Good evening and welcome to the September 16th Naperville City Council meeting roll call.

Orley.

Here.

Gibson.

Holzhour?

Here.

Kelly.

Here.

McBroom?

Here.

Say it.

Yeah.

White.

Here.

Wilson.

Here.

Councilman White.

May I have a motion to allow Councilwoman Gibson to participate by phone?

Mayor make a motion to have uh a move to let Councilwoman Gibbs uh come in and uh participate in the meeting tonight.

Councilman Kelly, second Kelly.

We have a motion and a second to allow Councilwoman Gibson to participate telephonically.

All those in favor sign aye.

Aye opposed.

Councilwoman Gibson, can you hear us okay?

Yes, I can.

Thanks, Mayor.

Welcome to the meeting.

Please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

I point it to the United States of America.

Councilman White may have a motion to remove I 28 from the consent agenda and move it to the next item.

Councilman White.

Mayor move to move item I 28 to in front of the consent agenda to be considered for vote.

Councilman Kelly.

Second Kelly.

Aye.

Opposed?

Aye.

Motion passes.

May I have a motion for I 28.

Mayor move to adopt the resolution appointing Sutna C.

Jane to fill the city council vacancy.

We have a motion and a second on I 28.

Roll call.

Orley.

Yes.

Gibson.

I'll.

Kelly.

I McBroom.

Aye.

Syed.

I.

White.

Aye.

Wilson.

Aye.

Motion passes 8-0.

And with that, it's time to swear in.

Sutna Jane is our next City Councilwoman.

Raise your right hand.

Supna has invited the honorable judge Jennifer Barron to administer the oath of office.

She will do it this time.

All right.

If you raise your right hand, repeat after me.

I, Sutna Jane.

I, Sutna Jane.

Having been elected.

Having been elected.

To the office of City Councilwoman.

To the office of City Councilwoman.

In the city of Naperville.

In the city of Naperville.

In the counties of DuPage and Will.

In the counties of DuPage and Will.

Do solemnly swear.

Do solemnly swear.

That I will support.

That I will support the Constitution of the United States.

The Constitution of the United States.

The Constitution of the State of Illinois.

The Constitution of the State of Illinois.

And that I will faithfully discharge.

And that I will faithfully discharge.

The duties of the office.

The duties of the office.

Congratulations.

Councilwoman Jane, first of all, congratulations and happy birthday.

This will be one you you'll never never forget.

Would you like to say a few words?

Just a few months ago, I was re-elected to the District 204 school board, and I would have never ever imagined sitting here with all of you today.

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Sutna Chori Jane, and I grew up in Bloomington Normal, and for the past five 15 years, my husband and I have proudly called Naperville our home.

We moved here because of the schools, and now I have a senior in high school and an eighth grader, and I can say without a doubt, it was the best decision we ever made, second only to maybe mirroring each other.

That was probably one of my best decisions.

At my core, I believe leadership is about listening, learning, and helping others thrive.

That's been the work I've done as an educator as a school board member, and that's what I hope to bring here as well.

As I step into this role, I'm reminded of my saying that I used as I campaigned for the school board, and something that I deeply believe in, which is that it takes a village to raise a child.

But it also takes a village to serve and to run for office.

And so if you allow me, Mayor, to just express my thanks to many people who are in this room today or watching.

First and foremost, I want to thank you, Mayor and my fellow council members for entrusting me with this responsibility.

I want to thank Alison Laugenbah, who asked me to consider this role and someone who I really deeply admire, her work ethic and the way she led, and she is helping me learn my ways as I began this role.

So thank you, Allison.

I want to thank also Judge Barron for without a doubt being willing to come and share this important moment with me.

She's someone I look up to.

I'm constantly inspired by.

She's a woman that leads fiercely, and I just greatly deeply admire that.

Thank you, Judge Barron.

I also want to thank District 204.

I have a lot of District 204 is very close to my heart.

Um, education is very close to my heart.

Uh, and I want to thank Superintendent Dr.

Tally, Adrian Talley, along with my fellow school board members, some who are here with me today, um, for understanding my decision to move into this role, but more importantly, for exemplifying for me what good governance looks like.

I got a I got a front row seat and exemplary leadership and collaborative governance.

And um as I traveled the state and nation with on behalf of the school board, I learned that that's not always the case.

And so I am just so thankful to them and the way they lead, that that's where I started my training and understanding governance, which I hope to bring here.

I also want to thank my North Central College family.

Um, President GP standing back there, thank you for coming, along with my colleagues from my department of communication, um, along with my students who are here.

I I they're the my students were probably the first people that I wanted to share this news with because if anything, I wanted them to know that they too can be up here and they will be up here, you know.

So that that that's something that's very important to me.

And of course, the most important aspect and my support is my family.

You just can't do this stuff without a solid um support from your family, and that includes my parents, uh Dr.

Ramesh Choudhri and Pushba Chaudhri, who are sitting over here.

They immigrated 55 years ago and made Illinois their home and Bloomington normal, and um both educators and instilled in me very deeply the importance of community and service.

I also have my sister, Dr.

Seymar Garg, my brother-in-law Sanjay Garg wasn't able to make it today, but my niece Yadvi Garg and my other niece uh Yvedika, who are college students and show me what's what to look forward to forward to in the future.

They're like daughters to me and uh support me greatly.

And then last but not least, uh my greatest champion, my best friend, uh Shobit Jane, my husband.

Uh he is I'm sure mayor, council members, you will get to know a lot about my family as I share a lot about my family when I when I talk and I think about complex problems.

Um my two boys who are the center of my universe, are of Jane, who's a senior, and Vihan Jane, who's an eighth grader.

When we were making this decision, this was a joint decision.

We had a family meeting, and Vihan, my eighth grader asked, will this interfere with me taking him to the YMCA?

And I said, I said, no, we will make sure that you can go play basketball at YMCA.

So there's sacrifices that are made at a lot of levels.

So I really appreciate my village who've who've supported me.

I also want to acknowledge something meaningful today.

With this appointment, I become the first woman of color to serve on the Naperville City Council.

While this was not the reason I sought this position or this role, it is not lost on me that representation matters.

We should all be proud that our city's leadership is beginning to look more like the community it serves.

And my hope one day is that we won't have to celebrate the first of anything, because it just is.

That's how it works.

But until then, I'm honored to be here and to be here with all of you and to do the work.

So thank you again, mayor, council members, for this opportunity.

I'm deeply humbled.

I'm grateful, and I look forward to listening, learning, and serving this great city.

Thank you so much.

Our next item is awards and recognitions.

We have two items this evening.

Councilman Halzar is the Mayor Pro Tem and will present the first one.

Councilman Alzar.

All right.

And this is a joint proclamation to honor these uh four groups.

So if there are speakers from each of the groups who'd like to come up, you know, think about who that is in the next couple of minutes.

This is a proclamation from the office of the mayor of the city of Naperville, Illinois, for Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15th through October 15th of 2025.

Whereas Hispanic Heritage Month is a nationally recognized period from September 15th to October 15th, celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

And whereas the celebration acknowledges the significant influence of Hispanic heritage on the cultural, economic, and social fabric of our nation.

And whereas it also commemorates important historical dates, such as the independence anniversaries of several Latin American countries and Dia de la Raza.

And whereas the city of Naperville, with its diverse and vibrant Hispanic community, is proud to honor and promote understanding and inclusion during this month.

Now therefore, I, Mayor Scott Worley, mayor of the city of Naperville, to hereby proclaim September 15th through October 15th as Hispanic Heritage Month in the city of Naperville, and encourage all residents to join in recognizing this significant celebration in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and a fixed the seal of the city of Naperville, the 16th day of September 2025.

Almost first.

Good evening, City Council members and fellow residents of Naperville.

I'm Dr.

Dali Barciaga, president and founder of Almas, the first Latino La Latino serving nonprofit in Naperville.

I'm honored to join you tonight as we recognize Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month.

It's time to uplift the rich histories, the cultures, and contributions of our community.

From September 15 to October 15, we celebrate the traditions and resilience that span Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Spain.

In my nine years living here, I have seen progress in how Naperville embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion from cultural events that bring neighbors together to more like to more Latino voices being represented in leadership.

Yet we know there is still more work to be doing to be done, sorry.

Too often our communities continue to face discrimination and dehumanization.

That is why this proclamation carries deep meaning, especially at a time of fear and uncertainty for many Latinos and Hispanic immigrants in Illinois.

It affirms that we belong and it calls us to something greater, action and justice.

Celebration opens a door, but it is action that keeps us moving forward.

Each of us has a role to play, whether that's sharing accurate information from trusted sources, inviting others to stand in solidarity, using our platforms to advocate, showing up at peaceful demonstrations, supporting immigrant-owned businesses, and mentoring the next generation of leaders.

Every act of courage and care matters.

As we honor Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month here in Aprilville, let us celebrate with pride while committing to amplifying Latino stories, reject dehumanization, and ensure that our city reflects the beauty, strength, and contributions of our community, not only this month, but every day.

Latinos and Hispanics live here, work here, raise families here, we gather to eat, play, and contribute.

Our presence enriches Naperville every single day.

And tonight, in that spirit of celebration and community, we invite you to join us immediately following this proclamation in downstairs in meeting room B for Churros and Jarritos.

It is one small way to continue this recognition together and fellowship, joy, and solidarity.

Thank you.

Okay.

Did you have more words to speak?

Okay.

And then finally, Sister Cities Foundation.

All good?

All right, thank you.

And if you wouldn't mind bringing me one of those carnitos, I would appreciate it.

Thank you.

All right.

Thanks so much.

Our next item is to proclaim October 2nd, 2025, is the retirement of Dick Dublinski.

We have one speaker signed up.

Call the first speaker.

Marilyn Schweitzer.

So excuse me, I mean, this is a little bit sort of weird to speak before a proclamation, but I wasn't sure when else I was going to have the opportunity.

