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Record of Proceedings

Oswego Village Board Meeting Summary – October 6, 2026

Village Board & Commissions — Tuesday, October 6, 2026
BodyOswego, Illinois
SessionVillage Board & Commissions
DateTuesday, October 6, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 39:15

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

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

This evening uh we have uh Chief Baston who's gonna lead us in tonight's Pledge of Allegiance.

0:04

If you'd all please rise and join our police chief.

Speaker 2

0:09

I'll allegiance to the flag.

0:12

The United States is America to the Republic for which it stands one nation on America indivisible liberty and justice for all

Speaker 1

0:31

right.

0:32

Roll call, please.

Speaker 3

0:33

President Kaufman.

Speaker 1

0:34

Here.

Speaker 3

0:35

Trustee Hughes, here.

0:37

Trustee Koenig

Speaker 4

0:38

here.

Speaker 3

0:39

Trustee McCarthy Lang.

Speaker 4

0:41

Here.

Speaker 3

0:41

Trustee Torres.

Speaker 4

0:43

Here.

Speaker 3

0:43

Trustee Cooper absent and trusty nobody absent.

Speaker 1

0:47

On that note, uh, we do have uh trusty Novi with us on the phone, so I'll need a motion to uh allow Trusty Novi to attend electronically this evening.

0:55

And she has submitted all the necessary paperwork to the clerk.

Speaker 5

0:59

So moved.

1:00

Second.

Speaker 1

1:00

Roll call, please.

Speaker 3

1:03

Trusted McCarthy Lang.

1:04

Yes.

1:05

Trustee Hughes, yes.

1:06

Trustee Koenig here.

1:08

Yes.

1:08

Trustee Torres.

Speaker 1

1:10

Yes.

1:12

Karen, can you hear us?

Unassigned speaker

1:13

Sure

Speaker 6

1:14

it can.

1:14

Thank you, everyone.

Speaker 1

1:15

Alrighty.

1:18

All right.

1:18

At first, we have uh a couple of recognitions and appointments this evening.

1:21

Um we have uh Brian Elsner at five years of public service or public of service in public works.

1:29

Uh unfortunately he was not able to attend this evening.

1:32

We also have Kevin St.

1:33

Laurent with 10 years of service in public works, and he was unable to attend with us this evening.

1:39

But we do have one of our favorite people, Amy Densberger, with uh 10 years of service to our incredible police department.

1:48

Um Amy and uh Chief, could you come down and say a few words?

Speaker 2

1:58

That's Matt.

Unassigned speaker

2:04

Yeah.

Unassigned speaker

2:11

It's the rules.

Speaker 7

2:14

Okay.

2:14

Well,

Unassigned speaker

2:14

hang

Speaker 8

2:14

on, it's not your turn yet.

2:17

Um this is great, we get uh to recognize, and it's hard to believe you've already been here for that long.

2:24

No, okay.

2:24

Not saying anything about your age or anything, but um Amy started with us, she was a uh a command assistant, and I got to know Amy uh over the years, but then when I became

Unassigned speaker

2:37

um

Speaker 8

2:37

deputy chief, we're like, hey, you get an assistant,

Unassigned speaker

2:40

and

Speaker 8

2:41

it's Amy, and I was like, Well, I don't need an assistant, I've never had one before.

2:44

And then right away Amy would start coming to me and say, Hey, did you know you needed to do this?

2:48

And I was like, I did not know that.

2:50

And she's like, Well, that's good, but I've already done it for you.

2:54

And she kept doing things that I didn't even know I I was responsible for, which was awesome.

2:59

You were definitely the best assistant I ever had, I ever had.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████████████████████42%
Community Engagement██████████████14%
Personnel Matters███████████11%
Economic Development████████8%
Business Retention████████8%
Land Use Planning████████8%
Technology and Innovation██████6%
Public Health███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Oswego Village Board Meeting Summary – October 6, 2026

The Oswego Village Board convened on October 6, 2026, to address a full agenda including economic incentives, zoning amendments, and personnel appointments. Trustee Novi participated electronically. Key actions included approving an incentive agreement for Hell's BBQ, granting a PUD amendment for Club Car Wash, and recognizing village employees for service milestones.

Recognitions & Appointments

  • Employee Service Awards: The Board recognized three employees. Amy Densberger (Police Department) was honored for 10 years of service; Chief Baston praised her coordination of training programs. Brian Elstner (Public Works, 5 years) and Kevin St. Laurent (Public Works, 10 years) were recognized in their absence.
  • Police Pension Board: Kit Kuhrt was appointed to the Police Pension Board for a term expiring April 30, 2028.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the September 15, 2026 Committee of the Whole and Regular Village Board minutes.
  • Authorized the purchase of six Kenwood VP8000 Starcom portable radios from ABeep, LLC for $34,566.48.
  • Proposed the establishment of a Special Service Area for Hummel Trails Neighborhoods 12 and 13 with a public hearing to be scheduled.

