Quincy City Council Meeting on March 23, 2026: Budget, Presentations, and Ordinances
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Quincy City Council Meeting – March 23, 2026
The Quincy City Council met on Monday, March 23, 2026, at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers. The agenda included presentations from Quincy Together and on historic preservation tax credits, a presentation on the FYE 2027 General Fund Expenditure Budget, consideration of consent agenda items, regular agenda items including a traffic signal contract and several ordinances, and announcements.
Presentations
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Quincy Together – Ryan Sparks and Martin McCarthy presented an update on a community-driven initiative involving approximately 15 residents working to gather input on school-related priorities. The presentation outlined a public engagement process designed to identify challenges and priorities, with the goal of making a recommendation to the board. They encouraged community members to participate in an upcoming meeting.
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Historic Preservation Tax Credits – A representative (not identified on the agenda) presented on state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits available in Quincy's redevelopment zone. The speaker noted that the state offers a 25% tax credit and the federal government a 20% credit, and that Quincy's redevelopment zone contains three historic districts covering about 90% of the area. The presentation explained how tax credit syndication works, noting that federal credits trade at approximately 95 cents on the dollar and state credits at about 85 cents, and that tax abatements apply only to new value, not existing taxes.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the application from the Quincy Area Convention and Visitors Bureau for a revocable permit to display banners across 5th & Maine Streets between May 4 and November 23, 2026, with installation assistance from Central Services and no city liability for damage.
- Approved the revocable encroachment request from Jonathon Schemerhorn for a sign at 835 Maine Street, subject to a minimum 10-foot sidewalk clearance, structural soundness, proper lighting, and building permits.
- Granted the referral for a streetlight near 1519 and 1523 Oak Street and directed that Ameren Illinois be notified.
- Approved renewal of the Routematch scheduling software maintenance agreement at a cost of $27,665.62.
- Approved a $12,000 proposal from Apex Land Survey for topographic surveying on North 12th Street between Chestnut and Locust Streets.
- Approved a $22,500 proposal from Countryside Lawn and Landscape for lawn maintenance on city properties and rights-of-way.
Public Comments
No members of the public signed up to speak.
Discussion Items
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General Fund Expenditure Budget FYE 2027 – City staff presented a balanced General Fund budget totaling $60.7 million. The budget reflects a 7% increase over the prior year (about $4 million), with approximately $2.8 million in available funds designated for one-time expenses rather than ongoing costs. It adds 2.5 full-time equivalent positions, increases vehicle replacement funding by 24%, and includes pass-through revenues of $2.2 million to the library and $12,000 to the SSA. A public hearing will be scheduled.
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Traffic Signal Vehicle Detection Systems – The council considered a bid from Brown Electric of Quincy for replacement of traffic signal vehicle detection systems in the amount of $312,898.79. Staff explained the system detects vehicles using sensors and cables. The bid was approved.
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Ordinance Amending Taxicab and Limousine Regulations – This second-reading ordinance (referred to as Ordinance 3231) was discussed. The council considered an amendment related to the complaint investigation process. A motion to amend was made, and the ordinance was adopted by voice vote.
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Ordinance Vacating Undeveloped Alley – The agenda included a second presentation on vacating a 2,900-square-foot portion of an east/west alley bounded by North 3rd, North 4th, Cherry, and Cedar Streets. The transcript does not capture discussion or action on this item.
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Ordinance Amending Amusements Regulations – The first presentation was held for an ordinance amending Title XI, Chapter 112 (amusements) regarding live entertainment/public gatherings. No action was taken.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the consent agenda.
- Approved the $312,898.79 bid from Brown Electric for traffic signal detection.
- Adopted the taxicab/limousine ordinance (3231) by voice vote after an amendment.
- The alley vacation ordinance was presented as a second reading; further action, if any, was not captured in the transcript.
- The first-reading amusements ordinance will return for a second presentation.
- Scheduled a public hearing for the FYE 2027 budget.
