B. The appliances were rusted and the overall conditions were terrible, but despite all of this, these boys were nothing but respectful and gracious.


It's embarrassing to see how Freeport and Highland are treating these young athletes who chose to join our community for a shot at a better life.


We should all be ashamed of this. Now let's bring this full circle, which is why I wanted to speak ahead of time.


The bike path expansion can wait. I urge you all to get a hold of Highland and let them know that there is a better use for for their $330,000 input into this plan.


It would be better spent on helping these student athletes and others under their care succeed.


Rather than another four miles of bike path only benefiting the west side of town, we had to hear a lot of talk about how much you all love the children when it came to possibly spending $1 million of taxpayer money on a water main extension to open Bible.


So where is that heartfelt energy when it comes to these 49 kids. We cannot continue to neglect our residents, visitors, and infrastructure and expect our population to stop declining, businesses to return, and the drugs and guns to disappear.


If you truly want to represent this community, now is the time to step up and take real action.


Thank you. Are there any other, Wendy? Good evening, Council. My name is Wendy Pearson, for those of you that don't know, there were a couple of things that were said that I'd like to put some clarification on.


First of all, when we talk about bids in this town, the question I was going to ask is how many bids, how often are there three bidders on any contract in this town, and Darren happened to answer that with a question, with an answer to the fact that they put out for three bidders and got none.


How often are the bike and walking trails utilized in this town and who's utilizing them?


Some of you know my background is in minority business and contracts and specifications. So when you talk this, Darren knows I know what you're talking about.


As far as an increase in salaries, I think the City of Freeport citizens have the right to know what the exact salaries are of the mayor and the city manager because tonight what was stated that their salaries are somewhere between $170,000 to $180,000 that does not give me directs or anybody else directs as to what those individual salaries are.


Finally, I wish that we saw in our neighborhoods the individual who is supposed to be the eyes, ears, and mouth of us, the people.


I wish I could see persons who supposed to be that in our communities going to meetings, meeting with our children, going into our churches.


I'm sorry, I don't agree on an increase for the mayor. I'd like to see our neighborhood and our mayor have an impact on what is happening in this city, What has been happening in this city for 20 years prior to her even becoming the mayor?


I've not seen that impact. And this isn't personal. But I've watched too many people be put in the ground and too many of our children dead.


I have a list of individuals who were shooting, were shot, and now are dead.


This latest shooting shouldn't have been a walk around the block, which is what we did.


It should have been in our neighborhoods. It should have been with all of you, every one of you city council meetings, walking the streets with us, and I have not seen that from any of you.


It's time to change it. It's time to stop the shootings. It's time for everybody to be involved in what is happening in our community because it's not just happening in the black community. It's happening all over Freeport now.


Black, white, kids, young folks, old folks being Promatized by gunfire, a chief who has had to go out on the limb to try to keep from killing one of our own and I've had those conversations with him and I'd like to say thank you because that situation is one that I have been thinking was going to happen in this town for a very long time and we've had that conversation and it has happened.


Your three minutes has exceeded. We need change people and we need you all to help with the change.


not sit on your butts in here get on the streets and just so you know my salary was posted in the memo so you got to do is read it I'll tell you at the beginning of the term I made twenty seven nine hundred fifteen and for yet is there any Any other public comments?


We'll entertain a motion for adjournment. So moved. Second. We have a motion made by Alderman Shadle, seconded by Alderman Monroe.