Plainfield Village Board Business Meeting - May 4, 2026
Plainfield Village Board Business Meeting - May 4, 2026
The Plainfield Village Board of Trustees and Mayor met on May 4, 2026, for the regular business meeting. The board approved routine consent items and payments, reappointed a police pension board member, opened and continued an annexation public hearing, adopted a temporary hotel/motel tax holiday, approved the 2026 Commercial Street Criterium, tabled a proposed kratom ordinance, and authorized multiple police and public works purchases. No agenda or minutes were provided; this summary is based solely on the raw transcript.
Consent Calendar
- The board approved the consent agenda, including the April 20 board meeting minutes; bills paid and bills payable reports for May 4; a $187 payment to Tracy Johnson and Wilson; Ordinance 3795 decreasing Class E liquor licenses to 14 after the closing of York Mart Inc.; $2,125 in legal fees to Dunn Martin and Miller for the 143rd Street East Extension for December 2025 and January/February 2026; and enterprise and Select Plus agreements with Dell Technologies for Microsoft products totaling $304,241.70 over three years.
- The board also approved a separate payment of $2,725.58 to Echo Williams and Provenzale.
Proclamations & Appointments
- Mayor John F. Argodellas proclaimed May 2026 as National Bike Month and National Preservation Month. He noted Bike to Work Week (May 11-17) and Bike to Work Day (May 15), and encouraged safe sharing of the road with cyclists.
- The mayor announced that a centralized community calendar is being developed and could be presented by the end of June.
- The board reappointed Steve Cousins to the Police Pension Board for a term expiring April 30, 2028, on a unanimous vote.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Craig Katz, government relations and compliance manager for MNG Brands/CBD Kratom, said he supported 99% of the proposed kratom ordinance but opposed banning natural leaf kratom along with concentrated synthetic 7OH. He argued that natural leaf kratom is not an opioid, is widely used by middle-aged and older adults and veterans, and should remain legal while 7OH products are banned.
- Alison Smith, director of government affairs for the Global Kratom Coalition, requested that the board amend the proposed ordinance to regulate natural kratom rather than prohibit it. She said her group supports regulation, pointed to state and federal efforts targeting synthetic 7OH, and offered a Kratom Consumer Protection Act municipal manual for the record.
- No other public comment was offered.
Discussion Items
- Heritage Corridor Destinations donation ($18,000): Village Administrator Blake Moore said the request was not included in the FY27 budget. Bob Navarro of Heritage Corridor Destinations described regional marketing exposure through Enjoy Illinois, Visit Will.com, Route 66, and Lincoln Highway connections. Several trustees questioned the return on investment, the unbudgeted timing, and whether the village should first see results from the Plainfield Historical Society museum project. The motion to approve the $18,000 annual donation failed on a 0-6 vote.
- Annexation public hearing: The board opened a public hearing for the proposed development at the northwest corner of Lockport Street and Steiner Road and continued it to the June 1, 2026, village board meeting at 7 p.m.
- Temporary hotel/motel tax holiday: The board approved Ordinance 3796, creating a temporary hotel and motel accommodations tax holiday for fiscal year 2027. Staff said the holiday addresses short-term rental enforcement gaps while the Unified Development Ordinance is updated; the village had budgeted $5,000 in revenue from this tax.
- 2026 Commercial Street Criterium: The board approved the cycling race and road closures for Saturday, August 29, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., with races from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The reimbursement to the village was reduced from the standard 50% amount to $4,000. Organizer Sean Metz said the event benefits a 501(c)(3) charity. The board clarified that any proposed running element or alcohol-related addition would require separate approval.
- Vintage clothing sale: The board approved a sidewalk sale by Crossroads Vintage LLC in front of Crema Coffee House on Sunday, May 17, 2026, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., with a rain date of May 24, 2026, while maintaining five feet of sidewalk clearance.
- Kratom ordinance tabled: After public comments, the board agreed to table the proposed ordinance regulating the sale of kratom. Police staff said they would use the time to review the distinction between natural leaf and synthetic 7OH products and speak with the commenters. The tabling motion carried unanimously.
- Police equipment purchases: The board authorized purchase of four night vision kits from TNVC for $37,743, funded from seizure funds, for officers assigned to mutual aid SWAT teams. It also approved a 66-unit F-18 barrier trailer kit from Sunbelt Rentals Perimeter Security for $110,576, funded from asset forfeiture funds, to secure downtown event closures such as Lockport Street at Route 59 and James Street.
- Public works items: The board approved an $8,740 amendment to a Baxter and Woodman work order for the gateway sign, increasing the amended contract to $58,640, with a $200,000 DCO grant expected to cover much of the project; a construction contract is anticipated in June. The board also approved purchase of a 2026 Ford Explorer from Ron Terripelli Ford for $38,460 plus $6,540 in outfitting, for a total not to exceed $45,000, based on the lowest of three quotes.
