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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

City of Joliet City Council Meeting - February 20, 2026

Meeting Portal — Friday, February 20, 2026

BodyJoliet, Illinois

SessionMeeting Portal

DateFriday, February 20, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:28:21

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

2:50

Welcome everyone to the City of Joeyette City Council meeting here Tuesday, February seventeenth, twenty twenty six.

3:03

The meeting wouldn't will be um proceeded over by myself, Pat Mudwin is the mayor pro temp, Mayor Darcy is out of town.

3:42

And uh let's just take a moment of silence now to uh his life.

4:04

Lord, we thank you for the life of Jesse Jackson Senior Lord.

4:09

For all that he has done to help others and his care that he has extended to so many in this country, Lord, and the leadership that he provided.

4:24

And that we may um look out for the needs of one another and be more uh hospitable to warm to one another.

4:36

I pray for the proceedings tonight.

4:39

That uh everyone would be heard uh more than just listen to.

5:00

Lord, we just pray for uh a good meeting tonight and good results for the city, and we pray for a prosperous future for our city.

5:06

In Jesus' name, amen.

5:08

Amen.

5:08

Amen.

5:10

I pledge allegiance.

5:17

One nation, another God, indivisible with team and justice for all the time.

5:25

If I may take a moment, um couple Sundays.

5:29

Uh I'm with Pray Joliet.

5:33

And we have about 50 churches that have been represented at our prayer meeting that we have throughout the year.

5:40

Uh in couple weeks, Victory City Church, which is the mayor's church, they are hosting at the new branch location of the old St.

5:49

Jude, uh, another three Joliet prairie gathering.

5:52

So we'd like to invite all of you if you're around and available to come on out that night.

5:57

Six sixty eight at the old Saint Dude.

6:05

Okay, we'll begin with roll call.

6:07

Mayor Darcy is absent.

6:09

He did let me know he would not be in attendance this evening.

6:11

Councilman Carness.

6:13

Here.

6:13

Councilman Clement?

6:14

Here.

6:14

Councilman Hug.

6:15

Here.

6:15

Councilman Abarra?

6:16

Here.

6:16

Councilman Moreno.

6:17

Here.

6:18

Councilman Mudrin.

6:19

Here.

6:19

Councilman Queman.

6:20

Here.

6:21

Councilman Burden.

6:22

Here.

6:24

Next, we will have two presentations.

6:26

First is CERT graduates, presented by John Lukanzik.

6:44

She joined us.

6:45

Good evening, Council.

6:46

And thank you again for letting me uh come before you and talk about our wonderful CERT program here in the city of Joliet.

6:56

Today it's my privilege to talk to you about our very first high school graduating class for the community emergency response team.

7:06

They were wonderful, they were hard workers, and I'll tell you a little bit about the program as we go here, but uh some of them have joined us here tonight, so I thank them for being here, and I thank their adult teammates for being here too.

7:17

So everybody's very supportive of one another, and that's a it's a wonderful thing.

7:22

So just as it as a review, um we are part of a group here that has been around since the 1980s.

7:28

CERT has been around since the 1980s was a result of the Mexico City earthquake of 1985, which our students could tell you all about during our history class.

7:37

We talked about it.

7:38

So right now we have over 600,000 trained CERP members in the United States.

7:44

There are teams in all 50 states, and the Joliet program, which isn't even a year old yet, represents one of the largest CERP programs in the state of Illinois already.

7:56

We have 99 trained members, and we have more than 30 that are currently in training in high school class and in the adult classes.

8:04

So hopefully we'll be at around 200 by the end of the calendar here this year.

8:09

Um so I'm very proud of these young men and women who have gone through this.

8:13

Um I do especially want to thank the Joliet Township and Jolia Cap Academy administrators.

8:19

They bought in completely to this program, they helped these students along, they encouraged them to be part of it, and they gave them service hours to be part of it, which is wonderful.

8:29

So we appreciate all the people at all high schools in the city who were part of this.

8:34

I do want you guys to know that the young men and women who were in this program, they went through the adult curriculum.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Data Centers█████████████13%

Procedural███████████11%

Public Safety██████████10%

Community Engagement█████████9%

Technology and Innovation█████████9%

Urban Planning██████6%

Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%

Utilities and Infrastructure█████5%

Environmental Protection█████5%

Summary of Proceedings

City of Joliet City Council Meeting - February 20, 2026

The Joliet City Council met on February 20, 2026, with Mayor Pro Temp Pat Mudwin presiding in the absence of Mayor Darcy. The meeting included presentations on the CERT program and the comprehensive plan, a proclamation for Black History Month, committee reports, approval of several contracts and resolutions, and extensive public comment on topics including a proposed data center, street naming, and community concerns.

