So that's one possible scenario. Another possible scenario, again, I use the word possible is what you have on later on in the agenda at the request of Alderman Stacy, there is a motion to rescind the consent that you previously gave, that this council previously gave to Mr. Wilkinson there.


And so that's coming up on the later in the agenda there. So I won't jump ahead to that, but that'd be another potential route to go.


And when that comes up, I'll discuss the potential pitfalls with that. I would like to recommend that added to this ordinance, someone that is interested in committees should have to come to the council and present and explain why they would like to be a part of that committee because clearly we cannot respect the judgment of the city mayor anymore.


So I would like to see that change and see that added into the ordinance.


So there's not an ordinance right now that's before you tonight? No. Right. So I'm off topic.


Right. So if you wanted to go through that process to request a change to the ordinances, you can either talk to Rob about having that drafted so he can direct me to draft something or whatever.


So but that'd be a conversation, not right now. I will be contacting you for that draft.


If nothing else, let's move on to department head reports, finance. Nothing tonight. Okay, public works.


Just one thing. Just wanted to make residents aware, starting either late tonight or tomorrow, you'll be We are receiving a text, an email, or possibly a letter from the City of Freeport.


We are required to send an email out about the PFAS detection that we had in 2017 on the Brick Street Wells.


This is a move by EPA without all communities within Illinois. We have been notifying the citizens of Freeport since 2017, so we're way ahead of the curve.


This is just a requirement. We will be doing it through the electronic communication to save the city money.


We could send mailers out, but the mailers would cost a significant amount of money to mail them.


So we're going to do a brief notice, nothing to panic about. And then in your next water bill, you'll get the full notices sent out.


But again, the city's water is safe to drink. We have no issues. Bates, and EPA requirement based on the new PFAS rules that were put down that we have to notify all of our customers even though we've been addressing this for over five years and are really leading the charge to remove those wells from the system.


Also if you have any questions, please contact our Environmental Compliance Officer, Randy Kohlbauer. Her name and number will be on the city's website.


if you have questions. She'll be the best resource to answer anything for you. Thank you.


Okay, Fire. Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. I'd like to share with council that recently the fire department acquired a new aerial drone device that has the latest technology and also has thermal imaging capabilities.


We were able to acquire this device due to a generous donation from the Marvin Steco family estate.


The Fire Department would like to thank the families of Deputy Chief Scott Steekle and his brother Darren for their generous donation and support of our operations and equipment. So thank you.


Thank you. Police? Thank you Madam Chair. Just an announcement, we are holding our spring drug take back event this Saturday from 10am to 2pm at the Police Department.


So, if you have prescription drugs that you want to dispose of, you can do that at that time.


It's also important to note that we do have a receptacle in the lobby, well, the vestibule of the police department, so it can be done at any time of the year, but this is a big one that we do for people to drop off any unused prescription drugs.


Library? No report. no report oh I was gonna say communications but our IT do we do communications okay nothing for airport so now we have city manager thank you madam chair I just want like to thank the council support for all the things we're able to move forward tonight. Thank you. Okay we'll go with the Alderman Shadle. Thank you. I've been noticing a lot of the public comments in the last few meetings where there's things being said that aren't necessarily true and they are not not necessarily informed comments and a little disheartening when I have the neighborhood watch meetings and I get three to five people show up when there's people there to answer questions and to inform people. That being said, Thursday, May 1st at Schwartz on Park Boulevard, 6 p.m. will be a neighborhood watch meeting for the sixth floor. Thank you.


Alderman Sanders. Oh yeah, public service announcements. I want to invite everyone out May 24th to meet in the park day. It's where we demonstrate events and food Wood Fund for the entire city of Freeport that wants to come out and share this event in the Third Ward at Taylor Park.


I'd like to see the cooperation of the city being part of it. It's going to have music fun and games and all kinds of entertainment that can be provided.


So, I just wanted to let the public know that they are invited to come out and be a part of this demonstration that we're going to do for May 24th starting at 12 noon.


I'm just really guessing right now, but I'm going to say 12 noon and hope to see everybody out there.


I would just like to let everybody know that we have a lot of work to do and we have a lot of work to do.


