Quincy City Council Meeting - April 6, 2026
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Quincy City Council Meeting - April 6, 2026
The Quincy City Council met on Monday, April 6, 2026, at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting included a public hearing on the tentative annual budget for FY2026-27, a special recognition ceremony, presentations on capital projects, extensive public comments concerning the public library budget, and votes on several land-use permits and city resolutions. The most contentious item was a proposal to eliminate a $180,000 city subsidy for the Quincy Public Library, which ultimately failed on an 6-8 vote.
Public Hearing
Mayor opened the public hearing for written and oral comments on the City's tentative annual budget from May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027. No one from the public spoke during the hearing.
Presentations - Special Recognition
Fire Department personnel were recognized for commendable actions in responding to a residential fire. A certificate of appreciation was presented.
Capital Projects Presentation
City Engineer Steve Bange presented an overview of planned capital projects for the upcoming fiscal year, including:
- Over $25 million in proposed infrastructure improvements across multiple wards.
- Major projects: North 1st Street and Chestnut/Maple ($3.2 million), Hunter Street ($3.9 million), and a Maine Street reconstruction project ($1.7 million).
- Funding sources include motor fuel tax, MFT funds, and neighborhood enhancement funds.
- Projects are prioritized based on pavement condition, underground infrastructure needs, and alderman input.
Public Comments & Testimony
Multiple residents spoke in strong support of maintaining city funding for the Quincy Public Library. Speakers highlighted the library's role as a community hub for education, technology access, remote work, and family programs. They urged the Council not to cut the $180,000 subsidy, arguing the library provides essential services to all demographics. Several speakers noted the library serves as an economic engine and a key quality-of-life asset. One speaker mentioned the library's importance for local history and genealogy research.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of minutes from March 30, 2026.
- Monthly reports accepted.
- Approval of a Special Use Permit for a three-megawatt community solar project at 3909 Wisman Lane (tabled to next meeting).
- Acceptance of withdrawal of Special Use Permit for 4314 Harrison Street.
- Acceptance of withdrawal of Special Permit for Planned Development at 1130 South 6th Street.
- Mayor's appointments: Gary Meacher to Quincy Public Library Board (until 7/1/27); reappointment of Ald. Dave Bauer to Quincy/Adams County Joint ETSB (5/1/2026 to 4/30/2029).
- Resolutions:
- 12a: Reciprocal Agreement with Illinois Department of Revenue.
- 12b: Participation in National Opioid Settlements.
- 12c: Bid approval to Area Distributors for janitorial supplies ($25,915.02).
- 12d: Invoice approval to LCL Farms for lime sludge removal ($110,925.56).
- 12e: Low bids for water treatment chemicals. All consent items passed unanimously.
Reports of Plan Commission - Regular Agenda
- 13a (Small engine repair shop at 6201 Hickory Grove North): Approved with conditions: non-transferable permit, all work inside garage, hours Monday-Friday 8am-5pm, no outdoor storage, repeated complaints may trigger review. Zoned RU1.
- 13b (Commercial parking lot expansion at 3623 State Street): Approved for expansion of commercial parking on R1C-zoned property. Ward 4.
Library Funding Discussion & Vote
A major discussion centered on a motion to eliminate the $180,000 city subsidy from the library's budget line item. Arguments in favor:
- The library receives the state-mandated 0.15 property tax levy; the subsidy is extra.
- Reducing the subsidy would free funds for police, fire, and pension obligations (pension increases of ~$500,000 annually).
- The library could become its own taxing district, giving taxpayers clear visibility of library costs.
- The library has reserves that could absorb the cut.
Arguments against:
- The library provides critical community services and economic development value.
- The subsidy is only a small fraction of the city's $60 million budget.
- Cutting the subsidy sends a negative message about the city's commitment to education and quality of life.
- The library board and staff have already made cuts and are working toward fiscal responsibility; more time is needed.
- The current funding model (subsidy + levy) allows city oversight; a separate taxing district could lead to higher property taxes.
Vote on motion to eliminate $180,000 library subsidy: 6 in favor, 8 against. Motion failed. The subsidy line item remains in the budget.
Ordinances
- 14a (Second Reading): Amending off-street parking requirements (allow parking at 1304 South 17th St). Passed.
- 14b (Second Reading): Amending water and sewer rates and charges. Passed.
- 14c (Second Reading): Amending bicycle regulations to regulate low-speed electric scooters, bicycles, and gas bicycles on public sidewalks. Passed.
- 14d (First Reading): Introducing the Annual Operating Budget for FY ending April 30, 2027. No action taken; will return for second reading.
Mayor's Comments & New Business
- Mayor announced a town hall meeting for Wards 1 and 2 on April 13, 2026, with city department heads present.
- Mayor encouraged continued budget discussions throughout the year.
- Discussion on the library board potentially voting to become a separate taxing district; such a vote would come to the City Council for approval within 50 days.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at an unspecified time.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, uh in that perspective I haven't got started. Before we begin, I would like to ask how it case how and forward have a special presentation in the point. Um there was doing some information about it now. Um stuck up in the classroom to control a glass file um monster. So now took questions. I thought maybe we'll do one question for the valve in fact to be kind of uh I'm gonna read this below to look and let it present the so um the subject of recognition of our strength and answer. Uh this letter finally recognizes your commendable actions upon the starting of the file behind the residence and how does that reason. Well, tell them to perform loud work and uh smoke and find if you have another home. Well, I think a dungeon, you can't do it when you take a little file. Uh, we're just like designed the pattern of a new buy house for the internet. You can do that with the first. On the half of another learning more, my craft and the church is pretty pleased. 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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