Oswego Village Board Regular Meeting Summary – September 1, 2026
Oswego Village Board Regular Meeting – September 1, 2026
The Oswego Village Board met in regular session at 7:00 PM on September 1, 2026, at Oswego Village Hall. The board recognized State Senator Linda Holmes, honored employees and community members, heard a comprehensive plan update, approved the consent agenda and bill list, established two Hudson Pointe special service areas, and moved into closed session. No members of the public spoke during Public Forum, and there was no old business.
Recognitions and Appointments
- State Senator Linda Holmes: The board read and presented a proclamation honoring Senator Holmes for 20 years in the Illinois Senate, including her work on end-of-life legislation, agriculture, labor, and local government, and her help securing $3.6 million in state funding for Oswego projects. The board then unanimously approved a resolution designating Wolf's Crossing at the Harvey Road Roundabout as an honorary street in her name.
- Employee Service Awards: Arthur Fernandez, 5 years; Joshua Schneider, 5 years; Frank Sterioti, 15 years; and Connie Jackson, 30 years. Jackson attended and was recognized as the first Oswego Police Department employee to reach 30 years; she has about 40 years of public service and is retiring with three working days left. The other three awardees were unable to attend.
- Art at Village Hall: The board recognized photographer Ronda Bennett (agenda spelling; transcript says 'Rhonda Bennett'), a lifelong Oswego resident, for a new art installation at Village Hall.
- Proclamations: The board proclaimed 'It's Our Fox River Day' and National Payroll Week, September 6-12, 2026.
Staff Report and Board Discussion – Comprehensive Plan Update
- Staff presented remaining opportunity-site concepts, including two U.S. Route 34 sites (mixed-use horizontal development, commercial frontage along Route 34, a range of apartments/townhomes/small-lot single-family, buffers and open space), an Illinois Route 31 site (riverfront hotel within village limits, multifamily north of the village, preserving floodplain), Harrison Street and Washington Street mixed-use concepts, and Main Street streetscape concepts.
- The Main Street concepts would convert angled parking to parallel parking, gaining about 8 feet (one side) or almost 17 feet (both sides) of sidewalk for trees, outdoor dining, branding, and gathering, while losing roughly 20 or more parking spaces.
- Multiple trustees questioned putting the hotel on Route 31 and preferred a Harrison Street or downtown location, citing river views, neighborhood compatibility, and proximity to restaurants and activity. Other suggested locations included Orchard Road/Route 34, particularly if the cricket stadium spurs hotel demand.
- Several trustees stressed preserving commercial potential on Orchard rather than converting it to residential; one said jettisoning commercial there would be premature and that the village should preserve options until the cricket stadium's impact is known.
- Trustees also asked for flexibility rather than rigid site assignments; staff said the concepts are indicative and final uses would be assessed through development proposals.
- Trustees raised concerns about density and lot size, with one noting Oswego's rental rate is 12%, compared with 24% in Naperville, 20% in St. Charles, and 17% in Geneva. Another cited roughly 4,000 single-family lots on the books and few available apartments, arguing the plan should support attainable housing and a multi-generational community.
- Other comments included preserving green space and drainage corridors, improving Route 31-to-downtown connectivity, avoiding warehouses on Fifth Street, and considering adaptive reuse/building up in the older downtown; staff noted the concepts remain flexible and that open space is required through subdivision/UDO processes.
- Staff said the next step is phase three: consolidating comments from visioning sessions and the community survey into the first comprehensive plan draft.
Consent Calendar
- Approved unanimously: August 18, 2026 Committee of the Whole minutes, regular Village Board minutes, and closed-session minutes (approved but not released); a farm contract with Creekside Farms, LLC; a parking-restriction ordinance amendment; an employee leasing agreement with MGT Impact Solutions LLC for an interim Public Works Director; bulk rock salt purchase from Midwest Salt, LLC for the 2026-2027 snow season for $219,460.00 with competitive bidding waived; a Utility Dynamics Corporation contract for the Kirkland Circle Lighting Project for $116,580.00; an ordinance proposing a special service area for Jade Estates of Oswego and calling for a public hearing; amendments to the EDIA and Commercial Business Loan Fund program criteria; and a minor amendment to Ordinance 23-73 for the Breybourne PUD to allow a wetland stormwater facility on approximately 34 acres at the northwest corner of Tuscany Trail and Orchard Road.
Bill List
- Approved the September 1, 2026 bill list in the amount of $1,321,729.36.
New Business – Hudson Pointe I & II SSAs
- Public hearings were opened for each proposed special service area; no one spoke, and both hearings were closed.
