Vermillion City Council Meeting — 2026-11-03

The Vermillion City Council met on 2026-11-03. No agenda or minutes were provided, so this summary is based on the raw transcript; the transcript does not state the meeting start or adjournment time. The council handled routine approvals, heard a Veterans Day proclamation, took public comment on a utility-resale ordinance, and advanced several budget and ordinance items to second reading.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of the previous meeting and the noon meeting; approved the agenda; approved the consent agenda as written. All were approved by voice vote with no recorded opposition.

Public Comments & Testimony

• A representative of the Vermillion Human Relations Commission presented a proclamation declaring November 11, 2026 as Veterans Day in Vermillion and urging residents, businesses, and organizations to honor veterans and support equitable access to health care, housing, employment, and dignity.
• Lori Brown, 221 West Cedar, asked for clarification on Ordinance 1580 and suggested another public reading and comment opportunity because of public concern about the upcoming data center issue and electrical impacts. She framed the request as promoting openness.
• No visitors were heard on non-agenda items. No public comment was offered during the Ordinance 1577 rezoning hearing, and no public comment was recorded on the malt beverage markup, rental registration fee, hangar lease, or EV charging fee items.

Discussion Items

• Ordinance 1577 — 112 East Cherry Street rezoning: Staff explained that a clerical error in posting the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting prevented the commission from considering the request to rezone part of 112 East Cherry Street from General Business to R3 Residential. The council took no action; staff said the item would go to P&Z on November 9 at 5:30 p.m. and to the council for first reading on November 16 at 6 p.m.
• Malt beverage markup annual report: John reported that 100% of malt beverage markup proceeds have been used each year to pay part of the debt service on the general obligation bond for the apprentice park improvements. Annual debt service is about $200,000; the markup generates about $150,000, with second penny funds covering the difference since 2015. He recommended continuing the same use in 2027. No vote was required.
• Curbside recycling fees: Alex reported a 2023 deficit of almost $11,500, a 2024 surplus of about $7,000, a 2025 surplus of almost $18,700, a projected 2026 deficit of about $13,000, and a projected 2027 deficit of almost $10,000. The reserve fund was projected at $135,029 by December 31. A 25-cent increase was estimated to generate $7,749 per year; the council instead approved a 50-cent increase per qualifying resident per month and for commercial collection of recyclable materials not mandated by ordinance, to first appear on the February 10 bill. One council member supported the 50-cent option to build the reserve and reduce future budget revisions; the mayor noted the 2008 fee of $3.30 per month would be equivalent to $5.10 in 2027 dollars, so the fee had not kept pace with inflation.
• Rental registration fees: Staff proposed keeping the $30 per-structure annual fee and raising the per-unit fee from $15 to $20. The city had about 921 active registered rental structures and just over 2,900 units as of the prior week. Staff estimated roughly $90,000 in revenue against a GovWell fee of about $23,000 to $28,000 plus inspector, vehicle, and fuel costs. One council member said rental property owners should pay the city's cost to manage the properties. The council approved the increase. The mayor later suggested normalizing regulatory fees and applying an annual CPI adjustment; staff indicated a defined CPI and resolution would be needed.
• Hangar lease: The council approved a new lease with Dave Hertz for a hangar at the airport. The lease has a 30-year total term, consisting of an initial 10 years plus two 10-year options, at 15 cents per square foot of land, with annual payments due in January and no cap on future rate increases. The transcript does not state the calculated annual rent.
• EV charging station fees: Alex said the city has a leased Level 2 station at City Hall and a city-owned higher-wattage station near Princeton. Staff proposed raising the Level 2 rate from $1.70 to $2.00 per hour and the Level 3 rate from $19 to $20 per hour. Revenue in 2025 was $8,878.27; annual lease/subscription charges were $2,400 and $3,420. Council members noted the stations do not cover all costs once electricity is included but treated them as a public service. The council approved the new rates.
• Ordinance 1580 — utility resale language: Staff said the ordinance restores the final language approved in 2025 as Ordinance 1531 after a tracked-changes version was signed and published by mistake. The city attorney advised running it through first and second reading again because of the prior discrepancy. The council advanced it to second reading on November 16.
• 2026 budget revision — Ordinance 1578: John described the annual correction to the 2026 budget. The general fund is about $10 million with a $67,000 adjustment; second penny proposed expenditures were down about $480,000. Changes included about $50,000 less for the City Hall roof, delayed equipment purchases, and moving the apprentice plunge slide refurbishment, pool basin painting, and basketball court project to 2027. The council advanced it to second reading.
• 2027 budget — Ordinance 1579: John presented the 2027 appropriations ordinance, including a slight sales-tax increase based on a five-year average, a 3% COLA for council members and staff, phase two of the fire/EMS station, a roughly $350,000 slurry seal project with the county, an ambulance purchase using grant funds, Cotton Park parking lot replacement if grant funding is received, an armory roof, and water/sewer extensions on Highway 50 at Princeton and Stanford Street. The council advanced it to second reading.
• Fire Station No. 1 remodel: Staff recommended a contract with Walker Construction for phase one: kitchen remodeling, flooring replacement, and creating a bedroom from storage space. Walker's low quote was $94,785.40, reduced by $5,300.80 for flooring selection to $89,485; Mart Brothers quoted $98,612.39. Fire/EMS had budgeted $150,000 in second penny funds. The council approved the contract. Staff said about $60,000 would remain but kitchen appliances and a range-hood extinguishing system still needed purchase.
• Play Talk payment: The council approved a $64 payment to Play Talk. A member noted that Mr. Elias would prefer to abstain because the item was out of state.

Key Outcomes

• Approved minutes, agenda, and consent agenda by voice vote.
• Approved a 50-cent curbside recycling fee increase.
• Approved raising the rental registration per-unit fee from $15 to $20.
• Approved the Dave Hertz hangar lease.
• Approved EV charging fees of $2.00 per hour for Level 2 and $20 per hour for Level 3.
• Advanced Ordinance 1580, the 2026 budget revision (Ordinance 1578), and the 2027 budget (Ordinance 1579) to second reading on November 16.
• Approved the Walker Construction contract for $89,485 for Fire Station No. 1 phase one.
• Approved the $64 Play Talk payment.
• Took no action on Ordinance 1577; the rezoning is set for P&Z on November 9 at 5:30 p.m. and council first reading on November 16 at 6 p.m.
• Noted the malt beverage markup continuation; no vote was required.

City Manager Report & Announcements

• Planning and Zoning Commission: November 9 at 5:30 p.m. on the Lamp Lighter property rezoning at 112 East Cherry Street.
• City Council special meeting: November 9 at noon in the Powell conference room for annual liquor and wine license renewals.
• Data center ordinances 1565 through 1570: first reading scheduled for November 16; the six ordinances were available on the city website.
• Four mausoleums at Bluff View Cemetery: nominations to the National Register were tabled by the State Historic Society to its December meeting, reopening the comment period; comments due to the city by 5 p.m. on November 16.
• City offices closed November 11 for Veterans Day; no curbside recycling for Wednesday customers, with service resuming November 18.
• Clay County Agricultural Fair Association raffle: 500 tickets at $20 each on December 1, three winners, with proceeds to upgrade fairgrounds facilities.
• The mayor suggested sequencing the November 16 agenda to handle advanced motions before the data center ordinances, which were expected to take longer.