Good evening.

We will call to order the City of Rockford City Council meeting for Monday, March 16th, 2026.

Clerk well, we'll begin this evening with uh invitation from Chaplain Roy Whitmore.

Well the God, we thank you, Lord, on this day.

We thank you.

We welcome you in this council, and we thank you for our mayor and the city council.

God, let your blessing be upon us, Lord.

We thank you for the we thank you for our city.

We thank you, Lord, that you give uh us the wisdom and the understanding that we may prosper and even that we may be a health decision that we that they may help in protecting us, and God, we thank you.

We thank you for all that you are doing, and we ask you to bless New Island States of America in these blessing wax in Jesus' name.

Thank God.

Amen.

Hoffman, Greenith, Beach, Salgado.

Eleven present.

Excellent.

We have a quorum this evening.

Is there a motion to approve the journal proceedings for the city council meeting held on December fifteenth, twenty twenty-five?

We have a motion, we have a second.

Is there any discussion?

All those in favor say aye.

Those opposed?

Let's try that one more time.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Those opposed?

Excellent.

Is there a motion to approve the journal of proceedings for the city council meeting held on January fifth, twenty twenty-six?

We have a motion, we have a second.

Is there any discussion?

Seeing no discussion, all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Those opposed.

Excellent.

Next, is there a motion to approve the journal of proceedings for the special city council meeting held on January twelfth, twenty twenty-six.

Is there any discussion?

All those in favor say aye.

Those opposed?

Excellent.

Next we'll move out.

Is there a motion to approve the journal of proceedings for the special city council meeting held on February ninth, twenty twenty-six?

And we had a second.

Seeing no discussion, all those in favor say aye.

All those in favor say aye.

Those opposed?

Okay.

Excellent.

We have no proclamation this evening.

So we will uh bypass that.

We'll be doing that proclamation, I believe, next week if uh schedules align.

Next, we're gonna move to petitions and communications.

We'll begin with planning and development committee and alderwoman Wilkins.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Item one is a memorandum from Colin Bell, comprehensive planning and design coordinator regarding the approval of the 2040 future land use map referred to planning and development committee.

Thank you.

Next we're gonna move to code and regulation committee and Alderman Bonnie.

Thank you, Mayor.

We have two items.

Both are referred to the Code and Regulation Committee.

Item one, Zoning Board of Appeals agenda for the meeting to be held on March 17, 2026, and minutes from that meeting for consideration at the Code and Regulation Committee meeting on March 23rd, 2026.

And item two, liquor and tobacco advisory board's agenda for the meeting to be held on March 17, 2026, and minutes from that meeting for consideration at the Code and Regulation Committee meeting on March 23rd, 2026.

Thank you.

Next we're going to go to Finance and Personnel Committee and Alderman Frost.

Thank you, Members.

Both of us refer to the Finance and Personnel Committee.

Number one is the memorandum from Timothy Hinkins regarding agreement of the city and Porter Verse Sanitation Authority for 11th Street Improvements.

Your number two is a memorandum from Owen Carter regarding acceptance of a case for community investment built per zero intervention for unsheltered homeless grant award from community solutions.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next we're going to move to our public speakers.

Want to remind our public speakers that there's a microphone on the back right as well as the back left of council chambers.

You'll have three minutes to address the city council.

At the end of that three minutes, if all is well, uh my alarm will go off.

If not, I'll just ask that you close your comments.

Um our first public speaker, and you'll notice that the public speakers in our agenda uh we had a few cancellations, so we were able to move some folks in.

Uh so our first public speaker this evening is Robert Pace.

This evening I want to speak about the uh forthcoming data center that's uh projected to come to Rockford.

I I know is a big concern with a lot of people about the uh increased electric bills and the potential uh uh uh excessive uses of water.

And I think those are very valid concerns.

And I hope that as you all, if you have the opportunity to vote on this, that you uh do your homework on those issues.

Robert, I'm so sorry.

Uh my apologies.

I'm having a hard time making sure that I know if you're actually getting the volume that you deserve to be getting.

Um can you tap that microphone for me?

Okay.

I'm gonna start you over.

Is that a fair fair?

I don't want to short your time.

Sorry, it just was not working, and we couldn't catch on the mic.

So did you start the clock?

