01:50:44.829 --> 01:50:48.750
And I had to do a FOIA to find out because nobody really know because nobody was here

01:50:48.750 --> 01:50:55.550
in 2018 except for Mayor Miller and maybe you Mr. Klemm, I'm not sure, and Mr. Chesney

01:50:55.550 --> 01:50:57.970
abstained.

01:50:57.970 --> 01:51:01.149
So I want to let you know what happened.

01:51:01.149 --> 01:51:06.630
One million dollars was used with a bond that the TIF paid for.

01:51:06.630 --> 01:51:16.529
So when that bond paid Wagner House $60,000 for an elevator, the TIF paid for it.

01:51:16.529 --> 01:51:23.390
The other expenditures that that $1 million paid for was mostly demolitions, which were

01:51:23.390 --> 01:51:27.489
for properties that belonged to Zajcek.

01:51:27.489 --> 01:51:33.529
The other loan, the only loan in that $1 million went to Mahoney, and I can say this because

01:51:33.529 --> 01:51:34.689
it's on public record.

01:51:34.689 --> 01:51:37.329
When you borrow public money, it's a public record.

01:51:37.329 --> 01:51:42.329
and all that $113,000 loan by Mahoney, he still owes $95,000.

01:51:42.569 --> 01:51:43.529
So I'm just letting you know,

01:51:43.529 --> 01:51:46.770
when we're applying ordinances to people, we pick and choose.

01:51:46.770 --> 01:51:50.090
When we're giving out public tax money to people,

01:51:50.090 --> 01:51:51.529
we're picking and choosing.

01:51:51.529 --> 01:51:55.210
And you all didn't know because you weren't here in 2018,

01:51:55.210 --> 01:51:58.409
but I saw the ordinance because I did a FOIA.

01:51:58.409 --> 01:52:01.050
And that ordinance said that the City Council voted

01:52:01.050 --> 01:52:05.970
to give $1,045,000 to fund a bond.

01:52:05.970 --> 01:52:07.970
and you know what it was for?

01:52:07.970 --> 01:52:12.729
For redevelopment to improve the downtown for projects

01:52:12.729 --> 01:52:15.529
and to make loans to improve downtown.

01:52:15.529 --> 01:52:18.090
Didn't say what the projects were for.

01:52:18.090 --> 01:52:20.649
Didn't say how it was gonna be paid for.

01:52:20.649 --> 01:52:22.289
And I'm just letting you know,

01:52:22.289 --> 01:52:25.210
this is the kind of crap that goes down in this city hall.

01:52:25.210 --> 01:52:26.970
And yes, you're right.

01:52:26.970 --> 01:52:29.369
Somebody does write up this ordinance.

01:52:29.369 --> 01:52:31.590
Somebody wrote up that ordinance.

01:52:31.590 --> 01:52:33.550
Chesney abstained.

01:52:33.550 --> 01:52:35.710
And yes, city council passed it.

01:52:35.710 --> 01:52:36.949
but what did they pass?

01:52:36.949 --> 01:52:39.369
They passed because they wanted to redevelop

01:52:39.369 --> 01:52:41.029
and improve downtown.

01:52:41.029 --> 01:52:42.390
But what got improved?

01:52:42.390 --> 01:52:43.350
Nothing.

01:52:43.350 --> 01:52:46.489
We tore down $800,000 worth of property

01:52:46.489 --> 01:52:48.069
belonging to Zichek.

01:52:48.069 --> 01:52:51.970
We paid Wagner House $60,000 for an elevator.

01:52:51.970 --> 01:52:53.670
Did that improve downtown?

01:52:53.670 --> 01:52:56.850
We paid Mahoney $113,000 for a loan

01:52:56.850 --> 01:52:58.130
and he still owes on it.

01:52:58.130 --> 01:52:59.550
That's where our money goes.

01:52:59.550 --> 01:53:01.569
That's why we don't improve downtown.

01:53:01.569 --> 01:53:02.670
I'm sick of it.

01:53:02.670 --> 01:53:05.850
and Representative Jeff Keischer is sick of it.

01:53:05.850 --> 01:53:06.689
He's passed two.

01:53:06.689 --> 01:53:08.310
Your time has expired.

01:53:08.310 --> 01:53:19.520
I'll continue later.

01:53:19.520 --> 01:53:21.460
Good evening, city council.

01:53:21.460 --> 01:53:23.979
I'd like to piggyback on Rhonda a little bit here.

