Good evening, everyone.

It is six o'clock PM on Tuesday, January the twenty-seventh, twenty twenty six.

I'd like to call the meeting of the Peoria City Council to order.

I'd also like to welcome everyone who's here in our historic council chambers, as well as our listening audience watching on Cable Channel Twenty Two.

Madam Clerk, the council mics are open.

Please call the roll.

Mayor Alley.

Present.

Council Member Allen.

Present.

Councilmember Carmona.

Here.

Councilmember Sear.

Here.

Council Member Gordon Young.

Present.

Council Member Jackson.

Here.

Councilmember Kelly.

Here.

Councilmember Oiler.

Here.

Councilmember Riggenbach.

Here.

Council Member Valpula.

Present.

And Councilmember Vespa.

Here.

We have a quorum present, Madam Mayor.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Please join me, everyone, and stand for a moment of silent prayer or silent reflection, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

Councilmember Rigenbach.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

I move to approve the minutes of the joint city council and town board meeting on January thirteenth, twenty twenty-six, as printed.

Thank you.

Seconded by Council Member Kelly.

Any comments or questions?

Please cash your ballots.

26 17 is a communication with a request to approve the extension of an intergovernmental agreement between the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Fire Arms and Explosives and the City of Peoria.

26 18 is a communication with request to approve the second amendment to the WD Community Investment LLC Redevelopment Agreement.

26 19 is a communication with request to approve a second amendment to the Master Professional Services Agreement with Thouvena Wade and Mershin in an amount not to exceed $300,000.

26-20 is a communication with request to approve a resolution in support of an application for the build planning grant for the downtown complete streets connectivity improvements project in the amount of $4 million.

26-21 is a request to approve a resolution regarding the release of closed session minutes.

26-22 is a request to adopt an ordinance amending the City Council rules to allow electronic attendance for performance of active military duty as a service member.

With a recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission and staff to adopt an ordinance amending an existing official development plan ordinance number 13361 as amended in a class N1 Institutional District for local sign regulations for the property located at 1501 West Bradley Avenue, commonly known as Bradley University, and primarily bounded by Main Street, the Alley East of Cooper Street, Bradley Avenue, Fredonia Avenue, Dorier Place, St.

James Street, University Street, Borland Avenue, Wyndham Street, and Garfield Avenue.

26-25 is a request to concur with recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission and staff to adopt an ordinance amending an existing special use ordinance number 14789 as amended in a class C to large large scale commercial district for a shopping center to add outdoor self-service mini storage for the property located at 2323 West Pioneer Parkway and 2311 West Pioneer Parkway, 2327 West Pioneer Parkway, and 2401 West Pioneer Parkway.

26-26 is a communication with request concur with a recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission and staff for the following.

A adopt an ordinance rezoning property from a Class R1 single family residential district to a Class C1 General Commercial District for part of 4020 North Brandy Wine Drive, and B adopt an ordinance approving a special use in a Class C1 General Commercial District for outdoor recreation to expand an existing outdoor athletic field, repurpose an existing building for indoor recreation use, and add existing off-street parking for the property located at 4100 North Brandywine Drive and a portion of 4020 North Brandywine Drive.

26-27 is a request to concur with a recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission and staff to adopt an ordinance rezoning property from a Class R1 single family residential district to a Class C1 General Commercial District for a portion of the property located at 4020 North Brandywine Drive.

26-28 is a communication from the City Manager and Corporation Council with a request to approve the site application for a Class B restaurant 50% food liquor license with on-site consumption and retail sale of alcohol for Vault Peoria LLC, doing business as the Vault at 240 Southwest Jefferson Street with a recommendation from the Liquor Commission to approve.

26-29 is a communication with a request to approve the sign application for a Class B restaurant 50% food liquor license with on-site consumption and retail sale of alcohol for Pop-Up Express LLC, doing business as Pop-Up Chicken Shop at 800 Southwest Adams Suite 106 with a recommendation from the Liquor Commission to approve.

26-30 is a communication with a request to approve the site application for a class C G beer and wine convenience store gas station liquor license with a retail sale of alcohol for Sterling Avenue Mart, Inc.

doing business as shell number nine at 4709 North Sterling with a recommendation from the Liquor Commission to approve.

26-31 is a communication with a request to approve the site application for a class CG beer and wine convenience store gas station liquor license with the retail sale of alcohol for Trace Mart Inc.

doing business as shell number six at 3903 West Bering Trace with recommendation for the look from the liquor commission to approve.

26-32 is a communication with request to approve the site application for a class CG beer and wine convenience store gas station liquor license with the retail sale of alcohol for 7100 Peoria Mark Inc.

doing business as shell number three at 710 West Detweiler with a recommendation from the liquor commission to approve and 26-33 is an appointment by Mayor Ali to the sister city commission with a request to concur of Christopher Setti.

And that can concludes our consent agenda.

That was a mouthful.

Thank you, Madam Clark.

Are there any items to remove from the consent agenda?

Councilman Carmona.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

26-026.

Thank you.

Councilman Sear.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Move to approve balance of consent agenda.

Seconded by Council Member Councilmember Allen.

Any discussion.

Please cash your ballots.

Motion passes unanimously.

Madam Clerk.

26-026 is a communication from the city manager and director of community development with a request concur with a recommendation from the planning and zoning commission and staff for the following.

A adopt an ordinance rezoning property from a class R1 single family residential district to a class C1 general commercial district for part of 4020 North Brandywine Drive.

And item B is to adopt an ordinance approving a special use in a class C one general commercial district for outdoor recreation to expand an existing outdoor athletic field, repurpose an existing building for indoor recreation use, and add existing off-street parking for the property located at 4100 North Brandywine Drive and a portion of 4020 North Brandywine Drive, Peoria, Illinois, and we'll need separate votes on each, please.

Okay, thank you.

Councilmember Carmona.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

I just wanted to start off by saying uh thank you, Leah Allison, uh Joe Dulan and your whole team.

Um this is a good development that's gonna happen for the Christian Center.

I really appreciate the uh the waivers that we were able to grant them.

Um some of them were gonna add quite a bit of money to the um to their overall budget, so I really appreciate it.

Um I do want to um make a motion to approve this, but I want to remove item three from the um from the conditions.

It is item three is to install parking lot perimeter landscaping uh for the parking area with the frontage on Brandywine Drive.

Uh, after talking not only to the Christian center, but uh many developers in um the area.

Something as simple as this uh doesn't seem like it would cost too much, but um I'm told that it is quite difficult to keep brand new trees and shrubs alive and uh until they've reach maturity, costs a lot of money for maintenance, mowing around them and stuff like that.

And uh the Christian center is doing a lot of great things there, and I um want them to be able to execute all of their great ideas.

So just a quick question.

There's I don't know which one A or B that I need to remove this from.

We're working on item A first.

Okay, so and well, let me ask this to uh assistant director Alison.

Is this associated with item A?

It's actually associated with item B, the special use ordinance.

Okay, yeah, and and then I well, I'll wait till we get to that one and then ask the other questions.

So proceed.

Thank you, madam mayor.

Uh move to approve uh 26-026A.

Seconded by Council Member Sear, any questions or comments?

Please cash your ballots.

Motion passes unanimously for item A.

Uh, Councilmember Colmona.

Uh, please proceed.

Uh move to approve item B, removing uh number three on the list of conditions.

Seconded by Council Member Sear.

Uh, I do have a question on that.

Um item three says install parking lot perimeter landscaping for the parking area with frontage on Brandywine Drive.

Uh, can you describe what the consequences are by not providing that and how whether it would be inconsistent with other similar projects or whether it would be standard?

Speak to that, please.

So what that means is currently the the properties developed with the Christian center and they have an existing parking lot.

That condition, if included, would have required um a solid hedge kind of lining the parking lot edge, creating screening aesthetic value for the landscaping.

In that particular area, there isn't a lot of that in installation.

So you won't see that hedge in this area of the of the city.

It's a relatively newer requirement.

It's been in our regulation for a bit, but it is a newer type of landscaping.

Um so we've had some installed and some have received waivers, so it's it's a little bit of a mix.

So it won't look will look odd if it's not the in that area on for it would not.

Okay.

Yeah.

All right, thank you.

Councilmember Carmona.

Did you make your motion already?

And it was second it.

Any other questions or comments?

Please cash your ballots.

Motion passes unanimously.

Thank you, Director.

You're welcome.

Madam Clerk.

We are at first readings 26-34 is a communication from the city manager and director of community development with a request to receive and file a first reading of an ordinance amending appendix A of the Unified Development Code relating to street walls.

Mr.

Manager.

Uh thank you, Madam Mayor.

I'd like to turn the floor over to our assistant director of community development, Lee Alice.

Thank you.

No wonder she stayed there, right?

Thank you, um, council members.

This is a request that was brought to our attention through the development community.

Um street walls are a part of a regulation within our form districts, and we have the four form districts, but the application of the street wall has been most common in the warehouse district.

Um it's it's a six to eight foot tall wall, and wall is kind of a loose term.

It can be a solid brick wall, it can also be currently designed with um brick columns and a fence like infill within the brick columns.

Um the wall is is required in the absence of a building line or a building wall, so that's where the wall requirement kicks in to fill in that space where there isn't a building along the frontage along the front line.

So the ask is to kind of alleviate that that requirement and make the street wall more of an optional type of for design elements.

So in the report to you, there are four proposed modifications to the street wall that give options to the developer.

Okay.

The first is to remove the requirement for the masonry columns.

Currently, there's requirement columns of brick or masonry like material that are required to be spaced every 20 to 30 feet.

The proposal is to make that an optional design element, so not required, but an optional to that street wall fence street wall.

The second item is to remove the requirement for the two-foot base course that is currently required.

So for a street wall today, there's a two-foot masonry base kind of along the the bottom of the street wall that with this proposal would remove the brick columns and the brick base.

Staff's concern is we end up with a solid potential metal type wall, which I don't think would be the desire of that.

So that's why if the fence or street wall is proposed without any brick elements, we want to have an openness to it, which is in keeping with more of a traditional type fence.

The last thing we did was more of a housekeeping issue.

We modified the street wall definition to kind of align with these proposals of modification for the regulation.

Um, so it's consistent.

Hopefully, in your packet, you saw some uh pictures or or you know, two pictures showing a current street wall as regulated, and then what could be the potential for a street wall, which uh it looks more like a fence if you accept these modifications again.

This is in response to the development community.

We've had variances granted for street walls already that have kind of created this mix.

So this might be more of the direction to bring flexibility to design.

We encourage the brick, but it would not necessarily be required if if you accept these changes.

Right.

So development community, we're listening, we're acting on your input.

Councilmember Kelly.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Uh Madam Assistant Director.

Does this mean that there could be a chain link fence instead of what we have now?

No.

What we would what we would accept is more of your wrought iron or aluminum style fence.

Chain link would not be allowed.

And we can make that clearer in the regulation if that's a concern.

We can certainly make that would be a concern of mine.

Yep.

It seems like with the rules as stated, that would be an option.

So thank you.

Yeah, absolutely welcome that recommendation.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

You're welcome.

Any other questions for Director Alison?

Uh Councilmember Sear.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

With the addition of no chain link, I would uh move to receive and file.

Seconded by Council Member Allen.

Um continued discussion.

Councilmember Carmona.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Uh, just want to make a quick comment on uh John Kelly's comment, uh, which uh I think to alleviate the um the worries about a chain fence too.

It might be good to look at removing this requirement altogether.

Um I know that's now what's proposed here and it's a first reading, but um it's requirements like this that um are a little too arbitrary and um are not serving us as well as we had hoped.

And so um, although I do love this improvement, and thank you, thank you very much uh for um all your work.

Uh I just wanted to throw that little tidbit out there.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

You're welcome.

And we have a motion to receive and file, and that has been seconded.

Please cash your ballots.

Thank you.

Motion passes unanimously, Madam Clark.

We are at regular business 26-35 is a communication from the city manager and director of public works with request to approve the sole source purchase of pavement marking material, modified urethane paint from Swarco in the amount of 100,000.

And this item requires a two-thirds vote of council member vote council members voting, no less than six votes, please, Mr.

Manager.

Uh thank you, Madam Mayor.

I'm gonna turn the floor over to our public works director, Rick Powers.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Manager, excuse me, Madam Mayor Counselors.

Good evening.

Uh, this is pretty again pretty straightforward.

This is a specialized paint that we used that as a sole source.

The reason you see half the total amount that we are paying for is because we have an agreement with the county we paint for them and directly invoice them.

They are also paying for half the paint as a result.

Um again, that's it.

I can go as deep as you want on this, but that's pretty much it.

It's a specialized paint.

We've upgraded our truck.

In fact, just went through an upgrade to be able to actually handle more capacity in that regard.

Thank you.

Uh it was moved by council member Euler.

Can I get a second?

Seconded by Councilmember Riggenbach to approve.

Uh questions, comments, councilmember Sear.

Thank you, Madam Mayor, Mr.

Uh Mr.

Powers or Director Powers.

Uh where's this company from?

Where's the company from then?

Where's their home office?

I do not know, Council.

I'll have to get back to you.

Thank you, sir.

It's a good question.

Councilmember Kelly.

Thank you, madam mayor.

Um is this a uh just wait here?

Uh uh how long will this particular purchase how much time is this a year's supply?

Yes, 2026.

This will get us to 2026.

Okay.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

You're welcome.

Uh no more questions, comments, please cash your ballot.

Madam Mayor, if I could just clarify, Councilman, uh the company's from Tennessee.

What was that, Mr.

The company is from Tennessee.

Oh, okay.

Thank you, Mr.

Manager.

We do not.

That's why it's so source, counselor.

We do within our purchasing ordinance, give preference to local vendors where we can and where possible.

Um again, I think because of the specialized nature of this type of paint, that's the reason why we're utilizing this company.

You're welcome.

Please cash your ballots.

Motion passes unanimously.

Thank you, Director Powers.

Thank you, Mayor.

Madam Clerk.

26-36 is a communication from the city manager and fire chief with a request to approve an intergovernmental agreement between the City of Peoria Fire Department and the Village of Peoria Heights for fire department related service.

Mr.

Manager.

Uh thank you, Madam Mayor.

Uh our fire chief has just walked to the podium, so I will turn the floor over to Chief Solber.

Okay.

Madam Mayor, distinguished counsel, Mr.

Manager.

I appreciate the ability to speak on this topic today.

Since 2023, the concept has uh been alive between the city of Peoria and our fire department in the village of Peoria Heights.

Um I've tried to communicate with council to the best of my ability.

Um obviously this particular topic has ebbed and flowed through the years.

Um we re-engaged in 2025 when former Peoria Fire Chief Tony Artis was working with the village of Peoria Heights.

And what you have in front of you today is an IGA for automatic aid for fire department related services for three uh fire department incident types, and that's working structure fires, automobile collisions that require extrication and cardiac arrest.

And I'll entertain any questions or comments if anybody has any council member Allen?

Uh thank you, Madam Mayor.

Uh Chief Salberger, I know that there has been ongoing conversations with this concept, but this were the listening public.

Can you talk to about uh the capacity of our current fire department being able to now add on these additional services to the village of Peoria Heights?

Yeah, absolutely.

So based off of our incident totals for 2025, we responded to over 24,000 incidents within our city limits.

Um that being said, with these particular incident types, they're high acuity calls, and what we mean by that it requires a certain amount of uh manpower to be able to accomplish your goals, but they're not high incident volume, if that makes sense.

So as we did the working with ECC and dispatch reviewing these three incident types, what was the call volume relative for the last five years?

And we found these to be single digits for all incident types.

So whether that's a working structure fire, um uh automobile extrication or cardiac arrest, uh, the village of Peoria Heights did not experience a high call volume.

And will we be showing up in conjunction with their to fire department or will we solely uh handling these incidents ourselves?

Yeah, that's a great question.

So part of this IGA, and it's a little bit of the nitty-gritty.

We try to detail it as much as humanly possible in the IGA, but essentially what we're trying to do with the City of Peoria Fire Department is work with the village of Peoria Heights and their fire department.

So this isn't displacing their fire department, this is no type of takeover of anything of that magnitude.

What we want to do is prop that fire department up.

So part of the details with that is us educating and training with their fire department so eventually potentially they can get into a capacity where they no longer need us.

Thank you, Chief.

I love collaboration over competition.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

You're welcome.

I'd also like to uh welcome Peoria Heights Mayor, Matt Wiggington.

Uh Mayor Wigginton, do you want to make any comments?

You're good.

Okay.

Well, thank you.

It's always good to see you.

Um Councilmember Sear.

Uh thank you, Madam Mayor.

Uh Mayor Woodington, welcoming our chamber.

Good to see you here.

Uh Chief, just one, it's really I don't like that to ask this type of question, but it it's obviously uh it's our dime.

What would happen if there are any accident or death uh serving that community?

Yeah, so what's part of the IGA too?

So as we work with the villages of Peoria Heights and their legal counsel, we use our legal counsel with reviews.

