OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Moline City Council Meeting Summary – January 21, 2026

Committee of the Whole & Council — Wednesday, January 21, 2026
BodyMoline, Illinois
SessionCommittee of the Whole & Council
DateWednesday, January 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:19:26

Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

Good evening, everyone.

0:03

I'll call our uh committee of the whole meeting to order at 6 p.m.

0:07

in council chambers.

0:09

Roll call, please.

0:10

Alder Person Murphy.

0:11

Present.

0:11

Messias.

0:12

Razak.

0:13

President.

0:13

Timmy and present.

0:15

Finch.

0:15

Present McNeil.

0:16

Present.

0:17

Castro.

0:17

President Schmidt.

0:18

Present.

0:20

All right.

0:21

There's no remote electronic attendance needed.

0:23

Is there a public comment, Chief?

0:26

All right.

0:26

Just a reminder, you have three minutes.

0:29

Okay.

0:29

And do you have the clock going?

0:33

Thank you.

0:33

Hello, everyone.

0:34

My name is Tom Keith.

0:35

I'm from Holine.

0:37

As many of you know I'm an activist trying to stop the spraying our skies called climate engineering.

0:42

I have flyers back directly to the clerk if anybody wants one.

0:46

Uh or two.

0:48

Um, Milo Anderson's got a proposal before the Senate right now on trying to stop this too.

0:56

And it does trying to stop the spraying of our skies with climate engineering.

1:01

So I get some of the people maybe to talk to them and encourage that bill to go through.

1:06

That would help.

1:08

Um my other concern is a new technique to spy on Americans called Palenter Galtham.

1:14

Police departments across the U.S.

1:16

are using the software to aggregate and analyze massive amounts of civilian data.

1:21

With a single search officers can access and infer past addresses and known associates.

1:28

Vehicle movements via automatic license plate readers and flock cameras.

1:32

We've got three of them up here at UG, I see them.

1:35

Photos, tattoos, scars, prior arrests, and field interviews.

1:40

Social media and financial data immediately obtained for subpoena.

1:44

Algorithmic risk scores that flag people based on patterns, not convictions.

1:50

Now you call that the pre-crime or minority port.

1:53

Anybody remember that movie?

1:55

This is sold as crime filing, but it creates centralized digital profiles of millions of Americans, many never charged with a crime, often with mental public transparency or oversight.

2:06

Now the knee-jerk response is if you're not doing anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry about.

2:12

But you know, that's what the Germans said.

2:16

And Martin Mahler, he's a minister at Germany, said first they came for the socialists, but I wasn't a socialist, so I said nothing.

2:24

Then they came for the trade units and Jews, and I said nothing because I was neither.

2:29

Then they came for me, and there was no one left to stand up for me.

2:32

Thank you for listening.

2:34

Please don't kill the messenger.

2:36

Thank you, Kevin Town.

2:38

Anything further to more in your honor.

2:41

David Stoller.

2:50

Hello everyone.

2:51

Uh as you said, I'm David Soner.

2:53

I'm in the Fort Ward.

2:55

Um, so I came here tonight to voice my strong opposition to the city's use of flock cameras.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use█████████████████████████25%
Procedural██████████████14%
Affordable Housing█████████████13%
Arts And Culture█████████████13%
Homelessness█████████9%
Personnel Matters███████7%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%
Public Safety████4%
Disability Rights███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Moline City Council Meeting Summary – January 21, 2026

Note: The agenda and transcript indicate the meeting occurred on January 6, 2026, but the provided date for this summary is January 21, 2026. This discrepancy is noted below.

The Moline City Council met on January 21, 2026, for a Committee-of-the-Whole and Regular Council meeting. Key actions included approval of an intergovernmental agreement with the school district, a substitute ordinance changing the definition of “family” in the zoning code, selection of a public art installation, and approval of a new UAW labor contract. Public comment focused on concerns about surveillance technology.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Tom Keith (Moline resident) expressed opposition to climate engineering (spraying of skies) and criticized the use of Palantir/Gotham surveillance software and Flock cameras. He urged the council to consider privacy implications and referenced historical parallels.
  • David Stoller (Fort Ward resident) voiced strong opposition to the city’s use of Flock cameras. He submitted a petition with approximately 260 signatures asking the city to stop using them. He cited concerns about data sharing with federal agencies, security breaches, and lack of trust in the company.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved unanimously (8-0):
    • Committee-of-the-Whole meeting minutes (Dec 9, 2025), Council and Executive Session minutes (Dec 16, 2025), and Special meeting minutes (Dec 18, 2025).
    • Second Reading Ordinances: 15.1 (Comprehensive Plan amendment for Airport South District) and 15.2 (Zoning Map amendment for 72nd Street area).
    • Resolutions: 16.1 (Change Order for 2025 Asphalt Maintenance), 16.2 (Ground Lease with USPS for Midtowne Ramp parking), 16.3 (2026 treatment chemicals contracts), 16.4 (Change Order for 2025 Manhole Lining), 16.5 (Amendments to Fire and Police Commissioners Rules).