01:53:25.180 --> 01:53:27.560
I wanna talk about existing TIF dollars

01:53:27.560 --> 01:53:29.859
that aren't going in other areas of the city.

01:53:30.859 --> 01:53:33.420
If you look up, if you Google TIF,

01:53:33.420 --> 01:53:35.420
you'll see an area that talks about

01:53:35.420 --> 01:53:38.460
TIFs can help revitalize areas struggling

01:53:38.460 --> 01:53:41.819
and with economic declines.

01:53:41.819 --> 01:53:44.859
They can create jobs and increase private investment.

01:53:44.859 --> 01:53:46.739
They can improve public service.

01:53:46.739 --> 01:53:48.460
But what they're not telling you is

01:53:48.460 --> 01:53:51.180
that in the reinvestment portion of TIFFS,

01:53:51.180 --> 01:53:54.859
it's a public infrastructure improvement for streets, sewers,

01:53:54.859 --> 01:53:59.659
water lines, redevelopment of, catch this, blighted properties,

01:53:59.659 --> 01:54:04.340
attracting new businesses or expanding existing ones

01:54:04.340 --> 01:54:06.979
and cleaning up pollution.

01:54:06.979 --> 01:54:09.180
Now, I brought this to your attention

01:54:09.180 --> 01:54:13.220
simply because in Chicago they have a community tip fund

01:54:13.220 --> 01:54:15.939
and they have a business tip fund.

01:54:15.939 --> 01:54:18.300
Money goes into the community

01:54:18.300 --> 01:54:19.899
as far as businesses are concerned

01:54:19.899 --> 01:54:22.720
and then other monies are put in a lottery

01:54:22.720 --> 01:54:24.539
and the lottery is drawn up.

01:54:24.539 --> 01:54:27.880
An individual who owns a piece of property in Chicago

01:54:27.880 --> 01:54:32.600
then is receiving a grant to fix up their properties.

01:54:32.600 --> 01:54:34.739
So we need to understand that no monies

01:54:34.739 --> 01:54:39.100
has ever gone into any individual citizen's

01:54:39.100 --> 01:54:42.500
Hoss or property, first thing.

01:54:42.500 --> 01:54:46.020
Second thing, we're talking about bringing

01:54:46.020 --> 01:54:48.659
some charging stations into Freeport

01:54:48.659 --> 01:54:50.859
because we've got people coming from Chicago

01:54:50.859 --> 01:54:51.699
going to Galena.

01:54:51.699 --> 01:54:53.819
Well, let's tell the truth about that.

01:54:53.819 --> 01:54:56.140
The average person that comes from Chicago

01:54:56.140 --> 01:54:59.539
going into Galena passes us up and goes straight into Galena.

01:54:59.539 --> 01:55:01.699
They don't come through Freeport.

01:55:01.699 --> 01:55:03.979
I've got friends that go to Galena every year.

01:55:03.979 --> 01:55:06.699
They didn't even know if Freeport was on the map.

01:55:06.699 --> 01:55:08.060
So you can stop that.

01:55:08.060 --> 01:55:10.859
Stop it, because they don't have to come through Freeport

01:55:10.859 --> 01:55:12.579
in order to get to Galena.

01:55:12.579 --> 01:55:15.180
Everybody sitting around here knows better than that.

01:55:16.380 --> 01:55:18.699
When we start talking about residential,

01:55:18.699 --> 01:55:20.739
the police and the fire department,

01:55:20.739 --> 01:55:21.939
I have absolutely no complaints

01:55:21.939 --> 01:55:24.739
about what our police department is doing at this point.

01:55:25.640 --> 01:55:26.859
I do think that there are certain things

01:55:26.859 --> 01:55:28.159
that could be done better.

01:55:29.539 --> 01:55:32.100
Our fire department is on the ball.

01:55:32.100 --> 01:55:36.319
My biggest issue with this is that tax dollars,

01:55:36.319 --> 01:55:37.939
that we're paying into their salaries

01:55:37.939 --> 01:55:39.640
is going outside of our city.

01:55:39.640 --> 01:55:41.920
There are no property taxes being paid

01:55:41.920 --> 01:55:44.739
on their properties in Lena or any place else.

01:55:44.739 --> 01:55:46.500
I do also understand that there are certain people

01:55:46.500 --> 01:55:48.520
that were given certain options

01:55:48.520 --> 01:55:50.500
as to whether or not they can move here.

01:55:50.500 --> 01:55:52.460
And it's in writing, and I won't talk about that

01:55:52.460 --> 01:55:54.500
because it was shared with me.

