City of Kewanee City Council met March 9.
Here are the minutes provided by the council:
The March 9, 2026, Council Meeting was called to order at 7:00pm in the Council Chambers. Councilmembers Colomer, Cernovich, Baker, and Komnick were present along with Mayor Moore, City Attorney Zac Lessard, and City Clerk Kasey Mitchell.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited, followed by a moment of silence for our troops. The Consent Agenda was presented with the following items:
A. Minutes from the Council Meetings on February 2 and 23, 2026.
B. Payroll for the pay period ending February 23rd in the amount of $245,485.32.
C. Staff Reports
D. FCC Street Closure Request
A motion to approve the consent agenda items was made by Councilmember Komnick and seconded by Councilmember Colomer. Motion passed 5-0.
Bills for March 9 Council meeting were presented in the amount of $382,716.04. A motion to approve payment of the bills was made by Councilmember Baker and seconded by Councilmember Cernovich. Discussion: Council asked for an explanation regarding the Amazon Prime charges. This is for a business account that was split up between all departments using it. There were also questions regarding Davenport Electric, Entec, Galesburg Builders and Hutchison that were all answered. Motion passed 5-0.
Fire Department Awards: Fire Chief Stephen Welgat gave a presentation on area residents and Fire Personnel who have recently saved lives because of their efforts. They were presented with awards showing appreciation for their acts.
Public Comments: None
New Business:
A. Presentation: Placer.ai
Matt Verdun with Placer.ai presented information to the Council about the company and what they offer. He demonstrated different options and showed reports that can be made. He described how it could be helpful for Economic Development, grant writing, streets, etc. Councilmembers asked some questions and would like to see more information from the Staff and Placer.ai before making any decisions.
B. Bill 26-20: Resolution awarding demolition of 314 S Cottage St.
A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: Council decided to go with the lowest bid for clean fill as this property is in a good neighborhood and has the potential for something to be built on it. Motion passed 5-0.
C. Bill 26-21: Resolution to affirm the Mayor’s recommendation for appointment to various Commissions and Boards.
A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Komnick and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: Councilmember Cernovich asked if this was a conflict of interest because of the recommendation’s connection to many of the Fire Personnel. She would have to recuse herself from any vote that directly impacted one of those members. Motion passed 5-0.
Council Communications:
Colomer: He explained how thankful he is for this community. His family experienced a lot recently and many people and organizations came together to support them and are continuing to do so.
Cernovich: None
Baker: He had talked with the Wethersfield Superintendent about a water line they would like to install that would help with their new garden. They are wondering if we could have some sort of agreement regarding the cost. Staff will investigate the situation and options.
Komnick: He is a huge proponent of everyone knowing CPR, so it was great to see the lives that were saved because of coworkers and bystanders who took action. He agreed that this community does know how to come together. He asked that everyone celebrate St. Patrick’s Day responsibly.
Mayor Communications:
Wethersfield School has two girls’ teams that have had fantastic seasons this year. First, the girls’ varsity basketball team recently competed in the super sectionals, the final step before competing at state. Unfortunately, they lost their bid for that state appearance, but it was a fantastic season. I know it was disappointing for them not to make that final step, but I am sure they are still extremely proud of their accomplishments. Everyone here is very proud of them.
Tonight, Wethersfield’s 7th grade Lady Geese are playing for a sectional championship. With a win at sectional, they will compete for a state title in Brimfield on March 13 and 14. These young ladies are undefeated at 23-0 and have never had a match enter a 3rd game all year.
The City of Kewanee got very good news. The numbers I am about to share are raw and have not been finalized. For the fourth quarter of 2025, the City’s retail sales were up from the same time in 2024 by 6.2%, with total sales reaching 77 million dollars in that fourth quarter. Overall, for the year 2025, Kewanee’s retail sales were up 9.4% for the year compared to 2024. And I would like to remind you, 2024 was a record sales year for Kewanee, so 2025 sets a record in sales. The totals sales for 2025 finished just under 300 million dollars at 297 million dollars. Also, bear in mind, these numbers, at this time, do not account for inflation, but I can assure you, a 9.4% increase more than covers any effect inflation would have on the sales numbers. I want to thank all Kewanee’s residents that shop local, and I would like to extend that thank you to all our area residents that travel to Kewanee for their shopping needs.
I recently had a conversation with a resident about licensed golf carts and similar vehicles being allowed on the streets of Kewanee. He was in a golf cart at the time and was happy the city finally addressed the issue. Then he went on to complain that Kewanee’s license fees were too high compared to several surrounding communities that he felt inclined to name. His next question was, and I quote, “so what’s Kewanee doing with all that money?” It sounded a little accusatory to me. I would like to invite that citizen, as well as any other person that may have questions concerning the city budget, to go to the city web page and do a little reading. Every penny the city spends is accounted for in our budget. Nothing is ever spent without being noted in our budget and every single council packet that goes before all council meetings. The budget and council packets are available to the public any time they wish to look at it.
Announcements: A reminder to residents that burn days will not begin until April and that is when landscape pickup will resume.
City Wide Clean-Up will be held Saturday June 6th from 7am to noon. For more details see our Facebook page or pick up a flier at City Hall.
The annual spring clean-up by cemetery staff in the Kewanee Cemeteries is scheduled to begin March 20, and end on March 31. During this period, all decorations will be picked up and discarded. Anyone wishing to save their decorations must pick them up before March 20. The Cemetery Department asks that no new decorations be put out until after the clean-up period has ended. This clean-up applies to Pleasant View, South Pleasant View, Mount Olivet, St. Mary’s, Kewanee, Russian, and Wethersfield Cemeteries. If there are any questions, please contact the Sexton’s office at 853-4649.
A motion to adjourn was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Cernovich. Motion passed 5-0 and the meeting adjourned at 8:50pm.
https://cms5.revize.com/revize/kewaneeillinois/Minutes%203-9-26.pdf?t=202603251445070&t=202603251445070