So with uh Patrick Hayes and Chrissy Capuska, we had the ability to come to an agreement that would capture uh a realistic approach for anything related to injury or death.

Uh unfortunately, if a city of Peoria firefighter would experience that.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

You're welcome.

Councilmember Kelly.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

I think it's just it's important for the public to know.

I asked this question earlier of the manager, uh, that uh this agreement will cover all of our costs in in this in this aid.

Um no discounts or or or whatever.

Uh so we are we are covered for this additional uh capacity for our fire department.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

You're welcome.

It took a little while to get to this point, but uh we're here.

So good.

Uh is there a motion moved by council member Sears, seconded by council member Allen to approve uh any other discussion.

Please cash your ballots motion passes unanimously.

Thank you, Chief.

Madam Clerk.

26-37 is a communication from the city manager and director of public works with a request for the following A approve an agreement between the city of Peoria and Peoria County for the Sheridan Road Reconstruction Project, and B adopt an ordinance amending the City of Peoria 2026-2027 biannual budget relating to the local motor fuel tax fund to add engineering costs in the amount of 250,000 dollars.

And item B requires two-thirds vote of council members voting, no less than six votes, and we'll need separate votes on each, please.

Mr.

Manager.

Uh thank you, Madam Mayor.

I do have uh our public works director back at the microphone, so I'll turn it over to Director Powers.

Again, thank you, Mr.

Manager.

Madam Mayor and Council.

Again, this is a good project.

It is shared in Glen.

The reason you do say that I know we just went through the budget cycle, and you'd say why this is in the CIP.

Well, the grant wasn't announced until after we had submitted the budget.

That's the reason we're coming before you now.

There's our portion for the match, and this would be 250K, at which time then the road would be uh jurisdictionally transferred to the city when it meets our standard.

And I believe everything else is explained in the communication in great detail.

Councilmember Regenbach.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Um this is literally in my backyard in the third district, and it truly is one of those proverbial bottlenecks where south of Glen Sheridan Road is a four-lane street going north.

We have in RCIP, I believe it's now the fifth district.

Um that will have improvements made there.

So all the way from from Glenn up to Knoxville, that whole section will be brought up to standards.

So we appreciate the governor uh um earmarking this 10 million dollars for this project, and I am enthusiastically move for approval.

Okay, for item A.

Uh seconded by council member Kelly.

Any other discussion, please cash your ballots.

Motion passes unanimously.

Uh Councilmember Riggenbach.

Move for approval of item B.

Seconded by Councilmember Kelly.

Any discussion?

Please cash your ballots.

Motion passes unanimously.

Thank you.

Thank you, Director Powers.

Madam Clerk.

26-38 is a communication from the city manager in chief of police with a request for the following.

A accept the less lethal alternatives for law enforcement grant from the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System in the amount of 21,600, and B, adopt an ordinance amending the City of Peoria 2026-2027 biannual budget relating to the general fund to recognize the receipt of grant funding from the Illinois law enforcement alarm system in the amount of 21,600.

And item B requires two-thirds vote of council members voting, no less than six votes, and we'll need separate votes on each, please.

Mr.

Manager.

Uh thank you, Madam Mayor.

This is a grant agreement that we have with uh ILEAS.

And I'm gonna turn it over to the police chief to walk through.

Good evening, Mayor, City Council, City Manager.

Uh, yes, this is uh again, we're accepting some grant money.

Uh we have to use it specifically for these items.

So this is a less lethal version uh of uh it's a less lethal option that we have.

Now we currently use some tasers that are uh a younger generation.

This is a newer generation model that gives us some more capabilities, more specifically, distance uh compared to 24 uh 25 feet we were able to use it before.

Now this gives us a distance of being able to de-escalate something without lethal force of 45 feet.

Um we we we actually have some videos of us using them, our SWAT members are the officers that get them first.

They are uh 10 prongs on on these things.

You're able to uh individually use 10 different ones at a further distance.

Um, and we do have an incident where we had a a male running with a weapon in his hand, and we were able to take that person in the custody without any injury uh without using a different option with this one because of the distance.

So kindly ask that we uh move this forward.

Thank you.

Any questions for the chief?

All right, can I get a motion?

Uh moved by council member Jackson.

This is for item A.

Uh, can I get a second?

Seconded by Council Member Gordon Young.

Please cash your ballots.

Motion passes unanimously.

Councilwoman Jackson.

Um yes.

Approved as uh as mentioned.

Seconded by councilwoman Gordon Young.

Um please cash your ballots.

Motion passes unanimously.

Thank you, Chief.

Madam Clerk.

26 39 is a communication from the city manager and finance director comtroller with request to receive and file the month ended November 30th, 2025 and audited financial report.

Mr.

Manager.

Uh we're seeing just about every department head this evening, so I'm gonna turn it over to our finance director Kyle Craddy.

Thank you, Mr.

Manager.

Um, in your packet is the month ended November 30th, uh, 2025 financial report.

Um, so this is the second to last report for the year.

Um, I think you'll see very similar themes in this report to what we've been talking about throughout the year.

Um we are slightly below uh expectations on budget, but we are about three percent up year over year on the revenue side in the general fund.

In terms of expenditures, we're down 3.6% compared to budget and down 11.2% compared to last year.

Um, and I want to draw attention to really, I think that that interesting dichotomy in the sense of um if you remember last year we talked heavily about the ARPA dollars rolling off and not having those dollars.

Um, and what we're actually seeing is while yes, we're seeing that decline in expenditures.

Um, we also are still seeing revenues maintaining at similar levels, even when we are uh accounting for those dollars.

So as we talked about over uh the last few months, um there will be receipts that come in post-fiscal year.

Um for the report in December.

Usually we present this based off of uh the month end uh 1231 reporting.

I will also give council an indication at the next meeting, really how we're looking for your year end because we'll have some additional receipts that aren't included in that in that information.

Um, but really I I I still stand in and say that we're on pace to be where we said we would be for budget.

Um with that I'm available if council has any questions.

Of course, council members.

Uh oh, what hold on just a minute?

Less screen disappeared.

Bear with us just a minute.

Councilmember Search Thank you, madam mayor.

Uh good evening, Director Craddy.

Just a couple questions tonight.

Number one would have to be with our investment rules.

Do we have any investment rules with this uh roughly 113 million dollars that we have?

And reason I'm asking, which I believe that the next few months uh we'll have a new Fed chairman.

I and I think the short-term rates are going down.

So what will be uh what are the rules and what you think we can do to maximize our yield on our on our cash?

Uh thank yeah.

The we do have an investment policy that uh the council does approve.

That investment policy is very much in line with the state statutory requirements.

Um it's really looking at you your more usual safe investment types, uh things like CDs, agency bonds, things that usually you're looking at maybe a little bit of a smaller return with but usually in a safer position.

Um in terms of you know, really, and I agree with you in terms of where interest rates are look like they're the trajectory is what we've been doing and why you're seeing more and more um placed investments because really liquid cash is not the place to be long term right now.

So we have been um going out on the yield curve up to two years with some of our reserve dollars to make sure we're capturing as much of that interest rate on the long end of it.

Um when that stops, we'll have to see, but that's really been our strategy recently has been laddering um about half of it in kind of a two-year fashion to make sure we're we're capturing that that interest rate.

And and uh thank you for that explanation on your uh budget.

I see uh this is as of the end of November.

Uh and I heard if I heard correctly, you're pretty uh satisfied and uh confident that we'll be within budget.

Just to refresh our memory, though, we have like a 10 million dollar gap between our expenses and the revenues.

Can you refresh our memory?

Tell us how did we close that gap?

Yeah, so in the months of January, February, and March, we will continue to receive revenues uh really looking at sales tax, some state income tax receipts, and some other state revenues.

Um those numbers on average, um, we're looking at that being close to 20 million dollars at the that we'll probably receive after year end.

And so, yes, there is currently the gap.

Um, but my anticipation is because of those receipts and how they continue to come in that that will close that gap.

And obviously, by law, we need to have a balanced budget, so our budget for 25 will be balanced because of that, correct?

Correct.

Last question on page the last page, uh my favorite page looks very good to me.

We're down to maybe just I'm looking at three accounts really that are in the in the red.

Uh and we're closing the gap.

I mean, you see a time where we'll be on the green, every one of these account these lines will be in the green.

Uh that's always the goal.

Um, if there's an area that I probably have the largest concern that we need that we're focusing on right now is going to be on the healthcare side.

Um, as I'm sure all of you know, those costs just continue to explode nationwide.

So it is an area that we're probably struggling the most with, but our goal is always to to be moving all these in the direction of at least being um at a zero percent fund balance or in the green.

Why would we keep a negative on the TIFT?

Um because really, if you're looking at the projections, um long term in terms of the entire and total increment is the anticipation is before the end of that life of that TIFF will be back in the positive position.

And since TIFFs really are intended for that increment to feed the development in that area, um we traditionally let the increment catch up to to offset that that negative amount.

Thank you, Director Craddy.

Uh Madam Mayor, uh move to um to uh receive and file.

Yes.

Okay.

Seconded by Councilmember Gordon Young.

Councilmember Allen.

Uh thank you, Madam Mayor.

Um, thank you, Director Craddy.

Just a couple of questions.

Uh for most people uh in the listening audience, um, our primary revenue sources typically are property taxes, home ruins uh state sales taxes, income taxes, and personal property replacement tax.

Looking at our local and uh state sales tax in 2025, they were very strong, which is good.

But I see that the personal uh property replacement tax continues to decrease.

Do you forecast that it will be even lower in 2026?

Or are you getting any maybe um being able to look talk to IML or anything like that at forecast that it may be an increase in 26?

The um the IML kind of working with the Illinois Department of Revenue.

I believe the most recent projection they had had out is looking at about a 10% decrease year over year.

Um looking at the budget that we presented to you.

We believe that that number that we have in there is in line with what that estimate is.

Um again, because of the variability of really this being tied to corporate income taxes, it's a little difficult to know for sure.

Um but from what we are aware of the funding formula issues that cause the larger declines is not the problem now.

Now it's really just some declining corporate income taxes.

And also, did you get that jacket from uh men's warehouse?

I think I got that same one in my class, but look very sharp.

No, but no, thank you, sir.

Appreciate it.

Thank you, madam mayor.

All right, we have a motion to receive and file.

Please cash your ballots.

Motion passes unanimously.

Madam Clark.

We are at unfinished business 25-334 is a communication from the city manager and director of community development with a request to concur with recommendation from staff to adopt an ordinance approving a special use in a class C and neighborhood commercial district to establish a halfway house for the property located at 1924 Southwest Adams Street.

And there is a motion on the floor to adopt and to there is a motion on the floor to adopt the said motion.

That motion was made by who it was made by Councilmember Jackson and seconded by Councilmember Riggenbach.

Okay.

Thank you.

And uh Mr.

Manager.

Start with you.

Um thank you, Madam Mayor.

Um, this item since it was uh deferred, um, we do have the motion on the floor.

Um, and discussion would be, you know, on that motion for our council to consider.

Sure.

Uh we'll start with you.

Councilmember uh Jackson.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Um, first of all, I just want to thank everybody for attending the meeting on January 21st, which was a follow-up to the uh December 9th meeting.

Thank you to the business owners and residents who stayed uh during the duration and offered their dialogue afterwards.

I would like to, madam mayor, if I could pick up where we left off on December 9th, and that was to give GROW and its uh team an opportunity to talk a little bit about the work they've been doing here in Peoria as well as the transitional uh housing project.

So if we could, madam mayor, I would like to have uh uh the CEO and the founder, uh Mr.

Malroy, Francine Poole, and anybody else who would like to join him at the podium to uh give us uh a little bit more insight into um this project.

Thank you.

Uh good afternoon, or I'm sorry, good evening.

Thanks for uh having us here.

Um yes, so we've been in the Peoria area for the last two years, uh providing uh mental health services to particularly boys and men.

That's that's our specialty, that's our niche.

Uh and uh one is that you know, we've found the opportunity for us to particularly strategically grow uh and actually have a home or an area where we can provide services.

Um, you know, my goal today is just to hear any questions or you know, uh we've had variety of different meetings with different councilmen and councilwoman and and whatever you know, concerns or or challenges that you foresee, uh, we'll love to you know just address.

Uh we've provided uh uh a document that uh some questions were raised up or uh around our program.

What does that look like?

Uh and so that's available for you to look at as well.

Uh and two, I want to make sure that there's a delineation between what we're doing in the term halfway house.

Uh this isn't a halfway house uh that we'll be providing.

When we think about a halfway house, that's individuals being released from prison and been directly sent uh to uh a location or a space.

Uh this is an opportunity one for individuals to get treatment, to get support, uh, and to build workforce development skills.

Uh and so to even qualify for housing, you have to complete our workforce development program, which is a four-month, a very intensive program uh in providing cognitive behavioral therapy, workforce development, uh outline uh kind of some of the things we'll be doing in the packet that's been provided uh in hopes that you know we're helping individuals who oftentimes have not obtained those employment skills, have not obtained those resources to help them uh so they can be individuals that contribute back to the Peoria area and to be able to help the local businesses in the area thrive as well.

Um so yeah, that's you know ultimately our goal.

I will also say too, I don't know if everyone has been inside of the facility.

It's a very remarkable facility, it has a full court uh basketball court, it has a recreational area, uh, and we also see this as opportunity to provide uh resources to the community, particularly the south uh end of the city, uh, where you know we're working with uh young people right now on the south ending.

We have to drive all on the other side of the city to provide support.

Uh now we'll be able to do it right there.

Uh we'll be able to have uh activity to support the community in this area and to really look the community.

So uh one re-entry is one component.

Uh I would just like to reiterate that uh it's not a halfway house, uh, that there is a very structured component to our program, uh, and our goal is to help uplift uh residents of Peoria.

We're not bringing people from Chicago uh to Peoria.

This would be um for the individuals who are currently on parole or engaged in a criminal justice system in Peoria.

Um last time I looked at the numbers and the data uh within the radius of the 61 uh 605, 61602, and 61603.

There's over 309 uh individuals that are on parole from the Illinois Department of Correction currently.

Our hope is to be to help those men and give them the support and guidance and assistance.

You currently are operating um out of an office in North Peoria.

Could you tell us a little bit about the location and the work you do and how it will connect with uh the transitional housing program?

Yeah, so currently we're in North Peoria and it's uh just an office space.

Um, and our goal is to be able to one, we've outgrown that space, uh, two is not designed uh for the level of programming and support.

Uh and really it was just a way for us to uh just to build in Peoria.

Uh and so our goal is as we move into uh, you know, Lord willing will we get the approval from you all to be able to move forward.

Uh the goal is to be able to have a larger space, uh, and again, that is connected more uh to the community that we serve.

What would your programming look like for the participants?

Yeah, so for the workforce component, um is uh from nine to five, uh nine to twelve, nine a.m.

to 12 p.m.

is uh intensive cognitive behavioral therapy, is group counseling, uh, in which uh we're helping our guys recognize their thoughts, understanding that your thoughts are connected to your emotions, and also helping teach them how to regulate those things.

Uh, there's one in regards to risky behavior, uh, so that we can minimize hopefully recidivism rates, but also there's an employment component too, where we work and we help them how to respond in a work environment.

If you have a boss and he says something you don't like, how do you respond in a way uh which uh your anger doesn't get the best of you?

How do you demonstrate work ethic skills?

How do you uh ensure that you demonstrate that you know if you're dealing with frustration, how do you do it in a positive way?

In the second half of the day, uh our men are working in our screen print facility and basically just learning like how to work uh in a team environment, uh essentially how to um um complete tasks.

Uh a lot of the guys that we work with and also what the research and literature says oftentimes have not had any employment opportunities or have learned those social skills for employment.

And so we're creating a space where it's a simulated work environment where they're producing something, we're holding them accountable.

Uh, and then after that, uh they may have a counseling session, uh, and then they are um you know, sent home or they're gone for the day.

The individuals that perform well come to work on time, uh, complete all their tasks the way they're required or supposed to.

If they need housing, then they can qualify for that.

And oftentimes, you know, you have people who just can't get their own time every day, can't hit the benchmarks uh uh that's required, and so they wouldn't be able to qualify.

Um but there is a subset who um thrive in structure, um, unfortunately, never have structure in their life, you know.

And so uh when we create this opportunity of structure, they thrive exceptionally well and they yearn for it and they want it.

And so those are the individuals that we're looking for.

Uh and again, uh in the housing component, our goal is to provide uh landlord like guidance and assistance.

And when I say that, oftentimes a lot of our guys have never had housing.

They never had rent before, right?

So they don't have no landlord reference.

Uh, they never paid rent before, right?

And so uh it's really hard to help somebody lift them up if they've never had that landlord reference.

So when they go to a landlord to say, hey, I've paid rent before, uh, I know how to budget, I've saved.

Hey, here's the money that I saved up.

And that's the other part of this goal, uh, is so that we can help these individuals uh to be self-sustainable, um, where they can be uh independent, be self-sufficient, uh, and to be able to have pride and take care of themselves.