I'm gonna start it right now.

Thank you, sir.

I want to speak tonight about the proposed data center coming to Rockford, or at least that's been been uh suggested it is.

Uh I know a big concern for many of the rumors uh many are the rumored increases in our electricity bills and the amount of water needed to run these data centers.

Uh these are valid concerns, and I hope these issues are addressed and agreeable and agreeable uh remedy as part of the deal.

Uh as I've stated in past emails to all of you, uh I believe this data center will ultimately be approved by this city's governing bodies.

At least that's the way it's been presented.

It almost sounded like a done deal.

Um but I hope that all of you respect the concerns of your constituents and cast informed votes.

Uh assuming that we get to that point.

Uh I'm sure you will see industry insiders put on a happy face about these uh data centers and what they will bring to our community in terms of jobs and tax revenues.

I heard 60 million.

I don't understand where that's gonna come from.

That's a huge amount of money.

But uh but anyway, uh I just want you to realize that these data centers are our artificial intelligence replacements.

They're ultimately gonna replace human beings.

And uh and especially those in the workforce.

Um as they merge with our digital IDs and the new total digital monetary system, they will have complete power over our lives.

Uh these data centers are all about controlling us and monitoring of the masses.

This is why I've referred you to a recent interview with Catherine Austin Fitz in an email that I sent to you guys.

Uh and uh I'm also uh want to refer you to a man named Tristan Harris.

He is a uh artificial intelligence expert.

He is located in San Francisco.

And uh he can also be seen in a recent uh podcast by uh in a podcast named Diary of a CEO.

His name again is Tristan Harris.

Just wrap this up.

I please I just uh hope that when you do cast it a vote, it's an informed vote, and that you do your homework on this issue.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And my apologies about uh that's speaker volume.

We want to make sure that you were heard, uh, especially for those at home.

Our next public speaker this evening is Amy O'Reilly.

Hi, I'm Amy.

I'm a Rockford resident.

I'm also here to speak about the uh data centers that have been proposed.

So first I want to talk about the supposed benefits of the data centers.

Now, everybody says it's the tax and the jobs.

First of all, we know that the jobs are temporary, they usually are just construction jobs, and then it's only a handful of jobs, usually very skilled positions, often from out of town, that remained once the building is built.

And any tax revenue that we get from it is going to be offset by all of the detriments.

Um of those are first of all, we know the increased utility costs in many towns, they have uh had their utilities go up by two or three times.

There's going to be an increase in health care costs because we know that these facilities do a lot of pollution.

So we're going to have an increase in asthma and respiratory diseases, which will be especially bad for seniors, um, children, babies, our most vulnerable uh residents.

Um another thing is that you're going to see a rise in mental health care costs, and that's because they also emit a hum.

And this has been there's lots of studies going on.

Well, there's some that have been completed, and more studies going on that talk about the hum that actually causes anxiety and a feeling of being unwell.

Um, and we also know that mental health care problems can lead to higher crime and all of the uh all of the costs that that entails.

So I don't see how the costs, how any benefit we're gonna get any benefit from this with all the extra costs.

There's also costs that will be needed to clean up environmental damage because all of these AI centers do environmental damage and they're not the ones paying the cost to clean it up.

Um another thing is they talked about uh the former person talked about water usage.

There have been towns and cities who have had entire aquifers drained by these things and then had to go and find um additional or different sources, more expensive sources for their water.

There's also the planned obsolescence of these things.

So this is an AI center, not one of the you know, like the cloud data centers.

And we know that this is a big gamble because a lot of these AI data centers, there's there's a lot of backlash against them.

They may become outlawed, they may uh and we are seeing signs that there might be a bubble burst because they are not delivering on all the things that they've promised.

Um even if AI does end up delivering on its promises, according to the Brookings Institute, um, advances in chips and power will probably render most data centers obsolete in about 10 to 15 years.

That means we will be paying the price for this with our money, health, mental well-being, and environmental damage.

Sorry, thank you for many years.

Thank you so much.

Our next public speaker this evening is Denzel Winter.

Good afternoon, City Council people.

I'd like to say this is uh women's month.

And I have uh a group of women from the six A Triple Eights.

They were a central postage division.

Um the only black uh all black women's uh Army Corps uh unit to be deployed overseas during the war, serving in Birmingham, England, Raul, and Paris, France.

