Good evening.

We will call to order the City of Rockford's regularly scheduled city council meeting for Monday, December 15th, 2025.

Just want to first start uh by sincerely saying thank you to Alderman Beach and the entire Salvation Army team that was here today to provide us some uh wonderful holiday music.

Uh genuinely thank you.

It's always uh wonderful that uh we can highlight the some of the holiday uh team from the Salvation Army and their amazing music, and certainly to highlight you've been doing this for so many years.

Uh genuinely appreciate you.

So thank you.

Uh, with that, uh, this evening we have an invitation from Chaplain Roy Whitmore.

It's beginning to look a look like a a like a look like Christmas.

Father God, we thank you for your so many blessings, Lord.

We thank you, Lord, for our mayor.

We thank you for the city council.

God, let your grace be upon us, Lord, to do what you have given us to do.

We just invite you into our uh uh service on to tonight to just to do your business, give us your wisdom, your understanding, and God heal the land, heal the land, heal the land, and law, we thank you, Lords.

Let us have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful new year in Jesus' name.

Thank God.

Amen.

Which is one of the thank you, Chaplain.

Clerk, could you please call the roll?

Jerky Logaman Frost, Terina Wilkins, Hoffman, Grandeth, Beach, Solgado, Bell, Bonnie.

Eleven present.

Excellent.

We have a quorum this evening.

Uh is there a motion to approve the journal of proceedings for the strategic planning session held on September 29th, 2025?

We have a motion, we have a second.

Is there any discussion?

All those in favor say aye.

We have a motion, we have a second.

Any discussion?

Seeing no discussion.

All those in favor say aye.

Excellent.

Is there a motion to approve the journal proceedings for the city council meeting held on October 20th, 2025?

We have a motion.

We have a second.

Is there any discussion?

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Those opposed?

Okay.

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

We'll begin with planning and development committee and older woman Wilkin.

Thank you, Honor.

Um, all items tonight.

We'll be referring to planning and development committee.

Item one is a memorandum from Ken Matson, CIP operations manager regarding an agreement between the City of Rockford and LC construction for the 2026 destruction to construction workforce development initiative.

Item two is a memorandum from Sarah Lies, Community and Economic Development Director regarding the proposed 2026 Rockford Regrow Grant Program funded by the Cannabis Fund.

Item three is a memorandum from Sarah Lyes, Community and Economic Development Director regarding the proposed 2026-2028 funding agreement with Rockford Area Arts Council.

Item six is a memorandum from Todd Cagnoni City Administrator regarding a proposed development agreement with urban equity properties for the redevelopment of 99 East State Street into market rate mixed uses, historic adaptive reuse, redevelopment with approximately 80 residential units or may restaurant and commercial space.

Item seven is a memorandum from Todd Cagnoni City Administrator regarding a proposed amended development agreement with the first Midwest group and McDonald's for the establishment of the McDonald's at 4103 West State Street.

Item eight is a memorandum from Sarah Lies, Community and Economic Development Director regarding a proposed citywide software LLC City Service and licensing licensing agreement.

Item nine is a memorandum from Robert Will Hemp will Helming Willemy.

Thank you.

Um site readiness coordinator regarding Keaton Northern Illinois Beautiful funding requests for calendar years 2026 through 2028.

Item 10 is a memorandum from Todd Cagnoni City Administrator regarding a proposed development agreement with Rockford Break Manufacturing at 302 People's Avenue to support operations.

Thank you.

Next we're going to go to Code and Regulation Committee and Alderman Bonnie.

Thank you, Mayor.

We have four items, all of which are being referred to.

The Code and Regulations Committee, item one, zoning board of appeals agenda for the meeting to be held on December 16th, 2025, and minutes from that meeting for consideration at the Code and Regulation Committee meeting on January 5th, 2026.

Liquor and Tobacco Advisory Board's agenda for the meeting to be held on December 16, 2025, and minutes from that meeting for consideration at the Code and Regulation Committee meeting on January 5th, 2025.

Item 3, memorand memorandum from Joshua Versus Luz, Assistant City Attorney regarding the sale of city owned property located at 5798 Logistics Parkway.

And item four, a memorandum from Jacob Rubin, Assistant City Attorney regarding the 2025-2026 contract between the City of Rockford and the Winnebago County Health Department for a tobacco enforcement program to conduct compliance checks.

