Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

Uh welcome to this evening's meeting of the Woodstock City Council.

Before we get started, I have a few brief announcements.

Uh first off, I'd like to say that the overwhelming attendance this evening is because of my guest starring in the role of mayor, but uh I understand there's something much more important going on.

So um the few agenda uh agendas are uh will be shown on the screens around the room.

Uh the City of Woodstock operates under what is known as a consent format, which means all items for action this evening will be considered under a single motion and single vote.

Um if a council member would like to have an item removed and separately considered and voted upon, they may make that request, and the item will be removed from the consent agenda and be considered under a separate vote.

If a member member of the public would like to have an item removed and separately considered and voted upon, they may make that request, and if agreed by a member of council, um it will be considered on removed and considered under separate vote.

There will be two opportunities for public comment.

Uh one at the start of the meeting under floor discussion.

Members of the public may come to the podium in the center of the room, state their name and address for the record if they are comfortable doing so and comment on items not on this evening's agenda.

Uh the second time is um when we are proposing items for action.

Uh members of the public will have the opportunity to make comments on those items prior to a vote.

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

Wonderful.

Hearing none, there we go.

Um at this time, I would like to call this May 20th, 2025 meeting of the Woodstock City Council to order and ask the clerk to please call the roll.

Okay, Councilman Hansen.

Here.

Councilwoman McMahon.

Here.

Councilman Nearman.

Here.

Councilman Seegers.

Here.

Councilwoman Ziamba.

Here.

Mayor Turner.

Deputy Mayor Flynn.

Here.

Let the record reflect that six of the seven members of the Woodstock City Council are present this evening.

Uh Bernie, will you please confirm that the agenda this evening is the same as the true and published agenda?

It is.

All right.

All right, we've got that.

We've got going good.

All right.

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

Uh the first item this evening under floor discussion is um a swearing-in of Woodstock police officers.

If we could have the chief take the podium, please.

Just a few words, uh, Deputy Mayor.

Thank you.

Number one, thank you for allowing us to do this in this forum.

Um this is a big deal.

Um for everyone who's wear wearing a uniform tonight, and especially for our two officers this evening.

They have had to prove themselves over and over and over again, similar to Groundhog Day.

Every day.

Um they had through their application process, they had to prove themselves to the BOPC that they had the potential to become police officers.

Once they were selected and hired, they went down to the academy and went through four months of rigorous training to reach graduation and then become certified law enforcement officers.

But it didn't end there.

Once they came back to Woodstock, they had to go through 90 train working days of field training process with the field training cadre under the tutelage of uh Sarn Copola.

That's not easy getting to this day for these officers.

So again, it is a benchmark moment going from field training into solo patrol as part of their police career.

So we again we we look at this time in someone's career as that that upward trajectory of wherever they plan on taking their career.

Another thing that you have heard me say time and time again is this is all about families.

Um tonight we're welcome, we're we're recognizing them for their achievements, showing that they've got the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do this job, but they're swearing that oath yet again in front of families, not only the Woodstock police family, but also their biological families.

And tonight it goes a little bit further.

You're going to see that the individuals who pin their badges onto their uh chests are also law enforcement here in McHenry County, whether it's a deputy chief for Lake in the Hills or uh a stepfather for from Lake and Deputy Chief for Lake in the Hills, and or a brother who works for the County Sheriff's Office.

So with that, I'd like to turn the floor over to Mr.

Giordano.