I would just like to let everybody know that the tulips at the Boys and Girls Club are coming out and ride by and see how beautiful they are and also we did have some daffodils and tulips by fire station number two so check them out and just see how pretty they are.


Alderman Klemm? Nothing. Alderman Monroe? Nothing tonight. Alderman Parker? just our neighborhood watch meetings next Monday night so we hope everybody comes thank you. Alderman Stacey. Nothing tonight. At this time are there any public comments?


I want to make sure this is very truthful and informed for you. All the mayor had to do was call me and say, hey, do you mind resigning because this was is a rough campaign and I would have said absolutely I understand and that would have been the end of it because that's the kind of person I am instead she showed the city of Freeport the kind of person that she is now with that appointment yes attorney I understand you're in a weird position there you know October 31st 2024 was the end of that appointment per her appointment the one that you guys voted on unanimously by the way it was supposed to go for another four years I get what attorney Zito is saying Here's the issue. Nobody cared about that for the past six months while I was going to those meetings, though, did you?


Okay? I don't want the job back, but I want you to put somebody in there that this city of Freeport doesn't have to be concerned about.


Okay? Residency. No offense to Chief. You know, I respect you. You know, I love what you do.


Here is my take on this, because you guys are about to make the same mistake again for the next four years, because you've done it for the past eight.


You've spent eight years blaming the previous mayors, you've blamed the previous councils on things that happened.


We just keep kicking the can down the road. We said that a couple times tonight.


All that's going to happen is come May 13th, this will be right back on the agenda, right?


It failed tonight, so now we have a residency requirement. Come May 13th, or shortly thereafter, this will be right back on the agenda, and they will have the votes to do what they want.


Anderson. Understand that. Learn this. I've been watching here every, well, three Mondays a month for the past year.


I know how this works. Trust me on this. And I'm not saying that's wrong.


But here's what you just told the people of Freeport tonight. That we are violating an ordinance.


That we've been violating an ordinance for the past eight years. One day, I didn't shovel my sidewalk this past winter, and boom, I got a warning letter real quick.


and and Winsor. And then you grant the man a waiver. Or I think there's five people, I don't know who those five people are.


Grant them a waiver so that you're not talking about this again. Give them a waiver.


Let it go through. They're grandfathered in to whatever. Yes, we've broken the rule. Shame on us.


But now moving forward, anybody that's hired follows this ordinance unless you guys change the ordinance because you know what's going to happen.


You may think that you won that they're going to start following the rules but they're not.


and Wilkinson. You know, I take this position seriously about making decisions for the community and the future of our community, and I think we can do better than somebody who has an arrest record for domestic violence for restricting the blood and airflow of another human being and a DUI on the same night on June 9th, 2024.


This is not ancient history. This is something that is serious. and others. I don't want a person like this making decisions on our future for Freeport and we can do better.


My next concern has to do with these EV chargers that we talked about recently and the comment was made that this is going to be something that's going to benefit the downtown because people driving from Chicago to Galena will stop here and shop downtown.


When I mentioned that to my husband, he said, what store is somebody from Chicago going to shop at downtown?


and I counted, we have seven stores and two jewelry stores. They're almost always closed on Sunday. So we would be paying to have people, well, people from Chicago aren't even going to come. And I have an electric vehicle. I charge it in my driveway. This is a huge waste of money. And we are spending $90,000 for an engineering study to look at this when I can already tell you it's a waste of money. And so we have to ask ourselves, why are we and I. We are not paying this fee of $90,000 when we used to pay a city engineer $98,000 for the entire year for the city to make engineering decisions. And this same engineer could have done this study and he could do a lot more and he did a lot more. I cannot understand why we got rid of this city engineer and went to a contractor who now has somebody sitting and others.


We need to have somebody sitting over here pretending to be our public works person and taking contracts for the business that he works for.


It's a major conflict of interest and we need to do something about it. This has got to stop.