Here are some key remarkable services.

Their mission facing a massive backlog of millions of letters and postages intended for the American soldiers in Europe, some of which have been sitting for years.

The six triple eight tasks was sorting and delivering the mail.

The model and success was no mail, low morale.

And the leadership was under Major Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams.

And they were given six months to clear all that backlog in Birmingham, and they did it in three, working 24 hours, uh 24 hours a day, seven days a week in three shifts, processing an average of 65,000 pieces of mail per shift.

They also had to overcome a lot of racism and pa uh and and sexism, not only from the segregated US military structure, but from fellow Americans overseas.

They dealt with cold, rat-in-fested, dimly lit warehouses and often handled mail for soldiers who had already been died who had already died.

Despite this, they showed uh resilience and efficiency.

And then when they turned from returned from back over there, they received no kind of recognition.

However, decades later, just like everything else would uh that deals with what uh people, including the installation of a monument at uh Fort Levinsworth.

They were they were awarded the Congressional Golden Medal in two thousand uh two thousand uh twenty two.

I just wanted to uh just want to say that you know we have a lot uh to thank the women of America for.

And they did a great job, but they they uh went over there, they didn't have to do that, but they did that.

You know, so we uh we owe them, and we need to say thank you uh to them for their service.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next public speaker this evening is Celeste Rubble.

Hi, uh my name is Cece Rube.

I have lived in Rockford uh pretty much all 26 years I've been alive, and I love my home.

I love my vibrant community.

I know many of the people in this room personally through my family and through having lived here forever.

So I'm also here to talk about the data center.

Rockford is a part of my soul.

Uh I am a member of the art community here.

I'm a worker for the library, I've worked for the Y.

This place is so deeply special to me.

And uh a data center will create minimal temporary jobs, and in exchange, that means saying goodbye to our clean air.

Uh it releases greenhouse gases that affect the air we breathe.

With these gases come rising temperatures.

You think these super hot and humid weeks in the summer are bad?

Get used to it.

In one day, one data center uses 120% more electricity than the entirety of Rockford's homes.

I need you guys to ask yourself who's paying for that, because I don't want to be paying for that.

Thank you.

Uh, one data center consumes up to five million gallons of water per day.

That's a small one, by the way.

Uh that's more water than all of McChesney and Love Parks consumes in one day uh per the environmental and energy institute.

Um again, ask yourself who's gonna be paying for that.

Uh, Mayor McDamara, I know that the art community is special to you.

I'm sure you would love to know that more than 36% of artists lost employment in their fields per 2024 study by the Society of Authors.org.

Illustrators, 3D artists, photographers, writers, musicians, all out of jobs due to growing AI usage.

We would be enabling that.

I don't want to do that.

I don't want to pay for that.

Uh an insurmountable amount of child pornography using likeness of real children has been made with AI per reports from the FA FBI, CBS, NBC, and the Internet Watch Foundation from the UK.

Reports of thousands of images per individual, per user.

That's disgusting.

As someone who works in childcare, again, I'm deeply horrified by that.

Um I hope you enjoy the sounds of counsel and loud humming, which has been addressed by one of our friends over here.

Uh data centers are reported to create sound heard from over a two-mile radius away.

Uh so if you thought that airport was loud, get used to it, buddy.

Data centers are temporary in nature.

Uh they are projected to employ employ employ, I'm so sorry, on average, below 200 employees that don't last.

And on top of that, these buildings are built uh for specific purposes that uh can't really be repurposed.

So after 15 years of being used, this entire plot of land is just gonna be useless.

This entire building is gonna be useless.

Um there are a lot more issues raised by data centers I can bring up, but in interest of time, I'm gonna leave you with this.

Nobody wants this, not our local job market, not our up-and-coming economy, not our ever growing arts community, and not our wallets.

If this goes through, I will make it my personal mission to campaign against everyone that's open for it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next uh public speaker this evening is John Tech Brantley.

Good evening, Mayor.

This is first in the past two years I've been able to speak before election day.

Uh I'm gonna uh first of all, because of uh uh I'm gonna talk about Woody Lynch.

Woody Lynch have a foolproof method for controlling your your black slaves.

Don't forget you must pitch the old black males versus the young black males, the young black males against the old black males.

