Woodstock City Council Meeting - December 3, 2024
Woodstock City Council Meeting - December 3, 2024
The Woodstock City Council met on December 3, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. The meeting included public comments, approval of a consent calendar with one item removed for separate discussion, a property tax levy ordinance, and a discussion on mobile food truck regulations. The council voted unanimously on all action items and set direction for future food truck policy.
Consent Calendar
- Items Approved Unanimously: The consent calendar (items A through D2, excluding D1) was approved by a single motion. This included acceptance of minutes from November 19, 2024, warrants #4126 and #4127, and minutes/reports from various boards and commissions. Also approved were Manager’s Report items: Contract Award for 2025 Liquid Alum (Affinity Chemical, $408/ton) and Ordinance for 2024 Property Tax Levy (D1) was removed for separate consideration.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Gordon Venn (301 West Judge Street) raised concerns about pedestrian safety and crosswalk conditions on Southeast Wood Drive near Country Club Road. The mayor explained that Route 47 is a state highway, and IDOT controls improvements; a widening project starting next year may enhance crosswalks.
- Lou Ness (466 West Jackson) expressed gratitude from Woodstock American Legion Post 412 for a proclamation from the council in the prior month.
Discussion Items
Property Tax Levy (Ordinance 2024- – D1 removed from consent)
- Councilwoman McMahon requested removal to discuss the 11.3% increase in the city’s portion of property taxes. Mayor Turner and City Manager Roscoe Stelford explained that the increase consists of a 3.4% PTELL inflationary increase for operations and an additional 7–8% dedicated to funding the 2021 road program ($56 million in bonds). For a $200,000 home, the city’s share would rise from about $1,200 to $1,350 per year (approximately $120/month). The council noted that Woodstock had not taken PTELL increases for ten years (2010–2020) and had reduced the city’s property tax levy by 10% in 2017. Council members emphasized that the increase is necessary for infrastructure and that the city’s portion represents about 15–17% of total property taxes. The ordinance to levy $10,177,518 for calendar year 2024 (to fund FY25/26 budget) passed unanimously.
Mobile Food Truck Discussion
- Mayor Turner introduced the discussion, noting the need to balance resident demand for food trucks with concerns from brick-and-mortar restaurants. City Manager Stelford and staff reviewed 2024 operations, including licensing issues, enforcement challenges, and complaints from downtown businesses. Council members expressed strong support for protecting existing restaurants, citing higher overhead costs and unfair competition. Suggestions included tiered regulations based on event size, requiring a sponsor, flat annual fees ($100), window stickers for enforcement, and requiring food trucks to pay sales tax to Woodstock. Staff will gather input from stakeholders and bring a revised ordinance for consideration in February 2025.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar (excl. D1): Approved unanimously.
- 2024 Property Tax Levy (D1): Approved unanimously (7-0) after discussion.
- Mobile Food Trucks: Council directed staff to develop a revised ordinance that prioritizes brick-and-mortar businesses, improves enforcement (e.g., mandatory sponsorship, visible permits, penalties for non-compliance), and establishes tiered rules for events. Staff will present a proposal in February 2025.
- Next Meeting: December 17, 2024, at 7:00 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Well good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to welcome you to this evening's meeting of the uh Woodstock City Council. A few brief announcements before we get started tonight. The City Woodstock operates under what's called a consent format. Consent format means that all items for action this evening will be considered in a single motion, a single vote. If a member of the city council wishes to have an item removed for separate consideration and voting, they may uh make that request to do so. If a member of public would like to have an item removed for separate consideration and voting, they may make that request and have agreed to by a member of the city of Wood uh City Council. That item will be removed for separate consideration and voting as well. There are two opportunities for public comment this evening. The first being at the start of the meeting under floor discussion public comments. Members of the public may come to the podium in the middle of the room. If they're willing to do so, state their name and address for purpose of the record. Feel free to make comments. The Woodstock City Council on any items not on this evening's agenda. Second opportunity for public comment will be during any item for action or at uh in any discussion item. Any questions on those brief announcements before we get started? Hearing none, I'll go ahead and officially call the order this December 3rd, 2024 meeting of the Woodstock City Council to order. Councilman Flynn? Here. Councilwoman McMahon. Here. Councilman Newman? Here. Councilman Seegers? Here. Councilman Thibault? Here. Councilwoman Zemba? Here. Mayor Turner. Here. Jane, would you please confirm that the agenda this evening is the same as the true and published agenda? Yes, it is. Thank you, Jane. That being the case, ladies and gentlemen of the council, the people's business is duly and appropriately before us. First item on the agenda for this evening's meeting is floor discussion public comment. At this time, I would invite any member of the uh public to come forward to the podium in the middle of the room, and feel free to make their comments to the Woodstock City Council on any items not on this evening's agenda. Hi, my name is Gordon Venn and I live at 301 West Judge Street. And um I've just been talking with some people down at like Warp on the Square. And a lot of people are worried about like the uh crosswalk situation on Southeast Wood Drive and like the intersection by country club road. So I'm just wondering like, are there any plans for like future development there and that would like affect the pedestrian situation? Yeah, so um good good question. And crosswalks on and getting across 47's been an issue for a long time. So 47 is a state highway. And so they have control over how what gets built there. We could request um an overpass or something like that, but the reality is that we've looked at it, prior councils have looked at it, and it's into the multiple millions of dollars in order to do that. So with the re-engineering and widening of 47 that they're doing and scheduled to start next year, um part of that is to uh enhance the crosswalks as part of the as part of the project. Um that should help a bit. Will it make it you know 100% safe? No.
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