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Record of Proceedings

Woodstock City Council Meeting July 21, 2026: Consent Agenda, TIF #3, and 200 E. Judd Street Acquisition

City Council — Tuesday, July 21, 2026
BodyWoodstock, Illinois
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, July 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 54:41

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:01

I was actually well good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

0:04

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

0:09

A few brief announcements before we get started.

0:12

Uh the agenda and contents of the meeting will be shown on the uh screens in the front and back of the room.

0:19

A reminder that the meeting is being live streamed and recorded and posted out to the uh city's uh website.

0:27

Uh the city operates under what's called a consent format.

0:30

Consent format means that all items for action this evening will be considered in a single motion and a single vote.

0:35

A member of the Woodstock City Council may request an item to be to remove from the consent calendar and it will be removed and considered in a separate motion and a separate vote.

0:45

Member of public may also request an item to be removed but for separate consideration and voting, and if agreed to by a member of the Woodstock City Council, that item as well will be removed and voted and separately considered and voted upon.

0:58

There are two opportunities for public comment this evening.

1:00

The first being at the start of the meeting under floor discussion public comment.

1:05

Members of the public are welcome to come forward at that time to the podium in the middle of the room.

1:09

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

1:13

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

1:18

And then when we have items for action, members of the public will also have an opportunity to provide comments prior to any vote.

1:26

Any questions on those announcements before we get started?

1:31

All right, hearing none, I'll go ahead and officially call an order this July 21st, 2026 meeting of the Woodstock City Council to order and ask Jane to please call the roll.

1:41

Councilman Flynn.

1:42

Here.

1:43

Councilman Hansen.

1:44

Here.

1:45

Councilwoman McMahon.

1:46

Here.

1:47

Councilman Nearman.

1:48

Here.

1:48

Councilman Seegers?

1:49

Here.

1:49

Councilwoman Ziemba.

1:50

Here.

1:51

Mayor Turner.

1:52

Here.

1:52

Let the record reflect all seven members of Woodstock City Council are present and in chambers this evening.

1:57

Jane, can you please confirm that the agenda is the same as the true and published agenda?

2:02

Yes, it is.

2:02

Thank you, Jane.

2:03

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

2:08

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

2:12

And under floor discussion, the first item is public comment.

2:15

At this time, I invite members of the public to come forward to the podium in the middle of the room.

2:19

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

2:22

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

2:39

Good evening.

2:52

UW Madison Police canceled their flock safety contract in a statement they said they said they are looking for another vendor that better meets UW Madison's public safety needs while also addressing campus community concerns expressed about contracting with Flock to provide this technology.

3:10

Los Angeles Police Department let their contract with Flock Safety expire.

3:15

LAPD Chief Information Officer Dean Gilamus said this contract is not being renewed because of serious concerns around civil liberties and civil rights issues, particularly around privacy and the data that is being collected from these cameras.

3:30

Harrisonburg, Connecticut canceled their contract with FLOC.

3:33

Mayor Deanna Reed said we don't want anyone that calls Harrisonburg home to be living in fear, have anxieties, or not feel protected or safe.

3:42

We might not share this data.

3:44

That doesn't mean that somebody can't get a hold of it.

3:47

Get a hold of what we have.

3:48

The safest safest thing to do is just not use it at all.

3:53

Windsor, Connecticut is ending their contract with Flock Safety.

3:56

Mayor Nunchette Black Burke said this tool is important.

4:00

The vendor is not what we want.

4:02

We had to part ways with this private vendor for the safety of our citizens.

4:06

Syracuse, New York canceled their contract with Flock Safety.

4:09

Syracuse Common Councilor Jimmy Monto said, I'm glad they're gone, but I'm not thrilled that anyone is still using them.

4:17

I think that anyone who takes a look at their practices will come to the decision that maybe they should not rethink being in business with them with them.

4:25

South Portland, Maine, City Council voted 5-2 to immediately end the city's use of Flock's automatic license plate reading devices, even though the contract with them expires in February 2027.