Discussion Items

  • J1. Hell's BBQ Economic Incentive: Staff presented a request from Hell's BBQ, Inc. and UrbanEdge Commercial Ventures LLC for an economic incentive agreement to relocate to 228 E. Washington Street (former Danelli's property). The restaurant proposes $100,000 in improvements and is seeking the full $40,000 grant available through the program. Owners Keith Richards and Noemi spoke to the Board, discussing plans for lunch service, catering, barbecue classes, and expanded delivery. Multiple trustees expressed strong support for the business remaining in Oswego, with Trustees Hughes, McCarthy Lang, Torres, and Koenig all praising the food and community energy. The ordinance was approved unanimously.
  • J2. Club Car Wash PUD: Staff presented a Major PUD Amendment for Lot 5 of Orchard Way (Route 34 and Orchard Road) to develop a car wash. The primary request was for a sign height of 6 feet compared to the PUD's 4-foot limit, consistent with a prior 2024 variance for the nearby Ovaline property. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval 7-0. Trustee Torres asked about potential visual impediment to neighboring businesses. The Board first approved an ordinance rescinding the prior Wendy's final PUD (Ordinance 05-47), then approved the ordinance granting the final PUD for Club Car Wash. Both votes were unanimous.
  • J3. Hummel Trails Annexation Hearing: The Board opened a public hearing regarding the Fifth Amendment to the Annexation Agreement for Hummel Trails Neighborhoods 5-9 and continued it to the October 20, 2026 Village Board meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • Electronic Participation: Approved Trustee Novi's request to attend remotely. (Unanimous)
  • Consent Agenda: Approved. (Unanimous)
  • Bill List: Approved the Bill List dated October 6, 2026, in the amount of $2,067,055.44. (Unanimous)
  • Hell's BBQ Incentive Agreement: Approved. (Unanimous)
  • Club Car Wash PUD: Ordinance 05-47 rescinded and new PUD approved. (Unanimous)
  • Hummel Trails Hearing: Opened and continued to October 20, 2026. (Unanimous)

Trustee Reports

  • Multiple trustees reported on the Illinois Municipal League (IML) conference. Trustee Novi found the conference informative and a great experience. Trustee McCarthy Lang noted sessions on aging, affordable housing, and AI; she expressed a hope that the budget can support the Senior Center, and introduced an initiative from the Oswego Junior Women's Club to encourage businesses to post sex trafficking hotline signage. Trustee Torres highlighted learning best practices from other communities. Trustee Hughes expressed gratitude for condolences on his father's passing and supported the Oswego Junior Women's Club safety signage initiative. President Kaufman announced a Community Coffee on village finances (Nov 7) and the first-ever Oswego Lantern Parade (Oct 17). He also noted attending the Ralph Ross Street dedication.

Meeting Transcript

This evening uh we have uh Chief Baston who's gonna lead us in tonight's Pledge of Allegiance. If you'd all please rise and join our police chief. I'll allegiance to the flag. The United States is America to the Republic for which it stands one nation on America indivisible liberty and justice for all right. Roll call, please. President Kaufman. Here. Trustee Hughes, here. Trustee Koenig here. Trustee McCarthy Lang. Here. Trustee Torres. Here. Trustee Cooper absent and trusty nobody absent. On that note, uh, we do have uh trusty Novi with us on the phone, so I'll need a motion to uh allow Trusty Novi to attend electronically this evening. And she has submitted all the necessary paperwork to the clerk. So moved. Second. Roll call, please. Trusted McCarthy Lang. Yes. Trustee Hughes, yes. Trustee Koenig here. Yes. Trustee Torres. Yes. Karen, can you hear us? Sure it can. Thank you, everyone. Alrighty. All right. At first, we have uh a couple of recognitions and appointments this evening. Um we have uh Brian Elsner at five years of public service or public of service in public works. Uh unfortunately he was not able to attend this evening. We also have Kevin St. Laurent with 10 years of service in public works, and he was unable to attend with us this evening. But we do have one of our favorite people, Amy Densberger, with uh 10 years of service to our incredible police department. Um Amy and uh Chief, could you come down and say a few words? That's Matt. Yeah. It's the rules. Okay. Well, hang on, it's not your turn yet. Um this is great, we get uh to recognize, and it's hard to believe you've already been here for that long. No, okay.

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