Rock Island Today

City of Kewanee City Council met April 28.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

The April 28th, 2025, Council Meeting was called to order at 6:02pm. Councilmembers Colomer, Cernovich, Baker, and Komnick 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), and Discussion of Closed Meeting Minutes Section 2(c)(21) was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Komnick. Motion passed 5-0.

A motion to adjourn to Regular Session was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: None. Motion passed 5-0. Closed Session was adjourned at 7:04pm.

The April 28th, 2025, Council Meeting was called to order at 7:14pm in the Council Chambers. Councilmembers Colomer, Cernovich, Baker, and Komnick 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.

Swearing in of incumbent Tyrone Baker and incoming Councilmember Adam Cernovich. Both were sworn in by the City Clerk and then took their seats on the Council.

The Consent Agenda was presented with the following items:

A. Minutes from the Closed Session and the Council Meeting on April 14, 2025.

B. Payroll for the pay period ending April 19th in the amount of $229,555.66.

C. Staff Reports

D. Bock Report

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

Bills for the Council Meeting of April 28th were presented in the amount of $246,149.95. A motion to approve payment of the bills was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Komnick. Discussion: Councilmember Komnick asked about ChatGPT and if there was City-wide archiving for this. The police do and the rest of the City is working on policies. He also asked about the ICC charge. That was a fine for hitting a marked utility. Motion passed 5-0.

Public Comments:

New Business:

A. Bill 25-33 Resolution to authorize the City Manager to execute a three-year collective bargaining agreement with American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 764.

This resolution, as well as the next two, were table from our April 14 meeting. We requested additional information from the city manager. Once approved, this bill will execute a 3 -year collective bargaining agreement with American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 764. AFSCME represents our public works employees and our front-end clerks at city hall.

A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: None. Motion passed 5-0.

B. Bill 25-34 Resolution to authorize the City Manager to execute a three-year collective bargaining agreement with International Association of Fire Fighters Local 513. We have a working contract with the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 513 that will soon expire. This resolution will allow the city to enter into an agreement with our fire department members for the next three years.

A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Baker and seconded by Councilmember Komnick. Discussion: None. Motion passed 5-0.

C. Bill 25-34 Resolution to authorize the City Manager to execute a three-year collective bargaining agreement with Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 233.

This resolution will authorize the city manager, on behalf of the city, to enter into a 3-year collective bargaining agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police Local 233. FOP represents not only police officers, but all our telecommunicators as well. A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Komnick and seconded by Councilmember Cernovich. Discussion: None. Motion passed 5-0.

D. Bill 25-36 Resolution expressing the intent of the City Council regarding water service related to multiple properties owned by Kewanee Properties LLC.

A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Cernovich. Discussion: Councilmember Cernovich asked the City Attorney to explain this process and the City’s options. The City has been in discussions with all parties. The current receiver will pay from the date he took over and moving forward. The City can choose how to handle the amount that accrued during the previous receiver. Approving this resolution does not take away any of our options for collecting any previous amounts. This simply states that if someone does not pay moving forward, the City can shut the water off at these locations. Motion passed 5-0.

E. Bill 25-37 Resolution expressing the City’s intent regarding Tax Increment Financing for development by KTown Real Estate, LLC.

A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Baker and seconded by Councilmember Colomer. Discussion: Chris Roginski was present to represent the LLC. He informed the Council of details regarding the construction and services that will be offered. The full cost of the project is nearing $1.9 million. They expect to have a wide radius of customers. The Council discussed funding options and all parties agreed to the funding of up to $220,161.61 of eligible expenses. Motion passed 4-0 with one abstention from Councilmember Cernovich due to a family connection.

F. Bill 25-38 Ordinance amending Section 94.26 Possession, Sale or Use of Fireworks established in the City of Kewanee Code of Ordinances.

This was a request at our last council meeting during public participation. Collin Riley, co owner of the fireworks vendor doing business in Kewanee, requested additional days to operate his business beyond what is currently allowed by ordinance. Because July 4th falls on a Friday this year, Mr. Riley requested to have sales extended for one additional day. The proposed ordinance change would allow for that additional day of sales. A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Komnick. Discussion: A motion to amend the Ordinance to state “the Saturday immediately following July 4th or two days after July 4th, whichever is less” was made by Councilmember Cernovich and seconded by Councilmember Colomer. The motion to amend passed 5-0. Motion to approve passed 5-0.