4:38

Five counselors said there are too many unknowns about the data security access and use within the nationwide network to continue using the cameras.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████22%
Community Engagement██████████████████████22%
Economic Development█████████████████████21%
Affordable Housing█████████████████17%
Fiscal Sustainability█████████9%
Technology and Innovation█████5%
Public Safety████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Woodstock City Council Meeting - July 21, 2026

The Woodstock City Council met on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers, with Mayor Turner presiding and all seven council members present. The council approved a consent agenda that included the establishment of a new Tax Increment Financing district (TIF #3), then separately debated and unanimously approved the $350,000 purchase of 200 E. Judd Street. All agenda votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved unanimously: June 30, 2026 special meeting minutes; warrants #4204-#4206; Historic Preservation Commission minutes from June 15, 2026; Plan Commission minutes from June 18, 2026; and Manager's Report No. 297 commission appointments.
  • Manager's Report No. 297 ordinances and resolutions approved in the consent block included:
    • Deleting certain property from TIF #2 so the parcels could be added to proposed TIF #3.
    • Three ordinances establishing the Downtown Gateway and Station Area Redevelopment Project Area #3 (TIF #3): approval of the redevelopment plan, designation of the project area, and adoption of tax increment financing.
    • A site agreement with Verizon Wireless for telecommunication equipment on the McConnell Road Water Tower.
    • Acquisition of the property at 200 E. Judd Street (removed for separate vote).
    • Repeal of the amended and restated redevelopment agreement with KEBB CS-WK for the Downtown Hotel Project.
    • A zoning map amendment and Special Use Permit Planned Unit Development for Legacy Village.
    • An Otis Elevator Company contract to modernize the City Hall elevator for $141,343 plus a $20,000 cab interior upgrade, for a total of $161,343, with 90% prepayment authorized to secure a 3% discount.
    • A Midwest Well Services contract for Well #13 Phase 2 pumping equipment and Well #11 abandonment, not to exceed $330,512.
    • A Joint Funding Agreement for the Melody Lane Bridge Replacement Project and a Baxter & Woodman Phase II engineering services agreement not to exceed $154,353.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • A resident, addressed by the Mayor as Mr. Francis, spoke during floor discussion against the city's use of Flock Safety automatic license plate readers. He cited contract cancellations by UW-Madison Police, the Los Angeles Police Department, and other jurisdictions, and noted that South Portland, Maine's City Council voted 5-2 to end use of Flock devices even though its contract ran to February 2027. He also stated that a friend's Freedom of Information Act request found that Flock Safety had no Woodstock audit logs prior to January 1, 2026, despite company claims of transparency and immutable audit logs. He said no response had been received from Mayor Turner or Councilmen Hansen, Nearman, or Seegers.

Council Comments

  • Councilman Tom Flynn said he voted for the license plate readers because, in a Northwest Herald report about a girl abducted from a bike and sexually assaulted, Flock license plate readers helped catch the perpetrator. He also thanked the city on behalf of the Gavers Cancer Community Foundation for the 26th annual Barn Dance, reporting record-breaking live auction and bucket raffle totals, and noted the foundation has raised well over $11 million to date with zero paid employees and 100% of profits funding cancer research.
  • Councilwoman Natalie Ziemba thanked the Woodstock Fireworks Foundation, city staff, Woodstock Fire Rescue District, Woodstock PD, vendors, volunteers, and donors for a well-attended July 4th fireworks event despite rainy weather, noting the event celebrated 250 years of U.S. independence.
  • The Mayor and another council member echoed thanks for the Barn Dance and July 4th events.

