OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Woodstock City Council Meeting Summary - October 21, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, October 21, 2025
BodyWoodstock, Illinois
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, October 21, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 38:55

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Well, good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

0:04

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

0:07

A few brief announcements before we get started.

0:09

First, that the agenda this evening will be shown on the monitors in the council chambers.

0:14

There are two opportunities for public comment.

0:17

First being at the start of the meeting under floor discussion.

0:20

Members of the public may come forward to the podium in the middle of the room.

0:22

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

0:26

Feel free to make comments to the Woodstock City Council on any items not on this evening's agenda.

0:31

Second opportunity for public comment will be when we take act uh have items for action.

0:35

There will be an opportunity for the public to provide input on those specific items as well.

0:40

The City of Woodstock operates under what's called a consent format.

0:43

Consent format means that our consent uh format means that all items uh will be considered in it for action this evening will be considered in a single motion in a single vote.

0:52

If the member of the city council wishes to have an item removed for separate consideration and voting, they may request that to be removed and it will be separately considered.

0:59

Member of the public may wish to have an item separately removed, and if agreed to by a member of the city council, that item too will be removed for separate consideration and voting.

1:09

Any any questions on those announcements before we get started?

1:13

All right, hearing none, I'll go ahead and officially call the order this October 21st meeting of the Woodstock City Council to order and ask Jane to please call the roll.

1:20

Councilman Flynn.

1:22

Here.

1:22

Councilman Hansen.

1:23

Here.

1:24

Councilwoman McMahon.

1:25

Here.

1:25

Councilman Nearman.

1:26

Here.

1:26

Councilman Seegers.

1:27

Here.

1:28

Councilwoman Ziembah.

1:29

Here.

1:29

Mayor Turner.

1:30

Here.

1:30

Well, the record reflect that all members of the Woodstock City Council are present and in the chambers this evening.

1:36

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

1:41

Yes, it is.

1:42

Thank you, Jane.

1:42

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

1:47

The first item on this evening's agenda is floor discussion.

1:51

And at this time I would invite members of the public to come forward to the podium in the middle of the room.

1:55

Feel free to make comments to the Woodstock City Council on any items and not on this evening's agenda.

2:04

Okay.

2:06

Good evening.

2:07

My name is Andrew Salantano.

2:10

And for the uh past 15 years, Mark Endike and myself have been working with high school kids to do projects for the City of Woodstock.

2:19

Last year was apparently the last time we're going to have that here.

2:25

You're not going to have the kids making presentations in May like we did last time because we don't have a program.

2:32

This whole project depends on not only volunteers, but your uh imprint or to keep on going and the school district.

2:42

We do not have for this year any kids that have signed up for this program, which for the folks that uh are unaware of it.

2:50

There is an organization called Project Lead the Way that is a national program for students that are in the STEM world, science, technology, engineering, and math.

3:02

These kids we'd had were engineering students and they worked on a real project for this city, and they had to make a presentation and they had to make a um a uh a write-up.

3:16

And uh I remember vividly a couple of a couple of years ago, the kids would say, Well, how big has does the report have to be?

3:24

And all I said was it's got to be complete.

3:27

And I think it was last year or the year before we got 32 pages worth of, which you all have where the city has a copy of, both a digital copy and a paper copy.

3:38

Um this whole program depends on the three legs the the volunteers, the city, and the school district.

3:47

One of them goes away, the stool falls over.

3:52

Um Parks Commission did a presentation with some kids.

3:58

Um I don't know how many about four, maybe four years ago.

4:02

Um we started off because we were a commission.

4:06

I was the chairman of the Transportation Commission.

4:08

And with that sort of um quasi authority, I guess, we were able to do this program and made it go for quite a while.

4:17

And apparently it looks like it may have died.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Youth Programs█████████████████████████████████████████████57%
Public Works████████████████20%
Community Engagement██████7%
Parks and Recreation██████7%
Procedural█████6%
Fiscal Sustainability██3%
Summary of Proceedings

Woodstock City Council Meeting Summary - October 21, 2025

The Woodstock City Council met in regular session on October 21, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. All council members were present. The meeting included floor discussion, approval of the consent calendar, and a look at future agenda items.