- Administrator's report: Blake Moore reported on current village hiring, continued monitoring of state BUILD legislation, and a proposal to fold the new attorney's invoices into the regular bills payable report. No board member objected to that proposal.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the consent agenda and the separate Echo Williams and Provenzale payment.
- Reappointed Steve Cousins to the Police Pension Board.
- Rejected the $18,000 Heritage Corridor Destinations annual donation.
- Opened and continued the Lockport/Steiner Road annexation public hearing to June 1, 2026.
- Adopted Ordinance 3796 (temporary hotel/motel tax holiday).
- Approved the 2026 Commercial Street Criterium with a $4,000 village reimbursement.
- Approved the Crossroads Vintage sidewalk sale.
- Tabled the proposed kratom ordinance.
- Authorized night vision equipment and the vehicle barrier trailer kit.
- Authorized the Baxter and Woodman amendment and the Ford Explorer purchase.
- Next regular village board meeting: May 18, 2026, at 7 p.m.; Committee of the Whole workshop on May 11; Plan Commission meeting on May 5; Coffee with the Mayor on May 13.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, we'll call the meeting to order. Ms. Gibbus. Trusty Bruin. Here. Trusty Sula. Here. Trust Duchowski. Trusty Benucci. Here. Trusty Keefer. Trusty Paniker. Yes. Mayor Gadellas. Yes, please stand for the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, everyone. Welcome. It is the May 4th business meeting of the Village Board of Trustees and the Mayor. A few things here. We're going to start with some proclamations, but before I do that, I want to welcome our new attorney, Matt Welch of Montana and Welch. So now, next to me at these board meetings, I'm going to have someone significantly taller than me. But uh we welcome him, and we're been putting you right to work right away, Mr. Welch. So welcome to the Village of Plainfield. Some proclamations. We're going to start with uh National Bike Month, something that some people around everywhere are really excited about. But May is in fact National Bike Month. So whereas May is National Bike Month, sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, and celebrated in communities across the country. Whereas May 11th through the 17th is bike to work week, and May 15th is bike to work day. Whereas the bicycle is an economical, healthy, convenient, and environmentally sound form of transportation and an excellent tool for recreation and enjoyment of Plainfield's road and trail system. Whereas creating a bike friendly community has been shown to improve citizens' health, well-being, and quality of life, growing the economy of the village of Plainfield, improving traffic safety and reducing pollution and congestion, whereas Plainfield's road and trail system attracts bicyclists each year, providing economic health, transportation, and scenic benefits. Whereas the village of Plainfield has committed to promoting bicycle transportation and offering more recreational facilities through conducting a number of projects, such as the Plainfield Riverfront Master Plan and other multi-use path and sidewalk improvements across the village, and has officially requested designated bicycle parking spaces and facilities in proposed developments in the village. I will add to that our transportation and mobility plan of 2022 outlines all sorts of extensions and connectivity of existing trails, along with a bike uh committee, uh uh active lifestyle committee, which is a not-for-profit group that is advocating for bicycling in the village of Plainfield. So there are certainly a lot of efforts in this regard. Whereas the village of Plainfield and any volunteer groups in the village are also committed to promoting greater public awareness of bicycle operation and safety education in an effort to reduce collisions, injuries, and fatalities and improve health and safety for everyone on the road. Now, therefore, I, John F. Argadellas, President of the Village of Plainfield, do proclaim May 2026 as National Bike Month and call upon the people of Plainfield to join their fellow citizens across the United States in recognizing and participating in this special observance. I know a plan commission staff gave this to us, but I'll hang on to it here. But I will add there are um with the warming weather, there are gonna be a lot more cyclists out on the roadways. I'm one of them, and I can tell you most drivers are very courteous and careful when going around cyclists, but um uh we need to be very cognizant of the fact that an individual on a bicycle is very exposed, and we are no match for a vehicle. So please be careful out there and um you know just take a little wider berth, slow down, and uh um you never know a bicycle could hit a hit a rock or a hole or something and and change directions, and uh you don't you want to be careful out there. We do have some other biking events coming up. We're gonna talk about one of them tonight. Um but uh Web Chevy, or one of our local car dealerships, sponsors a ride for the troops. That'll be May 31st of this year. If you're interested, there's a 10-mile and a 20-mile ride associated with the Web Chevy ride for the troops. The profits go to um profits if you will, but the proceeds go to um the USO to support our American troops. Um after the ride, uh it's uh they have School of Rock there, Windy City Social Smash Burgers, which if you haven't had one, they're very good.
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