Meeting Transcript
No, that's fine. That's the ball with a couple of person. I think personal posting tonight is back and not in the country. And see that how many people tomorrow. And the closed roll. Okay. I'm not in the first place. This is my spot. We have another one. So he wasn't able to join us today. So we are just in the middle of the community. We've got a group of about 15 people who are working together on the specifical initiative. The walking community and beauty is that success is happening after you've been going to happen to be level from the time for that. So two or three times we'll actually do in the final bit about that. Would you know overview of what's going to happen with the process? So yeah, all the rest of the value thing will bring people from the community better. Is that a heavy representation from people supposed to do with the schools? So where we want to go and how are we going to do that? So we want to flourish to me. We have numbers of the TPS central staff. We've present two things to talk about two terms, the level view of where we are. And we'll need a first time five tests to identify what the challenges are and what the priorities are as we need to go. So each person has been presentation from the people of staff. So what is the goal for people who are trading over? Not only their perspective on these are but what other people want to tell I think collaborate on solutions, explore possibilities and then prioritize to ultimately make a recommendation back to the board. Here's what the community has to do for school. And I can use my wife and I just can move back to four years ago for the world. And tomorrow will be our code. A lot of those open and just on some cloud and uh school function, and maybe it's more than what's in the look at the treatment. So on a back and three people I think that we do not know what to do in superintendent and the company that we can say how we have a postcard. And that we was good because this other thing is state number and but it's total lower than how it can large use that can be able to encourage them graphics to what it will look like after 20 years. And particularly comparison to other districts and they take to what we like to go up and you have a live output are you aware that these are crazy funding for output and school that has to be um and then the two if you have a useful building after old and the library is the new school that will be the last and there's a real state agent with all microphone something new after five years. At least you can we've got number two we talked about at the end and out of what it takes to run school and transportation to this path to maintenance working on the structure. What we bought from the public items that we did focus on the final teaching so now the class maybe a Planet is the key business operation data is going to show what it takes like how the money comes in and what they have now in 2019 there was um don't get that and the teachers do happen and that evaluated they've been there to do it as well it can tell you this thing because we are still from style from the public and we don't have to have the news we do not do it and we might be taking as a byline and now something that is only table if we have to take a binary is going to stop the question together and that's a long time. And my phone is the IMP system in one school that I haven't kept the anything online go up and out of the other and you know we can keep that instead of I could at least throw the world within the world about these woods we have between a hundred and hundred and fifty page throughout each night we provide five to provide two but this is very much a two not just two those that have a student button just one part of the nine one is talking by speech to me and the speed back and what we look on the phase pattern but more after that openly what we're going to do is take two back and you can provide open business to the board that they can show them to actually and it's both in that and if you have token media you can find it for Pink Telly dot org or also on Facebook with Instagram and we have files and you can but we still do a run down and the market and the high school tab and the two the person public. Almost 50% uh how you just got and people stay much to that and it's in the after meaning the things you part of that. Um this type of time part of the people. That's because it's people and then because it's not a long time, it's not really school. We live in the community and have all that to the thing by still um asked the question. Um community's with time. I think 50 50 speaks to stay, is that all yeah. Okay, well it is every community about the same. Okay, so we're not laying up, we're not laid down and kind of destroyed everybody else to know uh um okay. Um statistically all the time to speak to the operation and uh but we have a lawyer of all the life to five uh just uh you you can see in the numbers tomorrow, but I know okay. Um the the school teacher case building out of 25 years ago um uh the way you start in the end of the right time, new building. My uh thing um really like uh because the clock is still basically uh important uh standard. So um these are um to cut the um profit for people in the people. I think the value is having public uh school is the thing to work in the state and stuff and uh people like uh the difficulty starting uh um just time because we need to run time and I think after uh That's the time because specifically in one time and I think after I do find the big one and nothing like that in the same night. I don't know the line that's going back to go to London.
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