Um, one of our participants that came down the first time, he didn't get a chance to speak, uh, but he was one of our first cohorts in Chicago, did the program exceptionally well, was able to get his own apartment afterwards.

Uh, but currently uh he was able to buy a two-flat building.

He's a landlord now, he has tenants upstairs, and he's doing exceptionally well.

Um that's our goal is to create self-sufficiency, to create independence, uh, and to give individuals who oftentimes society has given up on, who society has kind of you know turned their aside to have have called undesirable, our goal is to lift them up and give them a second chance.

Now, again, no, that's just one component of the program, right?

We're still doing our counseling in the community, uh, still providing the case management.

And now we'll have a base.

Uh, like I said, the residents on the on the south side of uh of this great city of Peoria will be able to also get resources and assistance as well.

You had questions from last night.

Um could you tell us a little bit?

Uh I think um at one of the meetings, there were some questions about your funding situation, your ability to sustain uh your program.

Could you share some information with us about that, if you could?

Yeah, so um majority of our program, even in Chicago is funded uh through our surplus.

And so um we're uh a Medicaid provider.

Uh we also build other insurance companies, and so uh what we've done is we invest our surplus uh into our earnings into these programs.

Um we compensate our guys, they get stipend, uh, we provide them with uh all the mechanisms they need for the housing as well as the program.

And so uh essentially, you know, that's the majority of our funding is at right now.

Um, Lord willing, we are doing some advocacy work in Springfield where uh, you know, we're able to get a line item uh exclusively for re-entry uh services throughout the state as we expand this.

Uh but right now we've been investing in our surplus and really been doing that so that we can produce data to be able to show outcomes.

Uh and for us, you know, um, when you think about research and data, you have to have a large uh data set, uh, a sample to be able to show, hey, there's impact.

And so for us, um, Chicago is a start, but um we want to be able to bring this to Peoria to be able to show a model that it is replicate uh able to be replicated, but also two to be to have the data for research purposes to show that hey, this is impactful.

Um so we've started a little preliminary data with that work with Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority doing data exchange.

But again, that the data is so small, it's really hard to build it out.

So our goal has been to um do this program again, investing in it in this trust and Lord willing it, you know, we'll be to get the actual dollars to build us out.

Um, but we do have the funds to be able to support here in Peoria.

Okay.

Mr.

Mallory, if I may.

Mallory.

Okay.

Mr.

Mallory, I thank you for coming to Peoria.

Uh, I think everybody's wanted to see who's in charge.

So as the CEO, it's I think it's important for you to be here tonight.

So thank you for for driving into Peoria.

Um, I've actually walked that building with a colleague of mine, Councilman Riggenbach, several months ago.

So at that time, we were just exploring locations for potential housing for uh unhoused populations.

And um, so we saw the condition of the the facility, and it wasn't in great shape, and it's gonna take uh what we see as a pretty significant investment to bring it up to par for people to make it livable.

Can you speak to the investment that you expect to make financially in that building in terms of those upgrades?

Yeah, you know, so we're we're we're looking to spend between 250,000 uh and upwards to uh 750,000 uh and so million dollars.

250,000 at the base to uh roughly between 750,000 uh and no more than a million dollars.

Um, you know, I we believe that we can come in between 250,000 and 500,000 to be able to get it where uh it needs to be.

I've walked the property now.

When I walked the properties roughly about maybe two, two months ago, they didn't have the boards up.

Uh, and so I don't know the condition as it is right now, and we'll reevaluate it.

Uh but what I can say is that we've done several extensive rehabs in Chicago.

Uh real estate isn't uh real estate and rehab isn't something that's new to me, nor is it to Francine.

Uh and so whatever it takes, you know, we will uh put our uh efforts in and get this done and to be able to have a beautiful grand opening and to be able to support uh the residents of Peoria.

Does the 250 include the purchase price or that's the renovation?

No, no, 250,000 does not include the uh the purchase price.

Okay.

So you're looking at spending at least that much in terms of exclusively on the that's what we're saying on renovations.

Um we already have the funds allocated to do the acquisition of the property.

Okay.

There's also uh requests or I think um some interest in understanding who the people are.

There's what, nine to twelve people, or maybe potentially 10 to 12 parolees that would actually live there.

There's interest in understanding who these people might be in terms of where they're where they're from.

Are they from Peoria?

Are are the majority from Peoria?

Can you speak to that?

Yeah, they would be from Peoria.

There would be uh the the number that I just said earlier, which is almost over 300 people within the 61602, 61605, 61603, uh, that reflect this area right now.

Um and again, that data is from the Illinois Department of Corrections, so it's public data that if you want to pull, you can see all the names of individuals that are right here in Peoria uh that would be on parole.

And like I said, this isn't us bringing people from Chicago to Peoria.

Uh, this is working with individuals that are right here right now that we all probably, you know, who all live here engaged would have seen, you know, that hey, you need some extra support.

So we want to support them.

Okay.

So it's reintegrating people back into the community that they they came from.

Yeah, um, I don't want to convoluted with uh uh the halfway house though.

Uh I want to say that you know, we're we're supporting and we're helping individuals that are here already in the community, been here their whole life uh and helping them uh get to uh uh a status of purpose and fulfillment.

Okay.

Councilman Jackson, just turn it back to you.

I think there's some uh questions.

I know Councilman Euler's light is on.

Go ahead, Councilmember Euler.

I mean uh first thing I want to comment on.

Uh you mentioned whether or not we'd seen the inside of this facility.

I made a request on December 17th to see the inside of the facility to make sure that I was doing my due diligence on this, and that was rejected in writing on December 22nd.

So no, I have not been able to see inside the vicinity, the facility and do my due diligence.

Um, we were dropped off this packet about an hour ago to I guess be prepared to take a vote on this tonight, but I don't have time to read this within 60 minutes.

So that would have been helpful some uh days or weeks ago.

But my first question is uh within this packet are multiple certificates of good standing with the state of Illinois for several businesses that you have some form of leadership role on.

Well, I appreciate they're in good standing as of January of this year.

Why were so many of them not in good standing in December of 2025?

Yes, sir.

So uh to address your your first point in regards to um you not being able to get access and not allowed, um, you know, I when I want to apologize for that, we don't own the building, so um that's exclusively with the owner uh and the owner that currently has it.

So you know, we have no control over that.

Um, in regards to uh the businesses that you see, many of those businesses are not associated with this project.

Um we talk about growth community that that business has been in good standings.

Uh the other ones are subsidiaries, um, and particularly uh projects that we're working on in the hopes to create employment for our re-entry guys or other initiatives.

So, like the Grow University, we're still trying to get our accreditation together.

And so, you know, just over year lapse.

Uh, the Grow Construction one, which I think is the most important one, uh, was one of those where we had some oversight.

Um, we've employed individuals, but they've been under growth community.

And so um we're in that process right now of creating an employment structure under growth construction.

Um, but the other ones, like I said, are not really relevant.

Um, but you know, we had a really good meeting with uh Councilman Reaganbach.

Um, and that packet is basically um his request and questions that he had after our meeting.

And so uh I think it was a very fruitful meeting.

Um he entertained a lot of questions.

He expressed his concerns, and so we created that package so that uh one that he could have it, but also two, we thought it might be in the best interest for the whole council.

And so with that is all the questions that um Councilman Rigebach had.

We just wanted to make sure that we had as much documentation to answer it, and that it might be value for you all to have as well.

I appreciate the fact that Councilman Riggenbach got satisfied here, but there's 10 more of us that sit around the horseshoe that probably could have gotten some of our questions answered as well.

Um, another major one that I have here is that you've said several times this evening that this is not a halfway house and we shouldn't refer to it as a halfway house.

But right here in tonight's agenda item is an application for a halfway house.

So I I'm not sure, Mr.

Manager, how that lines up.

Uh Councilman, let me uh ask our assistant community development director to come forward to talk about that and answer that question for you.

Thank you, Councilman, Madam Mayor.

Um so we work with the Unified Development Code that isn't able to have every type of terminology listed.

We work with what we currently have, and that was the best fit for the use that they are proposing.

Now they are proposing additional services, and that's acceptable under the terminology of a halfway house.

But in our unified development code, that definition fits best.

It may not be perfect, but it's it's the best that captures most of what they're proposing to do.

Does that answer your question, Councilman?

So, what are we calling this if it's not a halfway house?

Well, it is in our definition.

There are other definitions of halfway houses that maybe state uses or federal definitions that are not the same.

But for our purposes of zoning, the halfway house definition is what our term fits or their use fits within our term.

And so I know that I'm sorry if that's a little bit of a question.

When along those lines also, I just want to clarify as well.

It seems like in this packet it's referencing being more of a mental health facility.

So if we're veering into health care, does that doesn't that come with additional requirements when it comes to our zoning if we're gonna be providing health care services?

Because tonight, within the last hour is the first I've heard anything about that.

So that's new news to me.

Yes, sir.

Well, we're we're certified through uh Department of Mental Health as a community mental health center under Rule 132.

Uh, and so uh currently, right now, um, we wouldn't meet all the requirements.

We're joint commission accredited.

Um, and so we are able to provide those services.

Um at some point, you know, uh during our the rehab process, we wouldn't need to have the fire marshal to come out to do an inspection to be able to certify the place.

Uh, but we're not even in that position right now because, like I say, we don't own the property.

We don't really have access to the property.

And I would say too, like when we think about community mental health, one of the questions that I think a community member or maybe a council member had is uh well, mental health facility as you know, bringing individuals who um have mental health challenges into this space.

Um and we're not talking about chronic mental health, right?

We're not talking about individuals with schizophrenia or bipolar.

We're talking about individuals who's dealing with complex trauma, PTSD, major depressing disorder, anxiety, uh mental health disorders that are enough though that can dysregulate and and disrupt normal functioning, especially if treatment hasn't been provided.

Um so that's where our lane is, our niches in regards to the mental health services component uh to it.

Thank you.

The only other thing I'd have is I'd like to hear from some of the people who operate businesses in the neighborhood on how the interaction with meeting with them have gone and if any of their concerns have been.

I we can definitely do that.

I want to make sure that there's no more questions for Mr.

Mallory from the council before we bring up someone else.

Uh council member Sear.

Thank you, madam.

Just a couple questions.

Uh first one's probably more for our city manager.

Um for me, no, $50,000 to a million dollars is a big gap.

Has the city been involved yet?

Have we seen as our our inspectors have they seen the building and what um what type of renovation would that building need to make sure it is compliant or really uh in livable condition by city standards?

Well, they would have to go through the the building process, the building code process where they would um have to get a building permit for any of the work that they're doing in the property, and before they could occupy it, they'd have to get a certificate of occupancy.

Um so you know, as that assessment of the building is done by our building professionals, they'll make the determination.

So tonight we just don't know what that really correct figure would be from 250 to Myanda.

We have no idea.

That's that's correct.

Okay.

Uh thank you very much, sir, for being here tonight.

Just another question.

Uh my colleague talked a little bit about this.

Um the one be or not want to be your neighbor, okay?

People that do not want to be your neighbors tonight.

I want to talk about them a little bit.

They have worked really hard to convince us that we should vote no to your.

So what do you have to say?

I mean, I really appreciate you being here.

Uh what can you say?

What type of neighbor would you be, and what can you say to them that this is a good uh I mean, there's no first of all, I want I want to make sure the public and and uh my colleague and I think are uh constituent.

They're you're not asking for any money whatsoever from this city, are you?

Not asking for any money from the city, sir.

No.

So we have no money.

Okay, so and your business plan, your business plan.

I have, I mean, I I if it works, I hope you're successful.

I want every business that's in PR to be successful.

So I don't pick the winners or the losers.

But your neighbors, I mean, really, right now, I mean, you got, I don't even know, I didn't count them 20, 25 people, businesses in that area that do not want to be your neighbor.

What can you tell them tonight?

I would I would say that uh one I understand their concern.

I understand uh the narrative that's been presented to them in regards to um bringing individuals uh who have been impacted by the criminal justice system.

Uh and the thoughts that oftentimes can be associated with that.

And so um they're warranted to have that concern and and I would say that I understand it.

Um I would also say too that my hope is that if given a chance, uh we we show the business community that we're asset.

Uh my hope is that if we're given a chance, that um our participants that graduate from the program could hopefully maybe work for them and they see value in that um or at the very least uh see that um we're helping in in hopes to help revitalize the area as well.

You look at the property right now, it's vacant, it's abandoned, it's bordered up.

Um it's been vacant and abandoned over bordered up for the last two years uh in county.

And so our hope again is to be an asset in a resource.

Um our hope is to, you know, take individuals who we all probably know, may have a brother or cousin, a nephew that's been struggling that just you know if they found the right program with the right structure, might get them on the right track.

We just want to be a blessing in the vessel for that.

Um, but I don't want to dismiss their concern.

Um I'm just asking for an opportunity and a chance to show them.

So last question, as a CEO of this company, obviously you're uh right now for your uh business in Chicago, you have extra, I don't want to say extra, but you have obviously you're making money.

Um I'm sure you want to make money right here, and it's an investment.

Um and I'm sure you want to make money right here, and it's an investment, you want to return on your investment, right?

In that building.

How do you select a uh a building, a area, and how did you select Peoria and specifically that building, that area?

Yeah, we are you know, in business, you gotta have money, right?

Uh I would say my sole focus is it is it on money, it's on creating change.

And I feel like when I do that, God bless us with the rest.

I think the second part of how we select a building, I think it's really just we had of a team of seven here right now who's been actively involved in the community.

Um is constantly saying, hey, Aaron, this is the area that I think if we could really be positioned here, if we could support the community, particularly the south side of Peoria, that we really can have an impact.

Majority of our clients are on the south side.

Um so you know, honestly the property when I first saw it, I was like, eh, I don't know.

We went to another property that was a little way rougher, but I thought that might be it.

And I went into the property, honestly, when I saw the basketball court and I saw the gym, I was so like, oh, this could be a huge asset.

When you see the little recreational area, um, I saw the opportunity of what it could be.

Um, again, for the residents on the south side of Peoria.

Um, and so that's kind of just listening to my team that's on the ground, you know, individuals that are from Peoria that are working with uh young people in this community, and they're expressing to me what they need.

Um, and us also knowing too, we do want to be able to expand um our re-entry model.

Uh, I really do believe that we're we're on to something innovative where um, you know, like I say, for me, I want to help men become self-sustainable.

I want to help men to feel like they could be head of their households again.

Uh, and so for me, you know, it's about expansion and be able to get the data to be able to do the research as well.

But again, to answer your questions, just leaning on my team and what they express to me.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you for being here.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

You're welcome.

I do want to interject, and and there's a lot more council members we're gonna hear from.

But uh Peoria has about 800 people every year that go to the Department of Corrections, and about half of those come back to live in our community, and they're going to be our neighbors, they're gonna be somebody's neighbor somewhere.

They're either gonna live with a relative or a friend, they're gonna live on their own in an apartment, they're gonna live somewhere, and they may live somewhere that doesn't have the resources that a program such as Grow might provide in this um mental health facility, or I'm not sure what you call it, but this this helping facility, the resources that are provided that provide job opportunities, career opportunities, development opportunities can help those individuals that um are may you know may otherwise live on their own in a disconnected environment.

And so I know that adult and teen challenge was not far from the uh facility that you're are that you're proposing right now.

We didn't have problems from the adult and teen challenge program that took place there in a non-residential area.

Again, people are moving back to P Peoria and they're moving in residential areas.

In this case, it's non-residential and it's with a lot of support.

So I I just wanted to to get that out there about who our neighbors are.

We get people that come back to our community, and I think that this is an opportunity to actually help at least a few that come back with supportive services and hopefully jobs and uh more development than some others might receive.

Councilmember Regenbach.

Thank you, madam mayor.

Thank you, Mr.

Mallory and Ms.

Poole for being back here tonight with us.

When this came to the council back in November, I think was the first time it was listed on the agenda as approval of a rezoning for a halfway house, which as we've heard now from our assistant community development director, is the technical legal definition, even though that's not the use that you're going to be using.

I think that this packet that you gave us tonight is extremely helpful in telling us who Grow is that's a question that I've asked repeatedly in the last two months, and I know many of my colleagues have.

And Ms.

Pool probably has my email address blocked or in red blood or something from the number of emails we've exchanged, and some have been tense.

Um, but she was always very respectful and responding to every single one of them.

Um as councilman Oiler said it would have been this having this in November probably would have eased the whole process.

So if you look at other communities, I would strongly suggest this this is incredible.

As a council, we're dealing with uh unsheltered problem, and that's something that consumes a lot of our um time and energy.

And we hear repeatedly how there's so much mental health related issues in that.

And if we're able to have an organization who does have proven credentials, um address that for our community, 12 people at a time, I think we need to take a hard look at what they're offering.

The page three has as four bullet points that are very um succinct and to the point.

Um I also think that the vetting of the residents is something that needs to be highlighted as well, because when you hear the term halfway house, it's it's assumed rightly or wrongly that those people will be coming directly from prison to this house at 1924 Southwest Adams, but that's not the case, is it?

