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Record of Proceedings

Elgin City Council Meeting – May 27, 2026

Committee of the Whole and City Council — Wednesday, May 27, 2026
BodyElgin, Illinois
SessionCommittee of the Whole and City Council
DateWednesday, May 27, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:31:21

Original source
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0:09

We have the whole meeting for the Elgin City Council for May 27th, 2026 to order.

0:14

Will the clerk please call the roll?

0:16

Councilmember Zalfaro.

0:18

Present.

0:18

Dixon.

0:20

Good.

0:20

Here.

0:21

Martinez.

0:22

Here.

0:22

Ortiz.

0:23

Here.

0:23

Powell?

0:24

Here.

0:24

Stefan?

0:25

Here.

0:26

Thorne.

0:27

Here.

0:27

Mayor Captain.

0:28

Here.

0:28

Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting of uh May 13th.

0:32

Move for approval.

0:33

Second.

0:34

Move the second for approval.

0:36

Any corrections or additions.

0:39

So far.

0:40

Yes, on page five, it uh indicates when council member Thorne steps off the diets and then it indicates again when he comes back on.

0:50

However, between that time, it shows that he voted on something.

0:54

So I think there's just a typo we need to move when councilmember Thorne actually returned, or um, he did not vote on that item.

1:13

Yeah.

1:14

Okay.

1:15

Anything else?

1:17

Okay, please call a roll.

1:20

Councilmember Zalfaro?

1:21

Yes.

1:21

Good.

1:22

Yes.

1:22

Martinez?

1:23

Yes.

1:23

Ortiz.

1:25

Powell?

1:25

Yes.

1:26

Stefan?

1:27

Yes.

1:27

Thorne?

1:28

Yes.

1:28

Mayor Captain.

1:29

Yes, motions approved 7-0 with one abstention.

1:32

Excuse me.

1:33

We have uh no public comment this evening.

1:36

Mr.

1:37

Manager.

1:38

Thank you, Mayor.

1:39

Um items A and B are on both agendas, and they both involve lead service line replacement contracts for the 2025 program.

1:46

Item A pertains to the city's contract with IHC construction.

1:51

That contract originally contemplated replacing 321 lead service lines following the completion of that work.

1:58

A balance of $500,000 remains in the account.

2:01

So the city can realize the full benefit of the IEPA loan it obtained for this work.

2:07

Staff is recommending that the contract be extended to allow an additional 68 additional lead service line replacements with substantial completion occurring on June 30th and final completion by the end of this year, December 31st.

2:22

Move for approval.

2:23

It's on both agendas.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████46%
Procurement████████████████████20%
Community Engagement███████7%
Water And Wastewater Management██████6%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%
Public Safety█████5%
Historic Preservation████4%
Affordable Housing████4%
Parks and Recreation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Elgin City Council Meeting – May 27, 2026

The Elgin City Council convened in a Committee of the Whole and a Regular Meeting on May 27, 2026. The council approved multiple contracts for lead service line replacements, building improvements, CDBG funding, fire department radios, and the National Street Bridge rehabilitation. A flag certificate was presented by the Sons of the American Revolution, and the council debated procurement card policies, leading to a motion to review expenditures and create guidelines.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes of May 13, 2026 (7–0 with one abstention in COW; 9–0 with one abstention in regular meeting).
  • Approved routine items on the consent agenda (8–0 with one abstention).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Matt Clark, secretary of the Sons of the American Revolution, presented a flag certificate to the city for its patriotic display at Veterans Memorial Park.

Discussion Items

  • Lead Service Line Replacements (Items A & B on both agendas): Extended contracts with IHC Construction to add 68 and 34 additional replacements using leftover funds. Council praised staff for savings and progress toward the goal of replacing 900 lines.
  • Senior Services Associates Building Improvement Program: Approved $31,700 in TIF gap financing for window and door repairs at 101 S. Grove Avenue. Council asked about adding handicap-accessible bathroom stalls.
  • Annual CDBG Action Plan: Approved allocation of ~$1 million for owner-occupied rehabilitation, affordable housing (via Kane Elgin Home Commission), senior services, and administration. Discussion included declining nonprofit applications and the need for rotating council representation.
  • Fire Department Radio Replacement: Approved purchase of Motorola APX 8500 mobile radios for fire vehicles ($285,000 or $300,000 depending on timing). Technology obsolescence noted.
  • National Street Bridge Rehabilitation: Approved bid award of $2,688,731 to MarTam Construction and an amendment with H.R. Green for construction oversight.
  • Tent City Cleanup: Approved an intergovernmental agreement with Fox River Water Reclamation District for fencing and debris removal, and a first amendment with ATI Restoration for additional cleanup services at the former Tent City property.
  • P-Card Expenditures and Transparency: Councilmember Ortiz raised concerns about conference expenses, Uber rides, bag fees, and missing reports. After debate, the council passed a motion to analyze council P-card expenditures from 2025 to present, create usage guidelines, and update the city website to match disbursement reports.

Key Outcomes

  • Votes (all approved unless noted):
    • Lead service line contract extensions (COW: 8–0; Regular: 9–0)
    • Building improvement agreement (8–0)
    • CDBG action plan (8–0)
    • Fire radio purchase (8–0)
    • Tabled item F (8–0)
    • Bridge project oversight amendment (8–0)
    • Bridge bid award (9–0)
    • HVAC replacement (9–0)
    • Change orders for IHC (9–0 each)
    • Tent City IGA and ATI amendment (9–0 each)
    • Consent agenda (8–0, one abstention)
    • Miscellaneous business (8–1, Ortiz dissenting)
  • Motion Passed (9–0): Direct staff to analyze council P-card expenditures (2025–present), develop guidelines, and align website transparency.
  • Announcements: Foxtrot race (May 31), Lowrie Elementary open house (May 30), Memorial Day thanks, passing of Walter Porter, Elgin ranked #1 for retiree healthcare, Elgin Pride parade/festival (June 6), Liz Marston retirement from Elgin History Museum, and soft opening of chip shots at Wing Park.
  • Next Meetings: Committee of the Whole and Regular Council meeting on June 10, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

We have the whole meeting for the Elgin City Council for May 27th, 2026 to order. Will the clerk please call the roll? Councilmember Zalfaro. Present. Dixon. Good. Here. Martinez. Here. Ortiz. Here. Powell? Here. Stefan? Here. Thorne. Here. Mayor Captain. Here. Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting of uh May 13th. Move for approval. Second. Move the second for approval. Any corrections or additions. So far. Yes, on page five, it uh indicates when council member Thorne steps off the diets and then it indicates again when he comes back on. However, between that time, it shows that he voted on something. So I think there's just a typo we need to move when councilmember Thorne actually returned, or um, he did not vote on that item. Yeah. Okay. Anything else? Okay, please call a roll. Councilmember Zalfaro? Yes. Good. Yes. Martinez? Yes. Ortiz. Powell? Yes. Stefan? Yes. Thorne? Yes. Mayor Captain. Yes, motions approved 7-0 with one abstention. Excuse me. We have uh no public comment this evening. Mr.

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