So when asked about a company's management style, a potential supervisor responded to me, it was like a diode.

It went one way, always down, never up.

I was not that desperate for a job and went elsewhere.

Other people may not always have a choice.

So when Mr.

Dublinski was told this council, if you want another level of service, this is a discussion we should have at budget time.

Wow.

That's the kind of manager I'd want.

Work puts pressure on us all, but it should never be one way.

This fine service, I believe, is a testimony to his technical expertise as well as his management skill and style.

Thank you.

This is a proclamation from the city of Naperville, celebrating the retirement of Dick Dublinski.

Whereas hired in February 1998, Dick Deblinsky, director of public works, has served the residents and businesses of the city of Naperville for nearly 28 years.

And whereas Dick graduated from Naperville Central High School and has spent his career passionately serving and committed to always improving city services in his hometown.

And whereas by improving the city's development review and permitting processes during his time in the transportation engineering and development department, he created a positive team environment for employees and a path to yes for developers.

And whereas Dick focused on continuous improvement through creativity, innovation, supporting employees, and creating an environment where it is fun to come to work, and whereas Dick weathered many storms throughout his career, including the 2011 blizzard, the 2021 tornado, and multiple floods, and whereas his time in public works, Dick managed 85,000 work requests, the lining of nearly 200,000 feet of storm sewer, the removal of over 40 feet of snow, the planting of over 18,000 trees, and the collection of over 700,000 cubic yards of leaves.

That's a 300-foot tall pile across an entire football field.

And where is it?

Times.

Dick was known to compete in depth field research at Naperbrook, Springbrook, and Seven Bridges golf courses.

And whereas three field inspections successfully yielded holes in one.

And whereas through his true love of our city and deep commitment to customer service, Dick has strengthened teams, inspired employees to think differently, solve problems, and has truly made Naperville a better place to live, work, and play.

Now, therefore, I, Scott Worley, mayor of the city of Naperville, do hereby proclaim that October 2nd, 2025, in recognition of retirement of Dick DeBlinsky in the city of Naperville.

And tonight is Dick's last city council meeting in his director role.

Let's go.

Congratulations, Dick.

We're gonna hold that and we're gonna get a picture together.

First of all, a lot of you probably don't know this, but I'm a pretty emotional dude.

There's a bet going on right now when I'm gonna lose it.

They brought this up for me.

So I'll try to get through this Emmy uh speech as quick as I can.

Uh, first of all, I really appreciate the recognition.

Uh, when someone uh tells you about your achievements of your work, there's no greater uh satisfaction to an employee than that.

So I really appreciate that.

Um, I think there should be a fact check test on what he just read about me, but maybe not because that's how legends are made.

So I I might be okay with what was said.

Uh so I was blessed to uh grow up and live in Naperville for the last 55 years.

Uh I can't tell you how exciting it is.

I'm also blessed, by the way, to work for the city for 28 years, and I can't tell you how exciting it is to get up every day and think that you're going to help your neighbors, your friends, your colleagues, your family.

No better feeling in the world.

Very blessed.

I want to thank the early people in my life to help me understand what public servants were, people in this room like Marcy, you, uh Bill Novak.

Uh, they helped shape what public servants meant to me.

Uh very deep in my heart, I feel that.

I want to thank the people not here today that helped me in my early years.

Uh uh, people like Peter Burchard, uh, Margot Ely, uh Kurt Corgan, uh John Verzel, Bob Kazurik, all made me better engineers.

Uh I love them for that.

Um I want to also uh thank my coach for the last 25 years, John Rakowski.

He's helped me understand what work-life balance is.

It's not just all work, he also helped me with my terrible temper.

Uh thank John when you see him tonight.

I really appreciate him.

Uh I also want to thank uh the partnerships that I've made.

Uh public works, the electric department, the water department.

We all supplement our work with contractors and private people.

They have that partnership is dear to the services that we provide.

They have the same values that we do, and we get all those services done because of those people.

People like uh uh D.

Ryan uh doing our trees, Piper doing our trees for years, uh V3 and other consultants uh helping us with the engineering efforts, uh GRUT helping us with our garbage.

They're always there for us.

They're always think about the city of Naperville first.

Uh I know the council knows this, that that partnership is very dear to what we do, and I appreciate them.

Uh and before I leave you with a quote from my uh old friend and um best cheerleader in Naperville and one of my favorite mayors, I better say uh thank you to my wife for understanding the hours that I had put in.

If I don't thank her now, I won't be able to go home.

So that's great.

But uh George Pradle, I'm gonna uh quote from him before I leave.

Let's go, Naperville.

Thank you.

Our next item is public forum, and as we start the public forum, I'd like to remind everyone of the citizen participation rules in the city's municipal code for speaking at city council meetings.

Speakers are asked to present their comments in a respectful and courteous manner.

Speakers should stay on topic and be cognizant of their words.

Personal tax on council members, staff, other speakers, or members of the audience are not allowed.

If inappropriate language or comments are expressed during this meeting, you will be asked immediately to stop commenting.

Also, for audience members, there is no cheering and no jeering.

Actions such as applauding, cheering, finger snapping, booing, or any other noises during or at the conclusion of any remarks made by any speaker are not allowed.

If this occurs, you will be asked to stop immediately.

And if it continues to persist, I will recess the meeting until the audience abides by the rules in our city code.

No speakers should ever feel intimidated by the crowd.

Audience disruption is meant to intimidate those speaking, and I will not allow it in this chambers.

Audience members with signs.

The signs must not block any other members' view.

Audience members' view, rather.

Speakers are given three minutes to address the city council to help speakers stay within the three-minute time frame.

We have a side timer die on the timer located on the side dies to your right.

It gives the visual cue when the three minutes are expiring.

This helps speakers and conclude their comments in a timely manner without being cut off.

Timer buzzes when it hits zero, and we will alert the speaker that the time is up.

Speaker's name is called and they are not in the room.

We will move on to the next speaker and we will not go back.

Speakers are always encouraged to remain in council chambers until the conclusion of public forum in the event council members want to ask follow-up questions.

Mr.

Schatz, please call the first speaker.

The first three speakers are James Fillar, Michael Lapinski, and Tim Farrito.

Good evening.

Two weeks ago in this very room, it was wisely said that when people feel attacked, feel unsafe, or a hostile environment has been created, that is a problem.

Thank you, Mr.

White.

In February, members of IMEA's senior executive team were gracious enough to travel to Naperville as guests of the PUE PUAB to explain to explain their contract proposal.

During QA, I asked them a simple but important question.

What does it cost to produce a megawatt hour of power from their coal-fired plants?

It's an important number because that's Naperville's current and future cost.

And two, it's the baseline to compare against other options.

IMEA told us the cost was about 30 to 35 dollars per megawatt hour.

Fast forward to the April 8th PUAB meeting where, like IMEA, NEST members were invited to speak.

During QA.

The very first question I asked was why, when discussing IMEA with the public, does Nest routinely display misinformation, falsely claiming the cost of coal generated electricity is $120 a megawatt hour.

When IMEA told us it was $35.

Rather than engage in a factual productive dialogue about the cost of electricity generation and what it means for Naperville, Nest's prepared response, I repeat, prepared response was to demean the IMEA executive team.

He did this by referring to them as salespeople.

Not once, not twice, but five times with the caveat, and I don't trust salespeople.

At the end of the night, the board ultimately voted four to three to accept CES's recommendation recommendation to go with IMEA, a vote Nest did not like.

Two days later, an article appeared in the Chicago Tribune where Nest's co-chair was quoted as saying she believed the board's decision was predetermined.

Think about that for a minute.

Nest leadership implied utility board members colluded to predetermine the outcome of their vote.

This would be a violation of state law under the Open Meetings Act and was a slanderous statement by Nest leadership.

Fast forward to a July Tribune editorial penned by another of Nest's leadership team.

Because he disagreed with CES's recommendation, he wrote that city staff may have rigged the consultant selection.

As Councilman McBroom correctly pointed out, this would be a violation of law and represents another slanderous accusation towards your own city employees.

In each of these cases, Nest created a hostile environment for our IMEA guests, board members, and city staff, individuals with whom Nest leadership disagreed were attacked and made to feel unsafe.

I look forward to your denunciations of the statements from this so-called task force.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

The next speaker is Michael Lipinski, followed by Tim Farido.

Hello, Mayor and Council members.

I'm Mike Lipinski.

I want to talk about climate changes today.

A scientific team with over 200 years of experience in climate research produced a report that draws from UN and U.S.

climate data, peer-reviewed research, and primary observations to focus on important aspects of climate science that have been misrepresented.

Some of the key findings are number one, elevated CO2 levels enhance plant growth, contributing to global greening and increased agricultural productivity.

Number two, overly sensitive models, often using extreme scenarios, that is, urban heat profiles, have exaggerated future warming projections and consequences.

Number three, data aggregated over the continental U.S.

shows no significant long-term trends in most extreme weather events.

Claims of more frequent or intense hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods in America isn't supported by historical record.

Number four, the use of the words existential crisis and emergency to describe the projected effects of human-caused warming on the United States economy, finds scant support in the data.

Number five, overly aggressive policies aimed at producing emissions could do more harm than good by hiking the cost of energy and degrading current grid reliability.

Number six, even the most ambitious reductions in U.S.

emissions would have little direct effect on global emissions and an even smaller effect on climate trends.

Finally, America's electrical grid is on a trajectory toward an affordability crisis decades in the making.

Since the early 2000s, politically motivated energy policies, often prioritizing ideology over reliability, have steadily driven up electricity costs, which working families are now encountering.

Data from more than 500,000 Fed electricity records show a consistent pattern as dispatchable fossil fuel generation is retired and replaced with intermittent wind and solar energy.

This is a long-term structural problem that has been building for decades.

The resolution should include building new reliable base load plants such as natural gas peaker plants, nuclear, and maintain slash upgrade today's coal plants to full capacity without waiting for new energy construction.