No, sir, is not the case at all.

And there is a vetting process that Groh has and an agreement of sorts that they have to be willing to attend the programming that you offer, is that correct?

That's correct, sir.

And you probably rolled your eyes when I asked for this, but just having this syllabus, this this example of what the programming looks like, I think also adds credibility to the program that that's being offered here.

Um I was very concerned at the beginning, knowing that the condition of the building that how how is it gonna be paid for, and um your your your funding sources seem to be as solid as anybody's these days, and and you're realizing the fact it could be upwards of a million dollars is is also um reassuring.

I would again encourage you to reach out to our local labor.

Um we have some strong um contractors and um union representatives that will be happy to discuss this further with you.

I also think it's important as the mayor alluded, the adult and teen challenge facility just on the other side of Adams on the Jefferson frontage of Olive, um operated for 18 years and had very similar a similar population, and in that very building, the human service center ran uh uh facility for people with the mental health problems as well.

So this is not a new use for this area.

This is just renewing what had been it had been used for previously.

I'm very sensitive to the bill, the the the business owners' concerns and have spoken with a number of them um throughout the last two months, and I think there's a couple things that we need to codify in the special use, and that would be the maximum number of residents.

Um in your information, you say 10 to 12.

So when we make that motion, councilwoman, I would um want that to be a condition that there would be no more than 12 residents at any time, and that there would be around the clock security at the place.

Um I also think this is more technical for us than you, but that no certificate of occupancy would be issued until all of or the special use, excuse me, would not be issued until the certificate of occupancy is so you would have to address in councilman search's concerns, have the building up to city code, the life standards that that we expect.

So the special use would not be issued until that C of O would be issued, and then probably most importantly, something we've done with STRs and many other special uses is that this is not transferable.

So if for whatever reason um GROW decides to leave Peoria and you sell the property, the new property owner would have to go through the same process if they desire to have something like this.

And again, I thank you for the emails, the phone calls, and the conference call we had just recently.

So appreciate it and I will be supporting them.

Can I ask a question real quick?

I'm sorry, I don't know if I'm out of order.

Um I guess is there a way um in regards to the special use not being issued until um you know we um get the occupancy certificate, which is perfectly fine.

Um, but some type of communication because we do have to communicate back to Ida, Illinois Housing Development Authority.

And one of those things is that um they want to make sure that the city uh has uh granted uh this special use, or at least there's some communication so that we can move the ball forward and being able to close.

And so uh maybe if you know some communication that we can connect the city with what I do, but long as it you know is possible.

Um I just don't want us to be you know have that language where it may uh hinder us from being able to close uh due to ITIS request.

Yeah, Mr.

Mallory, I'm gonna defer to our legal counsel.

Uh Council Hayes, can you speak to that?

How that could be handled.

Councilman, um thank you, madam mayor.

Councilman, there is a uh condition of the special use permit already in the draft form that's before council for its consideration that states that building permits shall be required for compliance with all city adopted building codes before occupancy of the structure, which I think essentially addresses the issue that you want.

So there's already a condition of the special use requiring compliance and a and a certificate of occupancy before it's occupied.

So would that satisfy your additional request regarding the special use not issuing?

I think that this the zoning of the property generally is required for all types of things, not just IDA, but loans, things like that.

So that's why this is a condition in the special use permit.

That's why we have it for yes.

Thank you, Mr.

Hayes.

Yes, that would be if that's in the let the language it's staff the ability to make certain there's a certificate of occupancy before the buildings occupied, and that they've met all the building code requirements.

So that would, I think, satisfy your ambition.

Thank you.

Thank you, Your Honor.

And we definitely understand Ida and the way they operate, so we don't want to jeopardize anything on that front.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

You're welcome.

Uh and we're gonna get to the other side, Councilman Oiler, in terms of hearing the other side of the issue.

Uh Councilwoman Jackson, did were you well?

I um I I can wait.

Uh somebody else, because there's a lot of there's several other council members that want to speak to this.

I I think next we had council member Carmona.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Yes.

Uh thank you very much for being here.

I just have a few uh couple questions of clarification.

When you first brought this to council um November 18th, um you had expressed that um the budget was gonna be about 250,000 to acquire the property, and then I think another right around 200,000 to uh renovate it, and that um you were gonna use your internal uh is it the grow construction uh to uh to help you do that.

Um your new certificate from today is actually from this very day today.

Um but the record shows that grow construction four days prior to our original meeting was dissolved.

I just want you to speak to that part a little bit.

Yes, and I guess the reason I'm concerned is because if this is if this is was your plan from the beginning to use the grow construction to help facilitate this uh uh the construction, um why that part wasn't in order.

No, that's that's a valid question.

Uh so growth construction was created some some years back, uh, and then we we stopped uh actually using the entity.

Um we really just revitalize uh the aspect of growth construction uh roughly about four months ago.

However, um the staff that have been working uh and doing the current work, we're actually doing um uh some rehabilitation work in Chicago uh have been under uh grow community.

Uh and so honestly it was oversight.

Uh and secondly, we haven't really had to uh integrate the growth construction model yet that we would like.

Uh however, uh as we're learning through this this pilot phase of our our renovation project that we're doing, um our goal is to be able to embed that as an actual business.

Um, but it's a process, you know, as we're as we're doing this rehabilitation um and we're learning, but also two, um, like I say, we're using um surplus funds to even compensate our staff and our participants and working in this space.

Um, and so honestly, it's it's really just uh uh or show fall that I take accountability on, uh, but also two, it's a pilot in this idea.

Like I said, it started some years back and then it halted.

Um, and as we've been building up our housing program, um, one of the challenges that we've encountered is that uh, you know, we have a hard time finding employment uh for our guys, oftentimes because they have that felony.

And so um we've been trying to think creatively on how we create employment opportunities.

So revisiting this growth construction idea.

Uh we have a grow moves, we have a trucking company right now where um we're doing Amazon relay uh drop-offs and uh looking at getting different routes uh to be able to support our guys with employment.

Um we're also in the process of opening up a thrift store exclusively for our re-entry guys.

And part of it is we've been thinking creatively because uh, like I said, oftentimes people don't want to employ our guys because of the simple fact they have a record.

And so we're just trying to be creative.

So crow construction was one of those things where we're being creative.

Uh and again, I take accountability on it.

Uh that was an oversight uh in regards to uh making sure that's right to fight.

Uh thank you.

Um back to the budget question.

Um, what is it that uh changed your guys' mind without having gone back into the building to go from a renovation budget of around 200,000 to now 750,000 or not to exceed a million.

I just wanted to kind of see where that jump comes from.

Yeah, you know, I I gave a range between 250 and 750.

Uh, you know, one just in the nature of construction, and you never know what to expect.

I would say second two is uh we haven't been back in the property since they boarded it up.

Um when we went back a couple months back, uh the property for the most part, you know, definitely need to work.

Uh, but it was not in like a condition where it was a complete gut or nowhere near in the condition where um you know maintenance and things needed to be done.

Um structurally, uh when I look at the tuck pointy, it's fine.

When we had a um inspection, we actually had inspection inspector come out um and provided their feedback.

Um the numbers we provide at Ida, uh, they were satisfied with it.

Um we've had another project in Rockford that didn't go through because I didn't believe that the construction cost was not going to work.

Uh they didn't give us a hard time with this one.

So uh based off of the inspector that you know they had to agree on it.

We had to agree on who we brought in to do it and send back to Ida, they approved it.

Um but also too, like I said, we have not been in the property, and my concern too is that because it's bordered up, that means individuals have been going into the property.

Uh and if individuals have been going into the property, we don't know what has happened.

And we haven't been able to get access because we're in this like limbo with the seller because they're ready to close and we're going back and forth with the city, right?

So we gotta it's really hard to get access right now until we can figure out what the direction is uh and what this deal will be.

Thank you.

My final question is um we've received um I guess petitions uh speaking against um this development.

And I was just curious from your guys' side uh in that general area.

Do you have advocates that are willing to or that you've talked to or that are that have written a letter or willing to speak in on your behalf?

We didn't uh solicit for um advocates uh to come on our behalf, but uh but what I would say is that we work with clients in that area.

Uh we provide counseling to young people in the area um who are currently getting services outside of the re-entry component, uh, but just with uh the the service that we're currently doing.

Um we're currently our current office, we have to pick them up from there and then take them all the way to the other side of town to provide services.

Um and so I would say those are individuals that are getting service right now.

Um also two, this is bigger than just re-entry.

Um when I think about what this space will be.

This is a community mental health center, uh, it'd be a space to help young people, adults in the community outside of just re-entry, um, family support.

Um so I say today we are currently servicing individuals in that area right now.

Thank you.

I appreciate you being here.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

You're welcome.

Uh Councilmember Vespa.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Um I I do thank you as well for coming here and uh providing us with so much information.

Um I I mean I did clear up my mailbox yesterday.

I got a lot of packets uh for people opposing this.

Um this is very good.

Um a lot of my questions.

Um does paint a better picture uh than I thought I had coming in here today.

Um I do have a few questions, want to clarify a few things.

Uh you say you get funding for Medicaid, correct?

Yes, sir.

Okay, you get Medicaid funding.

Do you receive funding from IDOC?

No, sir.

So it's just Medicaid.

Yes, sir.

Okay.

Um so does IDOC have a say in who uh you accept?

We have referral pathways from IDOC.

Um we have a robust partnership uh in Chicago where we get substantial amount of our referrals.

Um but also two, um, we get a lot of referrals from just doing community uh canvassing, passing out flyers, going to barbershops, going to stores, putting up our flyers.

Um so there's multiple pathways in which we're able to get our clients uh to engage in in the program.

I guess my concern would be if you want to take um just Peoria residents, people from Peoria, and IDOC wants you to accept people from all around the state, some of which may have violent criminal convictions.

Could they override you?

No, they couldn't.

Um, IDOC wouldn't do that.

If somebody's in Chicago, they want to they want them to get services where their local supports are.

So if it was somebody in Chicago, they would say Chicago.

You know, if they're living in Chicago, they're not gonna tell somebody you gotta move to Peoria because you're on parole, you have to get services in Chicago.

You live in Rockford, right?

They're not gonna say, hey, you live in Rightford, you got to move to Chicago to get services.

You know, the goal is, and this is based off of the research is help individuals based in their community to be able to thrive and sustain, right?

So um IDLC will never tell it, it wouldn't be in the best interest of uh the individual to have them move to somewhere else just to satisfy DLC, right?

Um so there's no way that that would be possible.

Um like I said, this would be exclusive just for individuals that are on parole in the Peoria area.

How are you going to choose the parolees?

Well, they have to go through the program.

You know, um, number one, it's no sex offenders.

Um that is just a population we don't work with.

Uh number two, uh, is individuals who are um accepted into our program.

Uh and um when I say accepted to the program, the workforce program, if you're able to come and show up, if you got a positive attitude, you're motivated for change, you're accepting to that program.

That's not the housing program, that's the workforce program.

And that's nine to five.

Um some people fall off because they just don't have that commitment, right?

They don't that structure, right?

Uh, you know, the accountability, um, but you do have those that make it.

You do have those that are couch surfing, right?

Who uh haven't had stable housing in years, right?

And they see this as an opportunity, like, oh, I actually got an opportunity to to have my own place, right?

The opportunity to actually pay rent and see what that's like, right?

I think that's also too.

I want to like clarify too.

When we think about a halfway house, they don't pay rent.

These guys are paying rent to build landlord history.

Um, but for them to qualify for that, they have to meet the metrics that's outlined in that um scope of our program uh to even be able to get the opportunity to be in the housing.

And we have those though who um, like I said, have been couch surfing, has not been able to hit housing, and so they see the value in this.

Okay.

Uh no further questions.

Thank you, madam mayor.

You're welcome.

Did you say no sex offenders?

No sex offenders, yes, ma'am.

Okay.

Uh council member council member Gordon Young.

Thank you, madam mayor.

Um, I have a lot of comments that I've written down, trying to figure out where to start.

Um okay, so I have a question and then a bunch of comments.

The first question or the question is can you speak to the type of um crimes that people will that's enrolling in this program will have been convicted of uh unlawful use of a weapon, possibly, um, drug offenses, um vehicle hijacking.

Um I mean, one of our most successful individuals did 20 years uh for murder, the one that bought his home, you know.

So uh is it's a gambit of individuals who um have gone through uh the legal system, have uh done their time and are looking for a second chance.

Okay, thank you.

And I'm glad you mentioned the ones that you did because um I work at the Peoria County jail, and we have a re-entry program, and often those are the individuals that are in the re-entry program.

They've been convicted of of crimes that they're going to prison.

Yes, they're in this program, but you're not going home.

You're going on to deal with IDLC.

And the goal is that you keep that mindset of information that you're learning before you get there, so that once you're there, you continue in programming, and then once you get out, your mindset is already on this track of thinking, doing thinking differently, doing things differently, and surrounding yourself with people that are doing things different as well.

Um, this is very exciting for me because we often do the work at the Peori County Jail, and then they are doing it when they go to DLC, but when they come home, there's no supportive services that's willing to work with them and really treat their mental health.

And they may get their medication while they're in DLC or you know in the jail, but those services are not being set up when they get out.

Can you speak to, I thought I only had one question, but I got more.

Can you speak?

Can you speak to Gro's role in not just providing cognitive behavior therapy or those therapeutic services, but for individuals that may need medication to assist with managing depression or anxiety or trauma-related indicators?

Yeah, so we we have a full-time psychiatrist, we have a medical doctor at their own staff.

I would also say too that um she's an African American, and uh I say that because it's a huge shortage of psychiatrist psychiatrists of color.

Um, and I say that too because of just the culturally competence and cultural relevance that she brings.

Um we traveled to Africa literally to find her because of the shortage.

Um, but to answer your question, um, we do have a board certified here in the States psychiatrist just to fill that void.

The second thing I would like to say is that um you made a point of you have so many people coming back home, and if you can't get a job, if you don't have access to resources, what do you think is gonna happen, right?

Like, you know, this was really birthed because we were just providing counseling services to guys coming home from prison.

Right.

And we started like looking like we're doing all this counseling, but he's still depressed because he can't get a job.

He doesn't have housing.

Like it's hard to help somebody mentally be stable if you're worried about where you're gonna live, or I'm trying my best to get employment, and I just can't catch a break.

I mean, that's why that's why this was birthed.

Uh, it was really birthed out of a need.

Uh, and part of me just being a social worker is about thinking about the environment, the human uh component, and also thinking about how do we support individuals to thrive.

And so that's really the catalyst of why we did this.

Yeah.

So, like this is my wheelhouse.

Um, like my dissertation was on African American males who are formally incarcerated, but I focus on those who were successful.

What does it take for them to be successful?

And one of those things, well, all of the things that Grow has in this booklet and what you've talked about are the things that are very necessary for positive change.

Um, I think you've met that.

I think that um the business owners, they have a valid concerns.

I believe that.

Um, with talking to you all and meeting some of your staff.

Um, I think that you all are a class act.

Um, you know, your integrity speaks for itself.

And I do believe that you will ensure that this is a safe space, not just for the residents that are there, but for the the community.

Um and that's what matters the most.

You can do all the work on the inside, but what does it look like on the outside?

Well, they really shouldn't know you're there, right?

And it's really about being a good neighbor.

Is there anything that you would like to add to ensure that you would be a good neighbor?

My prayer is that at some point, maybe the local business, men and women here uh will see value in our guys and say, hey, you know what?

I'm gonna give this individual a chance.

And they do a phenomenal job and help their business.

That's our hope.

My hope too is to invite the business community in for them to give us feedback to say, hey, you know, as we're everything we're doing, we're preparing guys for employment.

And they may say, hey, this is a pain point I've seen.

I've hired a couple people, they struggle with X, Y, and Z.

Come on in, see what we're doing, see our program, see how we can maybe tiny that up, right?

Um, we're essentially trying to create a pipeline for employers.

What do we need to do to make sure that they hit the metrics that they're looking for?

Uh and so my hope is to entertain the business community to come in, give us feedback, lessons that they've learned, what type of employees are they looking for, maybe even speak to the guys on, hey, you know, if you're looking for a job and want to keep it as an entrepreneur, this is what you need to do.

Some of our guys have aspirations to be entrepreneurs, even coming in and speaking to them about what entrepreneurship is.

A lot of these guys have never been exposed to individuals who have successful businesses or even know what that looks like.

They got an idea, they may have read some books while they were incarcerated, but they don't know, right?

The more people that can see and pour into them, and again, these are individuals that are already here in Peoria.

Maybe these are individuals can create their own businesses to continue to uh create sales text to increase the revenue here in Peoria, right?

Uh to continue to make this city thrive, right?

So it's my hope is to take those who everybody else is giving up on and allow them to be assets in our communities.

So that's my hope that you know, working with the business community is something we could do.

Well, it would definitely take stress off of uh some of the staff that work with this population.

And because the unhoused um issue becomes a big deal, like they don't have anywhere to go.

Um, substance use disorder is huge.