Consent Calendar

  • Council approved the consent calendar in a single motion moved by Councilman Flynn and seconded by Councilman Hansen; all members voted yes.
  • Items included acceptance of City Council minutes from September 22, 2025 (workshop) and October 7, 2025; warrants #4168 and #4169; and minutes/reports from the Board of Police Commissioners (September 15, 2025), Environmental Commission (October 2, 2025), Historic Preservation Commission (September 15, 2025), and Plan Commission (September 18, 2025).
  • Manager's Report No. 280 items: (280a) an ordinance authorizing sale/disposal of surplus city vehicles and heavy equipment, including via GovDeals.com; and (280b) a resolution authorizing purchase of six Axon Taser 10 devices for $21,600, with costs to be reimbursed 100% through an Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS) grant agreement.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Andrew Salantano and Mark Endike, volunteer coordinators for Project Lead the Way, said the high school STEM program may end after 15 years because no students signed up this year. They said the program depends on volunteers, the city, and the school district, and asked the council to encourage school promotion. They noted the city has been supportive; a past project won a national award, beating 12,600 schools, and at least two students received $5,000 grants, with one student also receiving a $15,000 scholarship after presenting the program. Several council members praised the program and suggested alumni testimonials and parent outreach. Mayor Turner offered to speak with Superintendent Mike Moen. One council member noted District 200 canceled its incubator program this year due to lack of student interest.
  • Guy Muton, an 11-year Woodstock resident, opposed the city's mandated garbage collection program, saying mailed and email notices did not clearly state it would be mandatory, and he is seeking a petition. Mayor Turner said the city extensively studied alternatives, could not preserve the old sticker-only option, and chose a mandatory program because industry vendors and public health requirements led to that outcome. He stated regular residential rates dropped from roughly $27-$28 to about $24.25, seniors pay $10.50, and a financial assistance program exists. He acknowledged not all 8,000 residents came out ahead and said the city cannot open the signed contract. A council member noted they own a business, pay for a dumpster, and still voted for the program.

Council Comments

  • Council members commended Public Works for fall plantings on the square and brick repairs, and the Parks/Recreation Department and marketing staff for the zombie walk at Riders Woods, describing it as well attended and a great use of the park.

Future Agenda Items

  • Future agenda items were noted for the November 4 and November 18 meetings. Mayor Turner indicated he would not be present at the November 4 meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • The consent calendar was approved unanimously (7-0), including minutes, warrants, reports, and Manager's Report No. 280 items; no items were removed for separate consideration.
  • Mayor Turner agreed to follow up with the school district about Project Lead the Way.
  • No council action was taken on the garbage contract comment; Mayor Turner said the contract cannot be opened.
  • The council adjourned by voice vote on a motion by Councilwoman McMahon, seconded by Councilman Seegers, to the next regular meeting on November 4, 2025, at 7:00 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Well, good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to this evening's meeting of the Woodstock City Council. A few brief announcements before we get started. First, that the agenda this evening will be shown on the monitors in the council chambers. There are two opportunities for public comment. First being at the start of the meeting under floor discussion. Members of the public may come forward to the podium in the middle of the room. If they're willing to do so, state your name and address for purpose of the record. Feel free to make comments to the Woodstock City Council on any items not on this evening's agenda. Second opportunity for public comment will be when we take act uh have items for action. There will be an opportunity for the public to provide input on those specific items as well. The City of Woodstock operates under what's called a consent format. Consent format means that our consent uh format means that all items uh will be considered in it for action this evening will be considered in a single motion in a single vote. If the member of the city council wishes to have an item removed for separate consideration and voting, they may request that to be removed and it will be separately considered. Member of the public may wish to have an item separately removed, and if agreed to by a member of the city council, that item too will be removed for separate consideration and voting. Any any questions on those announcements before we get started? All right, hearing none, I'll go ahead and officially call the order this October 21st meeting of the Woodstock City Council to order and ask Jane to please call the roll. Councilman Flynn. Here. Councilman Hansen. Here. Councilwoman McMahon. Here. Councilman Nearman. Here. Councilman Seegers. Here. Councilwoman Ziembah. Here. Mayor Turner. Here. Well, the record reflect that all members of the Woodstock City Council are present and in the chambers this evening. Jane, I'll ask you to 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, the council of the people's business is duly and appropriately before us. The first item on this evening's agenda is floor discussion. And at this time I would invite members of the public to come forward to the podium in the middle of the room. Feel free to make comments to the Woodstock City Council on any items and not on this evening's agenda. Okay. Good evening. My name is Andrew Salantano. And for the uh past 15 years, Mark Endike and myself have been working with high school kids to do projects for the City of Woodstock. Last year was apparently the last time we're going to have that here. You're not going to have the kids making presentations in May like we did last time because we don't have a program. This whole project depends on not only volunteers, but your uh imprint or to keep on going and the school district. We do not have for this year any kids that have signed up for this program, which for the folks that uh are unaware of it. There is an organization called Project Lead the Way that is a national program for students that are in the STEM world, science, technology, engineering, and math. These kids we'd had were engineering students and they worked on a real project for this city, and they had to make a presentation and they had to make a um a uh a write-up. And uh I remember vividly a couple of a couple of years ago, the kids would say, Well, how big has does the report have to be?

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