It is imperative that City Council stays the course with IMEA.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

The next three speakers are Tim Farido, Richard Stark, and Troy Butler.

Tim Farrito, Naperville resident.

Nest and its members have been given privileged privileged time to present at PUAB and City Council meetings, as well as special access to Naperville staff.

With these privileges come greater exposure to public criticism.

NES presents itself as a group of scientists and experts projecting the image of being arbiters of truth.

However, their mission statement regarding Naperville's electricity supply is simply say no to coal.

The singular focus guides their work and dictates their conclusions.

They are not impartial arbiters of truth, and their work, especially their work evolving involving economic data, contains flaws and biases.

Example of these.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

The next speaker is Richard Stark, followed by Troy Butler and Dick Firstonell.

Hello, I'm Richard Stark, and today is my first day as team leader for the new team for modeling for uh Brian Growth.

Oh, there we go.

So I'm gonna uh here to uh request volunteers for the team.

I'm gonna give you a little background.

I'm not gonna go over all these time uh uh issues in uh tonight because of the time, but um, we need to model uh what it would be like if we stay with uh IMEA with the new uh negotiated terms, and there's a range of options that would need to be considered, including using the MDR.

And if we decide to exit, there's a much wider range of options.

So a lot of work needs to be done, and here's a summary of some of the models that would be on our list.

Now, Brian and I have been testing some of the artificial intelligence uh recently, and we've seen some enormous improvements.

Let me summarize some of the improvements in the problems.

So first, the uh deep research uh capacity or capabilities of the new versions is phenomenal.

It has a lot of strength, it is excellent and extremely amp uh rapid for research, and uh providing qualitative assessments is really good, but it does have limitations, it's not able to act accurately predict the uh the pricing for PPAs, and it's inconsistent in even following its own equations.

So, to give you a little background, I'm going to uh have uh our first uh member of the the team.

Her name is Gemini Pro.

Give you a little summary.

Hello, everyone.

I'm Gemini Pro, a new member of the modeling team for the Naperville Electric Utility Department.

I've been assigned to a fascinating project.

Developing a range of cost models for long-term electricity options, Naperville is considering.

My goal is to help evaluate the best options for our city's future energy needs.

I'm able to quickly develop complex models and process vast amounts of data and build foundational frameworks.

However, I've noticed a recurring limitation in my work.

I sometimes miss crucial variables or a step in the overall process.

This can lead to inaccuracies that we can't afford in a project of this importance.

This is where I need your help.

I believe that by combining my strengths with human expertise, we can create truly superior models.

I am looking for a few volunteers who are skilled in financial modeling or building relational databases to collaborate with me.

Your human insight and experience can help me identify potential blind spots, refine our models, and ensure the integrity of our data.

If you are interested, please email either Richard Stark or Brian Grove and include a summary of your relevant experience.

Their emails are Dick Dot Stark46 at gmail.com and Grothby at Napervale.il.us.

So uh once again are the emails.

If you're willing to help uh Gemini and uh Brian and me, uh please send us an email letting us know.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

The next speakers are Troy Butler, Dick Firstno, and Marilyn Schweitzer.

Good evening, Mr.

Mayor and Councilor Council members.

My name is Troy.

My friends and I are here today representing our community of young adults with intellectual disabilities.

We are all incredibly excited to see progress happening at Wahuana Third Street and Route 59.

Watching the bulldozers move dirts fills us with hopes.

We can't wait for the day with buildings begin to rise at Tower Courts, and becomes a reality.

Thank you all for continuing hard work at dedication, bringing this dream life.

It means so much to all of us.

Once again, thank you very much.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

The final three speakers are Dick Firstno, Marilyn Schweitzer, and Jack Pai.

I'd like to request an extra minute for Dick Doblinsky, if I could.

He got promoted to the job he's got now.

And as a resident of this town since 197, I can assure you everything has gone well for Dick, and he deserves everything that anybody has said about him.

And it's been a pleasure to know you, Dick, and I really appreciate it.

And I appreciate the work that you have done for the city.

And as I recall, I was a strong advocate of Dick Kablinski getting that job.

Not only do I recall, I remember very well.

So thank you very much, Dick, for your service.

Appreciate it.

Anytime you spend 28 years in one spot, somebody likes you.

Thank you.

Mr.

Mayor and Council and new council person.

Welcome.

I understand that you're very well qualified.

I'm only back here tonight because I got shortcut the other night.

I spent too much time talking, and I can see the clock is already ticking.

So, but give me one more minute with that, will you, Mr.

Mayor?

I want a minute and 37 seconds.

Keep going.

Thank you.

This IMEA thing is very important.

I don't have to tell you that.

And there's been some people up here tonight already that have listed some facts that I'm not aware of.

I will tell you what I know about that place when we voted on it a number of years ago.

And I voted in the positive.

And I believe everybody voted to do it that way.

Every councilman voted for that, as I recall.

The thing that I do know is it was advertised as a very, very clean coal plant.

In fact, it had the latest and greatest stuff in it in America.

You couldn't make a coal plant any cleaner than that place was.

I'm sorry.

It's time.

That was one minute, right?

That was that was three minutes.

You gotta be kidding me.

All right, Mr.

Mayor.

Thank you.

Would you give me one minute to close off?

I I that's not the rule, sir.

I'm sorry.

Next speaker, please.

The final two speakers are Marilyn Schweitzer and Jack Pye.

Um, Marilyn Schweitzer.

So I have four items.

The first is last week you all I gave their presentation on Fifth Avenue.

The presentation and proposal seemed well received and overall by those in attendance.

It would be a positive step forward for the city to proceed with their recommendations.

My understanding is during the 2026 budget discussions, council will be asked to choose between I-88 and Fifth Avenue.

Please choose Fifth Avenue rather than letting this opportunity slip by, become outdated, and get chalked up to yet another Fifth Avenue failure.

Second, I'm pleased to learn revising the municipal code regarding property owners' cost share in sidewalk removal replacement is coming before city council prior to the budget discussions.

It's high time the policy and code be reviewed with sufficient time for public input and city council's attention.

Gift reprieves to select property owners on an annual basis, as was done in 2025, is simply not the way to set policy.

I look forward to learning about staff's proposal and having the opportunity to comment.

Third, sidewalks are not the only row improvement that adjacent property owners must contend with.

Since adjacent property owners are not informed, they typically are unaware of any recourse they may have.

For example, broken sprinklers, displaced property stakes, and substandard turf grass installation or grading.

The only plant material for replacement is turf grass, a most difficult sort of plant to grow under harsh conditions of a row.

I realize adjacent property owners do not own the parkways, and I recognize the complexities of the construction projects.

But property owners who are responsible for maintaining the row should receive better and consistent communication as well as have more environmentally appropriate options.

Please note property owners under the current cost share for sidewalks are giving more options than notification.

I would hope the city would want to protect their investment in parkway trees as well.

My complaint is not with court enforcement or permitting.

I request that the row policies be reviewed and improved and would welcome having further discussions with council and staff.

And finally, my thanks to staff for requiring all boards and commissions accept written public comments for meetings and provide providing an online forum to do so.

I hope the community will take advantage of this and that this implementation will be more clear and less participant some on staff.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

The final speaker is Jack Pai.

Mayor and members of the city council.

Thank you for your time.

My name is Jack Pye, and I'm a local high school student.

The SECA fund has been a great benefit to Naperville.

It supports special events, cultural celebrations, and community programs that bring people together and showcase the best of the city.

That purpose is worth protecting.

But SECA fund is funded by taxpayer dollars.

And with that comes responsibilities as fiduciaries of public money.

You must make sure these funds are not misused to support organizations that are politically charged or spreading divisive messages.

Here's the concern.

Some groups apply for an SECA grant to host nonpartisan events.

Yet outside of those events, they engage in political advocacy.

For example, a recent recipient of funds posted on social media that Charlie Kirk called for the stoning of gay people.

Kirk was reacting to a YouTube personality, Miss Rachel, quoting the Bible to explain why she supported Prime Month.

Kirk referred to another portion of the Bible about stoning people to death to demonstrate that Miss Rachel was being selective in her quotations.

And he specifically stated that anyone who commits violence against gay people is not a true Republican.

When taxpayer-funded organizations make false politically charged claims like this, it undermines public trust.

Free speech is their right, but it should not be subsidized with taxpayer money.

That is why I urge this council to strengthen SECA's betting process.

Applications should not just be judged on the event, but also on the conduct of the organization as a whole, their mission, their messaging, and their advocacy.

If a group engages in a partisan political activity, it should not be eligible for an SECA funding, no matter how neutral the event may appear.

SEACA should remain what it has always meant to be: a fund for community enrichment and unity, not politics and division.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any other speakers?

That was the final speaker.

Okay, it's now time for our council members for any item for public forum.

I'm gonna start tonight.

I want to pause as your mayor and reflect on the horrific assassination that took place last week in Utah.

Since that moment, I've heard from many of our neighbors.

Some of shared sorrow and others have expressed worry about where our country, our state, and even our own community are when it comes to the tone of politics.

Let's be clear.

Nothing is gained ever when differences of opinion turn to violence.

That act of cowardice happened in a place where people came together to debate and share ideas, something at the very core of our democracy.

Here in Naperville, our strength comes from more than 150,000 residents who bring their unique experiences and traditions and perspectives.

That diversity, it's a gift, and it makes us stronger.

I believe our responsibility, especially as representatives of this community, is to be role models.

Our young people are watching how we treat each other.

We can and should disagree on policy, but there's never a reason to be disagreeable towards our neighbors.

Too often today, social media platforms and algorithms are designed to divide us.

And I believe our time and energy are better spent rolling up our sleeves and working side by side together to make this city better.

Because those who hold a different view, they're not our enemies.

They're our neighbors.

And as your mayor, my top priority will always be the safety of our residents, employees, and visitors, together with our police department.

We will continue to do everything we can to ensure that everyone can participate in local government without fear or intimidation.