Good evening. My name is Cheryl Altman. I want to touch on the ordinances. Boyer, you were saying that you guys don't violate your own ordinances, please check yourself at the door. You will fast-track anybody in here whose property you think is no good, because you have Wayne do it, then he has his little flunkies do it, but you won't hold yourself accountable for your own property, like the Raleigh Building. I will bring that sucker up every time. Plus, when I had, a couple 30 years ago my one property, the house, it's a vacant house that you guys were doing work on in Chicago. It flooded my basement completely. I called and made a complaint with you and you accused me of going outside, turning the freaking water on at the curb. Now please tell me and then you say that you're not responsible? Give me a break because I know because my son was working and he was taking care of it. You know and the mayor's probably not and I are here tonight because she was out eating Mexican food with the guy she just was trying to hire to replace Joshua.


So maybe she got food poisoning. My name is Akia Sanders. Sanders. I would spend my three minutes just completely laughing about this whole council almost except for a few. I mean, it goes all the way back to first grade or kindergarten.


I mean, pay attention in class. You guys don't even take this thing seriously at all. I mean, nobody's watching, nobody's concerned except for the couple people that care. And I can point them out, James Monroe, Stacy, Larry, Sellers. I don't know how it feels to be somebody that, you know, we thought you was coming for us. And I don't mean us as black I mean us as a community. I tried genuinely to come in here with a open mind and say okay maybe I'll you know inbox her, see what she do, inbox you, no response. I got about four or five people's did the same thing.


I don't care about your magazines. You don't affect me. I'm not a public figure. I didn't go to sit in that seat.


It's kind of a hot seat right now. The whole community think this is a laughing matter. The council is a laughing matter.


Carter. Because nobody is actually owning up to anything, answering any questions. James check y'all every time he come up in here. Y'all act like y'all seen a ghost. Y'all can read. Then y'all tell Larry, read it. Then y'all say, do the homework. Now and then, Rob, I hope since you put your Superman vest on and said you abide by all ordinances, no against the police or anything, I hope you got some letters ready to suspend a few people.


because that's what you do to me. That's what you do to me. Everything I violate, everything I do is always under a magnifying glass. You offer me a job, I respectfully declined. This is a clown posse that I do not want to be a part of.


Hopefully you get it together one day. Thank you. Pagker. First, I'd like to remind you all that this is a free port. What did you say your name was? Page Kerr. First, I'd like to remind you all that this is a free port City Council. This is not a Lena City Council, nor is it a Forreston City Council. The City was created by the people for the people.


And it's only fair to ask that those in positions of power reside within the city.


Additionally, I'd like to challenge the council on their activism and marketing to include the youth and working class into getting involved with open positions.


There's an importance in educating and setting up our citizens for success rather than robbing them of an opportunity.


Also, I support bringing documentation to the council to show if our water is contaminated or not.


The public should be regularly notified. As a citizen, I've received a letter from my electric, but never about the quality of my water.


Lastly, I would like to take a stance on my disinterest in Jodi Miller's involvement with the Greater Freeport Partnership.


It's a scam on the lives of the citizens. The involvement directly brings the power of political contributions and public grants together.


There's a power circle within the board and the Greater Freeport Partnership. It encourages biased opinions and rewards those involved.


We see it on display often here. To add to that, the events hosted by the Greater Freeport Partnership directly pulls money back from the taxpayers into that same power circle.


It's a double whammy on the citizens. There should be no relationship between the city mayor and this organization.


It's a clear conflict of interest and I would imagine fraud as well. As a citizen, I ask for you to follow the money.


I ask for you to hold them accountable. I ask you to honor this city's history and I ask you to remember that this city council was created by the people for the people.


Thank you. My name is Micaiah Stacy. Speaking of saying things incorrectly, I do want to apologize.


I spoke to the Chief and I would be a hypocrite if I said I didn't understand why he didn't live in the city.


He gave me his reasoning. It's not my business to put out there. About the ordinances. When we were raised and I was raised in church, I was told that Jesus loves me and that the truth is very important because lies will send you to hell. Not that exactly.


But every time I walk in this building and I watch on my phone so I don't get off of work until seven, it's constant lies.


Or, yeah, this ordinance exists and I'm going to read it out. Alderman Stacy reads out an ordinance and it's, well we didn't do this right. What the hell are we doing? What are we up here for? Are we gonna do our jobs correctly or are we gonna do our jobs for our friends? Like Ms. Page just said, you are here for the city. I don't care what party you're voting for, where you live, if you're not voting for the interests of this city, then get out. If you don't want to be in this seat, if you don't want to hear me talk, get out. If you If you don't want to listen to this city, get out.