Thank you.

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

Alderman Frost.

Thank you.

All these matters will be referred to the Finance and Personnel Committee.

Number one is a memorandum from Jeremy Carter, traffic development engineer regarding an intergovernmental agreement between the city and Rockford Public School for construction of revised access to Lincoln Middle School.

Number two is a memorandum from Phoniqua Hughes regarding a contract from the city of Rockford Health and Human Services and Rose Grants Health Network.

Number three is a memorandum from Nequa Hughes regarding a contract from the City Holding Human Services and Youth Services Network.

Number four is a memorandum from Phoniqua Hughes regarding the acceptance of the Head Start Staff Incentive Policy and Head Start Staff Incentive.

Number five is a memorandum from Todd Cagnoni regarding the proposed funding reimbursement for sidewalks on Linden Road in conjunction with the Crusader Community Health Expansion.

Number six is a memorandum from Todd Cagnoni regarding the proposed funding reimbursement for sidewalks and bus stop on Alpine Road and Linden Road in conjunction with the PCI Pharma Services Expansion.

Number seven is a memory from Todd Cagnoni regarding authorization for matching funds in partnership with RAVE for Department of Commerce Economic Opportunity Tourism Attraction Grant.

Number eight is a memorandum from Diana Hernandez Children Exposed Violence Project Manager regarding approval or a lease agreement with CCS.

And number nine is a memorandum from Sarah Lies regarding a request for proposal for permitting and code enforcement software.

Thank you.

Thank you.

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

Want to remind our public speakers.

There's a microphone on the back right as well as back left of Council Chambers.

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

My phone operates uh accurately.

You will have three minutes to speak to council uh and an alarm will go off.

The alarm is uh malfunctioning.

I will give you a notice that your time is up.

Our first uh public speaker this evening is Paul Goddard.

Mr.

Mayor, friends.

I'm Paul Goddard, and I'm back today to provide this body with an update date on two matters related to a subject very important to our beautiful city.

Poetry.

First, I'm sure not many of you know, we have a poetry radio show broadcast internationally based in Rockford, featuring Rockford and Midwestern Poets.

James Hamilton, a sometime resident of the city, has chosen the Mendelson Performing Arts Center's Internet Radio Station, WBOM, full service radio, as the platform for his poetry interview show, verst.

Verst airs Saturdays from 6 to 7 p.m.

and then repeats Tuesdays from 7 to 8 a.m.

So you can hear it tomorrow morning.

You can find verst streaming at WBOMradio.com with older episodes on YouTube.

Look up James Hamilton to find those.

Second, the Arts Council Super Secret Committee is currently interviewing poet laureate candidates and applying its excellent but secret rubric to their applications with the goal of presenting you with a selection within the next month.

I would simply urge the Arts Council to put support its choice by publicly releasing the rubric and identifying the selection panel.

That will pay the way for the new poet laureate's success by giving the poetry community and the general public confidence in the selection.

For the life of me, I cannot understand the need for the current secrecy.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next public speaker this evening is Ken Dickens.

Good evening.

Before my time starts, I did want to say that when I went to apply for next week, I did receive a notice on the city's website for filing the application.

Now it reads, your submission was rejected because you used words of or phrases that are we have no city council meeting next week or the following week, so your time can begin.

All right, because it said you used words or phrases that are blocked because of their popularity among agreements.

The only phrase I used was Regal Grant.

I don't know.

I'm guessing it's a thing because we turned it off, but we'll let you begin tonight.

Thanks.

Okay, thank you.

I just wanted to state that because that was literally the only phrase that I used in filings to apply for uh uh one of the next meetings.

No, I did want to say that uh I'm gonna use my my whole time tonight.

Uh I was here during the vote, but I would like to know are there anyone anyone present with the legal team with the city?

Is there anyone here tonight that's with the legal team?

Could you raise your hands, please?

All right.

I will be directing my attention to you all from now on because I've asked for two years.

Uh Tom, humbly I've asked certain questions that I've never received an audible answer in regards to the finances of the regrow grant, what it was going to be used for, and how they were going to move forward with an application that vanished off the website.

Uh I do remember when it was pulled.

I do remember the alderman that stood up and said that she uh was uh designated to rewrite it and it had to be adjusted and it never went back up until almost a year later.

I don't know anyone that could have a project so important that it would take a year for it to reappear.

