Quincy City Council Meeting - April 6, 2026: Budget Hearing, Library Subsidy Vote, and Capital Projects
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Quincy City Council Meeting - April 6, 2026
Public Hearing on Tentative Budget
The council held a public hearing to receive comments on the City's tentative annual budget for the fiscal year ending April 30, 2027. Public testimony centered on the proposed $180,000 reduction in the city's subsidy to the Quincy Public Library.
Presentations
City Engineer Steve Bange presented the capital projects plan for the upcoming fiscal year, highlighting over $25 million in planned infrastructure work. Key projects include:
- North 14th Street reconstruction (secondary focus): $700,000
- York Street from 18th to 22nd: $1.45 million
- 10th Street from State to 824th to 27th: $1.4 million
- Kentucky Street from 16th to 18th: $1.4 million
- East V Subdivision (Twitchell Avenue, Railroad, M Ring, Storm Drive): $250,000
- No Street from South 14th to SAR 16: $1.2 million
- Allen's Street from South 5th to South: $1.7 million
- North First Street and cost central maple: $3.2 million
- Hunter Street Project (North Eight to North Bank): $3.9 million (90% design complete)
- Main Quick Project (street screw, relocated entrances): $1.7 million
- Participation in Broadway project: $300,000 (Cost of the eighth) and $275,000 (38 to 64)
- Traffic signal upgrade: $220,000
- Peak Street grid rehab: $1.5 million
- Neighborhood enhancement fund: community project
- Infrastructure maintenance: $500,000 Funding sources include motor fuel tax ($1.8 million/year), 35 funds, and other grants. Total estimated project cost is approximately $25 million, with about $4.1 million from bond money.
Consent Calendar
The council approved the following routine items unanimously:
- Approval of minutes from March 30, 2026
- Monthly reports
- Mayor's appointments: Gary Meacher to the Quincy Public Library Board (replacing Dean LaVelle, term effective until July 1, 2027) and reappointment of Ald. Dave Bauer to the Quincy/Adams County Joint ETSB (May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2029)
- Resolution 12a: Reciprocal agreement on exchange of information with the Illinois Department of Revenue
- Resolution 12b: Participation in the National Opioid Settlements
- Resolution 12c: Bid award to Area Distributors for janitorial supplies (one-year agreement, $25,915.02 with 30% discount)
- Resolution 12d: Approval of $110,925.56 invoice to LCL Farms, Inc. for removal, hauling, and land application of treated lime sludge
- Resolution 12e: Low bids for water treatment chemicals from various companies
- Plan Commission recommendations:
- 10a: Special Use Permit for a three-megawatt community solar project at 3909 Wisman Lane (zoned M3, outside city limits near Ward 3) – TABLED for one week
- 10b: Withdrawal of Special Use Permit for 4314 Harrison Street (zoned RU1) – accepted
- 10c: Withdrawal of Special Permit for Planned Development for 1130 South 6th Street (zoned R2) – accepted
- 13a: Special Permit for Planned Development for small engine repair shop at 6201 Hickory Grove North (zoned RU1) – APPROVED with conditions (non-transferrable, all work inside garage, hours Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, no outdoor storage, complaints may trigger review)
- 13b: Special Use Permit for expansion of commercial parking lot at 3623 State Street (zoned R1C, Ward 4) – APPROVED
Ordinances (Second/First Readings)
- Second reading: Ordinance amending off-street parking requirements for 1304 South 17th St (Ward 6)
- Second reading: Ordinance amending water and sewer rates and charges (Chapters 51 & 52)
- Second reading: Ordinance regulating low-speed electric scooters, low-speed electric bicycles, and low-speed gas bicycles on public sidewalks (Chapter 76)
- First reading: Ordinance adopting the Annual Operating Budget for FY ending April 30, 2027
Public Comments & Testimony
Several residents spoke in support of maintaining the city's subsidy to the Quincy Public Library. Key points:
- The library serves as a vital resource for learning, technology access, and community programs.
- Cutting the subsidy would harm educational opportunities and send a negative message about the city's values.
- The library has already made budget reductions and is working toward fiscal responsibility.
- Many speakers urged the council to continue the subsidy and explore collaborative solutions. One speaker also expressed concerns about a planned development near a residential neighborhood, citing noise and traffic.