01:55:54.500 --> 01:55:57.180
But simply this, we need to look out

01:55:57.180 --> 01:56:00.659
for what is happening with us here in this town.

01:56:00.659 --> 01:56:03.140
We need to start building up our communities.

01:56:03.140 --> 01:56:04.920
Mr. Boyer, you said something last week

01:56:04.920 --> 01:56:06.739
that kinda pissed me off.

01:56:06.739 --> 01:56:08.239
and what you said simply was,

01:56:08.239 --> 01:56:10.880
is that we can't seem to find people that are willing

01:56:10.880 --> 01:56:14.760
or capable of doing a job in this city.

01:56:14.760 --> 01:56:17.199
Let me tell you guys the honest God's truth.

01:56:17.199 --> 01:56:19.199
Nobody wants to work for this administration.

01:56:19.199 --> 01:56:22.640
You guys have a revolving door that is as bad as business.

01:56:22.640 --> 01:56:26.560
Thank you.

01:56:26.560 --> 01:56:28.000
I like that Ford tough shirt.

01:56:29.220 --> 01:56:31.119
Good evening, my name's Micaiah Stacy.

01:56:33.319 --> 01:56:36.380
What makes me upset about the entire Dustin thing,

01:56:36.380 --> 01:56:40.479
Not the fact that Josh was improperly fired,

01:56:40.479 --> 01:56:42.640
but the fact that we have a drug problem

01:56:42.640 --> 01:56:44.760
that is known in this city.

01:56:44.760 --> 01:56:48.000
And this council, maybe you guys didn't vote against it,

01:56:48.000 --> 01:56:50.159
I don't know, it was last year.

01:56:50.159 --> 01:56:53.920
It was said that the council did need to be drug tested.

01:56:53.920 --> 01:56:55.000
And we live in Illinois,

01:56:55.000 --> 01:56:58.479
nobody cares if you smoke a little weed, like whatever.

01:56:58.479 --> 01:57:02.020
But to bring a man with an Alderman Stacey,

01:57:02.020 --> 01:57:05.640
I don't know if calling him an addict was a proper term,

01:57:05.640 --> 01:57:09.039
but a dealer, a meth dealer who, yeah, went to jail

01:57:09.039 --> 01:57:11.899
however many years ago, maybe he is reformed

01:57:11.899 --> 01:57:15.420
but to bring a former meth dealer into this town

01:57:15.420 --> 01:57:18.060
and put him on a planning committee

01:57:18.060 --> 01:57:22.689
is such a big F-U to everybody here.

01:57:22.689 --> 01:57:26.449
I don't know the exact percentages or whatever

01:57:26.449 --> 01:57:29.050
but a lot of people die from meth.

01:57:29.050 --> 01:57:32.649
If I was to walk out on the street, kill someone

01:57:32.649 --> 01:57:35.170
and then apply for a committee 20 years later,

01:57:35.170 --> 01:57:36.850
would you appoint me?

01:57:36.850 --> 01:57:38.989
No, you would not.

01:57:38.989 --> 01:57:40.550
Meth dealers are murderers.

01:57:40.550 --> 01:57:43.789
Why is there a murderer on any committee in this town

01:57:43.789 --> 01:57:45.109
that has a drug problem?

01:57:48.010 --> 01:57:51.270
I was told last week that the chief moved out of Freeport

01:57:51.270 --> 01:57:53.649
because he, like a safety issue.

01:57:53.649 --> 01:57:55.010
I was told that he got flipped off.

01:57:55.010 --> 01:57:58.890
I don't know how accurate that is, whatever.

01:57:58.890 --> 01:58:03.890
But personally, I feel like you can't really lead a town

01:58:04.149 --> 01:58:06.829
or see the exact problems in a town

01:58:06.829 --> 01:58:08.369
from a town that's 20 minutes away,

01:58:08.369 --> 01:58:11.250
you always have that separation.

01:58:11.250 --> 01:58:12.970
When I lived in Des Moines and mom would call me

01:58:12.970 --> 01:58:14.690
and say, oh, the committee's doing this, this, this,

01:58:14.690 --> 01:58:17.289
or the council's doing this, I'd say, oh, that sucks.

01:58:17.289 --> 01:58:18.909
And then I could get off the phone

01:58:18.909 --> 01:58:21.190
and go back to my life and do my homework

01:58:21.190 --> 01:58:23.329
because I had that degree of separation.