Um I personally would not be filing for the regroup grant because I was personally told that I would never receive it.

I was threatened by a person that is no longer here, but was a part of the administration.

I was personally threatened at that door, told stop asking for the money, there's other grant money available.

You will never receive the regrow grant money.

That is a direct threat.

So you will never see my application.

You will never hear me ask why am I not receiving it.

I'm just concerned at the fact that it went to that great length, so that I was personally told that I would not be receiving it, even though I attempted to explain to everyone present that the company that I'm spearheading will be evaluated as a billion dollar company at some point.

You'll you'll see it.

This is not me, this is not speculation.

You'll see it at some point.

Just like how Ring was not evaluated as anything on shark tank, something of value that because they couldn't personally see the value in it.

Rig is a very successful company.

Otherwise, it wasn't because people believed in it or didn't believe it, it was a viable company.

I was trying to start something here that would have been phenomenal for Rockford.

Phenomenal.

I'm telling you, it it is the replacement for a lot of aspects of our society and how we eat.

It would be McDonald's 2.0, actually, but it will not happen here.

I will be taking it to Buffalo, New York.

Now, with that being said, because I was personally blocked from applying for the grant, I will be formally suing the city.

I will need to talk to the financial department about that.

The fact that the language in the grant was never fulfilled because the community was not allowed to apply for it, is what I find exception with.

It wasn't that it was actively available to the public for two years.

It was not available.

So this was not a win.

The vote, I don't want any alderman that fought, and I thank you for fighting it.

I don't want any of you to feel like you lost anything that day.

What it proved to the public is if you are black and brown, you were not cared for in this city.

Because what was taken from you was an opportunity.

So for this city to see any future, thank you, Mr.

Dickens.

The city would have to carry it up to give you opportunity.

Thank you.

Next public speaker this evening is Prophet Yusuf.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

In the book of Acts, the first chapter, they first.

What I'm gonna speak about tonight, Medicaid cuts will hurt poor people.

Medicare and Medicaid were hard won concessions to decades of organizing, not gifts.

Stripping them away is a violent act of economic and social warfare, particularly in a country where black people already die younger, suffer longer, and receive less care.

These cuts will accelerate deaths from preventable disease, drive elders into unpaid debt, and throw disabled people into Christ.

This policy is crafted to hurt poor people, beyond the meat aid that Medicaid provides.

There's a snowball effect of this erosion.

Medicaid isn't just a program, it's a lift for a fragile, unequal society, remove it, and the whole thing collapse.

When you define Medicaid, you accelerate eviction, school dropouts, homelessness, poverty, hunger, untreated trauma, and preventable death since 2015 to 2024.

230 hospitals have closed in the United States.

By cutting Medicaid, more hospitals will be closing in the United States, and more nursing homes and dialysis because they depend on Medicaid to pay their bills.

You all you also push people into the criminal justice.

Well, jails become psychiatric holding sales.

The snowball turns into an avalanche.

Emergency rooms overflow, community clinics shut down, and black families are left with funerals instead of power to see a doctor.

This is done intentionally.

Stripping care from poor people and funding public funds into private insurance is how capitalism enforced obedience.

It's also set up for the rich to get richer and the poor stay poor so they can control them.

My solution to solve this problem.

All fathers of Jesus Christ should stand up and speak up and say, we are tired of paying taxes, and this crooked government is not giving us anything in return.

They are hurting poor people.

I also want to tell my nephew Emmanuel, who retired from the railroad, my niece Octaga, who's a supervisor for the postal service, my granddaughter, Deja, who I call Big Sugar, and I'm going to get it off my chest tonight.

I don't like you, I love you.

And you can't do nothing about it.

And happy birthday, my good friends, and I wish you many more, and God bless you and your family.

And I also want to say happy Christmas and happy new year.

Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday to my good friends.

Happy birthday to you.

Thank you for allowing me to speak.

Thank you.

The next uh public speaker this evening is John Tack Brantley.

Good evening, uh Mayor McIntyre, uh, all the persons in our citizens of Rockford uh uh Illinois.

I'm looking at the uh City of Rockford initiative to carry out momentum uh in uh 2026 of uh Rockford City Council.

Well, first I want to say the reason I bring our kids here is for education.

So one day they're gonna be our future argument or our future uh our future mayor.