I don't know how many times we have to say it. This is a very respectful position.


I'm going to need you guys to have some respect for yourselves. Thank you. Is there anyone else?


James Monroe, Santa Fe Drive. I've been in this council room for four years now and I've uncovered things are very, very disheartening for the City of Freeport. The corruption behind the Scenes is unreal. Clown newspaper article writers like Dan Stevens sitting over here literally basically project lies upon members of the community, members of this council.


They spread half-truths and they attack people, all for political gain, for certain political gain. I've uncovered in the last six months close to $2.5 million a year in property tax and property tax decreases that were given out to certain members of this community.


Two and a half million. All of our property taxes are going up. Theirs is going down.


There's a building downtown that pays less property tax than some of the homeowners in my ward.


You're stepping in defending the lady that sits up there and it's disappointing because you represent yourself as a godly woman and I will tell you that that person sitting up there is not who she puts herself out to be. I have contacted everybody and anybody who will listen and take action. There will be people held accountable in this room. I will not stop fighting. I will not give in. I have uncovered where the money's been going, how the GFP plays Friesen, and these people are starting to help out. They're diving in. The people of the city of Freeport are waking up. You can't burn a house down or tear a house down based on the fact you don't like somebody. That's not how this community works. That's not what we're about. I may not like the choices that Kia makes in life. I don't care. But what I care about is when somebody's done wrong and this man in the suit up front decides has to sit there and enforce only the ordinances that he feels need to be enforced.


In violation of his oath of office, in violation of his contract, and we will deal with that.


And I have one choice, and one choice only, and that is now to ask that the legal system gets involved and claw back the pay of everybody who doesn't live within the legal guidelines of the Ordinance.


Not something that's going to be fun, not something that's going to be cheap, but we are going to get to the bottom of all of the issues in this community, and we're going to start with the people in this room, and unfortunately for some of you, the people that are supporting me, they have a lot more money and a lot more power than I do, so enjoy Enjoy your time in office because it won't last much longer.


Cecelia, Stacy, you know, I have put off doing something that I know I was charged to do because What is people gonna think? What is my fellow Alder people gonna say? And so I go home knowing that I was charged to do something that I didn't do. So tonight I'm gonna do it. Just It's like we open up every meeting and prayer.


It's not where you start, it's where you end. Father God, in the name of Jesus, I come to you tonight, Lord Jesus, asking for your guidance, O God.


Father God, you know what this city was created to be. You know what this city needs to be, oh God.


It was not called Freeport for no reason at all. So Lord Jesus, I pray and I ask you to take control of this your city and help us become what we are supposed to be, that of a free city.


In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Is there anyone else? If not, we will adjourn to executive session.


We've been requested for two executive sessions tonight pursuant to 5 ILCS 122C1, the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee to determine its validity. Secondly, pursuant to 5 ILCS 122C3, the selection of a person to fill a public office as defined in this act including a vacancy in a public office when the public body is given power to a point under law or ordinance or the discipline, performance, or removal of the occupant of a public office when the public body is given power to remove the occupant under law or ordinance.


Is there a motion to go into executive session? So moved. I ask that we vote on them separately.


separate motions, executive session for Executive Session for just the first item under 2C1. Do I need to read it again or just refer to the Exemption 1 Personnel Exemption?


What about Klemm's motion? Right, so is there a second then to go into Executive Session for 2C1?


So we need a second to go in for Personnel. So this is the one. Second. This is the city. Thank you. This is the topic that would be the City Manager Review.


So do you take the roll call? Yes. What was that last comment you just made? What was that you said?


So we'd be going into the executive session for personnel reasons to give an update on City Manager Review.


and I, and then we will be coming back out for item 23 well no we're gonna after this motion then there'd be another if there's another motion because you wanted to take them separately about whether or not to go in for under the appointment to fill a public office and if that passes then we would have that conversation while we were in there if If it doesn't, then we won't have that conversation while we're in there to talk about the City Manager part.


So we're not coming in and out of the room, is what I guess my point.


So are you saying we can just serve 23 out here? No. We'd have to see if there's a motion made to go in.