01:58:23.329 --> 01:58:25.770
And that wasn't healthy because I moved back here

01:58:25.770 --> 01:58:27.369
and I got thrown face first

01:58:27.369 --> 01:58:30.170
into whatever the hell goes on in this building.

01:58:30.170 --> 01:58:32.449
So I know it's probably like a little too late to be like,

01:58:32.449 --> 01:58:34.369
hey, maybe you should move back to Freeport.

01:58:34.369 --> 01:58:36.649
But a lot of people are feeling like,

01:58:36.649 --> 01:58:38.250
How can someone that doesn't live in the town

01:58:38.250 --> 01:58:40.930
that I live in properly lead me and know what I need?

01:58:40.930 --> 01:58:43.500
Thank you.

01:58:43.500 --> 01:58:45.039
Any more public comments?

01:58:53.680 --> 01:58:55.039
I just have a quick comment.

01:58:55.039 --> 01:58:56.840
Last week, Joy, you were called out

01:58:56.840 --> 01:59:00.399
because you're sitting there flipping through a magazine.

01:59:00.399 --> 01:59:04.399
You're in when Stacy, Alderman Stacy was talking

01:59:04.399 --> 01:59:07.119
and Simmons and Monroe, you're picking your fingernails

01:59:07.119 --> 01:59:08.600
and looking at your phone.

01:59:08.600 --> 01:59:10.399
The only time you paid attention

01:59:10.399 --> 01:59:12.440
is when Rob Boyer talked.

01:59:12.440 --> 01:59:19.359
I sat there and watched you the whole time. It's right now you're flipping through and just a quick comment again

01:59:19.640 --> 01:59:24.520
last time when Akia was here and having this big fight you and the mayor should shut your mic off and

01:59:25.319 --> 01:59:31.819
Before you start calling people out and talking bad about them because I still got that keep smirking the mayor keep smirking

01:59:33.859 --> 01:59:35.859
anybody else Tommy

01:59:38.670 --> 01:59:40.670
He's going to say we did a good job.

01:59:42.510 --> 01:59:44.510
Wayne Dickens, we got a question.

01:59:46.350 --> 01:59:53.489
Do you update the holiday and people's asking me? Well, no vacancy there, Tom. Are they going to get it?

01:59:53.489 --> 01:59:58.390
What's that? Are they going to get it? We're going to get it, Tommy. We're going to get it. And Don Parker,

01:59:58.390 --> 02:00:00.869
you do a good job doing that one in the meeting.

02:00:01.989 --> 02:00:05.710
Thank you, Tommy. And Jodi Miller, don't forget that

02:00:05.710 --> 02:00:10.710
that cutting, cutting the ribbon coming up.

02:00:12.069 --> 02:00:12.909
Monday.

02:00:12.909 --> 02:00:15.539
Monday.

02:00:15.539 --> 02:00:17.039
Okay, if there's no more ones,

02:00:17.039 --> 02:00:19.300
we can have a motion for adjournment.

02:00:19.300 --> 02:00:20.699
So moved.

02:00:20.699 --> 02:00:22.979
Sellers and Shadle, all in favor?

02:00:22.979 --> 02:00:23.819
Aye.

02:00:23.819 --> 02:00:24.659
Hold it, hold it.

02:00:24.659 --> 02:00:25.500
Any opposed?

02:00:25.500 --> 02:00:26.819
Hold it, hold it.

02:00:26.819 --> 02:00:28.220
Hold it, hold it.

02:00:28.220 --> 02:00:29.060
I think it's over.

02:00:29.060 --> 02:00:30.359
We're not done.

02:00:30.359 --> 02:00:31.199
Huh?

02:00:31.199 --> 02:00:32.020
We're not done.

02:00:32.020 --> 02:00:32.859
Yeah, we're done.

02:00:33.899 --> 02:00:36.380
The business, the business of the council

02:00:36.380 --> 02:00:38.779
have not made a proper announcement.

02:00:38.779 --> 02:00:39.699
Stay here and talk, Larry.

02:00:39.699 --> 02:00:41.260
We're leaving.

02:00:41.260 --> 02:00:42.619
Have a good one.

02:00:42.619 --> 02:00:43.779
You're out of order.

02:00:43.779 --> 02:00:46.380
It's not the first time.

02:00:46.380 --> 02:00:49.380
Totally out of order.

02:00:49.380 --> 02:00:49.880
Man.

02:00:49.880 --> 02:00:52.739
You get to a certain age, you don't give a damn.