Well, good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

I'd like you to like to welcome you to this evening's meeting of the Woodstock uh City Council.

A few brief announcements before we get started.

First, for your awareness, the meeting is being live streamed and is recorded and maintained out on the city website.

City of Woodstock operates on what's called a consent consent agenda, consent agenda or consent format means that all items for action this evening are considered in a single motion or a single vote.

A member of council may request to have an item separately discussed, considered, and voted voted upon.

And a member of public may request to have an item separately removed and considered and voted upon if agreed to by a member of council.

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

This meeting, uh first being uh at the beginning of the meeting under floor discussion.

Members of the public uh during floor discussion section, a public comment may come forward to the podium in the center of the room.

If they're willing to do so, state their name and address for purpose of the record, and feel free to make your comments to council.

Second opportunity is that uh members of the public will have an opportunity to make uh public comments before council acts or votes on any action uh item this evening.

Any question in those brief announcements before we get started?

All right, hearing none, uh I will go ahead and officially call to order this April 18th, 2023 meeting of the Woodstock City Council and ask City to please call the roll.

Councilman Flynn.

Here.

Councilwoman Lomaier.

Here.

Councilman Nearman.

Councilwoman Pearsall?

Here.

Councilman Siegers.

Here.

Councilman Thibault?

Here.

Mayor Turner.

Here.

The record reflect that all members of the Woodstock Council uh City Council are present this evening.

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

It is.

Thank you very much.

Ladies and gentlemen, the council, that being the case, the people's business is duly inappropriately before us.

First uh item for uh on the agenda tonight uh is floor discussion, and we begin floor discussion with uh three different uh proclamations.

One is a proclamation on library week, second is proclamation for Arbor Day in support of Tree City USA, and the third is a proclamation uh honoring preservation month.

Uh without objection, council.

Very well.

I will start with uh Library Week.

I'll ask Nick Weber to please join me at the uh podium thank you, Dick.

Good evening.

So this is a uh proclamation honoring uh National Library Week and the Woodstock uh public library.

Uh whereas in the mid-1950s, research showed that Americans were spending less on books and more on radios, televisions, and musical instruments.

Wow, compared to now.

And a nonprofit organization formed to encourage people to read in their increasing leisure time with efforts that resulted in the establishment of National Library Week in 1958.

And whereas since then the American Library Association has sponsored National Library Week annually to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support for libraries.

And whereas National Library Week is being observed all across the country this year from April 23rd through 29th, 2023, with the theme There's More to the Story.

And whereas, over the past several decades, the role of public libraries has expanded to include far more than printed literature.

Libraries have become a community focal point for education, entertainment, and social connections.

And whereas National Library Week is what whereas during National Library Week we pay special tribute to our beloved Woodstock Library and encourage all community members to visit the library and show their appreciation to library staff members on Tuesday, April 25th, designated as National Library Workers' Day.

And whereas the Woodstock Public Library provides proof of National Library Week's theme, there's more to the story on a daily basis by providing not just books, but also special events, story times, literacy skills, online access, technology, education, support for local businesses and job seekers, and so much more.

Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that the City of City Council of the City of Woodstock, on behalf of all citizens of Woodstock wishes to applaud the role of the American Library Association in continuing to promote National Library Week, thereby offering the opportunity to once more express the Woodstock community's deep gratitude and continued support for the Woodstock Public Library.

Approved and adopted by the C City Council, the City of Woodstock, McHenry County, this 18th day of April twenty twenty three.

Nick, I would like you to accept this proclamation on behalf of City Council and uh all the citizens of Woodstock and appreciate all the efforts by you, members of your staff, uh, the library board, everybody who helps uh make the Woodstock Library as great as is.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

And uh just a few brief comments.

Um first of all, as always an honor and a privilege to accept this on behalf of the library, and thank you to the council uh for their support.

These are strange times, and not all libraries are getting the support that they uh could want for from their political uh uh representatives in their areas, and so I do greatly appreciate the support that the city council uh everybody has given to the library over the years and moving forward.

And also huge thank you to the community.

Uh you know, we're there for the community, and it's it's wonderful to see uh so many people coming into the building, the recent survey of the community where you know people were very appreciative of the library and and thought that it was a really wonderful community resource.