Discussion Items

  • TIF #3 overview (D3): At Councilman Nearman's request, City Manager Roscoe Stelford and staff member Jessica explained the three ordinances required by statute to establish TIF #3. The project area includes the DICAS site, the public works site, and surrounding neighborhoods. Because the city owns the vast majority of the property, the base EAV is effectively zero, meaning new development at the DICAS site would be 100% captured by the TIF. State law reserves 25% of the additional increment to help offset school district costs for students new to the district, reduced by state aid. The Mayor added that TIF does not increase property taxes and that TIF #2 currently generates about $1.2 million in additional revenue each year and is growing.
  • 200 E. Judd Street acquisition (D5): Councilman Bob Seegers removed D5 from the consent calendar for separate debate. City staff confirmed the parcel is zoned B2C downtown business; multifamily development up to 25 units is permitted, with a special use required above that. Seegers said he was "on the struggle bus" because the city already owns a substantial inventory of vacant property, TIF #2 is in a deficit position, and recent road, courthouse, Route 47, and other projects have increased debt service. Mayor Turner and city staff responded that the city has held its bond rating, the budget is more than $90 million, the purchase can be funded, and city ownership of strategically located property helps attract developers. Landowner Tom Wilson, speaking from the gallery, said he bought the property, paid cash, spent over $1 million cleaning it up, and turned down higher offers he believed would bring bad development; he offered it to the city for $350,000. Several council members supported the purchase as completing a strategic downtown puzzle, while acknowledging the need for fiscal caution.

Key Outcomes

  • The consent agenda, items A through D10 with the exception of D5, was approved unanimously on a single roll-call vote.
  • D5, the ordinance authorizing acquisition of 200 E. Judd Street from Hardwire Investments, LLC for $350,000 using TIF #2 funds, was approved unanimously after separate discussion.
  • All consent contracts were approved, including the $161,343 Otis elevator modernization, the $330,512 Well #13 Phase 2 contract, and the $154,353 Melody Lane Bridge Phase II engineering agreement.
  • The meeting adjourned to the next regular meeting on August 4, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

I was actually well good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Um I'd like to welcome you this evening uh to this evening's meeting of the Woodstock City Council. A few brief announcements before we get started. Uh the agenda and contents of the meeting will be shown on the uh screens in the front and back of the room. A reminder that the meeting is being live streamed and recorded and posted out to the uh city's uh website. Uh the city 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 and a single vote. A member of the Woodstock City Council may request an item to be to remove from the consent calendar and it will be removed and considered in a separate motion and a separate vote. Member of public may also request an item to be removed but for separate consideration and voting, and if agreed to by a member of the Woodstock City Council, that item as well will be removed and voted and separately considered and voted upon. There are two opportunities for public comment this evening. The first being at the start of the meeting under floor discussion public comment. Members of the public are welcome to come forward at that time to the podium in the middle of the room. If they're willing to do so, state the name 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. And then when we have items for action, members of the public will also have an opportunity to provide comments prior to any vote. Any questions on those announcements before we get started? All right, hearing none, I'll go ahead and officially call an order this July 21st, 2026 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 Ziemba. Here. Mayor Turner. Here. Let the record reflect all seven members of Woodstock City Council are present and in chambers this evening. Jane, can you please confirm that the agenda 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. The first item on this evening's agenda is floor discussion. And under floor discussion, the first item is public comment. At this time, I invite members of the public to come forward 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 to the Woodstock City Council on any items not on this evening's agenda. Good evening. UW Madison Police canceled their flock safety contract in a statement they said they said they are looking for another vendor that better meets UW Madison's public safety needs while also addressing campus community concerns expressed about contracting with Flock to provide this technology. Los Angeles Police Department let their contract with Flock Safety expire. LAPD Chief Information Officer Dean Gilamus said this contract is not being renewed because of serious concerns around civil liberties and civil rights issues, particularly around privacy and the data that is being collected from these cameras. Harrisonburg, Connecticut canceled their contract with FLOC. Mayor Deanna Reed said we don't want anyone that calls Harrisonburg home to be living in fear, have anxieties, or not feel protected or safe. We might not share this data. That doesn't mean that somebody can't get a hold of it. Get a hold of what we have.

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