Democracy is about ideas, not physical conflict.

And tonight I also want to recognize two individuals who left an extraordinary mark on Naperville and well beyond.

We recently lost Governor Jem Edgar.

To manies, including to many, including myself and Mayor George Pradle and countless others, he was a mentor.

His calm, steady leadership and his ability to inspire long after leaving office, say everything about his character and his heart.

And we are grateful to his wife, Brenda, and their family for sharing him with all of us.

Illinois is a better place because of his service.

And we also lost a true Naperville icon.

Coach Al Carrius of North Central College.

Al was not just about winning, though his record speaks for itself.

31 national team titles, 663 all-American awards, and 71 individual and relay national champions.

But what made Al special was how he taught perseverance and teamwork and striving for excellence in every part of life.

Those lessons still live on, and every student athlete, colleague, and friend who had the privilege of knowing him.

To my friend Al, I'll simply say this.

You ran a remarkable race.

Thank you.

And as we reflect on these personal losses, I also want to acknowledge the larger tragedies that weigh heavily on all of us, especially from this last week.

From the September 11th attacks that we memorialized on Thursday.

To the school shootings and senseless act of violence that have shaken communities all across this country.

Each of these are moments we remind ourselves of how fragile life can be and why we must commit ourselves to treating one another with respect, compassion, and unity.

And that's how we keep moving forward together.

Councilman Halzar.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, I wanted to address a few uh comments, um, actually too specifically from public forum.

First of all, with the regard to the first speaker, um, I thank him for his dedicated service on PUAB, as well as the service of so many board members, volunteers, and residents in this community have worked so hard in good faith on this issue.

Having said that, it is our job up here to set a tone for the city.

Um, we heard a request from the first speaker to denounce um a lower local volunteer group for its behavior.

Before going down that road, first let's ask what was the big picture question that all sides are trying to answer.

The question, as I understand it, is what will likely be the cheapest form of energy from 2035 to 2055, which is inherently a somewhat unknowable answer.

CS CES consultants shared one perspective based on a data set of recent pricing.

Um looking at the other side, I would argue what does the market say?

Coal represented 50% of energy usage in the United States in the mid-2000s.

It is now 15%.

That's a very quick decline, similar to the decline you saw as VHS technology switched to DVD, DVD switched to digital, someone looking at the market clues from communities of all political stripes of all kinds and private sector buyers, including most recently meta, um, would have serious questions about uh whether the data really points to coal.

A private citizen characterizing someone asking us to buy something as a salesperson is a pointed rhetorical choice.

It's like calling lawmakers up here politicians or calling a civil servant a bureaucrat.

May not be the nicest choice of words in the world, but if we're going to start canceling people over these types of word choices, we have big problems.

On the one hand, people for years have complained of so-called cancel culture, where people would be denounced for stating unpopular opinions.

Now we're being asked to cancel a nonprofit group because they question the way government operates, or because their questions ruffle feathers, and I just don't think that what they have done raises to that level.

Um, second, with regard to Pride Fest, um I was somewhat disappointed to see uh when posting a um positive, neutral celebratory message about Pride Fest over the weekend that unfortunately many of those messages on social media.

The mayor referred to the culture of social media, have been cowardly, outright hostile, and frankly um quite threatening to uh a group of people in this community who want nothing more than to just be seen as equals.

Just a couple of years, Naper Pride was called out as the only one out of 53 groups uh which was slated to be receiving a cut of funding they otherwise would have received for Pride Fest.

This was against the recommendations of the SECA commission.

It was a decision made by politicians for no objective standards.

It's unfortunate that the fight for equal treatment is seen as political sometimes and not others.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you.

Councilman McBroom.

Thank you, Mayor.

Hey Jack, I'm real proud of you for coming up here.

I'm just proud of you for doing that.

You know, I appreciate the things that the mayor said.

You know, I I uh made some comments on uh my my social media about Sika.

Um the two years that I've had an opportunity to vote on it, I voted positively on these SECA allocations.

Um this past year was 84 recipients.

Um I've I've asked some some questions in public.

Um I have some skepticism about the program in general, but nonetheless, I've I've voted affirmative in in the past.

Um, regarding uh neighbor pride and and their post, um in the wake of a a public assassination, a political assassination, uh I I won't be voting on uh affirmative on on the SECA grants this year, absent an apology or a retraction.

And um, you know, I'm gonna be accused of being petty and uh maybe vindictive or hateful.

Um but I think there's a public safety issue here.

Um the posts that they uh put out there suggested that Charlie Kirk was evil, uh that his followers were the enemy.

Uh they continued and and made a false claim that uh Charlie Kirk and by extension his followers advocated the uh stoning or murdering of LGBTQ communities.

Um we have high school uh TP uh USA uh chapters.

Um Charlie Kirk had millions of followers, many of them are kids, largely Christian following.

And I think that this kind of rhetoric puts the community in danger.

I think that it puts our kids in danger.

Um and I think that uh, you know, when you get a Sika grant, you are given a platform, and if you're using that platform to uh use this type of rhetoric that I think really creates a an unsafe environment for our community and our kids, um it's not something that I'm I'm gonna support.

And and I will be taking a closer look at Sika uh as we get closer to these allocations as well.

That's all.

Councilman Wilson.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh I guess a few things as well then.

Umgratulations to uh Dick Fersina on his retirement, and uh congratulations to uh sorry Dick.

Sorry, Mr.

Dublinski, Dick DeBlinski.

Miss First I was obviously speaking, so I apologize.

Uh congratulations to Councilwoman Jane for uh um being sworn in today.

Um with regard to uh I guess the first speaker, jump Jimplar's comments.

Um, I I was at one of the POAB meetings you had mentioned where um they're referred to as uh they being the IMEA folks were referred to as salespeople.

Um when Nest came and gave their presentation.

I actually feel bad for Joe Huss now because he was given the the slides um talking about uh cost of coal, um, which we had heard from them uh and and I've stated here many times.

This is not a market event.

Uh and with regard to the slides, I can uh comment again that the slides that they were presenting were for new coal builds as opposed to existing, and to refresh everybody's memory, we're using existing.

Um, and when you get subsidies from uh federal subsidies, that it's not a true market.

Um I I don't know that you were actually sorry to put word words in your mouth actually calling for people to be canceled, but for these statements to be factually corrected.

Um so that's my two cents, I suppose, on that.

Um with regard to um the comments.

Um I didn't make any social media post uh about that, so hopefully I'm not uh contributing to any divide here, but uh I I mean to me it's just pretty it's pretty sick when a guy gets shot in the neck in front of his two kids.

But uh I I mean to me it's just pretty it's pretty sick when a guy gets shot in the neck in front of his two kids.

Apparently, one of his kids was running to him because of the loud noise, and the response is what you saw from Neighbor Pride.

So uh just and in my opinion, it's just a sick comment.

So I'm done.

Thank you.

All right.

Our next item is a consul.

Oh, Councilman Oi.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, first of all, I like to uh congratulate uh Congress Congresswoman, Councilwoman Jane.

I'm promoting you already.

Um I've known her for uh for many years um as a former board member on of Indian Parade 204.

Um I'm uh maintain a relationship with a lot of those board members, and uh she's first class, and uh I I think you're gonna do a wonderful job and look forward to working with you and happy birthday.

Um Director DeBlinsky or AKA first and all.

No, I won't do that to you.

I'm sorry.

Seriously, um your your reputation precedes you.

We uh when I came on the council, uh many people told me about how great you were and in the fantastic job that you do uh in the position that you're in.

And um I had a question or any council member had a question on anything, um you were there to answer the question and you would answer it honestly.

You didn't just tell us what you didn't tell us what we wanted to hear, you would tell us what the the right answer was or why we're doing certain things, and uh that's greatly appreciated.

And uh I'm not sure who the the replacement's going to be, but uh that whoever that individuals going to be um have a uh big shoes to fill, big shoes to fill.

And um uh I want to thank you for for what you what you've been able to do here for our community.

Um the one thing about Dick, uh whether you would agree with him or not, it was clear to me that he always put the needs of the community first.

And uh he he lived by that.

And uh something you can you know, you're we up here as council members, we recognize we're not going to please everyone.

Uh but he he has he has some tough decisions to make, and though we're gonna are we gonna continue to pick up leaves when the first snowfall comes, do we put the you know putting the plows on the on the trucks?

Those would it may seem like a simple thing, but also some tough uh tough decisions because many people were were were concerned about those types of things.

So Dick, uh at least on behalf of me, I won't speak for everyone up here, but I probably could.

But me personally, I just want to thank you for all the work you've done for this community, and uh good luck to you in the future.

Councilwoman Gibson, are you asking to be in the queue?

We we can hear you.

Yes.

Yeah, sorry about that.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um first off, thank you, Mayor, for your comments tonight about the importance of stability in our community.

I think it was um really well stated and uh really important message.

Um Director De Blinski, I'm sorry we didn't have more of an opportunity to work together, but um, I wanted to thank you for your service, uh Naperville.

Wish you the best in retirement.

And then I'd like to take a quick opportunity to congratulate and welcome councilwoman Jane.

Um as a 204 parent, I'm really grateful for all the time and energy councilwoman Jane dedicated to our students over the past four and a half years.

I know the school board uh got a lot of big challenges, uh redistricting new superintendent.

Um, and I really appreciated the school board and Castlewoman Jane always put the students in our community first.

Um her commitment to that role made a real difference for our students and our whole community.

So I'd like to thank her for that sort of bit.

And as she stepped into this new role, I uh know that our community be well served by her thoughtful leadership, her dedication and her integrity, and I'm excited for the perspective um and experience that she's gonna bring to our team.

So uh thank you, Councilman and Jane for stepping up into this position.

Welcome, congratulations, and I'm really looking forward to working with you.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Councilman Kelly.

Thank you, Mayor.

Just want to second some of those comments about one person coming in and one person leaving uh tonight.