Um so that's often a barrier and often a challenge.

It sounds like you are putting all those things in place to really help them.

Um I appreciate what all you've done.

I would like to ask if Ms.

Francine can speak to um the logistics.

You talked about some things that you envision as far as um what it would look like on the outside, um, particularly the lighting um and just what you were talking about in terms of beautifying the area.

Sure.

So when you when you first pull into the property, I mean it's it could be stunning.

And so um we have a landscaping budget.

We want to, you know, glorify the landscaping, we want to light it up, we want people to drive by and appreciate the property.

So we're going to do some beautiful landscaping um so that people can when they drive by it look it looks beautiful, and like I said, um, you know, and the the where the where it's located, it sets back, so you can't really see it and enjoy it.

But if you drive by it and it's lit up, I think you can appreciate the property a little bit more.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That's all I have.

I just appreciate the work that you're doing, and I I definitely support your initiative.

Thank you for all you do.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

You're welcome.

Uh, we're gonna hear from Councilman Kelly, and then I'm gonna turn it over to uh Councilman Euler so he can make some introductions and we can hear from some other voices.

Uh councilmember Kelly.

Uh thank you, madam mayor.

Uh Mr.

Mallory, thank you for your presentation.

Um I uh came into this these chambers this evening.

I knew I was going to vote against you.

Mainly because there was there were a lot of concerns on the council and uh uh about what you were doing.

It was spoken of as a halfway house.

Um I mean, I'm sorry, we got the wrong impression.

We got it from you folks.

Um my biggest problem in the meantime has been zero communication.

Zero.

The only communication I've gotten is against what you want to do.

The things you're talking about tonight are mostly news to me.

I mean, I got this tonight, right?

Do you want me to vote before I read this or after?

This is not good communication.

I represent people in our city.

Okay.

We we all around this horseshoe, we want the best city we can possibly have.

That means we sometimes have to make difficult decisions, sometimes we make the wrong decisions.

You have not made it easy for us.

And apparently you have a wonderful program.

It sounds sounds very good to me.

Um I mean, did you just think this up today?

Uh is this a is this something that you have in your in your shelves that you can uh pass out to anybody?

Uh you know, I you know, it's like, well, take my word for it.

You know, you know, that's kind of how I feel.

I don't I don't feel as though I've been treated or the community has been treated properly, and apparently you have something really good to sell.

Uh you know, I I don't know, I don't know how I ought to vote.

I don't know if I you the the uh presentation this evening is quite a bit different than the presentation we had.

You know, the terminology was different.

You know, this was a halfway house for people coming out of the department of of uh corrections.

Uh we didn't know if we'd get Peoria people in it or not, or that you know, and that's that's kind of where we were, and that's where we have been until this tonight, and until you tonight.

I know you want us to vote for you.

I mean, I I find your your presentation very good.

I uh but I I'm I'm just really upset that we we didn't have this.

Um let me ask a couple questions.

Um apparently you have companies or services or whatever that you set up with your facilities that employ your clients, the delivery services, printing services, you know, etc.

etc.

Um, and so presumably that would happen in Peoria as well.

Uh what sort of uh businesses of that type are you considering for a Peoria?

We're looking to mimic uh well let me let me step back.

I'm sorry, I I want to acknowledge the first part that you said in regards to the communication.

Uh and uh I do apologize, you know, um, in regards to um we could have went a little harder, looked worked a little harder to make sure that we communicated with you.

Um we we tried our best to do our due diligence, having community focused groups meetings uh with the local council uh women.

Um, but I apologize that you feel that we we overlooked you.

Um that wasn't our intentions, and I definitely want to honor that, you know, as you support and advocate for the residents of Peoria.

Um in regards to the business model, Lord willing.

My hope is to be able to mimic everything we're doing in Chicago here in Peoria.

So the screen printing for those that may need screen print services, the thrift store idea for those that need thrift store or would we see value in the thrift store.

Um the growth moves uh from the trucking component aspect.

Um right now we're in a process of purchasing routes and bread routes.

Uh there are many routes that are always going for sale here in Peoria that would create structured jobs for our guys, create self-sustainability.

Um so our goal is to really create like an economic model that can be replicated.

Um it's advantageous to me as I'm working on my PhD.

I'm learning more about research and data, and that you have to have more to show output to be able to do publications, to do research to inform the criminal justice field on what needs to be done to create change.

I think we can all agree that the current system is not working to its best efforts, and that it needs some type of innovation.

Lord willing, my hope is that we can be that innovation.

Um, but to answer your question, our goal is yes, uh, to be able to create a model where we can replicate everything we're doing in Chicago down here, and also to the other uh surrounding cities, Rockford, uh Lord Willing this where thank you.

Um would these businesses be located on this property or other properties?

The screen printing is because that's like the workforce component of it, that's like the work model, but the other ones no, we will need to find locations uh for them to be able to operate out of okay.

Um how long generally uh this is just for info.

Yep.

How long generally does one of your clients stay with you?

Uh a successful client, I'm speaking of varies, uh sir.

It could be six months, it could be a year, it could be eight months.

Everybody's treatment plan is different.

That that's okay.

That that kind of range is is kind of what I was after not the okay.

Um and you kind of run the show from where what you say is is surplus from these businesses.

Uh and you do get was it Medicaid money as well?

Yeah, what the businesses, no, no surplus yet.

On our growth community model, yes, we're we we we do well there.

Uh the other businesses though, you know, it's it's a process where about maybe six months in a year in, so we're still building, you know, any every business takes a year, you know, a couple years of figuring it out, figuring out the right systems, figuring out the right niche market, uh, but we are investing in making sure those do become successful.

Uh so that if the businesses are successful, then is we can keep employing our guys that have backgrounds uh that that are um you know have been engaged in the criminal justice system, and so we have this concerted effort, but also too um self-sustainability.

We want to be able to also position ourselves to diversify our revenue source.

Um, you know, right now our revenue comes from Medicaid, but uh we don't want to be exclusively dependent on Medicaid.

And so our goal is to also if we can build successful businesses, but also our self-sustainable uh businesses, uh again, we continue to have impact, we can continue to create employment opportunities.

Um, right now I employ over 2009 uh individuals here in the state of Illinois, 16 in Ohio.

Um, but I want to think about also, I'm always thinking about sustainability.

Um, but within the mission, uh, I think it was brought up earlier.

You know, as entrepreneurs, we do have to think about money, not money conscious, I'm more on change conscious, and it just seems we when I do that, God bless us, you know.

So um, but our goal is to make these successful businesses, but we're in the pilot investment phase of that right now.

Okay, you you corrected me, but I don't I don't quite understand it.

You you said you said uh about your revenues or something.

No, that's grow community, yes, sir.

Okay, as opposed to like grow moves is another entity.

No, I mean what entity are we speaking of when we're talking about the uh Adam Street property?

Grow community is the is the main entity, right?

Which is healthy.

Um I think you were you were alluding to like the other businesses and the success of those, and so I just wanted to touch on uh one, those are separate businesses that were building up to build again employment for our our re-entry guys.

I I mean I I asked you, you know, about the surpluses, and I assumed that the surpluses were from these businesses, but they're not from these businesses.

It's from the main growth community, they're from grow community.

Where does grow community get its money?

That's from Medicaid, sir.

Okay.

Okay, that's okay.

Thank you.

Um I'm still um uh I'm I'm gonna let you go, but I'm still on the fence.

I'm I'm just very frustrated with how this whole thing has gone.

Um seems to me you had a much better you should have been here in November.

Maybe that's right, you know.

Um if I could speak to that, sir.

Um that's all right.

That's that's okay.

I would just like to, you know, like um just highlight if possible.

Um we had some really good meetings with the councilwoman, the councilmen, and and they were able to express their concerns, and so we we knew what what you wanted, and so our goal was to bring you what you wanted.

Um, you know, I was dealing with a final who wanted to be here last time.

Um, however, uh I was able to watch uh online and I was able to see kind of what were some of the questions, and I was able to meet with my team.

We actually had a retreat, was that we watched the video, you know.

We I gave feedback.

Part of you know, my goal is always to also build a leadership.

I don't want everything to have to follow on me.

Sometimes I do have to come and show up, but um the reason why I wasn't here, but I think also two, you have that document because um we had a very fruitful meeting with the the councilwoman, the councilman.

Uh they had questions and concerns, and we want to make sure that you know they had questions last night.

We wanted to make sure we brought it, and we thought it'd be value for you all to see what they expressed as well.

So that's why that's here today.

Okay.

Um thank you very much.

Uh thank you, madam mayor.

You're welcome.

Councilman Oiler, you want to make some introductions here?

Sure.

Uh a lot of times when we make these zoning related decisions, it comes down to the people that are affected by them in the neighborhood, whether it's an Airbnb, a vape shop, a liquor store, and I think it's important to hear from some of the people that surround this, regardless of the topic that we're talking about.

But you know, these are business owners, these are people that operate in this area that may not be where they live, but that's where they spend probably more time than where they live.

And I know we have uh Joe Ritchie from Tri-City Machine, Janine Western from Peori Architectural Salvage, Pat Sullivan from the Warehouse Association.

I'm not sure who else is out there, but I know that those three are very actively involved in this discussion and should have an opportunity to speak.

Gentlemen, please tell us who you are, your business, perhaps proximity to the location.

Pat Sullivan, I live at 100 State Street Warehouse District at work.

100 State Street, 600 Black Water Street, 736 Washington Street on down to 1000.

A couple other little projects.

Um when we first heard this, and then when we went to that meeting last week, this thing's all changed.

I don't know how you guys are gonna vote tonight.

This should be deferred, and let's get what's really gonna go on.

And they got good programs, I'm sure.

Boys and girls clubs got a gym right down on Grinnell Street.

We work with kids.

Not all the kids come out great.

Can we take a chance?

Who do we call?

When your teen, your teen uh buildings were down there, we saw them climbing out of windows and roaming the streets.

We had to put up with it.

We had to make sure that they didn't get into real trouble in our areas.

You might not have seen it, but we live here.

But it can happen.

Who do we call?

I think I think you guys got a good shot of this call.

The fed the uh state representatives, the federal uh congressmen in here.

We need another Zeller, it sounds like I've done work in the Ziller project, and I can't understand why they even closed it down.

There's some people that have to be behind bars because they'll hurt someone or themselves.

I'm sure these guys deal with this all the time.

There's other buildings in other place.

When uh Denise Moore represents a lot of the business down there right there where this is gonna go.

She says, I love your project, just not here.

She's putting it, she just bought a uh one of the uh old South Side banks and putting two businesses in it.

She already has another business in the main building where she fixed it up and it looks great.

She's trying to revive the business in in uh downtown Peoria, the first the first district businesses, and it's just shocks me that you just got this pamphlet and you haven't been able to read it, that you're gonna vote on this tonight.

Now I'm not against what they do, but there are concerns of how this is going to work.

We deal with the homeless, we deal with some of them that crawl out of windows and go around.

We've gotten attacked and beat on.

But do we call?

I'm tired of defending myself and other people.

I've called the police, and we got we go through the rigmarole, and they're let out the next day.

And we're we're we're trying to sell this city, we're trying to bring people down here.

Now I just, you know, when this was sold being sold to us as a halfway, now it's a mental halfway, I guess.

I uh whatever we're calling it tonight.

I think we need to give before we vote on this.

Let's get to what it's gonna be and how it's gonna work.

I'd like to read that thing.

I I like to help businesses.

Business draws business.

I hired some of the gentlemen off of uh Main Street.

Unfortunately, 40% go back to prison.

So that means they committed another crime in our city, and the chief has to keep track of it.

And and and put raises our crime rate, which raises our insurance, which puts people in the hospital.

It's unbelievable that we, you know, we need to make sure we're gonna get what they're saying they're gonna do.

And uh if they have to wait another week or two, let us all read what they have that guaranteeing us.

Now, I I don't have any businesses right down there at this point in time.

I've been looking.

You know, I I do see what's going on down there.

On the other side of St.

Anne's, you have new housing project with families gonna be moving in, which is great.

It's getting it back to the old ways when I was down there.

I've just um uh hope you don't do a rash fast vote tonight.

There's been drug out, no doubt, but I've seen a lot more projects been dug out, drug out further.

I mean, I'm still baffled about the uh the zoning.

I mean, you're not they're not doing a halfway house, but they went to get a zoning change to do it.

You know, if I brought you a project and say I'm gonna put a nice jazz club down in the warehouse district and turn it into a strip club, you're gonna be a little mad at me.

So would my wife, but it's not gonna happen because we go through the proper channels, it should be stopped right tonight, and let's get a zoning that's gonna work if you don't have it, and I don't believe you have it.

This let's work till we do get it.

Let's get get the city rolling again.

I represent quite a few of the businesses in that area.

I've got their the we gave you uh three or four sheets of signatures.

I got three or four more different ones.

I didn't want to bombard you too much.

You can't we can't read what you get sometimes.

So please put it off a little bit.

Let us help them.

And in just being a developer walking by that house, that's more than a million dollars in repairs.

I can guarantee you that I'm not trying to be a downer on you, but we can help you.

We had contractors that just live right next door to this, and down the block and uh a couple blocks and and in in the whole area.

We can walk through that house and tell you pretty close of what it's gonna cost you because we don't want to get you all pumped up, and then you have to come back to City Hall and try to get money.

It's hard because I try all the time, you know.

All right, I'll let Joe Ritchie talk and uh thank you, Mr.

Salloman, Madam Mayor and the City Council.

My name is Joe Ritchie.

I'm an Illinois.

I graduated from the University of Illinois.

I graduated from Bradley University a few times.

I live outside Peoria for a reason, but my business is downtown Peoria in the where in the warehouse district and on the south side.

Been there 50 years, and I oppose this project.

I sent to the city council four different opportunities to say no to this program, and and I don't I'm not gonna read those obviously, but I I will just mention them briefly.

The first one I sent was um the 17th of January.

Much earlier than the the pamphlet that you got this evening.

The first letter that I sent was a relationship to grow communities because I wanted to find out what they were about, especially since uh Francine Poole mentioned that they had a construction company that was going to renovate the house.

I did find that information on the state of Illinois um site, but also found out that it was dissolved November 14th, 2025.

Now, maybe Ms.

Poole didn't realize that, but you know, there is no Grow Construction Company.

Also, I found the Grow Clinical Services not in good standing.

That's uh September 1st, 2025.

I found that the Grow Real Estate is involuntarily just dissolved on 08-08 2025.

All of these businesses here belong to Aaron Mallory.

So I didn't quite understand why are these four pront businesses circling around the Grow Community in Peoria or Shircola or wherever.

Grow University, not in good standing.

September 03, 2024.

Grow Prince, active.

That might have something to do with what's going to happen here.

I don't know.

Grow moves, active status, grow holdings, active status.

No, why is all of this around such a what I would call a very small non-for-profit?

I didn't have an answer, and I'm not sure who does have an answer.

Also, so I went to Charity Navigator.

Charity Navigary rates broke communities as a two, and that's 69%.

Primarily for financial statements, zero out of 15 points.

Website listed on a tax form, missing, zero out of two points, conflict of interest missing, zero out of four points.

What's the border policy?

Zero out of four points.

Documents and board meetings, zero out of two points.

So it seems like there's a bit of turmoil.

I mean, I I don't understand it.

I got the information off the internet.

Uh it's easy to do, uh, especially with the state of Illinois.

So I began to oppose this from the from the get go, frankly.

So that was the first letter that I sent.

Uh the second one is on the 21st.

Um hang on a second, please.

So on the 21st, so this might have something to do with why we changed changed the vocabulary from a halfway house to a mental institution.

Is that frankly, we have enough halfway houses in Peoria?

We have three 350 to 400 people in just two facilities.

One of them is an Illinois Department of Corrections facility, downtown Peoria that houses a limit of 249, and last check they had 241 participants at that at that facility.

So there's really room for whoever wants to put Peorians in Peoria, put them in the Illinois Department of Corrections Facility where they have an opportunity to get a GED, they have an opportunity to go to college, they have an opportunity for counseling.

They have so many more opportunities than what this particular group is trying to offer.

It's right here in Peoria.

If you want a Christian-based facility, you you go no further than the warehouse district.

Pathway Ministries is there.

A well-run operation because we don't hear too much about it.

So I think that's why the change to a mental institution, but obviously, if we're going to vote tonight, we're voting on the wrong thing.

So if we're going to vote on a mental institution in this particular piece of property, do they need sprinklers in there?

Do what kind of do they need three three people there to protect themselves against 10?

Is it is it a place for people that are violent to come and try to try to consult?

We don't know.

She signed my comp my petition, gladly signed my petition.

She came to the January 20th meeting, frustrated about why this is going to be where it is at 1924.

She didn't say it was a bad deal, meaning not sure what this group does, but she didn't want it in her district.

Well, you know, we have housing that's Peori Opportunities, wants to put housing in 61605.

That was a flyer that came out uh in my uh Sunday Bulletin at St.

