Rock Island Today

City of Kewanee City Council met Feb. 24.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

The February 24th, 2025, Council Meeting was called to order at 6:03pm. Councilmembers Komnick, Colomer, Faber, and Baker were present, along with Mayor Moore, City Manager Gary Bradley, City Attorney Zac Lessard, and City Clerk Kasey Mitchell

A motion to go into Closed Session to discuss Personnel Section 2(c)(1), Collective Bargaining Section 2(c)(2), Sale or Lease of Real Estate Section 2(c)(6), and Discussion of Closed Meeting Minutes Section 2(c)(21) was made by Councilmember Faber and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Motion passed 5-0.

A motion to adjourn to Regular Session was made by Councilmember Baker and seconded by Councilmember Faber. Motion passed 5-0 and Closed Session adjourned at 6:51pm.

The February 24th, 2025, Council Meeting was called to order at 7:01pm in the Council Chambers. Councilmembers Komnick, Colomer, Faber, and Baker were present, along with Mayor Moore, City Manager Gary Bradley, 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 Meeting on February 10, 2025, and minutes from Closed Meetings on February 10.

B. Payroll for the pay period ending February 8th in the amount of $231,322.53.

C. Staff Reports

D. Bock Report

E. FCC Easter Street Closure Request

A motion to approve the consent agenda items was made by Councilmember Komnick and seconded by Councilmember Faber. Motion passed 5-0.

Bills for February 24th Council Meeting were presented in the amount of $294,982.52.

A motion to approve payment of the bills was made by Councilmember Faber and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: None. Motion passed 5-0.

Public Comments: None.

New Business: None

Council Communications:

Komnick: He asked how residents can report potholes. They can call or email City Hall with details. They will then be passed to Public Works.

Colomer: He wanted to know if Staff had met with LRS and were receiving numbers about calls. Staff have met with LRS and request updates to the number of calls they receive.

Faber: Nothing

Baker: He attended the local Black History Extravaganza. He thanks Etta LaFlora and her committee for putting together a great event. He also congratulated the winners of the essay contest and thanked the Commission on Human Relations for sponsoring the contest.

Mayor’s Communications:

The Wethersfield Lady Geese won their regional match this past week and will now face Illini Bluff tomorrow night at 7:30pm in the opening round of sectional play at United High school in Monmouth. Good luck, Lady Geese.

The Central Steamers wrestling team recently competed in regionals. They had 9 members of their team qualify for sectionals. Two Steamer wrestlers, Quintin Wier and Cruz Cortez, were regional champions. Other team members qualifying for sectionals were Ryan Conway, Oakley Murphy, Carter Swearingen, Steele Martin, Ayden Gros, Wyatt Smith, and Brayden Kell. Congratulations to all these young men.

Wethersfield’s 6th grade boys recently finished up their league play in Woodhull and did so going undefeated. They are a very talented group, and I am very anxious to see what their future has in store for them.

The Golden Apple Award is a nationwide award that recognizes excellence in teaching and leadership. Kendra Callahan, an agriculture teacher at Kewanee High School, was named a finalist for the Golden Apple Award. It is an honor just to be recognized as a finalist. For those of us that know Kendra, they know how passionate she is in everything she does, but especially when it comes to her students. Congratulations Kendra on a very deserving accolade.

I have been mayor for 6 years now, and in those 6 years I have taken a lot of backlashes from people. In some cases, those people have no idea what they are talking about and are just plain wrong. In other cases, I am blamed for things that should have been taken care of by other people employed by the city. I am tired of being the punching bag. I will accept the blame, but I will not apologize. Things need to be done, and they need to be done better. From this point forward, all city employees will be held to a standard that Kewanee deserves. I will not accept excuses. I want to see results.

This next item is an actionable item. I want to see a plan for West South Street; when it will be resurfaced and when the striping will be completed. That is a major thoroughfare and is not only used by the majority of Kewanee residence, but also by many people from the surrounding area. I am guessing I am not the only one still receiving complaints about W. 6th St. We need a plan in place so we can give residence a definitive answer. “I don’t know” will no longer an option.

Announcements: None

A motion to adjourn was made by Councilmember Komnick and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Motion passed 5-0 and the meeting was adjourned at 7:11pm.

https://cms5.revize.com/revize/kewaneeillinois/Minutes%202-24-25.pdf