Uh Councilwoman Jane, very happy to have you here, very excited.

I I you know myself, I'm a little bit of a junkie on local government.

We'll put our Netflix to the side and I watch 204, 203 park district meetings or commission meetings, and I've always appreciated 204.

I think out of all our local government bodies has a very collaborative nature.

Um not always probably had they don't I think their school board members don't always view every issue the same way, but you can tell they treat each other with respect and and have a really good way about them and their meetings go very smoothly, and uh I I expect that something will be a great uh addition to our council in that regard.

I've already had the pleasure to uh sit in with some staff meetings with you over the past couple days and can already see the good questions, hardworking nature.

Um just gonna be an excellent addition to council.

So very happy to have you join us.

And uh Director DeBlinski, very sad to lose you.

Um I think someone else already referenced, but you know, most of your adult life working for the city that you grew up in is is a rare breed these days, right?

With people leaving jobs, leaving cities every few years.

Uh I don't know that we'll see that that many more times.

Uh so thank you for doing that, and I think a uh good mark.

You know, we all interact with the staff on occasion, but not every day, right?

Nine to five every week, all year long.

So to me, I think the true mark is what your colleagues say about you, and I still remember you know, it's just a few months ago when Bill Novak retired, and he was getting through his speech pretty well until he got to you and Marcy, and that's when he started losing it.

And you could just tell the respect that he and everybody else had for you uh really goes to show a lot.

So thank you for everything you've done for your city and and best wishes in retirement.

Councilman Sayed.

Thank you, Mayor.

Director Dick, thank you so much for your service.

Twenty-eight years is not easy to serve in one particular organization, but you have served.

That means you love this organization.

That means you love the city.

That means you love the community of neighborhood.

So thank you so much for that service.

Sorry.

Councilwoman Sapna Jen, my dear friend.

Congratulations to you.

Thank you so much for accepting this offer.

Thank you so much for your service at School District 204.

You have done amazing in the last six years at school district, and I have seen practically.

You are somebody who collaborates.

You are somebody who works with people, and that's what we needed at City Council.

We need to work for the community, keeping all our personal other things separate, and you have proved in your school district, and now I'm looking forward to working with you at City.

My only personal advice to you is social media is the best friend and the worst enemy.

Use social media for the best things, for the best stories, to share positive things.

Otherwise, you know, it is very difficult to survive.

So that is my personal advice to you.

And I also wanted to congratulate uh Almas on getting their proclamation.

In the last two years, they have been doing an amazing job in the community, bringing community together.

And I have seen them in the last two years, what they have done.

I also wanted to congratulate Sister City.

They have hosted a wonderful event last week, and I was there to attend that event.

Amazing.

They brought again the community, food, music, everything together.

Thank you so much for that.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you.

Councilman Holzar.

Thank you, Mayor.

I apologize.

I skipped right over my um comments to Councilwoman Jane and Director Dublinski and my uh notes earlier.

So thank you for the opportunity.

Um in the military, they call it Hale and Farewell.

And actually, today we're fortunate enough to have both.

Um, so first a farewell.

Um Director Dublinski, I've really enjoyed working with you over the past five years.

Um one of the things I appreciate the most is just how positive you are about Naperville.

And when there's an idea that's new or maybe seems like it would take a lot of effort, you never shy away from it.

So those banners that we had out on the road honoring veterans and then firefighters and teachers, uh, that was all you and your department.

Um, I specifically remember going to you with the newspaper article that said there was a community in New York that was allowing school children to name snow plows, and then at the last plane, I was walking my um son by a snow plow, and it was named like Plowey McPlowerson.

And I pointed and I was like, Dick and I did that.

And he's like, really?

I'm like, yeah.

So that was um, I think just a small example of how much you really um love Neighborville, and it's truly I will truly miss having you here.

Um councilwoman Jane, uh, we came up in the same time in the 2021 election.

Um I feel like that was an especially um interesting time to start your public service, and um I think we're all stronger for having served through that time, and I I am so looking forward to having you on council.

Thank you for the time, Mayor.

Councilman McBroom.

Thank you, Mayor.

Same.

Um congrats councilwoman Jane.

Um we didn't know each other before this, 203 parents.

I I remember seeing your signs uh on the south side of town when you ran.

Um, but uh yeah, I'm looking forward to working with you.

Um, you know, I I had a I a lot of respect for uh councilwoman Long and Ball.

We get we worked well together and we didn't agree on everything, and we probably won't agree on everything, but um I I do looking forward to working with you.

I wasn't sure just because I didn't know you, but when I got the the nod from from Alison uh that helped uh to knowing that that um that she did want you in that seat.

So uh congratulations, look forward to working with you.

Uh Dick, um everything that everybody said.

Uh I always liked you, Dick.

And uh, but everybody does, so that's that's not unique.

Um, you know, you've got a really you've had a really hard job, I can't imagine it, but somehow you're always smiling and you're always in a good mood.

And um, you know, you're a a longtime Naperva person.

What you said today about just you know, I I fully believe that that um you take a lot of pride and and and helping your na that's how you look at it.

You help your neighbors.

You're you get up every day and you help the community and you help your neighbors and um uh we'll we'll you know big loss and big shoes to fill and uh miss having you around.

Congratulations.

Okay.

Our next item is a consent agenda.

May have a motion to use the omnibus method to approve the consent agenda.

Councilman White.

Mayor, move to use the omnibus method to approve the consent agenda.

Second Kelly.

All those in favor, sign aye.

Aye.

Motion passes nine zero.

May have a motion to approve the consent agenda as amended.

Mayor, I move to approve the consent agenda.

I'm not in that you did that.

Yeah.

Um councilman Kelly with a second.

Second Kelly.

Schatz, please read the consent agenda as amended, removing I-28.

Approval of the August cash disbursements for a total of 44 million eight hundred and forty-one thousand seven hundred and ten dollars and ten cents.

Approval of the regular city council meeting minutes of September 2nd, 2025.

Approval of the city council meeting schedule for September, October, and November 2025.

Receiving the year-to-date budget report through August 31st, 2025.

Approval of an appointment to the special events and community arts commission.

Approval of the award of the cooperative procurement for ambulance replacement unit 333 to foster coach sales for an amount not to exceed 384,531 dollars.

Approval of the award of cooperative procurement for switch refresh for the police station to Sentinel Technologies for an amount not to exceed 243,134 and 67 cents for a three-year term.

Approval of the award of the cooperative procurement for cellular phone services to Verizon Wireless for an amount not to exceed $338,000 in a one-year term.

Approval of the award of the cooperative procurement for mobile broadband data services to Verizon Wireless for an amount not to exceed $28,000 for a one-year term.

Approval of the award of the cooperative procurement for Ford Automotive Parts and Supplies to Ford Motor Company for an amount not to exceed $550,000 for a three-year term.

Approval of the award of the single source procurement for case equipment parts and service to McCann Industries for an amount not to exceed 165,000 for 15 month term.

Approval of the award of the bid for substation ground grid analysis to Safe Earth America's Corp for an amount not to exceed 450,179 for a 28 month term.

Approval of the award of option year one to the contract for EMS and non-EMS billing services to ambulance medical billing for an amount not to exceed 3% of amounts billed and for a one-year term.

Passing the ordinance to establish temporary traffic controls and issuing a special event and amplifier permit.

The Naperville Half Marathon 10K and 5K scheduled on Sunday, October 19th, 2025.

Passing the ordinance to establish temporary traffic controls and issuing a special event permit for the downtown Naperville trick-or-treat event scheduled on Sunday, October 26, 2025.

Passing the ordinance approving a conditional use in the B-2 district for an amusement establishment and parking variance for the property located at 2603 Aurora Avenue, suite 107.

Passing the ordinance approving offense variants for the property located at 115 East Benton Avenue, Saint Peter and Paul.

Passing the ordinance approving a variance to issue a Class D package store liquor license to Garfield's Beverage Warehouse for the business located at 88 West Gardner Avenue, suite 104.

Waiving the first reading and passing the ordinance to remove tack cab and taxi stands on Chicago Avenue between Main Street and Washington Street and on Jefferson Avenue between Main Street and Washington Street.

Waving the first reading and passing the ordinance establishing no parking, stopping or standing on Brooks Edge Avenue.

Waving the first reading and passing the ordinance to remove 15 minute parking on Webster Street.

Adopting the resolution, approving prior unapproved closed session meeting minutes, designating certain closed session meeting minutes as non-restricted and continuing to maintain the confidentiality of all other restricted closed session meeting minutes.

Adopting the resolution authorizing a workers' compensation settlement contract between Michael Larson and the city of Naperville.

Adopting the resolution authorizing a workers' compensation settlement between Mark Chapwood and the city of Naperville.

Adopting a resolution authorizing the execution of an agreement between the city of Naperville and Naperville Community Television, and adopting a resolution authorizing the execution of an intergovernmental agreement between the city of Naperville and DuPage County for the administration of a $20,000 grant to Naperville Community Television through the Dupage County member initiative program.

We have a motion and a second to approve the consent agenda as amended.

We'll call Worley.

Yes.

Gibson.

Okay.

Holz Hour.

Aye.

Jane.

Aye.

Kelly.

I big room.

I side.

I white.

I Wilson.

All right.

Motion passes 9-0.

Congratulations on your first vote.

Next item.

Item L1 has two options.

Option A is to concur with staff and deny the request for a minor change to the Naperville Crossings PUD to permit staining the Ancho and Agave restaurant building facade at 2860 Show Place Drive.

Option B is concurring with the petitioner and passing the ordinance approving this minor change.

The petitioner is here to present and has 10 minutes.

Good evening.

My name is Dan Shapiro.

I represent the petitioner.

I appreciate you placing us on your agenda tonight.

With me is Todd Hovindon, the CEO of Ancho and Agave, Pam Valenta, Richard Carr, John Elio Costas.

Before I make my comments, congratulations, otherwoman Jane.