And by the way, I have a BA in social justice and physical physical uh education, and uh I also got a master in cross-culture and race relations.

We had over 90 people in that cross-culture race relations class.

I got a 3.8.5 grade point habit at that cross-culture race relations class.

And instead of this instructor learning, instead of him teaching the class, we was actually teaching the class because we were learning from every ethnic group that was there.

Also at Lewis University, we had a um we had a protest about ethnic studies.

During that protest, the uh white uh uh uh the white uh what uh white supremacist attacked us.

And uh they called it a riot.

There was never no riot.

We was always defending ourselves, even during the 60s when they called it a riot, it was never a riot.

It was us defending ourselves, and so uh uh we if we don't look out for each other, we won't we won't have none.

But in your budget plan for next year, I noticed that uh in number six item, the uh 99th East Day Street Rockford Register Star.

Everything that she's talking about doing, she met with Opoxy Brown and Sheba Brown and took the idea of what they want to do at Rockford Memorial Hospital, and now we see y'all doing it on uh on 99 on uh at the Rockford Register.

In your proposal for next year, we see nothing but uh in that proposal for the uh uplifting the plate on the west side of uh Rockford, since mayor and you and what have you, when I speak, you can fact check anything I say because I don't lie and what heavy.

You can fact kick me.

What have the mayor uh companies since you've been in office on the west side of Rockford?

And why come we don't have Rockford Memorial Hospital in that budget plan with 2026, even after we met with you and with Henry, and then once again, this not this year, but every year, the uh in the white neighborhood, I'm not gonna get your word right, in the red district neighborhood, the side streets when the snow comes, the side is clear, get it like the main street.

But if you come on our side of town, our side steel gas, snow and ice.

This year I'm still working on taking our kids to see the Holland Gold Trap.

But those that don't support us because Brother John is talking back and can't um, I don't have no problem with that.

I'm uh I already know uh this Donald Trump tell us to our face how you think about us.

He calls the lions garbage, and he called them uh uh uh uh hill.

But and when he calls your lines that he's saying about us.

Thank you.

I knew my name was gonna get kicked, unlike anybody else.

Thank you.

Our next public speaker this evening is John Lawrence.

Good evening, everybody.

I haven't been up here for a while, so I guess I've got a few things to talk about.

One of them is something that everybody's been hearing about lately.

The snow.

One of the problems is that we are contracting.

The city of Rockford is contracting to an out-of-town business, Chicago suburban business.

No wonder they can't get a hold of anybody or they're not answering or can't contact them.

Uh they're not local.

Last week, the mayor gave a proclamation to local businesses.

So December is uh I forgot the exact words, but um is trade with Rockford with month, um, which is appropriate for December.

Let's do some trading and shopping in Roxford, and here's the city doing their contracting with an out-of-town snowplow business.

And if they don't do it right, let's do something about it.

Um I don't know what else to say about it, but that is local business should be doing this.

Maybe local people should be doing this.

Um we've got snow plows, um that the city has to do arterial streets, but they got so many pickup trucks and pickup trucks that can put plows on from the street department, the water department, and some even some personal vehicles that are taken home at night by certain administrative people.

Um they can put clows on those.

Get those out there.

They don't have to be driven by the supervisor, they don't have to be driven by driven by anybody.

Any any Rockford employee that is registered and checked out to drive city vehicles can drive those vehicles.

Let's get out there and get that snow cleared.

Our own people that we can control.

Second point, our alarm monitoring contract.

We have a burglar alarm ordinance in Roxford, and it's not a bad ordinance.

But why are we hiring a company out of originally Texas, now California to administrate that program?

Can't we find somebody local to do that?

That should be able to be done locally, right here.

Should be able to be done right here in City Hall.

And finally, I was checking around every once in a while.

I look at these long list of expenditures.

I spotted one, the Chicago Pizza Place for $500.

I'm thinking five hundred dollars for pizza out of Chicago.

I checked into it.

I was told it was for the parents of uh that preschool program that we support.

Um I can't think of the name right now, but um, for the parents, it was for a pizza party for the parents of those kids.

Thank you, Mr.

Lawrence.

Local keys.

Thank you.

Next, we'll go to new committee reports and we'll go to planning and development committee and Alderwoman Wilkins.

Um, committee recommends approval of the 2026 annual action plan.

The legal director shall prepare the appropriate ordinance.