- Staff explained the village establishes dormant SSAs for new subdivisions to cover the cost of maintaining common areas, stormwater, landscaping, and similar improvements. They remain dormant while the homeowners association is active and can be activated if the HOA fails or can no longer maintain the areas.
- The board unanimously approved Ordinance 26-SSA-004 establishing the Hudson Pointe I SSA and Ordinance 26-SSA-005 establishing the Hudson Pointe II SSA.
Trustee Reports and President's Report
- Trustees thanked Senator Holmes, congratulated Connie Jackson and other service award recipients, praised Ronda Bennett's artwork, and highlighted the Oswego Park District's grand openings, including Ogden Point. They also mentioned community coffee/back-to-school safety, the SD 308 referendum, downtown business openings, Fox River Day cleanup, and the Raksha Bandhan celebration.
- President Kaufman thanked Senator Holmes, police and fire personnel, and the park district; recognized the Raksha Bandhan celebration; and offered condolences and well-wishes to the families affected by the recent incident involving pedestrians on Ogden Avenue.
Key Outcomes
- Honored Senator Linda Holmes with a proclamation and unanimously approved the honorary street designation at Wolf's Crossing at the Harvey Road Roundabout.
- Unanimously approved the consent agenda (G1-G11) and the September 1, 2026 bill list of $1,321,729.36.
- Unanimously approved Hudson Pointe I and II SSA ordinances (26-SSA-004 and 26-SSA-005).
- Unanimously closed the Committee of the Whole after the comprehensive plan discussion.
- Unanimously voted to enter closed session for pending/probable litigation, personnel, collective bargaining/salary schedules, and property acquisition; no action following closed session is contained in the transcript.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good evening. We're to call our regular village board meeting to order, and this evening we have uh our police chief, Jason Bastin, who's going to be leading us in tonight's Pledge of Allegiance. Please uh rise and join Chief for the pledge. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. One nation, under that, indivisible with another city, and justice for all. Thank you, sir. Roll call, please. President Kaufman. Here. Trusty Cooper. Here. Trustee Hughes. Here. Trustee Koenig. Here. Trusty McCarthy Lane. Here. Trusty Novi. Here. Trustee Torres. Here. All right, up first. Uh a fun one I've been looking forward to for a little while now. We are honoring Senator Holmes this evening. So, Senator, if I could have you please join me down front. I'm just assuming now getting grilled on what we're doing. Tonight you get to relax. Tonight you get an easy job. We're celebrating you. All righty. Tonight, we are honoring State Senator Linda Holmes. Whereas State Senator Linda Holmes has served the people of Illinois and Oswego with compassion, integrity, and thoughtful leadership since her election to the Illinois Senate in 2006. As assistant majority leader, she has built a reputation for tackling difficult issues with care, always focused on improving the health, well being, and quality of life of Illinois families. Senator Holmes is especially proud of leading legislation to give terminally ill adults the option to end their suffering on their own terms. For Senator Holmes, the legislation reflects a deeply personal belief that no one should be forced to endure unnecessary suffering at the end of life. Bringing together business, labor, and both political parties to reach a historic consensus. She spent all 20 years in the Senate serving on local government, agriculture, and labor committees. Senator Holmes grew up in the suburbs, but was passionate about farming issues and was help was able to help enact several beneficial policies through her work on the Senate's agriculture committee. She similarly championed workers' rights and policies to create good paying jobs. Having served two years on the Kane County Board following a decade of neighborhood advocacy, she always deemed local control as a top priority in decision making. A former small business owner and longtime community volunteer, Senator Holmes has consistently combined a practical problem solving with a collaborative approach to governing. She was instrumental in helping secure $3.6 million in state funding to support local programs and projects like the Oswego Senior Center, improvements to Wolf's Crossing in Oswego, and ongoing public safety initiatives, all of which have been vital to Oswego's continued growth. Her work on environmental protection, animal welfare, and government efficiency has earned honors from organizations across Illinois, reflecting a career devoted to improving the lives of people and strengthening communities. As she concludes, two decades in the Illinois Senate, Senator Holmes leaves a legacy of compassion, consensus building, and principled public service. Her career stands as a testament to the belief that even the most difficult conversations can lead to meaningful progress for the people of Illinois. Therefore, I Ryan Kaufman, President of the Village of Oswego, do hereby recognize and honor State Senator Linda Holmes for her lifetime of service, leadership, generosity, and express our deepest gratitude for her unwavering commitment to the betterment of our village. Thank you very much, thank you. That's very humbling. First of all, I do want to say thank you, thank you so much. And thank you for everybody that has supported me through the past two decades of running.
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