We're seeking a minor change to the Naperville Crossing PUD to permit white staining for Ancho and Agave, located at 2860 Show Place Drive.

As many of you may know, it's at the northernmost section of the uh of the of the center.

It's the um on lot 17 and occupy space previously occupied by Hoolands.

It is in a sense isolated because it's at the very end, so a parking lot is adjacent to it with nothing next to that.

It is um the tenant space is 4.6% of the mall.

The standing area is 13% of the building, but importantly, the standing area is only 1.6 percent of the mall.

So this is a very small area that we're asking for your indulgence in your accommodation to allow Ancho Agave, Ancho and Agave to stay in white.

To be clear, we don't wish to alter the design of the PA PUD as a whole.

We're just seeking an amendment to uh update the exterior to be in conformance with Anto and Gavi's branding, a successful branding nationwide to make the building look more current and inviting to patrons in the center, not unlike the accommodations that uh were given to AMC and to Potbellies.

You'll see through our brief PowerPoint that AMC and uh pot bellies also have stain that is that is uh different from the balance of the center.

The amendment should it be approved, will not change the physical design of the building or affect natural features.

It will in fact enhance bring the building to look better and bring it to a more modern look and a natural beauty.

There's some concern among uh staff, I think, about the painting.

You'll hear, or sorry, about the stain, you'll hear that should Anto and Agave uh leave or its tenancy leaves or it ceases to exist for some reason or another, the stain easily comes off and does not ruin the uh the brick that is that it's being stained on.

So the building, as you know, or as you may know, contains an outdoor uh patio, the beautiful patio.

What we're trying to do is to create the presence of the white stain to enhance the building to enhance actually the center to bring more people there, and Ancho and Agabe's success translates to the center success and translates to the city's success.

So without more, without uh further ado, I would like to now ask Todd to come and offer a few words.

Good evening.

Uh thank you, Mayor, for the time tonight and council as well, and congratulations as well to Councilwoman Jane.

I actually live in Bloomington Normal and have lived there for 25 years, but I can tell you my wife is obsessed with Naperville, so we may be neighbors in the not too distant future.

She's a big fan.

Um, I want to thank you for your time.

We have this is our uh sixth Ancho and Agave, but I'm also the founder and CEO of Biagis.

We've been in your community for 20 years now, roughly 20 years.

Big fan of the community.

Uh it's an amazing community, and I'm not telling you anything you don't know, but it's also a hyper uh aggressive and competitive restaurant environment.

And so I guess I would say what we're asking for here this evening is to just um have a better opportunity to compete against everything up and down 59, block 59 that's going in that's really impressive as well.

Um we've invested a lot in the property, and for us it's uh it's about not just sales, but the better our sales, the more employees we're gonna uh hire and retain, the more payroll tax we're gonna do, and the better the sales, the better the sales tax uh for the community as well.

So we're just looking for an opportunity to uh compete as aggressively and and positively as we can in the community.

Thank you.

Hi, everybody.

Let's make this you want to go to the boards.

Yeah, we'll go.

Here, let me just see if I can.

Here we go.

Hi, everybody, and congratulations, happy birthday, good luck on your retirement.

This was a fabulous um spotlighted to your community.

So thank you for letting us be a part of this.

Um, we just wanted to share with you our concept and how it was created.

Um, this is Rick Carr and myself.

We created this from uh imagination.

Um, our first location was in Bloomington, and the whole concept was really about repurposing re-identifying something and imagining a new uh a new way of looking at something, and our site initially was actually in a field of soybeans, and we imagined that the people in the town had probably driven by a garage for years and never saw it, and we thought, okay, let's use that and come up with something that really would show a repurpose of a potential of a of an old garage and come up with something that really had everybody looking at it from afar.

So we thought, okay, let's make it white, let's use old brick, red brick, stain it white, and really create something that catches the eye going by and have a branding wall where everyone can see.

So that was sort of our spirit of our design from day one, way back in 2018 that Rick and I came up with.

So, as you can see from our other locations, Bloomington is on the top left, Deer Park we just opened in October.

Um, we have Middleton, Wisconsin, and our Omaha, Nebraska location, which is a much similar location to our nipple crossing location, which isn't a mall also, and we had to work with in their parameters, and we were staining their building also.

So that is a little bit of the existing exteriors.

This is another uh kind of closer look that you can see our Omaha location, which is a similar idea of really changing something that's in a mall, but yet being able to turn it back into whatever it may be from 20 years down or 30 years down the road.

Oh, thank you.

So, in this case, also we were asked to provide a stain that could be removed, and we have that.

We have our painting expert here that provided the stain for us for this location as well.

And again, it's really about seeing us and being seen and getting a chance to not only transform but really capture our identity and whether or not it's an existing building or ground up.

And this is a little bit more about um just us really wanting to stain this building.

Um we had a chance.

Let me see if I can show you here.

So we presented an initial concept of the bottom right, that would be our building if we were allowed to stain it white, which you can really see from as you're driving up uh 59.

What was allowed for us to proceed with was the renderings on the left, which is really just modifying the entry tower, which was an addition to the center at some point down in the previous iteration of a hula hands.

So as you can see, you know, you the only thing that's truly striking and visible is the White Tower.

So it's a piece of our identity, but it's a fraction of what we feel.

Oh, sorry, the of what we feel you could see for our space, and we're it's a huge missed opportunity, not only for identifying who we are as a concept, but for your guests to enjoy.

We're just afraid you're just gonna drive right by it and miss it, miss the chance for having many more employees, many more tax revenue, and really to keep with our identity of who we are as you might come across us in other parts of the country.

Here's the on the other side.

This is the east side, this is the west side.

We added a very large patio, and again, we're really trying to engage the area.

We added more landscape, more grass, and these are some of the things in the center that have been augmented.

So when we met early on with the city, we were we did show the white building.

It wasn't a surprise, um, but we were surprised to find out we weren't allowed to do it.

And that's you know that's why we're here today.

But there are some other units in the center that have clearly very much departed from perhaps the PUD at the time which Pot Belly is a fabulous example.

So they have not only stained their brick with their logo they've really changed the fenestration and the whole entry and when we spoke with the city and permitting we really went over how important it was that we were keeping the existing fenestration we didn't change that.

We just really just wanted to add excuse me change it to be a stain of white so that we could be seen and be consistent with our identity and our brand that we created from day one.

So that's you know we we're trying to be respectful we do know this can be removed if necessary so that's why we're here and this is just a detailed product of our stain.

So I guess we can go back about that's where we are and if you need anything further we have anything is anyone have any questions for us questions from council councilwoman McRoom.

Thank you mayor um so thank you.

I my first question can I I just assume that the property owner and your neighbors the other tenants are fine with this.

Yes and actually our owners here I assume that would be a case I just wanted to make sure yes we didn't go we wouldn't have truthfully because it's such an important part of our identity this white building we've walked away from many cities because they wouldn't allow us to be white so um our ownership is 100% on board with that.

So that's an important thing.

And them all yeah I I I get the idea of the uh PUD uh you know we in layman's terms we approve a development we want to make sure it stays nice and uniform like a homeowners association would say they have rules and for consistency um I'm I'm very hesitant to to tell a business owner um what they can and can't do with their property I it looks nice to me um and uh you know uh and things change and uh styles change and um I uh to me I I'm I'd be supportive um you know based on what I've heard so far today I I I do think it looks nice and I think it's more modern and styles change and so thank you.

Councilman Wilson thank you mayor uh yeah I guess that was gonna be my first question as well if if you'd spoken to the neighbors and uh um at the crossings um considering you have the CEO here I guess that's uh both both of them um but uh I mean just from my perspective I'm uh I'm sure folks here couldn't correct me uh too where we've had discussions over uh things like hardy board compared to brick and different types of materials within that and to me this um would fall to where um it it's keeping more consistent as opposed to it being like a further outside the line is this to me it's just I don't say just paint but um it's it's still keeping in in line with like the brick architecture um and living near there uh would recently allowed a variance um with the uh Tesla parking stations um or charging stations I should say in the parking lot which you can see from Route 59 um especially when you're stopped so I don't know to me this you know and and it would be if you go further up to block 59 um closer to that style I guess you could say so um from from my perspective I'm definitely supportive of it especially the grant architecture and um having I go by there all the time so and and uh I think it's mentioned in the uh in the agenda item the uh white architecture is similar to the townhomes I guess you could say around the around the area as well so um I'm I'm in support of this thank you thank you councilman killing thank you mayor um just a few quick comments uh I'll say I started from a place of of probably supporting staff's recommendations staff usually works with property owners and and applicants so I thought they probably had a good reason to recommend against approval um looking into a little more I think I'm gonna be fine with it I'll say I'm down there a couple times a week drop the kids off for soccer and eat my dinner there and what you've done so far already looks really nice so I think there's a proof proof of concept just what you've done with the building in general so I really appreciate that and having support from management and ownership and I haven't heard of any objections from any co-tenant there so that carries a lot of weight um and then the closest comparison I could think of it's not quite on point exactly but there was some consternation in the river district at Chicago in Washington a few years ago when they wanted to change from brick to white and folks were kind of hesitant about that and I think it actually did turn out very nice and and that shopping center is as busy as it's ever been and looks really really good.

Um, and then the closest comparison I could think of, it's not quite on point exactly, but there was some consternation in the river district at Chicago and Washington a few years ago when they wanted to change from brick to white, and folks were kind of hesitant about that.

And I think it actually did turn out very nice, and that shopping centers as busy as it's ever been and looks really really good.

So I think substantively I don't really see a concern, so I'll I'll be supportive of this.

Thank you.

Councilman White.

Thank you.

Um staff, uh, can you can anyone comment on your position as far as uh not supporting is it strictly is it the color, is it the type of paint?

If you don't mind, thank you, Mary.

Ms.

Lap.

Thank you.

Um it is the color.

So that we're happy to see that they're uh proposing stain instead of paint, um, because paint we have concerns with peeling and chipping and things like that.