Thank you.

Council, we have uh one item before us.

Is there any discussion on that one item?

Clerk, could you please call the roll?

Derkey.

Aye Logaman?

Toomberg?

Aye, Frost, Tarina, Prunty, Wilkins, Hoffman, Granth, Beach, Solgato, Bell, Bonnie, 13 eyes.

Excellent.

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

Thank you, Mayor.

We have two items.

Item one, committee recommends approval of the final plat of Kevby subdivision.

Request has been made by the developer to create three lot to create a three-lot plat for the purpose of leasing to a solar farm.

Propose lot two and creating a commercial lot, proposed lot three at the intersection of Kilburn Avenue and North Central Avenue.

And item two, committee recommends sustaining the zoning board of appeals approval for a special use permit for fast food restaurant with the drive-through and variation to allow a trash enclosure with the front yard setback in a C2 limited commercial zoning district at 1869 North Perryville Road permit solutions for McDonald's is the applicant, and item two is subject to amended conditions.

Legal director shall prepare the appropriate ordinance.

Thank you.

Council, we have uh two items before us.

Any discussion on those two items?

Alder one prunty of the amended conditions.

What was that?

He said subject to amended um conditions.

I just wanted to get a reminder of what those were.

Uh director lies.

Um, I believe the input from council when we discussed this before had to do with where the trash was located and other things, so the conditions are there were some um changes submitted by the developer to meet more of where we wanted to see some of the those items placed on the property and are they uh could you explain where they just remind me again where they moved the trash and and then I would ask is that satisfactory for the ornament of that ward, Mr.

Cagnoni?

So the the the dumpster location as part of their application submittal was near the intersection of Road Road and Perryville, and Alderman Frost had made statements at council related to see if there was an opportunity to relocate it, although it wasn't a condition of a committee.

Um we had communications with McDonald's, um they redesigned and moved the dumpster enclosure um further to the east on the property, moving it away from the immediate intersection of Perryville and Road, and then we had shared that with Alderman Frost and Council as a whole uh when it came to uh council.

Thank you, you're welcome.

Any other uh discussion?

Seeing none, Clerk, can you please call the roll?

Durke Logan Toomberg?

Aye, Frost, Terina Brunty, Wilkins, Hoffman, Graneth, Beachato Bell Bonnie, aye item number one, twelve eyes, item number two, thirteen eyes.

Thank you.

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

Thank you, Rom.

Number one, the committee recommends approval of vouchers of the amount of nine million four hundred and thirty-eight thousand four hundred and seventy-one dollars and ninety-six cents as approved of the finance and personnel committee meeting held on December 8th, 2025.

Number two, the committee recommends approval of a memorandum for understanding between the city, the state of Illinois, and Rockford Mass Transit District for Rockford Complete Street Revitalization Project Supplement 1.

The legal director shall prepare the appropriate ordinance.

That's it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Council, there's two items before us.

Is there any discussion on those two items?

Clerk, please call the roll.

Jerky.

Logan.

Toomber.

Frost.

Terina.

Prunty.

Wilkins.

Hoffman.

Graneth.

Beach.

Bell.

Bonnie.

13 ice.

Excellent.

Next, we're gonna go back to Finance and Personnel Committee and Alderman Frost.

Thank you.

The committee recognizes approval of the fiscal year 2026 through 2030 capital improvement program.

That pushes the mayor before you.

Thank you.

Council, any discussion on the one item before you.

Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Turkey.

Logman.

Toonberg.

Frost.

Aye.

Terina.

Prenti Wilkins.

Aye.

Hoffman.

Granit.

Beach.

Salgado.

Bell.

Bonnie.

13 ice.

Thank you.

Next we will go to officers' reports.

Any council members have any reports?

Alderman Bell.

Thank you.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Should have pulled the mic down on the last item, but just want to note that this is the largest capital improvement plan in the city's history.

So just want to say thank you to city staff for all of your guys' hard work and moving this forward.

And um yeah, had an awesome event at the Boys and Girls Club on Saturday.

Just want to say thank you again to uh Director Sanders, uh aka Santa.

Um he did an amazing job with the kiddos over there.

We had over a hundred and twenty-five families that came and had a good time.

So thank you to uh Lavon Williams, who is a 13th ward resident who started West State Shines and has been a dedicated advocate on the West Side, specifically in the 13th ward, uh, as well as the park district for coming alongside us to really support the uh expansion of this year's um holiday party.