G. Bill 25-39 Ordinance granting a request for variance to St. John Paull II Parish at 410 West Central Blvd.

St. John Paul II Parish located at 410 W. Central Blvd. has requested a variance to the city’s ordinance on allowable signs. Right now, the church owns a operates a lighted, static sign. They would like to install a sign capable of changing colors, messages, and designs. A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: There was a concern about the direction that the sign would face. The LED lights can be bright and that might disturb neighbors. Even if the direction were changed, that could affect other neighbors. The Council asked a representative from the church to go back to their committee and discuss the options of moving and/or changing specifications of the sign. The representative said he would like to go back and discuss it more and look at options before returning to the Council for approval. Councilmembers Baker and Colomer withdrew their motions to approve. A motion to table was made by Councilmember Cernovich and seconded by Councilmember Colomer. Motion to table passed 5-0.

H. Bill 25-40 Resolution expressing the City’s intent regarding Tax Increment Financing for development by Flemish Club.

A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Komnick and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: The Flemish is a not-for-profit and does not pay property taxes. Does the Council want to give TIF monies to a property that would not show a tax increment for the work being done? The Council determined that they would like more information regarding the TIF application to better discuss options. Councilmembers Baker and Komnick withdrew their motions to approve. A motion to table was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Cernovich. Motion to table passed 5-0.

I. Bill 25-41 Resolution expressing the City’s intent regarding Tax Increment Financing for development by VanDeVelde Wellness Center.

A motion to approve was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Komnick. Discussion: Chad VanDeVelde was present to discuss his application. He has recently brought a new cutting-edge service to the area. This has caused some electrical and HVAC issues at his office. He is asking for TIF monies to help pay for these upgrades. Councilmember Cernovich noted that TIF money should be used to help get things moving for new or struggling businesses. TIF should not be used for an established business that has seen an increase due to services. He then asked if they had considered other financing options. Motion passed 4-1 with Councilmember Cernovich being the sole Nay vote.

J. Proclamation: Motorcycle Awareness Month

The Mayor read a proclamation to show the City’s intent on awareness and safety for all persons operating motorcycles on our city streets.

K. Discussion Only: Business License

This will be a discussion pertaining to massage establishments.

There is a concern about local businesses that claim to be massage therapists but do not seem to be licensed through the State. Creating a license through the City would allow the us to make sure the building is up to code and that proper licenses are in place. Council agreed that they would like to see something written up regarding this type of license.

L. Discussion Only: Updating Sale of Deleterious Drugs Prohibited Ordinance This discussion item will pertain to updating the “sale of deleterious drugs prohibited: ordinance.

There is an issue with businesses selling items they should not be. Updating our Ordinance to meet other laws would allow the Police Department to handle issues with the sales when they are discovered. Council agreed that they would like to see something in writing for the next meeting.

Council Communications:

Cernovich: He thanked the residents for their support. He is blessed to be on the Council and he looks forward to working with everyone. He also congratulated the Wieblers who now own the Harley Davidson shop in town and offered thanks to the Packee family for their commitment to Kewanee.

Colomer: He welcomed Councilmember Cernovich to the Council and congratulated him on his recent Coast Guard Retirement. He also congratulated Councilmember Baker on his re election. As a reminder, when the weather gets warmer, kids tend to be out more. Please pay attention when backing out of driveways and on the streets.

Baker: He congratulated Councilmember Cernovich and welcomed him to the Council. Komnick: He also congratulated Councilmembers Cernovich and Baker. He also thanked those watching and in attendance for sticking with them during a long meeting.

Mayor’s Communications: He offered condolences to the family of Edith Alred who was a long-time tele-communicator for the City of Kewanee.

Park District soccer has started. Be aware when driving through the park.

The traffic light at Main and Prospect seems to be having issues. The sensors aren’t working and the green light for Prospect is longer than the green light for Main St.

Announcements: None

A motion to adjourn was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: None. Motion passed 5-0 and the meeting was adjourned at 9:28pm.

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