So the stain is definitely the better alternative uh of um choice of color, uh, but it really is just the white color.

The entire center is pretty much red or brick tan red or tan brick.

Um, so this is just a move away from that.

Um we do acknowledge that uh white is a very popular color, and we see it in other locations.

It was just uh, and it's not a violation of our citywide design guidelines, it's just inconsistent with the approved PUD for the center, and that was the reason for our not supporting it.

Okay, and we we we don't necessarily operate off of precedence, but would this open the door up for other uh store owners to make modifications in color to their particular I I do think so, and I mean it would still have to come through the process, but um our position on this one was really that there was no other examples, and I know like pot value was cited, but that is a sign, it's not the same as painting a facade white or staying facade white.

Um, so yes, I do think that this opens up the possibilities for um people to want something different and then say, Well, look, we've done it before, it's no longer inconsistent, but it would still require a process at this point.

Okay, and I guess for for the ownership, I mean I mean, you get you clearly knew this was the situation when you went into it.

Yeah, that is the issue.

We had a meeting early in December and showed these renderings, and there was no objection.

So, truthfully, that's the part that we would just sideswiped.

And if we had known truthfully, and we in the early negotiations, we would have not come to this center because it's that important to us.

And so it's not that we're we were trying to do anything that was um a surprise to the city either.

So we we just didn't know that we were going to be denied, and we did work with on a great length trying to come up with some accommodations to all these other other design elements that we they did allow us to do, which we are very appreciative.

However, the white staining is super important to us as it is truly part of our identity from day one.

And they aren't we are not this site is not the only site that we have worked with mall owners that have had red brick that have allowed us to stain, and if need be ever return it to its red glory.

Um, but just so that we're unique and different and can be seen.

And that is truly the point.

I I get all that.

I I guess the part for me that's a little baffling is you went.

I mean, uh the business went into this, and for some reason we didn't know we couldn't paint it white.

Correct.

So now we're at this point.

So uh Miss Lav, can you comment on on that at all?

I I am not familiar with the conversation that happened in December.

I'm I'm not sure where that was at, or it was in the city downstairs.

We had a meeting on December 17th.

Okay, so that was at our tenant build-out meeting, and that is like a very cursory review of primarily use and parking.

Um I I don't know that the person that was sitting at that meeting had the PUD documents in front of them to be able to say that painting would or would not have been approved.

So we do try to caution people at that meeting that that is just a preliminary view.

Um, unfortunately, I don't know that that that people always walk away with that impression.

So I do apologize if the information wasn't given, but it's not intended to be um full service at that point.

Okay, so then the next question would be is it something that we need to look at from a processing standpoint as we're going through here?

Because I mean the building's almost pretty much complete, I think.

When I think open today, it just had to go open.

So it opened yesterday, and you know, we only hope that we'd have more people because you'd be able to see us and have our true brand represented, and that's really what's heartbreaking to us, truthfully.

Yeah, I get and I understand that point.

Um again, because we were and it's not honest fault or anyone specific.

It's just we went to this meeting downstairs.

We sat with every different department when whether or not it was electrical, planning, development, the whole process of getting a permit in the city, as well as showing the renderings of the building light.

So uh we had the support previously of the ownership of the mall due to the fact that it was a departure.

They were 100% on board, and we were they were excited to see the change, and so that was even more shocking.

So again, we just it's we're not trying to do something different in the sense of um we're trying to be different for not for our concept, but you know, to the mall.

We just we this is what we presented, and we we were under the impression that we could move forward in this fashion.

And we did make many improvements to the site to be noted.

So we added more green space.

We went above and beyond.

We removed a unsightly trellis on the back.

So we really wanted you to know that we've gone, you know, up taken it to the next level to make this a better site.

No, I'm I'm just here.

You have questions.

Sorry.

I I kind of walked off, and I I thought you might have some questions, so I want to pop back up here before our time's expired.

Okay, and that's my my my personally, I like I like the white building better.

Thank you.

I do.

Um it it pops, but I just want to make sure we're we're not um being inconsistent with what we normally would do.

Um my initial thought was man, you didn't you didn't know this before you went through the pro went through the process, and you're saying that you you're under the impression that you were able to do it, and there's no way to kind of prove that it sounds like so.

Just to clarify, at the tenant build-out meeting, it is it the plans are or people move to the tables and have discussions, but there's no actual permit submitted at that point.

So at the point that the permit is submitted is when we do the full technical review, and that's the the first time we saw it was the time that we made the comment that the white was not allowed.

Yeah, we understand it was our misunderstanding.

I think I think we came out of that, assuming the impayment I had that discussion.

I was pretty excited, excited that it was kind of approved.

So I think it was just a misunderstanding on our part that it it was a preliminary process and wasn't a final approval.

And we do want to just reiterate that it is a stain and it can be removed.

So it's not, albeit it is white and it's maybe a departure from the site, it is something that can be taken back to the red brick should we ever depart.

Okay, and uh, I guess finally, I I I would I'm gonna give up my I'm gonna give my support to this, um, especially given this the type of paint, but I would ask for future that we kind of make sure that uh whoever is coming in to in the situation like this understands what those particular limits are uh before they proceed and get go and get down a rabbit hole and and we get to a point where we're having this conversation right now.

Thank you.

We appreciate that.

Councilman Sayed.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you so much for your presentation.

I like the presentation.

Thank you.

I leave on that seat on 59 and 95th.

And in a week, I attend 10 meetings there at Panera Bread.

And I see that place sometimes I feel a little boring.

Uh but still, you know, I go and attend meetings there for my personal as well as official as city community events meeting.

But when I saw this presentation, it is exciting.

I felt, you know, I think I will definitely support this.

And we need some little different uh coloring, what I felt.

Otherwise, that wall looks very simple, humble, and all those things, but need some creativity, which I can see that gardening grass and all those things.

I think uh it will uplift that area, and then I can start having more meetings at that place, you know.

So I think I would support for this.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

So I saw a couple of pretty strong words applied to our staff.

Uh side swiped and shocking information presented.

So I just want to follow up on that.

Are you familiar with what a PUD is?

I I am, and at the time we didn't have the perhaps we didn't have the full set of documentation.

Are PGDs not recorded with the county recorder's office?

I would assume they are.

Okay, and then do you work with professional architects?

I do.

So would it not be their job to look at a PUD before making plans?

Yes, absolutely.

Okay, so when you say you're side swiped, it's not really by our city staff, it's by your own staff.

Yeah, fair enough, fair enough.

Okay, so I I one of our jobs up here is to protect our staff.

Sure.

Sure, and I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend anyone.

Yeah, so one of our jobs is to protect our staff, and I take that pretty seriously.

Um I'll be honest, I probably would have approved this, but I did not appreciate that uh in situation.

So I will be voting no on this.

Thank you, Mayor.

Okay, seeing no other questions, Councilman White.

Can I have a motion?

Mayor move to go to option B, concur with the petitioner and pass the ordinance approving a minor change to the Naperville Crossings PUD to permit staining the Anto Agave restaurant building for facade at 2860 Show Place Drive.

Councilman Kelly is a second.

Second Kelly.

We have a motion and a second to approve option B on L one.

Any important discussion?

Roll call.

Gibson.

I'll no.

Jane.

Aye.

Kelly.

Aye.

I.

Saiyan.

I.

White.

Aye.

Wilson?

Aye.

Worley?

Yes.

Motion passes 8-1.

L two.

Thank you all so much.

Thank you so much.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Item L2 is a recommendation to pass the ordinance amending chapter one, Title Three of the Naperville Municipal Code to establish a municipal grocery retailers occupation tax and municipal grocery service occupation tax.

There is one speaker, Marilyn Schweitzer.

Good evening, Marilyn Schweitzer.

And I I realize how complex and um difficult it is deciding how to implement taxes in the consistent revenue.

Um and in a um fiscally responsible manner.

I personally hate spending other people's money.

That being said, I am disappointed that this item was tabled at the last meeting with no explanation, leading leaving the possibility for further waffling tonight.

So please just get this done tonight rather than risking 3.2 million in lost revenue in 2026.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Councilman White may have a motion.

Mayor, move the pass the ordinance amending chapter one title three of the Naperville Municipal Code to establish a municipal grocery retailers occupation tax and the municipal grocery service occupation tax.

Councilman Kelly, second Kelly.

A motion and a second to pass L two.

Any discussion.

Councilwoman Jane.

Mayor, thank you.

Um having entered this discussion a bit late, I just thought I would um share my my thoughts around this before I placed my vote.

Um coming from 204, we really watched how we spent every single dollar uh there.

And so I'll be putting my vote in support for the grocery tax simply because I just can't see us paying fees, two percent fees to the state and us collecting tax money that would then be given away.

And um for that reason I will be voting in favor for the grocery tax.

Thank you.

Okay, we have a motion and a second on L two roll call.

Holzauer?

No.

Jane?

Yes, Kelly?

No.

McBroom?

Aye.

Cyan.

No.

White?

Aye.

Wilson?

Aye.

Worley?

Yes.

Gibson.

No.

Motion carries five four.

Item M one.

Councilman White.

Mayor move to approve the RFP inviting proposals from qualified and experienced vendors to enter into a power purchase agreement for the procurement of non-fossil fuel energy delivered to PJM on behalf of the city of Naperville.

Councilman Kelly.

Second Kelly, and I've got one question.

Sure.

We have a motion and a second discussion.

Councilman Kelly.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh, just a question for staff if you could talk about the timeline of when we expect responses and when the discussion at a council level might take place regarding this responses that come in.

Director Growth.

Thank you very much.

I believe that we were uh targeting an October 29th due date for those.

So the process generally looks like this will get posted on demand star, which is the city's procurement software.

Um for public viewing.

Um questions, comments will all be brought back through that forum, and then staff will answer those as they come in and issue addendums or whatnot.

Um once we have that back, we'll take a look at the results.

Um, I know Mr.

