I'd like to call to order the planning and development committee meeting for March twenty third, twenty twenty-six.

Tonight's invocation will be given by Pastor Cameron Henderson of City First Church.

If I can have you all please stand, I'm immediately followed by tonight's comment excuse me.

And whereas social workers positively impact the lives of millions of Americans daily in hospital, school, child welfare agencies, community centers, and with federal, state, and local governments nationwide.

And whereas for more than a century, the social work profession has worked to improve society by playing a role in establishing a minimum wage, promoting behavioral health, social security, Medicare, and working to ensure equal rights for all, no matter their race, sexual identity, gender, gender expression, culture, or religion.

And whereas social workers are on the front lines helping solve pressing social problems, including increased demand for mental health services, and opioid addiction crisis, economic inequality, they confront oppression and racism, advocate for human rights and advancing fair policies for all persons by obliterating barriers that prevent individuals and families from thriving.

And whereas in 2026, social work month theme is social workers, uplift, defend, and transform.

It shines a light on the resolute spirit of social workers who transform lives while bringing hope, healing, and justice to the communities they serve, especially in times of profound change and challenges.

Now, therefore, I, Thomas P.

McTamer, as a mayor of the city of Rockford do hereby proclaim the month of March 2026 to be social work month.

Just want to say on behalf of Rockford to all of you and all the social workers out there, thank you so much for your tireless advocacy, special uh especially for those who are marginalized.

So thank you so much.

Mary, would you like to share a few words?

Thank you so much.

Thank you, City Council, thank you, Mayor McNamara, for this uh proclamation.

I think it's so important to shine a light on the social work profession, especially nowadays when we are um battling even it being considered a profession.

Um we are in you know the schools, we're in the hospitals, we're in government, we're in um the veterans administration.

Um we're in a variety of different areas um doing this work, helping um advocate for um rights for um the families and youth and with with whom we work.

Um and so I really appreciate everybody here tonight listening to the proclamation and wanted to give a shout out to my fellow social workers here with me tonight.

Um the work you do is so important.

Thank you for being here.

Um thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you for the seat.

Thank you.

We'll go ahead and move into our public speakers.

Um, just as a reminder, all public speakers will have three minutes to make their comments.

We do have two microphones located at the back of the horseshoe.

Uh, once your three minutes are up, you will hear an alarm sound, and we just ask that you bring your comments to a close at that time.

That being said, our first speaker tonight is Andrew Petroselli.

Good evening, my city.

Tonight I'm here to talk about an independent candidate who is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people, as he would be Winnebago's first county clerk of Hispanic Heritage.

I, Andrew Petroselli, am that candidate.

A technician who believes political change is not only possible, but also a power of the people.

Now, I love this city because I see no shortage of room for voices of progress.

I believe in a revitalized Rockford, and I would be honored to be at that moment's forefront.

This includes representing the younger generations in public office.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Our next public speaker is Matthew Wilder.

What up, Matthew Wilder, Mr.

Regular Guy, here to talk about vital resources that are theoretically going to be compromised by billionaire initiatives, and that we should like to hold them accountable and put a moratorium in place until we have more information, done more ecological studies, more environmental studies, and actually have talked to the community of how they feel about it and how it will affect multiple things from the environment to the community and to the people that directly live around it and not to be just like sequestered to nothing as if they don't exist, and there's like at least 30 plus farms and farmats that surround that will be directly their livelihood will be directly affected on a daily basis for the rest of time.

That being said, um, we really need to just pump the brakes because I'm not here on a smear campaign against artificial intelligence specifically, that's a different conversation.

It's that there's not much transparency, there's not much information, and this could affect the water table, which could affect the bees, the prairie, it can affect people's well water, it could it's just for a negligible amount of jobs that aren't necessarily going to be long-lasting, and I feel like there's a lot of propaganda out there on both sides, and we just need to clarify what is true and what isn't, because that's very important.

And if nothing else, how could we gamble something like water for some kind of financial gain in any capacity ever?

Because, like they talk about people of our generation not having kids anymore.

Why would they want to bring kids into a world where our public leaders and the billionaires that say they're there for our benefit?

Well, not the billionaires, but the public leaders, they actually care about the future of our children, of our ecosystem, of our prairies, of our bees, of our water table, and why would you convert farmland into an 1,100-acre data center that would cost 12 billion dollars and really offer nothing to the city of Rockford?

Sure, it was an industrust industrial town, but that ship has sailed.

Do better and get more clever and find better things.

Converting jet fuel for the airport would be sort of an all right idea if it didn't have detrimental effects on the environment.

That's what they bade and switched.

They were like, we're gonna do this, and now we're gonna do that.

There's not enough information.

I don't even believe it's zoned yet.

And is it really I2?

Sounds more like I-3.

It's not an it's not light duty.

At one point, data centers might have been.