Anne's, which has spent, and I I sent that out to the city council, quite a bit of money to make their property a premier piece of property and invested piece of property in Peoria.

It's about what two blocks from this place.

The dividing line between 61602 and 61605 is Jefferson Avenue.

Habitat Humanities building housing at the old McKinley School, which stood too long in a in a terrible fashion, but eventually came down.

But you know, they're putting they'll put a million dollars in there.

One million dollars habitat for humanity.

That's in 61605.

We don't need a halfway house, or we don't need a mental institution at that location.

So when when uh we when we talk about paroleese, we all know what recidivism is.

It's how often that a person who commits a crime commits another crime, and we find out that the best statistics is the Illinois department of corrections because they know who they are.

So they know what the recidivism rate is, and we know, and I passed out to the city council people a document summary from the Illinois Department of Corrections that explained that in within three years, 40% of the parolees commit another crime.

Now that's not good.

There are a lot of people that make it out, but they make it out with education, they make it out with a job, and they and and and they make it out with with the ability to learn and read, write, and arithmetic.

It's it's what they gotta have.

If they didn't get it in school, they're on the street without it.

They can't get a job, they can't get a really good job.

So when they come out of incarceration and they go to an uh a program, like they have downtown, they have those opportunities to get better education, to go to college, to get counseling.

None of these things aren't offered here by growth communities.

They're offering, from what I understand, an opportunity to not be violent by consulting.

Surely this is the wrong place.

There may be a better place in Peoria, but frankly, I doubt it.

I don't think we need a halfway house anywhere.

We're looking at putting housing development at the Peori Exposition Gardens.

Now, would we put a halfway house?

Richie, I'm I'm gonna ask you to wrap up in about 30 seconds.

I think there's a couple more business okay.

I only need 30.

Speak, okay.

Would we put a halfway house at the at the old Peori Exposition Gardens property?

Not without a lot of protest.

Why would we do it down here in the South and we're trying to scrape our way back into something?

And the residents down here, they're really afraid to come here and talk.

I'm their representative.

So I I think you got two issues here.

One, probably shouldn't vote on this, and two, you probably should never vote on a on a middle institution at third for 1924.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr.

Ritchie.

Hello, uh, my name is Janine Wester.

My husband, Thomas Western and I own the business at 2000 Southwest Adams Street, which is uh directly next to the proposed uh 1924 development.

Um the big purple and orange building.

You've probably seen it.

Um so I just I I don't really have a whole lot to say.

Um I I really actually do think that Gro has some awesome ideas.

Um I love the clarifications you guys have proposed um and provided tonight.

Um also speaking uh with Francine uh the other week, um, answer a lot of my questions.

Um so that was a little bit provided me a little a little bit of uh comfort, I guess.

I don't know.

Um I I it is still my personal opinion that um the immediate Adams frontage should remain commercial.

Um just seems to kind of lend itself more to commercial and retail spaces, just being on a busy road, and the lack of resources for the residents does concern me a little bit.

Just if I were to live down there, I think it would be hard to if you don't I maybe they do have access to vehicles.

I I don't know if everybody, I would just think like walking walkability, the neighborhood.

It's not a super walkable neighborhood in my opinion, but um maybe you have a way to address that with your residents and get them to and fro.

That was just sort of one of my main concerns with that.

Um I think that I would just like to see a cohesive vision for Adam Street going forward.

There's sort of a border at MacArthur where it's just sort of uh undeveloped.

And so I'd like to see an infill of more commercial businesses.

So that was my initial hope.

When that property first vacated, we were like, oh, cool, like maybe, you know, like it'll be like a restaurant or something.

Yeah, I don't know, whatever.

But um, I think that um I like the vision you guys have for the exterior.

I think that um the area is gonna make a comeback.

I I really do, I really believe that.

Um, but I think that fighting public perception is gonna be a big part of that because we say that even now.

Um people don't want to come down to our area because it's for you know, I that's it's not, but that is the perception.

So I think that that's something that if um you guys are to be our new neighbors, we're kind of all gonna have to maybe band together to sort of uplift the neighborhood, get it looking really good.

And I want to make sure that everyone, my building included, is held to high standards.

Because I think that that's gonna be make or break for this area.

Um, I know I've got lots of plans in the future, and it sounds like you guys have lots of plans for the future for upkeep and and beautifying and things like that, and and we want to do that too.

Um, but I want to make sure that that applies to the whole neighborhood.

Um, and so that's maybe getting a little bit off off topic, but um, that is my hope for for Adam Street.

And I the warehouse district is so beautiful, and I'd love to see the momentum, the wonderful build out that they've had going down there, sort of start to creep down a little bit farther our way.

So my initial, you know, concerns were just that I I'd like to see us concentrate on commercial and and more revenue coming in from that as well.

I mean, I think it's pretty clear that our zip code has a little, we're at a little bit of a disadvantage as far as tax income and things like that go.

We've lost a lot of businesses, so I think we really have to fight to get more revenue generating income businesses, um, commercial things like that coming in to sort of prop up the area again.

Um, but I that that I really don't have a lot else to say, but I I just I hope going forward that we can sort of come up with a strategic plan and make sure that we can continue this development um because it's really important to me and I love the neighborhood and I'd love to see it continue in an in an upwards trend.

So yeah, that's absolutely totally agree.

Thank you very much.

Was there another gentleman?

Did you want okay?

All right.

Thank you.

Thank you all.

Uh did you have any um closing comments on that commentary?

Uh Councilmember Euler.

No, thank you.

Okay, okay.

Um, gonna hear from council member Allen, please, and then I'll go back to Councilmember Jackson.

Uh thank you, Madam Mayor.

And I wanted to uh provide my remarks after I heard from all of the parties involved this evening.

And first off, thank you to everyone uh for their engagement uh in this particular matter.

Uh this is a uncomfortable conversation because I think everyone knows the challenges that we have in our society, especially when it comes to uh assisting those who have been impacted by the criminal justice department, and we say um you do the crime, you do the time, and then when you come home, you get a second chance.

And unfortunately, many people do not get that second chance unless they uh have the resources.

Um one of the things that really binds majority of these people in this room is I think we all know someone who has been impacted by the criminal justice system, and they probably are still being impacted by a mistake that they made years ago.

And so what Girl was looking to do was looking to fill that void.

Um I understand the concern, even in the frustration from the business community as well as some of my colleagues around the horseshoe.

Um, because tonight a lot of things were answered tonight.

Um and sometimes when the fear of the unknown is present, it's hard for people to wrap around uh themselves around a concept, especially when it's going to impact something that they've put so much into and whether that's your business or your or your residence.

Um no one raises their hand and says, hey, I want to have a home next to a holistic support system, halfway house, whatever we're labeling it now, uh, or no one wants to say, hey, I want to live next door to one.

Um, but we know that these are things that are necessary in our society in order to impact us criminal uh justice impact to individuals because at the end of the day, um, if we do not find the support services for them, we're gonna be taking care of them regardless, and that's going to be whether it's them going back to jail and us needing to expand jail services, us eating the clone or Dr.

Bernice Gordon Young's at the Peori County jail because we're not able to give them the services for them to re-integrate into society.

So again, I'm very uh appreciative of everybody's feedback today.

I will say um one of the things that I do appreciate about growing is learning now that they are looking to treat individuals from the city of Peoria.

I think that's very important.

Um, also to the individuals that are involved in Grow, especially on the grass root level.

I'm fortunate to know those individuals.

You have former Peoria firefighters that are part of it, uh, community activists and um leaders uh that are also part of it with boots on the ground that have those relationships and have a true pulse on what's going on in the city of Peoria.

And I think that's very important as well, too, because I don't like we can't have people from the outside solving our issues.

We need those who truly understand the dynamics of Peoria, and we're a very uh interesting place, and so it's good to have those boots on the ground.

So I feel good about the project where it is now.

A lot of my questions were were answered in the presentation today.

Uh I I do want to shout out uh Soon to be Dr.

Uh Mallory.

Um, first off, I appreciate your passion, um, your commitment.

Um, this work is not this work ain't sexy.

I mean, just frankly, it's not.

And I really saw your passion sign through tonight.

And so I really appreciate you know the things that you're trying to do.

I could tell that this is your your life work and look forward to reading your dissertation in the near future.

But again, thank you to everyone being involved tonight, and uh I appreciate everyone.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

You're welcome.

Councilmember Jackson.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

If I could, I would like to call one uh more person who uh has been at this for uh over 30 years.

Uh Bishop Sam Russell, uh, would you come up, sir, and uh share with us just briefly a little bit about your experience in this area.

Thank you.

And based on the time, Pastor Russell, please come.

I I would just want to limit your time, you know, to no more than five minutes just because of where we are, and I'm sure that's probably what you prepare for anyway.

To everyone that's here, um just to give you an idea.

Uh, I'm gonna say a few things that I've been there, done that.

All of what I'm hearing.

I've been there, done that, and had to deal with it, not necessarily in the form that we are in now, but I had to deal with it on an individual basis.

And as you well know, everything that somebody does in Peoria just about comes through this council.

I'm hoping that this council can make a decision that will help Peoria grow.

I know of terms called and was shapen by the idea of NIMBY.

What you want to do is good, but NIMBY says not in my backyard.

And we've got to get past that.

Because the people who are coming out of DLC, male and female, and I don't know if I can be me when I say stuff, but I'm gonna be me.

They need your help.

They need your forgiveness.

They need your consideration to take their past and really put it behind them.

Because if you don't support them in that effort, they're gonna fall flat on their face again, and you will find them back in the same mess they came out of.

I pastor church, shared and road, Gale, Richmond, and the church sits there.

And people who are really want to do better with their life, but they need support from the people, the movers and the shakers who make the decisions to give them a place where they can abode and get the help that they need.

This is something that we cannot continue to turn a deaf ear to or be afraid of what they're gonna do if they come into our neighborhood.

I had a lady say to me, Well, I don't want them people in my neighborhood.

She was talking directly to me.

And I said, sweetheart.

I said they're already living in your neighborhood.

But if you want to NIMBY them, not in my backyard, it sounds good, but not in my backyard, then they're gonna end up one more time back into the madness of being out of control in some shape, form or fashion.

I don't have the degrees that other people have, but I do have something that somebody said, This is why you deserve this doctorate.

So I was given an honorary doctorate degree, not because I went to a university and spent eight years and trying to make it happen, but somebody saw me doing the work that was being done in the neighborhood right there at 1701 North Sheridan Road.

I teach people how to stop the madness of being out of control, and the issue is the city has to get to the place.

Those of us who are now well prescribed, if you will, we have to get to the place where we say, okay, we're gonna open up the windows of heaven for people who need God's touch, God's influence, who need the one source that's gonna be able to help them get to the place where they need to be.

And I hope I get more in five minutes, but anyway, Mr.

Sullivan got his length of time, and the other gentleman got a lot of people.

I know, but you know, your preachers can go on for a long time.

Yeah, you got two, you you got a minute and a half, Pastor.

Did they miss their calling?

But anyway, my point is nothing beats a failure but the try but a try.

We need to give these people a try.

No, no matter what the unknowns are.

Okay, I'm just gonna say this, but and then I'm gonna get back on point.

The chief of police came to my neighborhood and got some baked beans that my wife had made.

And he said, Who made these baked beans?

And if I'm lying, God can strike me dead now.

But it's the truth.

I said, My wife made them baked beans.

He said, Man, these are well.

I will say to him, tell him what you say it, but we gotta give things that are known to us a try.

So that the people, if you will, the recipients of what needs to be known after you try it, we have to give those people the opportunity, or we'll look at failure in the NIMBY fashion for the rest of our lives, even the business owners.

They need to say, okay, I'm gonna back off and say, let's give them a try.

This council, you guys, when you vote, you gotta give them a try.

Councilwoman Jackson.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Well, um I won't um prolong anything.

I um just want to add um as a former business owner myself, small business owner, I understand the value of small businesses.

And um, as I've said to some of my colleagues around the horseshoe, I'm very protective of my district, extremely protective of my district.

Y'all know how I feel about liquor licenses and all that other stuff, and I probably live um closer than anybody to this uh facility, and I do what I do with the students.

So if I had any doubt in my mind about the viability of this program, I would not be supporting it.

So um more questions.

Well, there's comments, but I think you want to go ahead.

You want to go ahead and with your amended motion and then we can have continued discussion.

Well, uh Madam Mayor, I'd like to move to amend the motion.

Uh can I say no more than 12 residents and uh no more, and there will be at least one security staff member on site 247.

And if at any point there are no participants on site, the requirement of one security staff member being on site would not apply.

It's not transferable, and it's non-transferable.

Do you have that?

Do you want her to I have it?

Again, okay.

Yes, madam may thank you.

Is there a second second by council member Gordon Young?

Uh I think we had some further discussion.

Councilmember Allen.

Uh thank you, Madam Mayor.

One last thing I wanted to add to my comments, and regardless of uh tonight's outcome.

I think that we need to have a greater discussion on uh when it comes to these types of proposals in neighborhoods.

What is our our vision or our strategy similar to what we learned when it came to STRs and we started putting some distance requirements after we got the feedback from neighborhoods and things of that nature in?

I believe that that is something that we can maybe have a down the line as maybe a future policy session or maybe a recommendation of staff.

So then that way residents and business owners don't feel like these are oversaturated in their communities.

Um and so that's just something that I wanted to state tonight that I will definitely welcome either a policy session or a recommendation from staff on best practices to ensure that residents in neighborhoods and business owners don't feel like these are being bombarded or oversaturated in their community.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

You know, I that makes me think of the young lady who spoke about what's gonna happen, what's the vision for Adam Street where your business is at, and and your hope that it's you know the improvement.

And this is located in the South Village TIFF.

Is that right, Mr.

Manager?

That's right.

And I think she needs some understanding of that South Village TIFF and what the vision is for developing more commercial there, because that's why the TIFF was put in place in the first place.

But but I think getting with staff and understanding what the plan is uh to boost economic development and commercial development in that area would be helpful to you.

Okay, councilmember Vespa.

Uh thank you, madam mayor.

Um I just like to start off by saying, I mean, as a public defender, I do believe in rehabilitation.

I have seen it firsthand.

Um I know people with violent felonies on the record who um very much go on to contribute to to our community in a lot of a lot of great ways.

Um I'm also not starry-eyed.

I mean, I know that uh it's true, as Mr.

Richie said, about 40 percent of parolees do recidivate uh within three years of release.

Um so when I came here tonight, you know, my concern was bringing in parolees via this halfway house with violent or sexual convictions from say Rockford or Chicago.

Uming that as Mr.

Richie said again, 40 percent and end up recidivating, even despite you know best efforts of of counselors and halfway houses.

There are studies saying that that doesn't make any difference.

Um but halfway houses are important because people are on the street, if not for halfway houses.

Uh they get released from prison, and a halfway house lets them transition into a full life.

Um the thing is, you know, we have more parolees uh than any other downstate community.

The thing is, you know, we have more parolees uh than any other downstate community.

Um it's great to help, but other communities need to step up.

Um we're told today though that this is not a halfway house.

Uh this is more of an Oxford house.

Focusing on treatment and selecting parolees who are already here in Peoria.

Uh so then these would be individuals who often would otherwise be on Peoria streets.

Um that are probably currently on Peoria streets, or maybe living in less than ideal circumstances, maybe surrounded by bad influences, maybe the same influences that led them to prison in the first place.

So instead of living on the street, they would have a roof and a job and treatment.

Now I I understand and appreciate nearby business owners' concerns.

I think anybody would have concerns, most people would.

Um, and we definitely should try to work with them and see if if you know we can develop policies to help alleviate those concerns.

Um, but looking at you know, from the best interest of Peoria, these are people already in Peoria.

Would we rather have them on the streets or around the previous bad influences, or or would we should we put them in a house where they can get the help they need?

Um I uh I happen to live and I I really didn't know the extent of this.

I live about a couple blocks from a halfway house downtown in the Twin Towers.

I'm sure some people aren't gonna be happy that I said that in my complex, but um, yeah, uh apparently that I DOC there's over 200 beds um on Main Street, and so I I kind of live near parole's and I I don't experience a lot of problems, and that is an actual halfway house.

That's not an Oxford house.

Um but you know the numbers are real, you can't wish them away that recidivism is a is a serious problem.

Uh but you are looking at an either or situation.

Would you rather have them get treatment they need, get a roof over their heads, or have them on the streets?

Because I mean it's it's it's either that or they're on the streets or living in you know bad situations, which can lead them to make more bad situations with bad influences.

So I I came in here, not really sure how I was going to vote.

Um, but I have been persuaded through this literature, uh, through what I've been told and the assurances that I've been given that this would be a net positive for the community in the best interest of Peoria.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

You're welcome, and and I'll close out my comments by saying thank you to everyone for your feedback, whether you support or don't support the project.

Thank you for letting your voice be heard.

I think that that's important uh to our process.

Uh I want to say to grow that you know, we need you in our community, and we're counting on your success, but I want to put you on notice that you're gonna be under scrutiny.

