City of Kewanee City Council met Jan. 23.
Here are the minutes provided by the council:
The January 23rd, 2023, Council Meeting was called to order at 7:00pm. Councilmembers Colomer, Faber, Baker, and Komnick were present in Council Chambers. Mayor Moore was absent.
The consent agenda included the following items:
A. Minutes from the Council Meeting on January 9th.
B. Payroll for the pay period ending January 14th in the amount of $212,264.89.
C. Staff Reports.
A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Komnick and seconded by Councilmember Colomer. Discussion: none. Motion passed 4-0.
Bills for the Council Meeting of January 23rd, 2023 were presented in the amount of $451,673.40. A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Baker and seconded by Councilmember Komnick. Discussion: none. Motion passed 4-0.
Public Comments:
Father John Cramer of Holy Trinity Parish, Polish National Catholic Church of Kewanee spoke to the Council. He thanked them for their service to the community. He then stated his concern for the upcoming Pride Festival being planned for June. He asked the Council to not allow the festival.
New Business:
A. Consideration of Resolution #5385 awarding demolition work at 1209 June St to Martin Bros Companies Inc. A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: None. Motion passed 4-0.
B. Resolution #5386 authorizing the Mayor, City Manager, City Clerk, and City Attorney to execute documents that are necessary and proper to sell excess real estate located at 1st & Chestnut. A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Komnick. Discussion: Councilmember Colomer stated that he spoke to both bidders about their bids and their goals for the property. Mr. Gustafson mentioned that to be compliant with Ford, he needs to install a certain number of EV charging stations. This lot is the best place for him to do that. Mr. Moore wanted the lot for parking for his employees. It would be beneficial for all parties to take Mr. Gustafson’s bid and then work on an agreement with Mr. Moore to allow his employees to park in the lot the City would then own. This also opens other possibilities for the City and for Mr. Moore’s business. Those will be discussed in the future.
Council Communications:
Councilmember Colomer: He has been approached by multiple people questioning the number of vape shops coming to town. He wanted to let the public know that it is not the job or say of the Council to tell businesses they cannot operate in Kewanee. If businesses are following the rules, they will be allowed.
Councilmember Baker: He was also hearing things about the vape shops. Another concern is the number of recent shootings. He wanted to thank the Police Department for their work in getting these taken care of. He just wants to remind everyone to be safe and to think about their behavior. What you do can affect those you love and care about. He also let the Fire Department know they were doing a good job.
Councilmember Komnick: People may not realize that new businesses are putting a significant investment into our City. It’s not the right thing to bash new businesses. If you don’t like the business, you don’t have to go there. But others might. He wanted to commend the Police Department’s communication with the public in sharing the press releases. It helps stop the rumor mill and gets the information out there in a timely manner. He also supports the Fire Department and Public Works.
Councilmember Faber: He mentioned that during the upcoming budget talks, we need to work on getting the Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit back up. He spoke with Mayor Moore and wanted to let them know we were thinking about him and Mrs. Moore while she is receiving and recovering from recent medical treatments. He too supports the Police and Fire Departments.
Motion to adjourn was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Komnick. The meeting was adjourned at 7:27pm.
http://cms5.revize.com/revize/kewanee/Minutes%201-23-2023.pdf
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