Uh looking forward to continuing uh the tradition on the West Side and 13th ward as it relates to uh expanding the lighting um down west state street.

More details to come for next year, but that's all I have for today.

Thank you.

Any other uh reports by council members?

Alderman Toomberg.

Thank you, Mayor.

I'd like to recognize Troop 37 here tonight.

Uh right, in our chambers and they do uh a great job and uh very supportive of them myself.

So uh thank you all for coming tonight.

I couldn't think of a better thing to do on a Monday night.

Excellent.

We are very happy to have you guys here.

Is there any other reports?

Alderman Salgado.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Um, two things.

One tomorrow, just uh remind residents uh we have our town hall meeting uh 5 30 at Armini Banquets on the corner of 7th Street and 15th Avenue.

Um we'll go over some stuff and then we'll have uh some um holiday cheer there.

Um second of all, I want to let everybody know uh midtown district um was selected um for the livable community initiatives.

Um press out uh press release went out uh this week, last week.

Um but uh February 12th is when we'll start getting the ball rolling on on different projects, getting the feedback from the neighborhoods, just like they did with Keith Creek.

So uh very excited about that to get that moving.

So just wanted to let everybody know.

Um, and those that are watching, um, please be on the lookout uh for information uh for these feedback sessions that we'll have be having starting February 12th and going forward.

So just wanted to remind everybody.

Thank you.

Thank you, Alderman Bonnie.

Uh thank you, Mayor.

I I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the um excalibur and excelsior awards that occurred last week.

Um, having worked at the register star, which started them uh for many years.

It's uh near and dear to my heart, but um, and it was um uh Paris look perilously close to extinction coming out of COVID and the community foundation of Northern Illinois and uh Nickney, Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence uh partnered with the Register Star and have very successfully revived it.

And um uh I guess uh um the recipients this year, um Cyrus Oates, somebody Dr.

Cyrus Oates, somebody whose program uh we funded just a few weeks ago, and uh the Vets Roll program, both um uh super worthy uh honorees joining the 100 previous um uh or making 100 uh recipients of the two awards over since the the first was established in 1971.

Special shout out to Alderwoman Torina who was involved this year in the planning the event, and um I don't know if she was responsible for the addition of the in memorium segment, but it was um uh very um nice touch besides being Oscar-esque, it really there were um uh community leaders who were who we lost this year who were we were reminded of, some of whom we've had uh moments of silence for in the council chambers.

So uh it was a great event.

Good job by great job, great work by everybody who was involved, and uh congratulations to the honorees.

Thank you.

Any uh Alderman Wilkins.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Um, I wanted to give a shout out to the Rockford Park District who hosted the fire invitational this weekend, um, which is a uh track meet that saw um a little bit over a thousand um individuals come on and support that event.

So thank you for for doing that and hosting that in the ward.

I also wanted to give a shout out to Northwest Community Center for hosting their annual breakfast with Santa this past Saturday.

Could not make it, unfortunately.

I was sick, but I wanted to give a shout out to them.

Um also Edgewood uh I'm sorry, Edge Community Fellowship is looking for volunteers.

They're doing a community toy giveaway this Saturday from noon to 2 30.

So if you are in need of community service hours or anything like that, I will post that on my page.

Um otherwise you can call and get more information.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any other uh reports?

I would just highlight uh sincerely thank you to uh director Sanders as well as the entire public works team and uh all of you as council members when you look at that capital improvement plan, it's 385 million dollars that'll be reinvested into our infrastructure from everything from water distribution to water production to uh taking and managing our led service lines as well as investing in areas that we can attract and maintain uh uh businesses in our committee, but also just major road projects.

If it's Auburn Street, 11th Street, Newburgh, the eight million dollars into neighborhoods, it's an immense amount of work uh that goes into creating that plan every year, and just sincerely thank you to and to the entire team for putting it together.

Uh with that, uh we will go to motions and resolutions and we'll go to planning and development committee and Alder Woman Wilkins.

Thank you.

Item one committee recommends approval of the resolution approving the creation of programs to support Rockford Business District Associations.

Thank you.

Uh, one item before you any discussion on the one item.

Alder Woman Torina.

Thank you.

I'd like to make a motion to lay this item over, please.

We have a motion to lay this over.