You're gonna be under scrutiny uh by this community, by the leadership, by the businesses that spoke out today, by you know other residents that may have some interface with that population that resides there, you're gonna be under scrutiny.

So know that and keep your standards high to make sure that I mean there's no perfect organization where nothing there's nothing goes wrong where you don't make any mistakes, but uh but you know, it's to your advantage to make sure that everything goes as well as possible in terms of how you deliver your program and services.

So that's that's my kind of warning to you that you're gonna be under a microscope.

Um and we hope and pray that you're gonna be successful, assuming I'm assuming this is going to pass tonight, but I'm um hopeful as well.

We are about to vote.

We have one more comment.

Uh councilmember Kelly.

Thank you, madam mayor.

Um I would just like to say to the petitioner and to the uh and to my colleagues.

Um I'm going to vote no.

Um, because I disagree with the mission, the mission that we as far as I'm concerned, first heard about it, heard about tonight.

I'm not going to vote no because I didn't like this booklet.

I haven't been able to look at the booklet.

I this makes me question the quality of this organization, not the quality of the mission.

I think there were ample opportunities for them to communicate with us.

They didn't, okay, they didn't.

What does that mean about how they're going to manage this business or this uh facility in the future?

I don't I am not confident about that.

I don't have any problem with the mission.

But I just wanted to explain uh my negative vote.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

You're welcome.

Councilmember Sear.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

I closing for me.

I want to make sure that everybody understand that are listening and watching us and are here present tonight.

I've said it before, I want to say it again tonight because we're so easily distracted.

Number one, Peore is my home.

I love Peoria, and I love the people of Pure because one of the main value in Peore is people are very, very giving.

Very giving in Peoria.

I mean, we're probably one of the top five percent cities in the United States per capita.

We're very, very, very giving.

So I feel bad, I feel frustrated.

I feel like all the feelings like everybody has because we had plenty of meetings that you probably don't realize, and obviously some of my colleagues don't realize how many meetings we have about this subject already for the last many years.

Now we didn't call it, you know, halfway house when we when we had our meetings, okay, but we called it a business plan for the city of Peoria.

We called it a vision for the city of Peoria.

And what the main thing for our vision was to have a safe downtown and a vibrant downtown.

That's what we're supposed to be protecting.

Okay.

There's a lot more businesses in Peor that are leaving downtown that are coming in.

Okay.

Will this business qualify for our vision?

Of course, is not it does not qualify, and it breaks my heart to say that.

But I want everybody to know around this horseshoe, okay, that Mr.

Director Doolin, who was in the back, I don't know, is he still here?

No, we help every year four or five hundred people that are homeless, which 10% of them, according to my specialist, which is Director Doolings would be my specialist, need a lot of health.

They have a health problem that that need a really a place and and medication and and they need to be hospitable uh hospitalized.

So it's not like we do the city of Peore does, and I've said that for eight years.

We do a terrible job, terrible job at promoting the city of Peoria.

Okay.

We do we invest a lot of money, our people in Peoria.

We help a lot of people.

There's just not enough resources and money for to help everybody.

But it's not like I don't want anybody to make me feel bad that we cannot help everybody because we are trying very hard to help four or five hundred people.

What we need is communities around us to start making the similar commitment to what we're making.

Okay.

Our vision is either we believe in our vision or not.

Do we want to vibrant downtown?

No, we got OSF making progress, we cater probably making progress.

We have some positive thing happening, warehouse district.

Do we want to keep that going?

Okay.

Again, very frustrating to have these conversations tonight because these are real people with real problems, but we just don't have we need help.

Okay, we do need help from outside our community to take some of these projects on for us.

So thank you for being here, and thank you for caring.

But I want to make sure everybody understand that we do care too, and there's just not enough sometime for everybody.

Okay, we have a great vision, and we want a safe downtown, a safe area and a vibrant area, and we just cannot accommodate everybody.

I'm just sorry to say that.

Thank you, ma'am.

Mayor.

You're welcome.

We have a motion on the floor, an amended motion on the floor.

We have a second to that motion.

Uh there's no more discussion.

Please cast your ballots.

Motion passes with one, two, three, four, five nays.

Uh Valpula, Kelly, Oiler, Sear, Carmona.

Madam Clerk.

We are at new business.

I have a unfinished business item.

There's been a lot of activity in our community as it relates to the protests and events around ICE activity, particularly in Minnesota, but there's been activity right here in Peoria in terms of some of the protests.

And some of the community members have asked what is the city doing in terms of the city's response to potential ICE activity in Peoria.

So I wanted to make everybody aware of some legislation that we abide by that came out of the office for the Attorney General State of Illinois.

Actually, it's guidance.

And it's called the Trust Act.

The Trust Act limits our law enforcement actions on immigration matters.

And I want to actually recite some of that guidance that's provided by the Illinois Attorney General.

And we as a city will abide by these laws and this guidance that's recorded in the Trust Act.

First, law enforcement authorities in Illinois generally are prohibited from assisting with any civil immigration enforcement operation.

State law prohibits Illinois law enforcement from entering into immigration enforcement agreements with immigration authorities from complying with immigration detainers from transferring individuals into immigration agents custody without a criminal warrant and from allowing immigration agents to access to state and local facilities for investigative or enforcement purposes.

Next, state law likewise generally prohibits Illinois law enforcement from sharing information with federal immigration enforcement agents about individuals in their custody, including those individuals' release dates with limited exceptions.

Next, law enforcement may not stop, arrest, search, or detain any individual solely based on their citizenship or immigration status.

A removable alien's presence in the United States, or the sole fact that an individual is undocumented is not a crime.

Arrests may be made only when law enforcement has a criminal warrant or probable cause that a criminal offense has been committed.

Next, local law enforcement agencies may not detain an individual beyond his or her release date pursuant to an immigration detainer or civil immigration warrant.

Illinois law also prohibits local law enforcement agencies from treating individuals in their custody differently on the basis of their citizenship or immigration status.

Custodial facilities must allow foreign nationals to communicate with counselor offices.

Law enforcement agencies are required to create procedures to ensure they timely certify forms for eligible victims of certain crimes who apply for U visas or T visas.

And finally, law enforcement agencies must report annually to the Illinois Attorney General's office regarding their compliance with the Trust Act and the Voices Act.

This information was gathered and provided by our corporation.

Hayes, thank you for that information.

And I do want you to know that our police chief has provided specific guidance to his team as it relates to how our local law enforcement might respond should I come to Peoria.

Basically, it it describes their role and the limitations regarding federal immigration enforcement, the mandatory body worn camera activation, the expectations around non-intervention and law, lawful federal actions while preventing violence or disorder, de escalation, professionalism, and dignity in all interactions, and supervisory and command level notification requirements.

So I don't know whether you want to expand on that, Chief, in terms of what you have communicated, but I just wish you would make some comment as well.

Thank you.

Good evening again.

Mayor, council, city manager, uh, everybody that's here and and those that are listening online or via radio.

Um, you know, we understand that many residents, particularly members of our immigrant communities and others across Peoria are feeling the uh fear and uncertainty due to the immigration enforcement actions taking place in cities across the country.

I will tell you that just this week the Illinois Association, I'm sorry, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which is the world's largest, most influential professional association has called to convene joint federal state local discussion uh on public safety to the White House.

Um I sent an email to the director of the International Association of Chiefs of Police requesting a seat at that table if that if that occurs.

Um I'll say just from uh from personal standpoint, right?

As a an Afro-Latino man, a husband, father, and a grandfather, I understand these fears all too well.

Um, I I understand both sides of the coin.

I've lived on both sides of the coin, so I understand it and I understand the fears, and we cannot control federal policy or decisions, but what we control is how we serve our community, how we're going to protect public safety and how we treat people.

Uh so about two weeks ago, uh I sent out an email to the police department.

This was just an internal memo, basically stating uh some of what the mayor has said, but I'll give you the seven core expectations that I sent out to our police department.

Uh Peoria police do not enforce federal immigration law.

Our our role is local public safety, and we'll not assist in immigration enforcement actions behind beyond what is required by law and department policy, right?

We understand you know the current state of ICE is a danger to communities.

So I'll I'll say that publicly.

Um, you know, the the impact of unchecked power is just devastating.

Um, body worn cameras.

Every officer in a situation where immigration is there or may be there present.

Uh we will have body cameras on and we will report and document what is occurring.

We will not intervene in lawful, I'll repeat that lawful federal actions, but we will not allow violence.

Our focus remains on public safety and de-escalation.

So their role is to maintain the peace, de-escalate tensions, protect bystanders, prevent assaults, riot or disturbances, and ensure that no laws are violated in our presence.

Treat all individuals with dignity and professionalism, regardless of personal views, immigration status, or emotions involved, they are to conduct themselves professionally, respectfully, in accordance with our department values.

We do not inquire about immigration status.

You heard the mayor said that.

And if we become aware of any responding to uh of anybody responding to an incident involving immigration officers, it is an immediate notification to supervisory staff, and it's immediate notification all the way up to me.

Okay.

Thank you, Chief.

I hope that provides some clarification to our community in terms of local response.

Thank you, Chief.

Councilmember Riggenbach.

Thank you, madam.

New business.

New business, right?

Um, in light of the fact of our discussion regarding the growth community, I think it's appropriate to segue into the fact that tonight is the point in time count of the unsheltered in our community.

This is something that is done every year.

So we have volunteers through the continuum of care and our other providers in that space that are literally doing a point in time count of who is unsheltered tonight.

So keep them in your thoughts and prayers, as it's nine degrees out there right now.

And also, I just wanted to um welcome Center Point Community Church to the East Bluff.

For those of you that didn't see the press release from the diocese this afternoon.

Um old St.

Bernard School and church and rectory um are vacated, and now there's been an agreement with a new church center point church.

And as I will recall, um, his father, the pastor's father might be in the audience.

Um Brian Russell is gonna be the new pastor at that church.

So we're excited to see what will unfold with this new um presence in the East Bluff.

Excited about that.

Thank you.

Any more new business, Madam Clerk?

We are at Citizens Opportunity to address the city council.

We have 12 cards here.

Uh the first speaker is Michael Peterson 13 cards.

Um it's a good deal.

There's no easy year, they're gonna take care of business.

These guys are trying to out here looking for a place to get out, to reiterate back into society.

They're under strict rules, the parole officers there, they ain't gonna screw up.

Let them have that chance.

And then it's this bringing immigrants out from Chicago trying to hide them out from feds and ice.

I ain't gonna go get it.

We don't feel safe with with all these immigrants here, and I say hiding them down here in Peoria, ain't getting it.

It's our taxes come but we're gonna house them.

We ain't gonna do that.

Have a nice day.

Thank you, Paul.

Put the time in thank you.

Next, we have Hen Abbey Akar.

And Council members.

I I think we all need to take a minute to breathe.

This has been a heavy council meeting, hasn't it?

I think it has, at least I needed a breath.

Um as the tragic events in Minnesota continue, and since Illinois is similar to Minnesota in being led by a Democrat, we remain at high risk of seeing tactics used in Minnesota, seeing them here in our community.

At the last city council meeting, we ask the council for a position and reassurance of our safety.

And I do appreciate, Mayor, what you just said.

Actually, it it will take us it's so much parallel to what I will say, and I do appreciate that.

So I am here with with the scientists in me talking, you know, specific actionals, actionable steps that I would like the council to consider.

And when I would say we, it's it's a small group of us that you all know very well.

So I'm gonna ask first to affirm your support and adoption of the trust act, which you just said and elaborated on, and I appreciate that.

Second, affirm your support and adoption of the Illinois Way Forward Act of 2021.

This act expands the Trust Act by ending ICE detention contracts in Illinois, jails, and further restricting local law enforcement's ability to assist ICE and surveillance of enforcement, which I think you also affirmed now.

Third, affirm your support and adoption of HB 1312, which establishes safe zones where ICE cannot make civil arrests.

These zones include state courthouses, educational facilities, healthcare and child care and high education.

And there is an SB related to each one of them that explains exactly what they entail.

Please also assure the citizens of Peoria that you are following the recent Illinois State 2026 actions and proposed bills that include number one on hiring ICE agents.

This is SB 2820.

Number two, attorney general lawsuit that seeks to block ICE from using tactics such as warrantless entries and chemical dispersants in the state.

Number three, executive order 2025-06, which establishes a commission to investigate federal enforcement actions, such as Operation Midway Blitz, and recommend further state protections for residents.

However, actions by this council, as we just saw a preview of, can reaffirm your commitment to do what you can within the law to protect the citizens of Peoria.

And we really ask if you can make those statements public, whether on City Council website or any other way that you see fit.

And this is within your initiatives, which is focus on community engagement.

We would like to have a meeting with you to understand Peoria law enforcement's use of tactics that are used or developed by the state of Israel to oppress the Palestinian population.

I want, I am quoting a recent veterans for peace statement, and I do really encourage you to look for that statement.

It's Veterans for Peace.

The violence.

Just 10 seconds, that we have allowed to occur in the occupied Palestinian territories, had finally come home to roost.

Thank you.

Madam Mayor and Councillors, thank you for this opportunity to address you tonight.

As with many people here, I'm here because of what's been going on with ICE in Minnesota.

Um I love Peoria, love my community, moved here, uh seen, and I really love this place.

So I want to make sure that it's protected.

Um thank you, Mayor Lee for sharing um what you shared about the act uh through Illinois.

And uh thank you to the police chief for sharing what his uh team is doing.

Obviously, I know there are people here a lot more informed than I am about different laws and different um different tools that we have.

Um, but I really just want to drive home that this is a critical moment for our democracy.

What we're seeing is a federal agency being weaponized against its own people, and that is a clear and present threat to our nation.

So I appreciate you taking this seriously, and uh I hope we can count on you to stand beside us as we um plan and make resolves to protect our communities and our nation and our neighbors and our democracy should I come to the city.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Terry Blink.

Good evening.

I was very pleased to hear you, Mayor, and the chief address a lot of my concerns about um how Peoria officials and police are going to uh deal with ice, which they probably will come because coming from the north and now they're coming up south, they're in Bloomington now.

Um there is a palpable fear I know among a lot of people, thousands, about what will ice do when they come here.

Um, I'm worried about my city, my own neighborhood, in fact, and peaceful protesters.

Um kind of am comforted by what the chief said about de escalation.

Now I'm hoping that means trying to de-escalate ice because they are out of control.

But anyway, I want to thank you for your attention to this matter, and God help us.

I hope ice doesn't come, but they do.

I hope that we have enough courage to deal with them.

Thank you.

Welcome.

Valerie Ingholm, Valerie Ingholm.

For starters, I can't wait to have an institution such as yours in our neighborhood.

So thank you so much.

Um next, I want to read a couple sentences from my friend Jamie Pratt, who wanted to make a statement but couldn't make it in person.

She says, long before ICE is entrenched into our communities, our most vulnerable, hardworking families who are integral to our economy and our community.

These members of our community deserve the peace of mind of knowing their city is ready to defend their constitutional rights.

An action plan is the best way to ensure the safety of us all.

So thank you very much, Jamie.

And next I want to start by listing cities where ICE raids are happening.

New York City, we hear about Minneapolis every day, but there's New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Oregon, Portland, Maine, San Diego, Denver, Miami, Atlanta, Seattle, San Juan.

Nine people have been murdered so far by IC.

Citizens and non-citizens both.

It doesn't seem to matter.

And I would tell you all about my experiences with immigrants or my opinions on homeland security, but I don't know that it matters right now with the enemy right there outside our walls.

This is happening whether you like it or not, and more people are gonna die at the hands of ICE, regardless of our opinions.

That's just not okay with me.

You've already stated some of your plans, but right now I don't trust promises, guidelines, or directions.

Citizens and non-citizens both are residents of this city.

ICE agents will come to Peoria and are probably already here.

Average citizens just like us will be caught in the crossfire.

In November of 2025, Aurora, Illinois approved an ordinance that prohibits the use of city property for ICE activity.

Chicago passed an executive order restricting ICE activity, as did Minneapolis.

We won't know how effective these ordinances will be until this battle is over.

But for the people of Peoria, we need to know that you have a concrete plan for us.

So what are you going to do as a city council, Madam Mayor and esteemed council persons?

Your constituents elected you because you promised to do right by the residents of this city.

Documented and undocumented immigrants both are members of this city.

Citizens and non citizens are members and residents of the city.

These are our neighbors.

What are you gonna do to protect us?

Not a statement or some email you sent, but what actual action are you going to take?

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Justin Smelter.

My name is Justin Smelzer.

I'm an electrician and rank and file member of UAW Local 974, and I'm a member of Workers Strike Back, a national organization fighting for working and oppressed people.

Trump's ICE has been terrorizing American cities.

In less than a month, Keith Porter, Renee Good, and Eric Pready have all been murdered by ICE.

The public approval rating for ICE has plummeted since Trump took office, and the majority of American people now disapprove of ICE and Trump himself.

Hundreds of thousands of working class people have taken to the streets across the nation to demand ice out of their states and to shut down the detention centers and abolish ice.

Yet the Democratic Party has refused to fight against Trump.