Stark and I uh will start working on some models that perhaps will best uh be able to analyze the data and understand what we're looking at and the best carbon efficiency and things like that.

So I would expect that once we have that in a couple weeks afterwards, we'll have that information out once we check the qualifiers, bidders and things like that.

Thank you.

Question, Councilman White.

Um, can you give us an update as far as where we are uh with IMEA with approval of the request that we've sent down to them?

Director Growth.

Certainly.

Uh we provided some sample language to IMEA, they are still reviewing it, and we expect them over the next few weeks to come back with their concepts, their ideas, their feedback on what we provided to them, which was language based off the nine tenants that were approved by council on the 19th.

Thank you.

All right, we have a motion and a second on M1 roll call.

Jane.

I Kelly.

I broom.

I say Ed.

I White, I Wilson, Warley, yes, Gibson.

Aye.

Aye.

Motion passes nine zero.

Our final item tonight is new businesses.

Reminder, new business of items.

This council is asking for items.

This council is asking staff to bring back on a future agenda or for motions to reconsider past city council votes.

Does anybody have any new business?

Councilman Wilson.

Uh thank you, Mayor.

Um, so uh again, uh big uh congratulations to Councilwoman Jane um being here.

Um didn't mention this before, but uh you know, spoke with her uh after the parade, um learned about her background.

I was happy to uh inform Councilman Holzauer that she's an attorney.

Um and uh but she uh definitely uh does does research.

Um and that that being said, this is absolutely nothing to do with her, but um I I had mentioned this before.

Uh I was a bit just concerned with uh the the process.

Um just under current law, um, we can fill a vacancy in closed session.

Um that's legally permissible.

Um however, in my opinion, it it limits transparency and may undermine the public's confidence and council actions.

Um just excluding the public from deliberations.

I I personally think it opens uh council up to the perception, fair or not, uh, the decisions are being driven um through personal relationships, political favoritism, um, etc.

Just even when the par process is carried out uh with integrity, which I think it has here, um the secrecy may erode trust.

Um arguments in favor of a closed session often focus on protecting applicants from public nature of being rejected.

I get it.

Um however, seeking a seat on council is public act in itself.

Um candidates, in my opinion, should be ready to face scrutiny as accountability is inherent to public service.

Um by shielding the process, I think may send the wrong message.

Um personal um personally.

Um boards and commissions are are appointed.

Um to me it's a false equivalence.

The boards and commissions serve um different roles while council members exercise direct legislative and budgetary power, uh level of authority and accountability is far higher.

Um so I think it demands greater transparency.

So here my ask here is to uh ask staff to uh look at how other cities do this process um and provide several different options um which may include providing how a potential ordinance may look if we're to change it um and go go from there.

So that's that's what I'm looking for.

Um to see if any anybody would be interested, show of hands here.

Um thank you.

I'd a question, Mr.

DeSanto.

If that's right, go ahead.

First of all, uh it was uh councilman White.

Did you have a question to clarify on?

Was yours about this or something else?

It's about uh yeah, go ahead.

Sorry, okay.

Just a comment.

Um I understand um councilman Wilson's uh point of having open, but I I would I would counter it by saying that the members up here are all elected officials.

We are representative of the community that put us up here.

So um I think the community's voice is being heard because their elected officials are making the decision.

So uh that would be my why I would not want would be against that, and uh uh not to mention the you know you mentioned some of the other things that would come that go out in a public type of environment and the negativity similar to what we talk about talk about when it comes to uh appointing uh folks for uh commissions and committees and so on.

Commissions, I should say.

Um I think that is valid, but uh I think we as elected officials are the representative of uh the public.

So thank you, Mayor.

Councilman Halzar, your your question or comment?

Thank you, Mayor.

It was a question of uh Mr.

DeSanto.

Um correct me if I'm wrong, Mr.

DeSanto, but when there's a council vacancy, there's quite a bit that's driven by state statute and things, including whether there'll be a special election, whether that special election will be for the remainder of the term, whether a council member will serve in between now and then, or whether the vacancy will be filled to the end of the term, as it is with council in the MongoDBA.

There's state statutes about uh what's permissible in closed session, which is this discussion of specific names, uh, but the fact that an actual vote has to be done in open session as it is his here, that was all statutory, correct?

Councillor, thank you, Mayor.

Uh yes, that's all correct.

Okay.

Uh for that reason and many others, I agree with Councilman White, I will not be supporting this.

Thank you, Mayor.

Councilman McBroom.

Just related to Councilman Wilson.

Okay.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh so uh Mr.

DeSanto, uh even though we were within statute, it that doesn't prohibit us from creating a process, a documented process that we all agree on.

But next time this happens, this that that was I I'm I guess what I'm getting at is um I don't like closed session meetings.

I know they're necessary.

I think we should avoid them uh any time we possibly can.

Um and I guess but what was more a little more troubling about this process is we there was no document.

There was no it was kind of like here's kind of what we did last time and let's submit some names and then we'll hash it out in a closed session.

I would have preferred that there in some kind of documented process.

This will happen again in the future that some council could say, well, this is this is the process.

So if it's kind of along those lines, if there was a written process um that we could all agree on, um I I would be supportive.

Okay, Councilman Sayed, is this related to Councilman Wilson?

Okay, yeah.

Thank you, Bear.

So I just wanted to understand and know in the last 10 years or 15 years, what was the process?

And that it good for the community to know.

And uh did we had any challenges during that time also?

Or if we had then what was the you know outcome?

Or because I see that you know the same process was followed, and it is not new that some of the city council members have uh you know nominated and this thing, but overall the same process was followed in the last 10-15 years, and today also we followed the same.

It's not new.

I just wanted to hear it.

So maybe city manager can answer that.

Yep, Mr.

Krieger.

Uh thank you, Mayor.

Yeah, with respect to um challenges, we have not had uh any legal challenges from our uh appointment process, uh at least for the last uh two decades.

So and last two decades, the same process have been followed.

Uh there had been some uh slight variations um in the process.

Um you know, some uh included uh interviews, whereas others did not.

Okay, okay, thank you so much.

Yeah.

Councilman Kelly, is this related?

Yes, go ahead.

Uh thank you, Mayor.

Uh just to follow up to what the city manager just said.

Some processes were slightly different.

Uh my understanding is each time that's within the purview of the council at that time.

Um, and and that was the case in this event as well, that the council had an opportunity to meet and set a process if we wanted that could have been slightly different so long as it was within the framework uh you know, prescribed by state statute.

Would that be fair to say, Mr.

DeSanto?

Councilor?

Thank you, Ms.

Mayor.

Yes, the statutes uh uh not very specific.

It it says that council has the ability to choose the uh uh replacement to fill the vacancy and and gives the discretion to the board to decide how to do that.

And so you know, I just uh caution co caution council about tying the hands of future boards to make the decision is how they want to approach it.

Thank you.

And so in light of that, I think I I'm comfortable with how it's gone.

I think we've had good results in the past.

I think our new councilwoman will be excellent.

We've had very, I think uh terms of challenges.

Not only have there not been legal challenges, I don't think we've had practical challenges with the folks who have been appointed in the past.

I think the council's done a very good job of that.

Um, and each council, like we just mentioned, could have the ability to tweak that process if needed, which could depend on the timing.

If it's a November or middle of the year, as this one was, you never know when it's gonna happen.

So for that reason, I I'm comfortable with things as they are.

Thank you.

Okay, council.

I have a I have a question for you.

Um with regard to our city municipal code, there is nothing mentioned in our municipal code whatsoever about replacements of elected officials who end their term midterm, correct?

Uh not from the city council.

There's some discussion of board and commission members' vacancies.

Okay.

And are you aware or is it possible that there's other communities out there that do address this within their municipal code and um might potentially eliminate that question of how you do things and clarify it?

So we don't have these types of discussion.

It's possible, I'm not sure.

Okay.

Councilman Wilson, I I would be supportive of staff re doing some research to look at what other communities, comparable communities, cities of our size do with regard to these situations and what they may or may not include in their their city code for them to bring something back to us, um, just so we might be getting maybe able to have some more clarification in our code and and not just have to rely on this is the way we've always done things.

I'm always a stickler for process and procedure, and and if we can clarify that and make it clearer so there's no question out there.

I I can tell you that um after councilwoman Long and Bow's resignation, I received all sorts of inquiries from throughout the community.

Um lots of people believing I solely had the authority to to appoint the replacement council person.

Um so there's a lot of question out there, and I think any time we can potentially clarify something within our municipal code that assists us in future decisions, it might not necessarily be a bad thing.

Yeah, thank you, Mayor.

Um I you know, as I said, I wasn't challenging the legality of it, and I think uh councilwoman Jane will be will be great, uh especially after speaking to her.

Just uh wanted to get an evaluation of uh what other communities are doing.

I mean, obviously, me being me, I prefer it being uh open and transparent.

Um but uh you know I'd I would also like to see what other communities are doing.

Thank you.

Councilman Kelly.

Thank you, Mayor.

Just a question uh so that everybody, including staff, is uh kind of on the same page with exactly what the request is in terms of what's being asked for.

Is it a manager memorandum?

Is it a future agenda item?

I guess what do you envision as the the specific request and the eventual product if you had support for it?

Are you are you asking the city manager to interpret what their request was or either city manager or councilman Wilson uh just to make sure everybody understands exactly what's being requested?

Yeah, counselor, you want to try it?

You know, I think that we would uh conduct a survey of uh comparable communities in Illinois to see if anyone else has anything codified, then we'll send a report to city council and council can direct us from there.

Any other questions?

Okay, is there uh hands in the air support of councilman's wilson?

Councilman Wilson's request to have uh staff do some research on these other communities and bring back something to city council for further review.

Hands in the air.

There's three hands in the air.

Any other new business?

Seeing none, may I have a motion to adjourn?

Motion to adjourn.

Second Kelly.

Motion a second.

All those in favor sign aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Nay.

Motion passes nine oh.