Well, good evening, uh ladies and gentlemen.

I'd like to welcome you this evening uh to the Woodstock City Council meeting uh before we get started.

A few brief announcements, uh reminder that the uh meeting is being live streamed uh this evening.

Uh the City of Woodstock operates on what's called a consent agenda, consent or consent format.

What that means is that all items for action this evening are considered in a single motion or a single vote and a single vote.

Uh council may choose to remove an item for separate uh consideration and voting, and then the public uh may request an item to be separately removed for consideration and voting, and if agreed to by a member of council, then it too will be uh taken and considered separately in a single motion and a single vote.

There'll be two opportunities this evening for public comment.

Uh the first is at the start of meet of the meeting during public comment section uh on any item that is not on this evening's agenda.

Uh and then the second opportunity is uh when items uh are up for action.

Members of the public at that time can come forward to the podium in the middle of the room if you're willing to do so.

State your name and address for purpose of the record and feel free to make your comments.

Any questions on those announcements before we get started this evening?

Very well.

I will go ahead and officially call this uh July 19th meeting, uh July 19th, 2022 meeting of the Woodstock City Council to order and ask the clerk to please call the roll.

Councilman Flynn.

Here.

Councilwoman Lomaier here.

Councilman Nearman.

Here.

Councilwoman Pearsall.

Here councilman Seegers.

Here.

Councilman Tebow?

Here.

Mayor Turner.

Here.

All members of the Woodstock City Council are present in the chambers this evening.

I'll ask Cindy to please confirm that the agenda this evening is the same is the same as the true and published agenda.

It is.

Very well.

Thank you, Cindy.

That being the case, ladies and gentlemen, uh the people's business is duly and appropriately before us.

First item on can on uh the uh on the agenda this evening is floor discussion, and we're going to begin with a proclamation honoring and recognizing the uh Woodstock Farmers Market on its 40th anniversary.

That's awesome.

Without objection, council.

No objection.

And then a second uh proclamation, and this is recognizing and honoring Keith Johnson on his retirement as manager of the Woodstock Farmers Market without objection.

Very well, Keith, I'll ask you and uh anybody else who wishes to join you to uh come up to the podium on the side here.

First item this evening is a um proclamation honoring the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Farmers Market.

Uh whereas the Woodstock Farmers Market has been an integral and vibrant part of the Woodstock community for for 40 years, providing residents and visitors with access to products locally grown, produced, or made by the local farmer or artisan.

And whereas the Woodstock Farmers Market, originally one day a week in the summer, initially run by the Chamber of Commerce, has since grown under the direction of market of market manager Keith Johnson, as well as a board of directors, expanding from three farmers in 1982 to approximately 50 Saturday vendors, 30 Tuesday vendors, as well as a winter market that's held indoors.

And whereas the Woodstock Farmers Market stimulates regional economic Woodstock Farmers Market stimulates regional economics by directly supporting local growers and artisans who reinvest in their community, and whereas the Woodstock Farmers Market has created direct marketing opportunities for small family farms and regional artisans who have been selling at the market for 40 years of its existence.

And whereas the Woodstock Farmers Market has served as an incubator for small sustainable food businesses, supporting aspiring entrepreneurs that have since created brick and mortar establishments in the community.

And whereas the Woodstock Farmers Market has helped invigorate and promote the historic Woodstock Square, bringing in visitors and families from all across Illinois and Southern Wisconsin to shop, dine, and and patronize local establishments.

And whereas Woodstock Farmers Market is was voted the number one farmers market in the state of Illinois in 2020 in the American Farmland Trust annual contest, as well as placed fifth in America for medium-sized markets.

Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that the Woodstock City Council on behalf of all citizens of Woodstock wishes to congratulate and commend all those involved in the Woodstock Farmers Market over the past 40 years and extends the community's sincere gratitude for the organizations organizations' contributions approved and adopted by the Woodstock City Council, McHenry County this 19th day of July 2022.

Keith, the the farmers market is a is an absolute gem, and it's so easily identified with Woodstock, and the success has been driven by you and by the all of the people involved in that.

So I want to extend our thanks for the for the you know on the 40th anniversary.

So thank you very much.

So before Keith gets you want to say something about the farmers market, or go ahead, feel free then.

Um I don't know if we did all of that, but we did we did make a market, and and I just would like to thank first of all my wife Nancy, who has allowed me the freedom to go to the bandstand when the music didn't work to handle an electrical problem or whatever happened to the market, and that's the only reason it never worked for us as as a manager.

But also, I would like to thank the city.

I I was thinking about it.

I worked with three mayors, two city managers, Clifton before you, Roscoe, and uh probably about three or four public works people.

I worked with two managers of the opera house.

Um a lot of different people.

I've worked probably with about 12 chamber directors, which Woodstock used to go through chamber directors like anyway.

Um it's all about working together, and I I have appreciated the employees of the city, beginning with Clifton and Roscoe, and when we asked for something to be that we needed, we we got an affirmative, you know, not necessarily Roscoe is is thoughtful and he said let me let me think about that again.

And that's that's a good thing because I I don't like impulsive people, and Roscoe was the person of people person who would tell me, let me think about that, Keith, I'll get back to you.

And that told me he was thinking, he wasn't just saying words, and he would get back to me, and he did help us.