You must use the dark skin slave versus the life scan slave, the life scans trade versus the dark scan slave.

You must use the female versus the nail, the male versus the female.

You must also have white servants overseeing, distrusted all blacks, but it's necessary that your slave trust and depend on us.

They must love, respect, and trust only us.

Gentlemen, these kids are your key to control.

Use them, have your wife and children use them, never miss an opportunity.

Usually intentionally for one year, the slave themselves will remain petrified, distrustful, and thank you, gentlemen.

This will last for over 300 years.

It's been over 400 years now.

I um took a uh I got a master degree in cross-culture and race relations.

We had a classroom of 120 people in that classroom, over 60 different countries at the uh Lewis uh uh Louis University.

I want to mention that one thing that we talk about, you don't have to like what I say.

I don't have to like what you say, but we should always respect the freedom to speak our minds and not get upset about working out our difference.

Our politicians are here to represent the people.

Those here that's watching this, uh, I'm begging you, a lot of our blacks do not vote because they feel like our votes don't our votes don't uh votes don't count.

And what it is.

I brought up the fact that we want to work with our youth who's getting suspended out of school, getting kicked out of school.

We have a solution, we have an answer to that uh to that solution, and we here to uh to address that that problem.

We go on to the teacher uh to the school board, we also go to the Winnebago County Board.

I am the CEO of renewal turning point program.

I'm one of the few programs who out here on the front line, they're still out here on the front line.

We was the only African American in the uh St.

Patrick's Day parade.

A little bit history about St.

Pat.

St.

Pet came from Moroccan.

St.

Pet was the uh did indentative serving to uh for the English in England.

He was captured by the Irish, taken to Ireland with a couple of the brothers and sisters of the uh the landowner.

He escaped from Ireland, came back to England, he became a Catholic.

Lo and behold, to show you how much work the Lord trusted in him.

How will you go back to a country you was uh uh once you ran from as a slave and turn most of that country into Catholics?

He was able to do that.

Other thing I want to bring up is the fact, Mr.

Brantley.

We plan on going to the uh Illinois uh Mount Morris.

Thank you with a uh thank you.

Thank you uh to all of our public speakers this evening.

Next, we're gonna move to new committee reports.

We have nothing under planning planning and development, and we have nothing under code and regulation.

So we'll go to finance and personnel committee and Alderman Frost.

Thank you, Aaron.

Number one, the finance uh personnel committee recommends approval of vouchers amount of eight million four hundred and seventy-seven thousand four hundred and seven dollars and sixty-seven cents as approved of the finance personnel committee meeting held in March 9, 2026.

Number two, the committee recommends approval of an eighth amendment to the agreement with associated bank to extend the line of credit term for an additional year.

Number three, the committee recommends approval of the lien reduction request for 2213 Wentworth Avenue in the amount of 7,933 and 40 cents.

And number four, the committee recommends approval of the hiring request from the water division for two project managers and one water utility technician in the estimated annual amount of 394,100.

The estimated total cost, including vehicles, is 513,100.

The funding source is the water fund operating budget.

Thank you.

Council, we have uh four items before us.

Is there any discussion on those four items?

Holderman Toomberg.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh, this would be directed to Director Haggerty.

Uh, I apologize.

I was meaning to ask this question last week.

Uh, an item number two for the line of credit.

I know we've brought that line of credit uh balance down or available to us down over the last number of years.

It is there is no charge to the city.

Uh if there is if there is no charge to have the line uh the way it is now or a line that would be larger, I guess looking at what the reasoning is to bring it down.

And the reason I asked that is for you know, in case we were to run into an issue within our city where we did legitimately need to tap into that line of credit, um, you know, and if we were looking at getting to that maximum line uh that this new agreement would be, how easy would it be to have that line uh furthered uh if we if needed.

Thank you.

Director Haggard.

Thank you, sir.

Um so certainly um understand that no cost to have the line.

It's uh it's a comfort, you know, certainly a nice security blanket for us to have.

Um we lowered because of the amount of time that had passed since we had last utilized it, and in addition, the city's cash position um obviously much improved from 2008 when we originally um had to go out and secure the line of credit um just to cash flow operation.

So um we haven't and it's been uh probably close to over 15 years since we've used it for any of our own internal cash flow purposes.