Is there a second?

We have a motion and a second, and now we'll need to vote.

Uh is there any discussion on the layover?

Clerk, could you please call the roll?

Oh, I'm sorry.

Uh Alderman Bond or Alderman Bell.

Sure.

Um I believe this one would be for Director Lies.

Can you uh share with the council kind of about the this program project?

Director Lyons.

Brief summary.

Sure.

So there's um two components to it.

First is we're just standardizing the um business associations that get funding now or that are already established.

Their um asks came in at different times of the year and were maybe for different items.

So this is now just a standardized program, same time of year.

They all can apply for up to the same funding, and it's the same requirements.

So we're we'll stop taking in separate plans and we'll have kind of a unified program for that.

And then the second component is for other districts that are that have not had an association formed.

We have a program now for them to use some of our funding to establish themselves as an association and then be able to qualify in future years for the larger grants.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Alderman Bonney, did you have a question?

Alderman Bonn.

Thank you.

So standard is it the standardization of the existing programs makes a lot of sense.

Um I'm just be curious if how um since we're going on a two-week break, um, a layover would take this to our meeting on the 5th or a meeting on the 12th, and how does that affect the application deadline of January 31st?

Director Lyons.

We would probably have to just bump back a week or so.

We would try and work with the districts to understand.

There's one of the four that normally receives their funding right about now, so one of them that would put them a little later than normal.

The other ones, I think would it would be fine.

But the that same deadline would be for any existing organization that is not receiving funding, as well as any new organization would also have to meet that deadline.

And uh if we don't approve it until say the middle of the month, that's not a lot of time, especially if you're and if you're considering forming an organization organization to be able to form it and then still apply.

Yeah, I'm not sure what we put on the deadline for the forming one.

We could, but we could work with that to make sure um you know when the vote comes through, we'll make sure that we work with the groups to understand their needs and timelines and do the best that we can to move them through the program.

So I'm sorry, I thought that deadline was for across the board.

It's yeah, I've just no, I'm not um I thought we gave people creating an organization a little bit more time than we did for the ones that were already associated, but I didn't bring that up with me.

Sorry.

I can look that up and get back to you on that one.

Sure.

Any other items, Alderman Bonnie?

No.

Uh Alderman Belt.

Yeah, I I had some of the same questions as Alderman Bonnie.

Um, so he he's already brought that up, but um just want to say thank you to Anna for um meeting with me about this, and I'm just super excited about the potential impact that it will have.

Um matter of fact, I I know that it will be a great impact for the West State uh corridor and bringing businesses together like we haven't before.

So uh super excited about that.

And um, I I won't be supporting the layover just off of the uh unknown uh variable uh of laying it over and pushing it back.

So thank you.

Any other uh discussion?

Alderman Torina.

Um I want to withdraw my layover request.

Thank you.

That's uh individual who seconded withdrawal as well.

Yep, both are withdrawn.

All right.

Now we're back.

We got one item before us.

Any discussion on the one item?

Clerk, please call the roll.

Durkey.

Logan Toomber.

Aye.

Frost.

Terena.

Frontie.

Wilkins?

Aye.

Hoffman.

Hi.

Grandeth.

Beach.

Salgado.

Bell.

Bonnie.

Hi.

13 eyes.

Excellent.

Next we're gonna go to finance and personnel committee and Alderman Frost.

Number one, the committee recommends approval of water bid for emergency and vacant property board ups to A lawn care CMM and Associates LDR cleaning, Marlboros, and SERFPRO for an annual estimated contract amount of $60,000 based on unit pricing.

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

Annual price adjustments for CPI will be considered a contract renewal only.

The funding sources, the construction services budget.

Number two, the committee recommends approval of a resolution approving appropriation of motor fuel tax funds for improvement under the only highway code for the 2026 general maintenance in the amount of 7,73,328 and four cents.

Number three, the committee recommends approval of a change order uh for communication equipment to GenCon.

The original contract was 2.91 million.

The change order is 187,388.46 cents.

Number four, the committee recommends approval of the contract renewal for third-party administrator for medical and hospital benefits.

Um with Blue Cross Blue Shield for contract amounts and rates of $59.35 per employee per month.

Uh the total estimated annual administration costs after prescription drug and medical rebate credits is six hundred and sixty-seven thousand five hundred and sixty dollars based on current enrollment.