Discussion Items: Library Funding Debate
The council discussed a proposal to remove the $180,000 general fund subsidy to the Quincy Public Library from the FY2026-2027 budget. Arguments for removal:
- The city must prioritize core services (police, fire, pensions) and keep property taxes low.
- The library is not a city department; it has its own board and can become a tax district.
- The city already provides the library with the required 0.15 property tax levy; additional subsidies are voluntary.
- $180,000 could be redirected to other city needs.
Arguments against removal:
- The library is an economic driver and important for community development.
- The council should work with the library board to achieve savings rather than cutting outright.
- The library has already made cuts and needs more time to become self-sufficient.
- Removing the subsidy could lead to reduced hours or services.
Aldermen noted that the library board has the option to become a separate tax district, which would ultimately be decided by voters. Some expressed interest in giving the library a
Meeting Transcript
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And willingness to help me. On the half of my battle anymore, my clock and the students think we expect that you see right to the old and willingness to help you put it in here as well. Okay. Well, I would like to um before two months which is quite funny. Uh two people okay. Uh well to I think most of the happened last year we can start because we're doing the first thing that I was to use that. We have any things, open up the stuff to win everything. I think that's a good one because I've been studying uh keeping my two. Um before contact uh presentation in the public thing. Uh I'd like to go out and do the pair of fashion testing and uh that would be now bad about and um after I'm in bio we can need a small pack. Um thank you also having done um just to uh couple of it would be just the other explaining to the bank and then cloud motion high school just this morning and and I to eat and I think it was 50 and 50 minutes at the stable, I think they've done the keyboard in the week to have to pin back the file with the time. And then I'm not a bit of the door to the back. So very things happening as to the case from basic and then it's easy to be both in the pound of new hoop and the time for the light that we have to see and service for our community, we have to do the weak the company to think of the teeth in the night as it may be listening appending with open by the work together for the good of all people and fasting and building 50 to people you have to think with me the public forms to public phone for the purpose of the students uh concerning the studio spinning on the bottom from the first time. And I will now ask if anyone would like to speak to the battle here. Uh if you stand up for the public phone, we'll do that in just a few minutes. But if anyone would like to speak on the battery now, and one five. We remember I'm in to a presentation of our top up part of that. Mr. Bell. Uh mission and Steve Bang engine and for the city. Uh and then go over kind of a paper project that we have planned for the upcoming fiscal year. Um after um, this kind of going over what we currently have after and after board right now. Uh we've still got the twenty five, twenty six percent five, which is like five drive, four drive, uh includes some little coding and five hundred here is three wood and hunting nine. Uh we have the document street, uh streal reconstruction includes uh street reconstruction from 57. That's 1.9 million, uh closed tree from 24th to 28. Uh we still have about 1.2 million dollars worth of work on that five. Um we have cherry uh from north uh north eight feet, which is located by uh the bill is about 32. Um that is with the certain both to that and we did around 600, 70,000 or 50 three and nine three weeks, and then also have minor street from 1950, and it's still about 390,000 dollars and uh the other uh we certainly uh probably was about five million we're over five million dollars for that. And uh future projects uh for the second and yeah, we can do this list, uh mostly a big part of it is by talking to the album. Uh big node first by knowing what they can do and things like that. We also looked at the payment condition in ADP, but now you can see a pair right now, that is kind of a evaluation from the world AI and the global display. Uh we use using that information alone. We will be using that information a lot more than we have syntax meeting for SPUs. Um, but we also need to be looking considering the underground infrastructure, water names, C lines, things like the AGAs, and we also take into consideration what the ones we have and how we can spend our funds as we take time. So from uh five years, we have more 14th streets and secondary locus. Um that's basically new pavement, frozen values with two blocks that are right now or in pavement that would be upgrading, uh, we'll be expanding the water names and make it a locus and to uh kind of close out a building to remove the building, and then this new class for that is probably about seven hundred thousand. Then we have one street and electric and twenty second, um that one's new as that pavement, uh we placed the water main, it's gonna be eight two, nineteen twenty-three, uh we call about 20 to 30 weird services, and that's two blocks, and estimated cost and I spot one million, four and fifty thousand. Uh the third world is ten over a block to the north, taken to City Street and 824th to 27.
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