If we have a motion to go in, then we would go in, and then we would do 23 afterwards, but if there's not a motion to go in, then we wouldn't.


would just go to 23. We'd go in to do 2C1 first and then we'd come back out and do 23. So right now we're just talking about 2C1 and there was a motion and a second to go in for the City Manager review update. Shadle? No.


Sanders, Sellers, Klemm, Monroe, Parker, and Stacy. One, two, three, four. The motion fails. Three to four.


So we're not going to go into executive session then to discuss 2C1. So now then, There would need to be a motion to go into executive session under 2C3, which is to discuss the appointment to fill the vacancy, which is related to item number 23 on the agenda about the appointment to the Planning Commission.


So is there a motion? Is that what we're looking for? Yes. Make a motion.


in a second. So he just made a motion to go into executive session for for 2c3.


And if we don't go into executive concession it will be discussed here. You got it. So is there a second to go into executive session for 2c3? Okay. If not and Stacey.


So, we're not going into executive session at all. Go to the last item on the agenda.


What's the last item? Second to last, sorry. Motion to rescind advice and consent of Council to the appointment of Dustin Wilkinson to to Planning Commission, presented by Stacy and Monroe.


You know, I hate the wording on this. I guess we have to be Robert's rule compliance.


but to rescind advice and consent of Council. I feel that it should say that we're rescinding the Mayor's choice for various reasons.


and I am asking for the rescinding of the position that Dustin Wilkinson on the Planning Committee, Commission, be removed, voided, revoked, rescinded.


That's a motion to rescind the appointment, or I'm sorry, a motion to rescind the advice and Stacey, and we have a motion that we send to the Planning Commission to send their consent of the Council to the appointment of Dustin Wilkinson to the Planning Commission. So that's a motion that's been made by Alderman Stacy that we need a second.


I'll second it. So We're voting to re-send him from the Planning Commission? We are voting to re-send their advising consent.


Remember, a point, and once we get to discussion, I'll go through the legal components of it.


Alderman, Stacy, is your motion just basically what's written on the paper? To rescind him from the commission, the Planning Commission.


So they basically you want to, you want the council to, you guys gave a blessing originally, okay I'm going to use that term Lucy, you gave your advice and consent. Because we didn't know what we were giving to.


that's fine so you're looking to rescind that advice and consent yes so that's what they're asking for clerk but that does not revoke the mayor's appointment correct correct the appointment is still so he's still in this position he would not have if this precision goes through he wouldn't have the advice and consent and I, and the Council has decided that we are not going to receive the consent of the Council at that point. There. So the appointment is made. Then there are rules that would follow.


Then what happens when an appointment is made but it doesn't receive the advice and consent of the Council?


But James, you gave a second, right? Yeah. Okay. So we're in discussion. Can I? Thank you. All right, so I just want to give some procedural background here. Okay, so that everyone understands what's before you guys. All right. Number one, appointments are made by the mayor. Okay, I don't care what the appointment like the appointment is like to what if it's Planning Commission, Zoning Commission, Liquor Commission, those appointments belong to the mayor, the appointment does. All that means is that the mayor that happened at a previous meeting, okay?


What Alderman Stacy now has brought, just like with any decision that's approved by the Council, you guys can rescind that advice and consent that you guys previously gave, okay, there.


And so that's what's been put on the agenda and that's what's before you guys is this motion to rescind the Council's advice and consent, meaning you guys are rescinding your which is your blessing of his appointment, okay?


the consent that you guys previously gave, okay? so. hang on one second, just a little bit more.


so. as you guys may recall then from when Nancy Sylvester came and gave the Robert's rules discussion, I'm just bringing this out.


for you guys, so that you guys can take it into consideration, just so that you have a full understanding of all the rules that might be in play, okay?


Well, yes, there's such a thing as a motion to rescind. There are times when a motion to rescind can't be done or has no practical effect or shouldn't have any practical effect, okay?


And the example that Nancy Sylvester gives is you can't rescind something if it's already then taken place, okay?


And I'll give you a quick example. Let's say there was a motion to approve an ice cream social, okay, on Monday.