Consent Calendar

Approval of minutes from January 20, 2026, and payment of invoices were approved unanimously.
Council Memo 114-26: Award of professional services agreement for 2026-2027 bridge program manager to Willet Hoffman and Associates ($56,475,000 note: likely $56,475, but transcript says $56,475,000 - assumed $56,475 per typical contract).
Council Memo 115-26: Change order for Essington Road Bridge over Rock Run Creek ($112,158.64) and final payment ($114,774.28).
Council Memo 116-26: Change order for 2024 sidewalk curb replacement ($17,884).
Council Memo 117-26: Purchase of 11 police pursuit vehicles (not to exceed $810,000).
Council Memo 118-26: Purchase of 4 police explorer vehicles (not to exceed $208,000).
Council Memo 119-26: Purchase of 5 Ford F-250 service body vehicles ($320,957.65).
Council Memo 120-26: SCADA equipment for Southeast Joliet Sanitary District ($53,951).
Council Memo 121-26 through 123-26: Change orders extending completion dates for water main projects.
Council Memo 124-26: Core network switch replacement contract to CDWG ($62,953.12).
Council Memo 125-26: Nutanix server replacement contract to Heartland Business Systems ($223,922.42).
Council Memo 126-26: GIS software license renewal with Esri (3-year, $361,626).

Public Comments & Testimony

On Agenda Items:

Gina Glasgow (representing Habitat for Humanity CEO Nicole Murray) expressed gratitude for the donation of six lots, highlighting the importance of land for affordable homeownership and long-term tax revenue.
Trista Graves Brown, Sandy Costa, Dorothy Arrington, Ron (Tomorrow Starts Today), and others spoke in strong support of the honorary street naming for Reverend Larry Ellis, praising his community work and leadership.

On Non-Agenda Items (General Public Comments):

Jennifer Garlets (Citizens Against Ruining the Environment) urged the council to adopt a single-use plastic bag ordinance, citing environmental and health concerns.
Leo Vicarello (Solar on Earth) promoted a community solar program that could save the city an estimated $300,000–$400,000 annually on utility bills.
Andrea Baumart raised questions about the Joliet Technology Center (data center) proposal, requesting public access to water usage graphics, soil studies, and safeguards.
John Wagner expressed concerns about Flock Safety cameras, citing privacy and data use issues, and urged review of the contract.
Christine Johnson challenged the indefinite ban imposed on seven individuals at the Joliet Area Historical Museum, arguing it violates due process and the intergovernmental agreement.
Abby Vulmer and Griselda Chavez opposed the data center project, citing environmental impacts, inflated job claims, and rising utility costs, and referenced a national call for a moratorium.
LeVard Lee (All Rise) spoke about inaccessible curbs and businesses for wheelchair users, requesting city action.
Resident reported coyotes, odor from a tire shop, and a dangerous dark intersection at Water Street and McDonald's.
Another resident (Love's Truck Stop update) described ongoing flooding, drainage issues, road damage, and lack of notice from the developer.
Multiple speakers further opposed the data center, citing AI harms and labor concerns.

Discussion Items

Presentations:

CERT Program Update (John Lukanzik): The Community Emergency Response Team program, active for under a year, has 99 trained members (including 22 high school graduates) and over 30 in training. The high school class logged over 400 volunteer hours. Joliet’s program is among the largest in Illinois.
Comprehensive Plan Status (Jane Bernhardt, Planning Director): The city’s first comprehensive plan in 50 years is in Phase 3 (Enhance). Over 2,000 survey responses were received; 230 attended seven topic workshops. Community Workshop #2 is set for February 26, 2026, 5–8 p.m. at the Joliet Public Library (Ottawa Street branch). Councilmembers expressed concern about scheduling two workshops on consecutive nights.
Black History Month Proclamation (Councilman Carnes): Proclamation reading and remarks honoring Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. and announcing three days of free admission events (Feb 20–22) at Bicentennial Park.

Council Committee Reports:

CTIS (Feb 4): Demo of Peregrine Technologies platform for police data integration; approved GIS renewal, network switch, and server replacement contracts.
Finance (Feb 17): Reported on Route 66 grant ($22,500 for AV equipment), DCEO grant ($100,000 for water main), HUD neighborhood incentive ($500,000), and monthly financials.
Public Service (Feb 17): Reviewed six vehicle purchase contracts and five change orders, including modifications to the Ottawa Street parking garage (see key outcomes).