Um we felt it was appropriate between the cash position we're in and the history um that to reduce it from the 12 million that we were at to the seven million that we're at today.

Um in the event that we need to access a line of credit or or um access more than what we have currently available.

Um, you know, certainly we were able to secure a 21 million dollar line of credit in 2008.

Um I I don't anticipate that we would have difficulty doing that.

We have a number of banking partners that were interested in the city's banking relationship and providing the line of credit.

I don't anticipate that that being a challenge if we were in that position.

Thank you.

Any other uh discussion?

Clerk, could you please call the roll?

Ogman.

Hi Toomberg, Frost, Tarina, Wilkins, Hoffman, Granit, Beach, Salgato, Bell, Bonnie.

Eleven Eyes.

Excellent.

Next we'll go to officers' reports.

Do any council members have reports?

Alder Woman Greeneth.

Um, good evening.

I have uh two things.

First, just a reminder that I have a board meeting this Thursday at 1 p.m.

at the United Lutheran Church at the corner of Rockdon and Riverside.

And I would also like to take this opportunity to give a shout out to Ben Dalmeyer.

He um this morning I was on my because it was a snow day.

Rub that in the teachers, teachers.

And um, so I was on my way to lunch, and I drove through the intersection of Spring Creek and High Crest, and it was the lights were the it was flashing red.

And I thought there was other lights going on.

They were on, and I thought it was weird.

So I texted um Scott and I said, I'm just assuming that you know that the lights are flashing red.

Well, come to find out.

There had been some water project work there earlier a couple weeks ago.

Um, and no, nobody in the city knew and was aware of the fact that there were flashing lights at the intersection.

And so um Ben was able to work with the public while also dealing with snow and all the other things that are going on in our city right now.

Um, they were able to sit down and work together and come up with an alternate plan so that there's no red lights flashing at a very busy intersection at five o'clock at night.

I'm sure people appreciate that.

And so there's going to be a permanent fix to it over the next couple of days.

So I just want to remind people that if you do see something, say something, because I saw it texted, but you can call the non-emergency phone number and the report assigned out outage like that.

So if you do see something, say something because otherwise that would have sat there for a couple more hours, maybe, and maybe it might not have been able to get the quick fix because water had gotten into the fix that had been there before.

So just wanted to say thank you.

Shout out to public works and shout out to Ben and his team for getting it done today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Alder Woman Torina.

Thank you, Mayor.

A couple of acknowledgments I'd like to make, please.

First, um, I had a award meeting last week.

I typically do my ward meetings at my ward office.

However, um, based off of feedback from residents, they wanted to see me sort of take the show on the road and do ward meetings at different landmarks in our ward.

So we kicked off the year with doing it at Clem.

And I just definitely want to thank Clem for the hospitality that they showed.

They set up the space beautifully for our meeting.

We had a wonderful turnout.

Um, I want to thank uh officer, community service officer Brandon Burke for coming to give the safety stats.

I would like to thank Judge Aaron Hannigan for attending.

I also want to thank Joshua Jeffers of J.

Jeffers and Co., who's the developer for the Barbara Coleman Project who came to face the residents and answer their questions, as well as Lisa Wogan from from J.

Jeffers.

I also want to thank the mayor and city staff for just being in attendance.

That that that's really I really appreciate that because I know how busy all of us are, but to when we when we show up for the residents and we're just there for any questions that they could possibly have, that that that's very meaningful to me.

So I just want to thank everyone for your participation in that.

And while I'm talking about ward meetings, I may as well announce my next one.

It is May 14th at the Rockford Park District headquarters, which is 401 South Main Street, and that will begin at 5 30, and that's on a Thursday this time.

Um another point of feedback was that a lot of people have Bible study on Wednesday nights.

So we're gonna try it Thursday and see how that works.

Another thing was I saw this random event on uh LinkedIn for Rock for Promise.

It was like a mixer they were having for Rock for Promise.

I was like, uh, I can go to this one, why not?

It's it's free.

So they obviously looked at the guest list and saw who was coming.

Very last minute, about an hour before, um, Whitney Martin, who is the uh the spokesperson for the Made for Rockford program, they were scheduled to be there as well.

Well, she got sick, and she said, Gabrielle, will you fill in for me and talk about made for Rockford?

