Well, good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

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

We're very glad that you all chose to be here this evening for the number of things that we have on the uh agenda tonight.

A few brief uh announcements before I get started.

First is that uh the meeting is being live streamed, just so that everybody is aware of that, live streamed and uh recorded.

Uh the there are two opportunities for public comment uh this evening.

The first being during floor discussion.

There'll be an opportunity for members of the public to come forward to the podium in the in the middle of the middle aisle.

If you're willing to do so, state your name and address for purposes of the record.

Feel free to make your comments to the city council on any items not on this evening's agenda.

And then there'll be a second opportunity for public comment for uh on any items that we're going to take action on this evening.

Woodstock City Council operates operates in what's called a consent calendar, a consent calendar format means that all items for action this evening are considered in a single motion and a single vote.

A member of council may choose to have or request to have an item uh removed for separate consideration and voting.

And then a member of the public may request an item to be separately removed for consideration and voting if agreed to by a member of the uh Woodstock City Council.

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

All right.

Hearing none, I will go officially uh we'll go ahead and officially call to order this January 6th meeting of the Woodstock City Council and ask Cynthia, please call the roll.

Councilman Flynn.

Here.

Councilwoman McMahon.

Here.

Councilman Nearman.

Here.

Councilman Seegers.

Here.

Councilman Tebow?

Here.

Councilwoman Ziamba?

Here.

Mayor Turner.

Here.

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

Last Cindy to please confirm that the agenda this evening is the same as the true and published agenda.

It is.

Thank you, Cindy.

That being the case, ladies and gentlemen of the council, the people's business is duly inappropriately before us.

The first items that we have under or first item we have tonight is floor discussion and under floor discussion.

We have two proclamations.

Terry, in her role as grants writer, has brought in millions, and this is not an overstatement, millions of dollars to the City of Woodstock through her grant writing expertise and her ability to hunt out opportunities to do things within the City of Woodstock.

The proclamation will highlight some of the great things that she's done, but she some of the things most recently is that she uh initiated and participated in the and solely manage the AARP's um age-friendly livable community program, uh which uh which um uh was part of some development at the city over the last uh over the last three, four years.

Uh she's been actively involved in um the um uh the play the age um the all-age inclusive playground out at uh Emmerkson Park that we're on the cusp of beginning the process of and she secured uh $600,000 for that, correct?

That's the number.

Um she has in the last year alone, in addition to that, uh uh been able to get another three hundred thousand dollars in miscellaneous uh grants.

And then the big one within the last year uh has been the almost three million dollars that we received for opera house and downtown square renovations uh was under um her uh her her efforts and push along with support from others in the city, certainly, but um the path that Terry has uh has blazed at the city in creating the ability for us to get something for nothing.

Uh and you know what, we're we're very willing to participate in those uh those opportunities because joking aside, they make the city uh far better.

Uh and then she's personally also worth noting, Terry's personally established uh the Arts and Culture for Woodstock Fund uh with uh which offers grants to local groups.

Uh and then she's personally also worth noting, Terry's personally established uh the Arts and Culture for Woodstock Fund uh with uh which offers grants to local groups, uh and she is also um uh drove a black tie gala in uh was that in 2021, Terry, um the uh at the opera house, which included lead dancers from the Jaffrey Ballet.

And uh on a personal note, Terry made me a ballet fan because of my attendance in that, and that's no no BS.

That was that was an extraordinary opportunity, and I appreciate the uh chance to have uh have seen that and the and the influence you've had on me and the rest of the in the city.

So it's my honor to uh to um uh to offer this proclamation uh counsel without objection.

Very well.

Terry, join me up front, please.

So before I get started, Terry, gift for you right here, very small token of the city's appreciation for the work that you've uh that you've done.

So and I'll say this too that from a proclamation, proclamations are fantastic things.

They're a great way to honor uh staff and and um and con people that contribute to the city.

But frankly, in Terry's case, this is it just feels inadequate to spend you know five minutes on a proclamation, but uh it it's it's meaningful, and she's done far more than this uh than this even represents.

So my my pleasure to do this.

So proclamation honoring Terry Wilcoxon.

Whereas Terry Wilcoxon officially retired from her role with the City of Woodstock on June 2nd, 2023, after a distinguished and accomplished 20 year 29-year career.

And whereas Terry Wilcoxon began her career with the City of Woodstock on October 10th, 1994, as a part-time clerical worker for the economic development department, rose to a managerial position for the personnel and business development departments in 1996, and in her last decade served in grant writing and communication roles because of her creative temperament, superb writing skill skills and editing skills.