Agenda Items (Votes):

Council Memo 128-26: Peregrine Technologies Contract – A demonstration highlighted the platform’s ability to search across siloed data, provide crime trend analysis, and support officer wellness. The contract is approximately $200,000 per year for five years. Approved unanimously (8-0).
Council Memo 129-26: City Square Parking Garage Modifications – Contract with Stalls Construction for $1,027,136 to add storage, electrical, and IT rooms. Councilmembers discussed cost overruns from the original project estimate (~9 million) and lack of maintenance budget. Approved 7-2 (Councilmembers Hugg and Quillman voted no).

Resolutions (all approved):

131-26 through 134-26: Supplemental MFT fund appropriations for road resurfacing and traffic signals (Contracts A and B).
134-26: Honorary street name designation for Reverend Larry Ellis (unanimous, 8-0).
135-26: Grant acceptance for Plainfield Road water main replacement ($100,000).
136-26: Utility easement acceptance for Washington Street water main improvements.
137-26: Route 66 grant acceptance for City Square AV equipment.
138-26: Donation of six lots to Habitat for Humanity (unanimous).
139-26: Project labor agreement with Fox Valley Building Trades for the Alternative Water Source Program.

Key Outcomes

Approvals: All consent agenda items (minutes, invoices, memos 114-126) were approved unanimously.
Peregrine Technologies Contract (128-26): Approved 8-0. Next step: City Manager to execute the agreement.
Parking Garage Modifications (129-26): Approved 7-2. Project to proceed with modifications to the Ottawa Street garage.
Honorary Street Naming (134-26): Unanimously approved. The street naming for Rev. Larry Ellis will move forward.
Committee Recommendations: All items from CTIS, Finance, and Public Service committees were forwarded and approved.
City Manager's Announcement: The comprehensive plan workshop is set for February 26, 2026 (5–8 p.m.) at the downtown library.
Councilmember Reardon's Statements: Called for transparency regarding the proposed data center plan, noting that 1,300 pages of documents were heavily redacted. Also shared a constituent’s request for a living kidney donor.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome everyone to the City of Joeyette City Council meeting here Tuesday, February seventeenth, twenty twenty six. The meeting wouldn't will be um proceeded over by myself, Pat Mudwin is the mayor pro temp, Mayor Darcy is out of town. And uh let's just take a moment of silence now to uh his life. Lord, we thank you for the life of Jesse Jackson Senior Lord. For all that he has done to help others and his care that he has extended to so many in this country, Lord, and the leadership that he provided. And that we may um look out for the needs of one another and be more uh hospitable to warm to one another. I pray for the proceedings tonight. That uh everyone would be heard uh more than just listen to. Lord, we just pray for uh a good meeting tonight and good results for the city, and we pray for a prosperous future for our city. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Amen. I pledge allegiance. One nation, another God, indivisible with team and justice for all the time. If I may take a moment, um couple Sundays. Uh I'm with Pray Joliet. And we have about 50 churches that have been represented at our prayer meeting that we have throughout the year. Uh in couple weeks, Victory City Church, which is the mayor's church, they are hosting at the new branch location of the old St. Jude, uh, another three Joliet prairie gathering. So we'd like to invite all of you if you're around and available to come on out that night. Six sixty eight at the old Saint Dude. Okay, we'll begin with roll call. Mayor Darcy is absent. He did let me know he would not be in attendance this evening. Councilman Carness. Here. Councilman Clement? Here. Councilman Hug. Here. Councilman Abarra? Here. Councilman Moreno. Here. Councilman Mudrin. Here. Councilman Queman. Here. Councilman Burden. Here. Next, we will have two presentations. First is CERT graduates, presented by John Lukanzik. She joined us. Good evening, Council. And thank you again for letting me uh come before you and talk about our wonderful CERT program here in the city of Joliet. Today it's my privilege to talk to you about our very first high school graduating class for the community emergency response team. They were wonderful, they were hard workers, and I'll tell you a little bit about the program as we go here, but uh some of them have joined us here tonight, so I thank them for being here, and I thank their adult teammates for being here too. So everybody's very supportive of one another, and that's a it's a wonderful thing. So just as it as a review, um we are part of a group here that has been around since the 1980s. CERT has been around since the 1980s was a result of the Mexico City earthquake of 1985, which our students could tell you all about during our history class.

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