I'm like, uh sure, no problem.

So I go and uh unbeknownst to me, I really didn't know what kind of room I was getting into.

I knew it was a Rod for Promise event, but what it was was there were uh Rockford Promise graduates and current Rockford Promise students, so it was a mixture, but it was mostly graduates, and it was like a keynote.

There was a it was a it was a social, you know, there was food and and drinks, but there was also um a keynote speaker, um Cameron Mohammed, she was there to just talk about how you introduce yourself and giving them communication skills so they can start kind of getting ready for the workforce.

But it was I left very very inspired because this is that was that was our future.

The future was in the room, and I have not been in a space yet with young people that have graduated, and they were brilliant, they were they were poised, they were ready, and they were friendly and they were kind.

And I saw it and I'm like, wow, this is the people that we want to return to Rockford and ultimately give back to our community.

So I wanted to share that with you all because if there are ever any other opportunities for us as decision makers to get into the room with these students, it's really really impactful.

I thought about it for days because again, I was just I was just very inspired to know that these are the people that are going to be that well, they they've chosen to come back, they were here, they've chosen to come back to Rockford, and the conversations that I was having with them, many of them were like going through board training classes, and they were wanting opportunities to engage more in the community to get involved, and all of that is just brings me brings me a lot of happiness because these people again they're they're on fire, they're they're motivated to make a difference in our city.

So fabulous.

So I definitely have to uh certainly give a shout out to Kayleen Growe and her leadership of Rodford Promise, because not only was she, of course, um exceptional, but the staff of Rockford Promise certainly share her vision, and there's a synergy among that team, and the intentionality that they put into that event and the intentionality that they're putting into our kids, it meant a lot to me.

And I it was felt.

So I certainly want to make sure that they're acknowledged.

Thank you very much.

That's awesome.

Thank you.

Uh a side note.

Uh I love going to those events.

Uh you always leave better off.

Um they've been doing a survey the last couple of years uh for graduating students and any, I should say any student in the program.

And I it's something that I took away uh just from a presentation I saw last week.

All but four percent said that they see a future back in Rockford, and it's the lowest that number's been.

Uh it was higher, and as they continue to educate about the opportunities and the internships uh and other opportunities, just really neat to see.

So thank you for that.

Other uh Alderman Selgado.

Yeah, just real quick.

Um I also have a uh award meeting slash um art auction uh with um the folks for the food pantry fundraiser uh this Friday and also the mayor will be there where um we're gonna put him on the hot seat and just ask him a couple questions.

Um but uh hopefully uh Friday, just letting the 11th ward for residents uh we will have a ward uh ward meeting at 5 30 at the Harmony Banquets on the corner of 7th Street and 15th Avenue and uh looking forward to that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Other reports, Alderman Bell.

Uh thank you, Mayor.

Two things first want to uh say thank you to our public works department for uh removing all the snow we got over the last few hours.

Um did it did an awesome job, uh at least in my wards.

I just want to say thank you to Director Sanders, Mitch Leatherby, and uh and your entire team.

Uh also want to say uh since Prophet Yusuf hasn't had uh an opportunity to speak over the last two weeks.

Uh uh happy birthday to uh our colleague in the ninth ward, all the women Don Granith.

Uh her birthday was yesterday.

So happy birthday to her.

And are you gonna sing or what are we doing?

Uh you had my time back to you, man.

Alderman Toonberg.

Thanks, Mayor.

Uh a constituent reached out to actually, I believe possibly Elderman Beach's uh ward, but we reached out to both of us about issues that people have had in our community with the Four Rivers uh billing and such.

So uh to those, I I I assume every one of us aldermen have have experienced some calls on that.

So uh, you know, hopefully they get that worked out.

But uh I I understand they are slowly but surely.

So again, uh if if there are problems, we sympathize that is uh four rivers that will be taken care of that.

Um but contact four rivers and keep on them and and uh hopefully that gets rectified.

Uh also would like to say thank you to the public works crews for all they they've done, but also for those that especially have worked the overnight the overnight uh hours.

Uh Larry Pierce uh has taken a few calls for me in the overnight hours for issues with the wind uh that has taken place uh recently and then now the snow, but uh uh he is a a great employee for our city and is is always willing to help and and thanks for all those that support him and getting things taken care of.