The contract duration is one year and the funding source of the health insurance fund.

Number five, the community recommends approval of a contract rule for third party administrator for dental benefits with Blue Cross Blue Shield for a contract amount of three dollars and fifty cents per employee per month.

The total estimated annual administrative cost is fifty-two thousand dollars based on the average monthly enrollment of one thousand two hundred and fifty-five employees.

It's a one-year contract, and the funding source is the health insurance fund.

Number six, the committee recommends approval of a contract renewal for employer paid group term life insurance for City Rockford employees with met life and for the contract amount of eight cents per 1,000 dollars of life insurance coverage and 25 cents per 1,000 for accidental death and dismemberment coverage.

At the current employee count, the total estimated annual premium would be $80,823.

It's a one-year contract, and the funding source is also the health insurance fund.

Number seven, the committee recommends approval of the 2025 uh Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Grant Award from the DOJ, the amount of $33,600.

It requires a cost match for the same amount.

The grant term is for two years from the grant award date.

Number eight, the committee recommends approval acceptance of the administration of children and the families office of Head Start annual continuation of Head Start Early Head Start Services Grant Award and the amount of eight million seven hundred and ninety-three thousand nine hundred and three dollars.

The grant does require a cost match of two million one hundred and ninety thousand four hundred and seventy-six dollars.

The grant term for this is from April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2028.

The annual continuation of head start and early head start services is for a period from April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027.

I please the matters before you thank you.

Council, we have uh eight items before us.

Any discussion on those eight items?

Clerk, please call the roll.

Durkey.

Aye Logan Toomberg.

Frost.

Aye.

Prunty.

Wilkins?

Hoffman.

Granit.

Aye.

Beach.

Solgato.

Aye.

Bell.

Bonnie.

Aye.

13 eyes.

Excellent.

Next we're going to go to new business and we'll go to planning and development committee and Alderman Wilkins.

Item one is an ordinance approving the 2026 annual action plan.

Council, one item before us.

Any discussion?

Clerk, please call the roll.

Ogman?

Toomber?

Aye.

Frost.

Aye.

Tarina.

Prunty.

Wilkins?

Aye.

Hoffman?

Granit.

Beech?

Salgato.

Aye.

Bell.

Bonnie.

Aye.

Thirteen eyes.

Excellent.

Thank you.

Next we'll go to coding regulation committee.

Alderman Bonnie.

Thank you.

We have one item: an ordinance approving a special use permit for fast food restaurant with the drive-thru and variation to allow a trash enclosure within the front yard setback.

And a C2 limited commercial zoning district at 1869, North Peryville Road.

Permit solutions for McDonald's is the applicant.

Excellent.

One item before us, Council.

Any questions or concerns?

Clerk, please call the roll.

Durkey.

Aye.

Lugeman.

Toomber?

Aye.

Frost.

Aye.

Terina.

Prenty.

Wilkins.

Hoffman.

Granit.

Beach.

Bell.

Bonnie.

13 eyes.

Thank you.

Next we'll go to Finance and Personnel Committee.

Alderman Frost.

Thank you, Your Honor.

An ordinance approving the memorandum of understanding between the city, state of Illinois, and RMTD for the Rockford Complete Street Revitalization Project.

Supplement number one.

I place that one matter before you.

Thank you.

Council, any discussion on the one item.

Sir, please call the roll.

Oh, oh, sorry.

Do not call the roll.

Alderman Durkey.

Thank you, Your Honor.

I was just hoping that as this goes forward, um, that we could find it within ourselves to rename Chestnut Walnut first for one.

I've been waiting throughout this entire process for you to make those comments.

Any other uh discussion?

Clerk, please call the roll.

Durke.

Aye.

Logaman.

Toomber.

Aye.

Frost.

Aye.

Terina.

Prunty.

Wilkins.

Hoffman.

Granny.

Beach.

Salgado.

Bell.

Bonnie.

Thirteen eyes.

Thank you.

Uh does anyone have any other matters before us?

Reductantly.

The Grinch.

I mean Alderman Frost.

Uh I make a motion that we move into closed session in order to discuss penting or threatened litigation matters and labor negotiation matters.

We have a motion.

We have a second.

Is there any discussion?

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Those opposed.

Well, recess and come back after closed session.

Okay, we are back into open session.

Clerk, could you please call a role?

Any other discussion?