Day. Council votes and it says we approve the ice cream social on Monday. Monday comes along the ice cream social happens. On Wednesday, the following Wednesday the council can't say motion to rescind the ice cream social we don't think we should do the ice cream social. Well it's already happened so you can't rescind something that's already happened or that's already happened or has already started to move in process okay so the deviation in that scenario is motion to approve the ice cream social and hire the ice cream company to make all the ice cream okay for Monday ice cream company starts making all the ice cream and reliance of that that that approval Later motion to rescind. We don't want to do the ice cream social anymore. Well that creates problem if you try to rescind it now because that ice cream company reasonably relied on the fact that you previously approved the ice cream social and them making all the ice cream so that's another scenario where rescission arguably is not appropriate because someone the ice cream company already started down the path based off of the first approval okay so having you guys keep all that in mind in this particular case you have Mr.


Wilkinson, who's already been seated, attended a Planning Commission meeting, voted on items, so it complicates things.


Okay, so I just want you, I'm letting you guys know that so that you guys have this information that arguably a motion to rescind right now might not be appropriate there.


Again, vote as you will on it. So that's the background. it's kind of the lay of the land on this.


Oh, go ahead. Question Zito, you said the robber rules gives her the authority or the consideration to appoint someone on a committee or something like that.


Is that, how is it that she is able to appoint anyone to anything before council could give consent consulting or whatever the case is. Explain that part too. Sure. Yeah. So that's per state statute and that's also per our city ordinances that provides that specifically planning commission is appointed the person to fill the positions on the planning commission are appointed by the mayor with Here's the advice and consent of the City Council.


That's what our city ordinance says and that also mirrors what state statutes says. Okay, Stacy.


Okay, so what about this appointment should have ended October 31, 2024? it continued November, December, January, February, March, April, six months he attended meetings, he cast the vote, Joy. Yes, Attorney. So upon the expiration of a term, so our and our ordinance says that appointments can be to fill only the unexpired term, right?


And so we had this conversation earlier about the fact that arguably the trying to do the automatic appointment for the successor four-year terms was probably out of order, was probably improper there, okay?


So what happens when an appointment doesn't happen? Let's say come October 31st the term ended and you're supposed to do a reappointment at that time.


If that doesn't happen for various reasons, and it happens more than you think in many communities, that person that sits in that spot at that time is what's called a holdover.


So they hold over until such time as a replacement, a new appointment is made.


So it's fine that Mr. Atkinson sat there and continued to go to meetings. He was a holdover.


And then at such time as the mayor makes a new appointment and the City Council approves and others.


If you use that with advice and consent, then that new person takes over. So this is a holdover situation.


But we did not know, we had no idea that a person of his nature would be presented to and the Council as someone fitting for this committee.


And I can't speak to that part as far as like, I can tell you guys what the law is, whether or not, you know, a person's qualifications or anything, I can't speak to that.


That's for you guys as a council to decide whether or not to give your advice and consent to somebody.


and the Mayor. I've had several times I've wanted to speak and have tried speaking with Nancy, the lady you spoke about. So if you have her information, can you give that to me? Because no one else seems to be able to.


We still have a motion and a second to take a vote. This would be the motion that's before you guys, just so everyone's clear, is to rescind the advice and consent that was previously given to Mr. Wilkinson, who's there.


So if you vote yes, you want to rescind the advice and consent. If you vote no, you don't want to rescind your prior decision.


Do you think I would be qualified for the Planning Commission if I had a severe DUI and if I I choked someone out to the air flow and their blood stopped. But I could come on a city council committee and make decisions for this city? And that's what's not even a year old.


It's about six, seven months old. And the record is as long as my arm, it goes deeper.


I'm not trying to go there. So please don't make me. I'm not trying to put his history out there.


It's all public information. Look it up. I just can't believe someone of his nature was even brought to the council to even consider.


And this is what I talk about when we're blindsided. and I asked the question, why him?


Oh, well, he's lived here 38 years. He's a part of this community. He wants this and he wants that, but he has a felon.


You can choke someone till they airflow stop in their blood and that's okay and that's the type of person we want.


on our committees help me understand I just call Shadle no Sanders Sellers no Klemm, Monroe, I can't even speak right now, come on, Monroe, yes, Simmons, good, Parker, and Stacy, yes, there you have it, the motion fails three to, oh wait, wait wait wait you see you see you see motion to adjourn second see what we get for the next four years all in favor no matter how hard we try you see