Uh I had the opportunity and honor to go to the new dental clinic that uh that we supported as a council uh out at Jefferson High School.

It is state of the art.

Uh Dr.

Oates, Dr.

Toonberg, uh, Dr.

Starnes, uh a few other dentists uh and their board and uh director Parham was there as well and was able to see it is absolute state of the art.

And there are there's equipment there that probably most of our dentists here in Rockford and anywhere else would love to have in their office.

Um if my numbers serve me correctly, I I can't recall exactly, but I believe they served 12,000, 8,000.

I know there's a big difference there, but uh students at that uh in the past when they've so when these dentists have offered to take in students uh and uh they have to be on Medicare or Medicaid, I'm sorry, uh families that are on Medicaid, and out of those, I believe around 2400 or so needed absolute on the spot work to put it as an understatement.

believe they served 12,000 eight thousand I know there's big difference there but uh students at that uh in the past when they've so when these dentists have offered to take in students uh and uh they have to be on Medicare or Medicaid I'm sorry uh families that are on Medicaid and out of those I believe around twenty four hundred or so needed absolute on the spot work to put it as an understatement so now there is a central place to go out at Jefferson High School and these uh dentists out there that will be serving or serving at this time on uh just you know volunteerism so it is just a great thing for our um for our community that needs it and it is very important to have uh very good dental care it's hard to sit through a class when you're when your tooth is aching so all right thank you thank you other uh reports thank you next uh we're gonna go to motions and resolutions we have nothing under planning and development so we'll go to Alderman Bonnie and code and regulation committee thank you mayor uh item one committee recommends approval of the Memorial Day parade this event is scheduled for May 25th from 8 a.m to noon organizers request city support for police fire and traffic control assistance organizers anticipate costs similar to the 2025 event of approximately 17,000 dollars the parade will step off at 9 a.m and the route will begin at 7th Street and 5th Avenue ending at Memorial Hall on Wyman Street.

Item two committee recommends approval of cars and coffee this event is scheduled for the following dates April 4th May 2nd June 6th July 4th August 1st September 5th and October 3rd from 9 a.m to noon the event will take place on 7th Street between 3rd Avenue and 6th Avenue and on 3rd Avenue and 4th Avenue between 6th Street and 7th Street.

Item 3 committee recommends approval of the no of no kings 3.0 this event is scheduled for March 28th from 11 a.m to 1 p.m roads will close at 9 a.m the event will take place at 116th Northwater Street which is the City Market Pavilion.

Item 4 city recommends approval of the Church Hill Grove garage sale this event is scheduled from May 2nd at scheduled for May 2nd from 9 a.m to 3 p.m the sale will take place in the Church Hill Grove neighborhood and item five is a resolution for the settlement of of claim for outstanding pension payments in the amount of $53,428 we need to suspend rule nine uh for this motion and I will make I will make that motion to suspend rule nine.

Thank you we have a motion to suspend rule nine and we have a second uh for that suspension of rule nine is there any discussion uh on suspending rule nine for item five all those in favor of suspending rule nine for item five please say aye aye those opposed all right rule nine's been suspended now we have five items before you is there any discussion on those five items clerk could you please call the roll Logan Frost aye Terina Wilkins Hoffman Granit Beach aye Salgado Bell Bonnie 11 ice thank you next we're gonna go to finance and personnel committee and alderman frost almost for the duration of the meeting I'm sorry number one the committee recommends approval award of bid for sidewalk and AD repair package number one to TCI concrete in the amount of 11294 dollars and seventy five cents it's through May 15 2026 and the funding source is the one percent infrastructure sales tax number two the committee recommends approval of award of bid for citywide pavement preservation microservicing to AC pavement in an amount of 490809 dollars and ninety cents the contract is through October 2nd 2026 the funding source are MFT funds.

Number three the committee recommends approval award of bid for citywide pavement rejuvenation uh to corrective asphalt materials in the amount of 34202696 cents the contract is through July 31 2026 the funding source is MFT funds.

Number four the committee recommends approval award a bid for citywide bridge preservation to MM concrete in the amount of 594085 cents the contract is through July 31 2026 and the funding source are MFT funds.

It's a one-year contract with four annual extension options.

