The Joliet City Council met on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 6:30 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting included a retirement tribute to Deputy City Manager Christa Desiderio after 26 years, approval of several consent items, liquor licenses, a public hearing and ordinances for a 31-acre development at 23656 S. Houbolt Road, a $2 million loan and grant extension for the Rialto Square Theatre, a budget amendment for litigation settlement, and public comments.
Good evening, everybody. This is the June 16th meeting of the Joe City Council held in the council chambers. With Mary Terry Darcy residing, and I'm Jan Quilmanus Pro Temp. And would you call a roll and then we'll call invocation? Or you want to do the other way? Okay, invocate. Okay. The invocation night will be said by the founder of prayer of Mr. Jeff De Breeze with Pray Joliet 1741 S and 10. And with that, we call the role after the Pledge of Allegiance in the prayer. Pledge first. Well, I represent more than the 50 churches in this area that have uh come to pray for our city and pray for you all. And so with that, let's pray. Lord, thank you for the stay. Thank you for all that you've given us. Lord, we thank you for all the blessings that you have bestowed upon our city. Lord, we pray for uh a smooth uh meeting here tonight. We pray for efficiency and we pray for clear minds and pray for wisdom, Lord. We pray for each uh person on the city council here. We pray for the mayor that uh they would uh be blessed by you, Lord, and I just pray that uh the city would prosper further into the future and give them wisdom in order to help that happen. We ask this all in Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Pledge allegiance to the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, an individual with liberty and justice for all okay. We'll begin with roll call. Mayor Darcy, Councilman Cardinals, Councilmanclement? Here, Councilman Hugo. Councilwoman Abarra here, Councilman Moreno here, Councilman Mudron. Here, Councilwoman Quoman. Here, Councilwoman Rurden here. Before we begin, I'd like to have uh Krista Desiderio approach and say a few words. Tonight is her last city council meeting after 26 years serving the city of Joliet and um we'll be sad to miss her, but uh excited for her future endeavors. Thank you. Mayor, members of the council, Beth, colleagues, thanks for giving me a few minutes tonight to say a few words. I wrote it down because I knew it's gonna be a little hard for me. So after 26 years with the City of Joliet, it's hard to believe that this chapter is coming to a close. When I first walked through the doors of City Hall, I could never have imagined the journey that lay ahead. I realize looking back that the most rewarding part has never been the accomplishments, it's been the people. To the city managers I've worked for over the years. Thank you for your leadership and support. Each one challenged me to grow, and there were many, and taught me valuable lessons. To my colleagues and fellow employees, thank you for your commitment to improving the lives of the residents of Joliet. We've celebrated successes together, worked through challenges together, and occasionally persevered through crises. The relationships built over these years are what of what will be what I will miss the most. I also want to thank the residents. Serving this community has been both a responsibility and a privilege. Every decision we made, every project we undertook, and every challenge we faced was ultimately about improving the quality of life for the people who call this place home. Most importantly, I want to thank my family and friends. Through it all, their support and understanding made it possible for me to do the work I loved. As I reflect on everyone who has been part of this journey, I'm reminded that strong communities are built on this foundation. Encouragement, respect, and kindness.