This is because creating funding for ICE, attacks on immigrants, super exploiting immigrants' workers for wall streets greed has always been a bipartisan agenda of Democrats and Republicans.

And that's why working people need to build movements independent of the Democrat and Republican parties.

And that's why workers strike back is doing.

We demand that the Democrats and Republicans on Peoria City Council declare today they'll stop collaboration all collaboration with ICE.

Data reveals that ICE depends on city, county, state, police, uh, and licensing and other departments sharing data with ICE.

Peoria City Council needs to pass legislation banning all agencies from sharing data with ICE and have serious penalties if this does not happen.

City Council needs to ban law enforcement from wearing masks.

City Council should enact a citywide eviction moratorium to protect families targeted by ICE.

So if family members are unable to pay rent due to financial constraints, they won't be thrown out into the streets.

There have been powerful mass protests in Minneapolis and a growing call for a general strike to drive ICE out.

As a rank and file member of the West Central Illinois Labor Council, I call on the council's leadership to immediately organize solidarity protests and strikes with the fight back in Minnesota.

Unfortunately, U.S.

labor leadership is completely tied to the Democratic Party and has completely failed to call for the strike actions that are necessary.

Working people need the kind of fighting leadership that workers strike back founder Shama Sawant brought in the decade she was a socialist on City Seattle City Council.

Shamma went to war against the billionaires and the Democratic Party to win major victories for the working class.

And Shamma won the nation's highest minimum wage and the nation's first ever ban on police use of crowd control weapons.

Shamma won these victories by using her office to organize people and union members into independent fighting movements, often dragging the labor leadership along.

Now Shamma's running for Congress against Democrat Adam Smith, and Adam Smith is one of many Democrats who voted to create ICE and fund ICE repeatedly.

He has also bankrolled the genocide in Gaza.

And this is why I'm volunteering for Shamma's campaign, and why I'm a member of Workers Strike Back, a nationwide organization that is mobilizing working people for an independent fight back against ICE terror and genocide funding.

These city council members and the entire Democratic Party along with them have sat on their hands while people are being murdered by ICE and also by the IDF in Gaza.

They've refused to do anything to protect their citizens from ICE terror.

And this is not leadership.

This is disgraceful.

For us to succeed in shutting down ICE, we need a fighting revolutionary socialist leadership that will call for a general strike that is needed to shut down ICE.

That is why I'm supporting Shama Sawant's independent socialist campaign for U.S.

Congress.

Shama's building a national movement with her campaign to stop deportations, shut down ICE, and the detention centers to win free health care for all funded by taxing the rich, to win national rent control, and to end the genocide in Gaza and all U.S.

military funding for Israel and the brutal occupation of Palestinian territories.

We need a new party for the working class that won't sell out and will fight for our interests, not the rich.

And to any working class or young people who are watching this and agree we need to date, we need a break from the sellout corporate democratic party to shut down ICE.

I strongly urge you to join workers strike back and get involved.

Solidarity.

Shut down ICE.

Shut down ICE.

Shut down ICE.

Shut down ICE.

Shut down ICE.

Shut down ICE.

Shut down ICE.

Shut down ICE.

Shut down ICE.

Shut down ICE.

Okay.

Shut down ICE, Mr.

30 seconds.

Shut down ICE.

Shut down ICE.

Shut down ICE.

Amanda Green.

Hi.

I'm very nervous.

I have a fear of public speaking, so please bear with me.

Um I had a lot of points to make, but um, all the lovely people that have spoken before me have covered quite a few of them.

But one thing I haven't heard is accountability.

Um, our police chief seems very adamant on making sure the ICE can't do some things, but unfortunately, splits split decisions are made and people lose their lives very fast.

And um, there's no accountability.

So I really hope that our police force, if they see something being done, that they arrest them, if they're gonna act like a masked terrorist, they treat them as such.

They hold them accountable to the letter of the law.

If they're gonna kidnap children and use them as bait, they hold them accountable for that.

If they're gonna shoot a mother in the face after dropping her daughter off at school, they hold them accountable for that.

There are no consequences for them, and it's terrible.

And it's it's terrible to see, it's terrible to read, it's terrible to know that this is going on in my nation.

I I wish we lived in a perfect world and we do not.

Um, but change has to start somewhere, and I really hope that it can start here, and that we can start spreading it across across the country.

Somebody has to stand up and do it.

I hope that it is you, please, please let it be you.

Please let it start here.

Um the other point that I would like to make.

Um, and I unfortunately or fortunately am not gonna make it out of respect, Zachary Euler.

Shame on you for being rude, condescending, and disrespectful to the people of the Grow community.

Dear fellow Congresswomen Council women and council men had no problem leafing through that material and giving out constructive positive criticism.

You couldn't find the time to do that.

Maybe you can find the time to humble yourself and think about all the people that do not have your entitlement and privilege.

Thank you.

Darcy Katie.

Darcy Katie.

Good evening, City Council members and Madam Mayor, Dr.

Ali.

So, as your constituents within the community, we have gathered here tonight to ask that Peoria City Council give deep consideration to implementing a comprehensive rapid response plan to prepare for ICE's arrival in the city of Peoria.

At the previous city council meeting on January 13th, six community representatives, including myself, attended the city council meeting to inform the council of the growing community concerns involving safety and security once ICE arrives in Peoria.

As expressed to us as community organizers at the Renee Good Vigil on Friday, January 9th.

The council acknowledged our concerns and stated they would discuss the matter in closed session following the meeting.

This discussion would result in the following statement from Madam Mayor, Dr.

Awli.

I understand the community concerns regarding a potential increase in ICE presence and activity in Peoria.

And we will meet internally to discuss protocols in the event of this occurrence to assure fair and legal procedures.

I am grateful to the council for taking our concerns so seriously and discussing protocols privately, along with additional supporting statements made tonight by both the chief of police as well as our mayor.

This is a great first step acknowledgement.

The second being education, which each with each of you, excuse me, taking the necessary steps to remain informed on policy protocols as well as procedures.

The third and final step we are asking for, as you've heard, is action.

It is true that no single policy nor ordinance can stop bullets, but what they can do is direct us in decision making and allow us to set a legal precedent that will not allow for immunity.

This part is critical.

By creating and implementing a comprehensive rapid response plan within the city of Peoria limits, it will not only showcase the council's deep commitment to our community, but it will also give each of our community members a clear framework for how to proceed with consistency and calm while navigating ICE's presence here.

This is how we preserve life by providing clarity rather than allowing legal ambiguity to devolve into confusion, which understandably leads to panic and fear.

So how do we address this with a rapid response plan?

The plan will explicitly state in clear language that all emergency services, including Peoria Police Department, Fire Department, and emergency medical services are to be utilized solely for the protection, benefit, and safety of civilians within Peoria City limits, and will not assist nor participate in any capacity with actions involving immigration and customs enforcement, ICE, U.S.

Customs and Border Protection, CBP, or Department of Homeland Security, DHS, as it pertains to serving non-judicial warrants within Peoria City Lits.

The second request is that all emergency services within the city of Peoria, including Peoria Police Department, Peoria Fire Department, and EMS be made aware that they are to continue to serve, protect, and preserve life for all civilians within the Peoria City limits, including during any unlawful actions, as the chief stated, taken by or directly involving ICE, CBP, or DHS.

And finally, request number three, that all schools and child care facilities within Peoria City Limits be notified and put on lockdown when there has been a confirmed presence of ICE, CBP or DHS within Peoria City limits.

With the minute I have left, what I want to say is this.

While we ask for protection from the state sanctioned violence happening in our nation is not lost on me.

As a proud descendant of Caterina Gittstein, who escaped as a Romani Jew from Germany, I am so proud to stand before this council as a free person and ask that you utilize the capacity we have, the knowledge and power to do better because we must, or we will have successfully repeated history.

Thank you.

Kathy McNeil.

Kathy, Kathy McNeil, Kathy McNeil.

What she said and the others that are on our page.

But after the successes that I've seen at this meeting, I can't read the whole thing that I already had ready because you have responded, which is what we're here to ask you for.

Um so I'm in the 61604.

It's a neighborhood of persons with disabilities of color, immigrants, and persons who speak with an accent.

So and I can say that I know some of them, some of them personally who are not even aware of the danger that could come their way in my neighborhood.

Uh I'm not paranoid or anything, but we're here to ask that you uh like I said, what she said, and then also my idea that I don't know, this isn't necessarily an idea because I haven't been to all of the protests, rallies, demonstrations.

I haven't been to them all to know whether we have any council persons or you know, who are willing to speak, not just our speakers that we call on the faith community and from the uh organizations who work to help Peorians in general and uh in poverty.

Um I mean, uh right now there's this lawlessness that does not follow our sacred constitution, like in the preamble where uh we want to make a solid union of our citizens, and there really is that there really is in Peoria.

There's lots of people from all corners united for this action and other actions for the people that uh, you know.

And some of us are here, and some of us have spoken out.

So naturally, uh as in the preamble, we would like to continue, all of us to seek justice, peace, defense, welfare, and our precious freedom.

I don't know where the clock is, but I can tell you that when I took part in the July 4th parade in West Peoria, I couldn't help it.

I was walking and passing out candy, and when I spoke to a child to give them candy, I said, say with liberty and justice for all.

And they could, because you know, it's part of our pledge of allegiance, but you know, to emphasize that, and parents were responsive, like, yeah, we should emphasize that.

Oh my gosh, so let me see what else.

So, yes, uh, the community, we are speaking out, and uh whether you call them a protest or a rally, you know, it's it's us coming together, like we do here, like you do here, and um match our concerns um with one another.

I mean, that's kind of what the the rallies and protests are about.

Letting others know, yeah, hey, we're here for you, and uh, you know, what else do you have to say about it?

So um, I was just thinking that whenever you know, because we kind of get it out there, and I think the police even know.

Um, when we have our gatherings, our protests, our rallies, or uh, we would like to see some participation from our government, and even from the police department.

Some some uh policeman gentlemen, ladies.

Uh I don't really have anything more to say, just that uh we appreciate you and uh we respect all the things that you do when we ask you to there are three more speakers, and and I don't typically respond to public comment by design in this uh format, but I do want to make a clarification uh, Miss McNeil, that we are not your boss uh by hierarchy, the public and the voters, the citizens and the residents are our boss, okay.

AJ Dunn, AJ Dunn.

Council, um my name is AJ Dunn, and I want to bring a few things up.

The first is that in October of 2017, Peoria, no bans, no walls reported that the October of that year, uh the police advisory committee voted down a welcoming ordinance that would have affirmed the rights and dignity of immigrants and non-citizens in in this county, and it completely got sought down, and there is really more that I believe that we can potentially do to uh protect uh immigrants and a legal citizen here alike, not just with a more expansive and inclusive welcoming ordinance for immigrants within the city, but also anything that can direct law enforcement to actually take not just a non-compliance role with ICE and ICE officials, uh, but actively protecting immigrants and citizens and non-citizens alike, since one thing that Minnesotans have expressed frustration for if the local and state leadership is not is not holding anyone legally accountable, particular specifically federal agents who while I know that federal law supersedes state law, and uh police cannot really interfere or disrupt any lawful action from a federal agent when an accent is illegal when it is unnecessarily violent, when it is unconstitutional, and when it violates constitutional law and civil liberties alike, uh that's the exception at play.

If someone is sought dead, like Renee Good was and Jonathan Ross still has not been arrested, by the way.

If ICE agents are invading occupying private property without a warrant, if they're violating due process, if they are operating in such a way that it is there's when it absolutely calls for state, local, and county law enforcement to step in and say, hey, you cannot do this, hey, this is illegal, hey, we will arrest you.

I want them to be able to do it, because that's not what happened what's been happening in many blue states and blue cities in which ice raids are happening and mass disportations are happening.

If someone, if one of your constituents gets sought dead, are you gonna do something to investigate and prosecute the federal agents responsible?

Is that is my concern?

Uh I really have nothing else to say here.

Pass a welcoming ordinance if you can, a more expansive one, including condemnation of ice, and make sure that when ICE agents are violating the law, all violating due process, all violence civil liberties are hurting and killing people.

You are you can are now able to say, hey, this is wrong.

Hey, you gotta leave, hey, we will arrest you because at this point this is not a lawful act.

Thank you.

Bob Kestner I thought I was going to be a lot longer getting up here.

Um I've got a very simple thing to ask for.

Since it is our 250th anniversary year for the declaration of independence, and seeing the spirit of uh the the patriots that were together gathered, pledging their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor, and in signing that document that gives us the liberties to come here today and have a robust discussion about political actions.

I thought it'd be appropriate if the council actually did something that was very helpful to those patriots back then when they had a lot of dissension in the room.

They couldn't imagine how everybody could get along enough to be able to make this thing happen in the first place.

And somebody suggested that they pray, that they ask for wisdom from the God that they all served in different forms.

Now we recognize that a little bit here in having a little invocation before the Pledge of Allegiance, but I'm gonna suggest that to relieve a lot of the acrimony of discussion, which should be a just a civil discussion, that we vocally invoke God and his participation in our thoughts and in the actions during these council proceedings.

So don't do it quietly.

Get on your knees and pray for this, because then you'll actually see God participating with you in resolving these issues that seem so go.

Um I'm gonna be teaching a lot more about the Constitution down at the Puri Riverfront Museum.

I want to encourage everybody to come down there on the 31st when they have their opening of the exhibit on America 250.

So thank you for all you do.

God bless you.

Thank you for your time.

Welcome.

And last we have Ryan.

I may pronounce it wrong, Fordesher.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mary.

You're welcome.

Thank you, City Council.

Uh I'm a member of Workers Strike Back.

My name is Ryan Ford Rusher.

Um here with a lot of fellow members of Workers Strike Back as well.

Um obviously we've stated why we're here.

I'd like to add just a few things to that.

Um we talked about having the laws in place, the act in place.

Um, I'd also also like assurance that there's clear communication between uh community leaders, pillars of the community, and law enforcement and the city.

Uh that is crucial in my opinion uh right now that communication between uh community leaders, getting everyone together should extend to the city of Peoria as well.

Um I'd also like to reiterate the fact that uh border patrol federal immigration agents are using military grade tear gas on citizens, non-citizens, human beings, military grade tear gas on babies.

A six-month-old baby was tear gassed, uh the same stuff that's in pepper spray, it's CO something gas.

A six-month-old is affected by that, something that could uh affect them for the rest of their lives.

So I'd just like to urge uh people to think past policy and think about our neighbors, our fellow human beings, showing compassion for them in the form of action.

Policy citizens are mad, they're very angry.

You can tell I'm mad, I'm holding back my anger right now, and I'm the most privileged looking person in this room, along with all other white males here.

We need action from white males, we need action from people that have the privilege and hold the most power.

We need everyone to hold hands with each other and come together because we are stronger than the federal government together, and we all believe relatively the same thing that we should respect respect our brothers and sisters, human kind, human kind, not they, not other, not gay, not lesbian.

We need to come together and look at each other with respect and actually have a conversation about what's going on instead of uh putting ideals onto things.

We're all we're all here together, and we all need to work together, including with law enforcement.

So I urge law enforcement that has the resources to protect its citizens, like SWAT, you know.

We have shields, we have uh ways that we can put police in between citizens and a tyrannical government.

I also urge people to consider their right to bear arms.

I am a very liberal person, but right now the second amendment is for protecting against a tyrannical government, and that is exactly what's happening right now against its citizens.

Anyone that doesn't think uh doesn't feel the that they're uh superior.

I'm I'm trailing off.

So uh concrete demands.

Um I'd also like to reiterate police should not be wearing masks uh and uh should not be uh ice should also not be they should be prevented from wearing masks.

Um I would also like to say that uh um the eviction moratorium to protect residents from being evicted during this time um is really important uh for someone that doesn't have a lot of means to be evicted, uh could be detrimental, or excuse me, to be uh afraid to go to work, not be able to pay rent.

We need some protections for those people that are afraid to go to work or can't go to work, afraid to go to school.

Um I trailed off a lot because I think we covered a lot of the actionable items.

Um I would just like to say that this is a time for the time for civil discourse is passed.

There's a lot of anger, it's time for action, it's time to stop mass deportations, it's time to keep ice out of Peoria, Central Illinois, and solidarity, everybody.

Thank you.

That concludes our public comment.

Uh, Madam Clerk.

We have an executive session.

I would like to invite a motion to adjourn and to convene in closed session immediately following adjournment of the city council meeting pursuant to the open meetings act 5L 5ILCS 122 C1 to discuss the appointment employment compensation, our performance of specific employees pursuant to the open meetings act 5ILCS 122 C2 to discuss collective negotiating matters between the city and its employees or the representatives pursuant to the open meetings act 5ILCS 122 C 11 to discuss pending litigation or probably well or imminent litigation and pursuant to the open meetings act 5 ILCS 122 C 21 for approval by the body of closed session minutes moved by councilman Council Member Carmona seconded by Council Member Gordon Young.

Move by Council Member Council Member Carmona, seconded by Councilmember Gordon Young.

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