The funding source is the water fund operating budget.

Number six, the committee recommends approval of ward of sole source contract for fire apparatus and ambulance supplies to McQueen equipment, an estimated amount of 120,000.

The contract duration is through December 31, 2026 with four annual extension options.

The funding sources the fire department operating budget.

Number seven, the committee recommends approval ward of sole source contract for fire apparatus supplies and service repair to JX Truck Center in estimated annual amount of 100,000.

The contract duration is through December 31, 2026 with four annual extension options.

The funding sources the fire department operating budget.

Number eight, the committee recommends an approval of award of RFP for water main capacity, fire hydrant flow testing, and assessment to ME Simpson and an estimated amount of $73,000.

The contract is through December 31, 2026 with four annual extension options.

The funding sources are the fire and water department operating budgets.

Number nine, the committee records approval of reward of professional services 2026 water system improvements, design and inspection services to fair gram for an estimated budget of $2.5 million for 2026, $6.25 million for 2027, $6.25 million for 2028.

The contract duration is through February 28th, 2027, with two possible one-year extension options upon the mutual consent of the city and the consultant.

The funding sources are the water replacement improvement account and the state revolving fund.

Number 10, the committee recommends approval of ward joint purchase contract for 2026 light duty citywide vehicles to enterprise fleet management in an amount of 117,729 dollars.

The contract duration is 48 months for one vehicle and 60 months for the two vehicles.

The funding source is the water division capital lease budget.

Number 11, the committee recommends approval of ward design engineering agreement for Beverly Park floodplain reconnection to HR Green in an amount not to exceed 105,936.

The contract duration is through July 2027.

The funding source is the CIP General Fund.

Number 12, the committee recommends approval of an award non-competitive contract for police vehicles to Rock River Ford in the amount of $1,582,000 $589.

This is a one-time purchase for $37 vehicles.

The funding sources are the capital lease funds and police department operating budget.

Number 13, the committee recommends approval of a resolution authorizing the central services manager to execute an extension of the electrical municipal aggregation supply contract.

And number 14, the committee recommends approval and acceptance of the Illinois Law Enforcement Standards Board Fiscal Year 26 Camera Grant Award in the amount of $262,464.

This grant does not require a cost match.

The grant term is from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2030.

The grant award, if accepted, will be used to cover fiscal year 26 costs related to licensing fees and device storage costs of the current axon body worn cameras.

I place these 14 minutes before you.

Thank you.

Council 14 items before us.

Any discussion on those 14 items?

Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Logan.

Aye.

Toomber.

Aye.

Frost.

Aye.

Terina.

Aye.

Wilkins.

Aye.

Hoffman.

Aye.

Grandeth.

Aye.

Beach.

Aye.

Salgato.

Aye.

Bell.

Bonnie.

Aye.

Eleven Ice.

Excellent.

Next, we're going to go to new business.

We're going to switch it up because we have nothing under planning and development or codes and regulations.

So we'll go right back to Alderman Frost.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Number one is an ordinance approving an eighth amendment to the agreement with associated bank to extend the line of credit term for an additional year.

This matter requires a suspension of Rule 9.

Number two is an ordinance approving the lien reduction request for 2213 Wentworth Avenue in the amount of $7,933.40.

And number three is an ordinance approving the hiring request for the water division for two project managers and one water utility technician in the estimated amount of $394,100 of the estimated total width of vehicles is $513,100.

And the funding source is the water fund operating budget.

So I would your honor with respect to number one, I'd make the motion to suspend rule nine.

We have a motion.

We have a second uh to suspend rule nine on item one.

Is there any discussion on just the suspension of rule nine on item one?

Seeing no discussion, all those in favor of suspending rule nine on item one, please say aye.

Aye.

Those opposed?

Okay.

So council, we have uh three items before you.

Is there any discussion on those three?

Clerk, please call the rule.

Hoffman.

Eleven ice.

I would say we need a motion to adjourn, but Alderman Frost has other plans.

Alterman Frost, did you have something you want to share with us?

Can I make a motion to convene in the closed session in order to discuss both pending and threatened litigation matters and labor negotiations?

We have a motion.

We are back into open session.

Clerk, could you please call the role?

Logan.

All those in favor say aye.

Those opposed, have a wonderful night.