Discussion Items

  • 6.1 – IGA with Moline-Coal Valley School District No. 40: Approved a 10-year agreement for the city to provide fuel, pre-treated road salt, and vehicle wash services to the school district at cost. Motion passed unanimously.
  • 6.2 – Change Order for Midtowne Parking Ramp Repairs: Approved final change order of $4,609.55 for field measurement adjustments and installation of an aluminum plate. Motion passed unanimously.
  • 6.3 – Zoning Code Amendment (Reasonable Accommodation & Definition of Family): Alderperson Timian introduced a substitute motion to strike the current definition of “family” and replace it with “one or more persons occupying a dwelling unit and maintaining a common household.” After debate, the substitute motion passed 7-1, and the amended ordinance passed 7-1. City Attorney Bill noted the substitute was developed quickly and recommended future review by the Plan Commission. The original ordinance (creating a new reasonable accommodation process) was set aside.
  • 6.4 – Public Art Installation at Q Multimodal Station: Approved the selection of Skunk Control (Australian-based artist group) for a $330,000 interactive light installation called “Tapestry.” The project is funded 50% by MetroLINK. The Public Art Commission and Quad City Arts presented the design. Motion passed unanimously.
  • 6.5 – Consultant Agreement for 2026 Intersection Improvements: Approved a $392,120 agreement with Crawford, Murphy & Tilly to design two intersection projects: Avenue of the Cities & 53rd Street (2027 construction) and 19th Avenue & 16th Street (2028), including a feasibility study for a roundabout at the latter. Motion passed unanimously.
  • 6.6 – UAW Labor Agreement (Library Employees): Approved a new three-year contract (2026-2028) with wage increases (year 1: varies by market adjustment, year 2: 3%, year 3: 2.75%), paid parental leave, 80/20 health insurance split, and earlier closures on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. Motion passed unanimously.

Non-Consent Agenda

  • 18.1 – UAW Labor Agreement (same as 6.6): Passed 8-0.
  • First Reading Ordinances advanced to Second Reading (all 8-0):
    • 19.1: Increase Class B tavern licenses (Broken Saddle Saloon).
    • 19.2: Increase Class B incidental tobacco dealer licenses (Broken Saddle Saloon).
    • 19.3: Increase Class B incidental tobacco dealer licenses (Central Store).
    • 19.4: Fifth Amendment to Development Agreement for Quad Cities Multi-Modal Station.

Informational Report

  • City Administrator Bob Vitas presented the January 2026 Status Report, highlighting:
    • Holiday meal gift card program (community donations of $35,000 in December, matched 10% by Fareway).
    • Tri-City Housing Lottery (launching Jan 26, 2026; $1.2 million in grants for critical home repairs; lottery drawing Jan 29).
    • Grant awards: $10,000 from USA Soccer and $50,000 from Team Moline for Riverside Park soccer pitch.
    • Sheltering updates: 25 cots, sleeping bags, wagons, and hygiene kits ordered; partnership with Project Now for temporary shelter at the city service center gym (capacity 55 cots).

Key Outcomes

  • Votes:
    • All consent agenda items passed 8-0.
    • Substitute motion on definition of family passed 7-1 (one nay).
    • Amended ordinance on family definition passed 7-1.
    • All other resolutions and ordinances passed unanimously (8-0).
  • Directives:
    • City staff to work with Plan Commission for further review of the family definition change.
    • Policy on temporary sheltering to be drafted for next meeting.
    • Tri-City Housing Lottery: online entry opens Jan 26, 2026, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; drawing Jan 29, 2026.
  • Next Steps:
    • First-reading ordinances to be advanced to second reading at next council meeting.
    • UAW contract effective January 1, 2026.
    • Public art installation to proceed with design development.

Note on Date: The agenda and transcript both list the meeting date as January 6, 2026. The summary date provided (January 21, 2026) appears to be an error. All actions described occurred on January 6, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. I'll call our uh committee of the whole meeting to order at 6 p.m. in council chambers. Roll call, please. Alder Person Murphy. Present. Messias. Razak. President. Timmy and present. Finch. Present McNeil. Present. Castro. President Schmidt. Present. All right. There's no remote electronic attendance needed. Is there a public comment, Chief? All right. Just a reminder, you have three minutes. Okay. And do you have the clock going? Thank you. Hello, everyone. My name is Tom Keith. I'm from Holine. As many of you know I'm an activist trying to stop the spraying our skies called climate engineering. I have flyers back directly to the clerk if anybody wants one. Uh or two. Um, Milo Anderson's got a proposal before the Senate right now on trying to stop this too. And it does trying to stop the spraying of our skies with climate engineering. So I get some of the people maybe to talk to them and encourage that bill to go through. That would help. Um my other concern is a new technique to spy on Americans called Palenter Galtham. Police departments across the U.S. are using the software to aggregate and analyze massive amounts of civilian data. With a single search officers can access and infer past addresses and known associates. Vehicle movements via automatic license plate readers and flock cameras. We've got three of them up here at UG, I see them. Photos, tattoos, scars, prior arrests, and field interviews. Social media and financial data immediately obtained for subpoena. Algorithmic risk scores that flag people based on patterns, not convictions. Now you call that the pre-crime or minority port. Anybody remember that movie? This is sold as crime filing, but it creates centralized digital profiles of millions of Americans, many never charged with a crime, often with mental public transparency or oversight. Now the knee-jerk response is if you're not doing anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry about. But you know, that's what the Germans said. And Martin Mahler, he's a minister at Germany, said first they came for the socialists, but I wasn't a socialist, so I said nothing. Then they came for the trade units and Jews, and I said nothing because I was neither.

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