City Council - Regular Meeting

No, you're good.

And I would ask the clerk to please call roll.

Heap. Here. Henry. Here. Lockman. Here. Oteneto. Here. Pollack. Ruben DeCelis. Here. Scott. Here. Sorrell. Here. Speed. Here. Thomas. Here. Mayor Ezzard. Here. City Attorney Salterman. Here. You have a point.

Thank you. Is there a reading of the minutes, a motion?

Make a motion to approve as circulated.

Thank you, Alderman Scott, seconded by Alderman Henry. All those in favor of approving the minutes, please respond by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Presentation of petitions or communications?

Yes, I have one, thank you. Kevin Eckhoff from Jacksonville Memorial Hospital is requesting permission to close some streets on October 17th from 5 in the morning to 10.30 in the morning for the annual JMH 5K, 10K race. Everything's the same as last year and years before, and emergency personnel has been informed. So if anyone has any questions, let me know, okay?

Very good, thank you. Claims this evening. Is there a motion to pay claims? Alderman Ruben Decelis, seconded by Alderman Speed. All those in favor of paying the claims please respond by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? One item under the mayor's report tonight is a resolution authorizing the purchase of real estate located at 346 Northwest Street.

Is there a motion to purchase this?

Alderman Scott, seconded by Alderman Thomas.

Be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Jacksonville that the property located at 346 and 354 Northwest Street be be purchased by the city and the mayor be authorized to execute any documents required to do so.

Any discussion? Seeing none, I would ask the clerk to please call roll.

Keith? Yes. Henry? Yes. Lockman? Yes. Oldenettle? Yes. Ruben Decelis? Yes. Scott? Yes. Sorrell? Yes. Speed? Yes. Thomas? Yes. Motion carries.

it's full circle isn't it mark remember we're negotiating with the fulkerson's on the project down the road yes I can't do that anymore. City Attorney's report.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I had two items on my report. The first was a ordinance amending the zoning ordinance to address overnight shelters and similar facilities. But after some questions raised in the workshop session and consultation with Alderman Lockman, we're going to pull that for further discussion. My second item is the first reading of an ordinance amending the Jacksonville Municipal Code, chapter three, alcoholic beverages, article two, retail sale, to increase the number of retail licenses by one to a total of 20.

Discussion? Or any discussion on this? Is there a motion? Alderman Henry, second by Alderman Heap.

be it ordained by the city of Jacksonville that the Jacksonville Municipal Code Chapter 3 alcoholic beverages be amended to increase the number of Class D, Class DD, Class E, Class EE, and Class BH licenses by one to a total of 20.

Discussion? I would ask the clerk to please call roll.

Heap? Yes. Henry? Yes. Lachman?

No.

Olden Edel? Yes. Ruben Decelis? Yes. Scott?

Yes.

Sorrell? No. Speed? Yes. Thomas? Yes. Motion carries.

City Clerk's Report tonight.

Thank you. In your package, you should have received the Community Development Department Report, City Clerk's Cash Receipts Report, City Clerk's General Fund Budget Report, and Revenue Analysis Report, all for month ending July 31st, 2026. If you have any questions, please come see me.

Thank you. Any public comment at this time? Any public comment? Yes, Jada.

I just wanted to thank Alderman Thomas and HEAP for asking the questions about the overnight shelters. I think my very brief reading, those were two things that I was very concerned about and I'm very glad that you guys will reconsider it from my brief reading. It seems very broad from what a shelter is or what is being considered a shelter. And we have lots of programs in Jacksonville that do provide different aspects of that. So with the limitation of two, I think it's really important to look at all the different agencies and the scope of what they do. Like it was mentioned, I believe by Alderman Thomas, Even the pregnancy center does have some type of emergency housing for certain women. And would that be affected? Do we know? It seems kind of too broad at this point. I think more specific language might be needed. But I just wanted to thank you for having that for discussion. So thank you.

Thank you, Jada.

Any other public comment?

Sir.

Your name, please. Joseph Newingham. I'll try not to cuss this time. Basically, the reason I'm here is I wasn't in here for when you guys had your workshop, so I missed most of that. But I seen the last meeting on video, and Lori pretty much stated that as far as the solar farms go, You guys decided or you had discussed that it was better to not take these guys' $100,000 for a payoff instead of just collecting everybody's taxes for 20 years and you'll make more. So if you guys are going to decide that you would rather wait and just make the tax money off the property out there over a 20-year period and make $300,000, then why are we even considering these guys? I don't understand it. Everybody in Jacksonville is against data centers. Everybody in Jacksonville is against solar farms. I'm a person that loves to go out and enjoy the outside. And right now, I can't even go out in my backyard and look up at the sky and see a nice clear sky. What do I see? Red dots. I'm tired of seeing red dots. I'm tired of solar farms popping up left and right. I went out there and measured a solar farm north of Jacksonville, half a mile long. And so now we get to go out there east of Jacksonville. We go south, north of Jacksonville, we see solar farms. We go east of Jacksonville, we're going to see solar farms and windmills. When are you guys going to realize that citizens of Jacksonville don't want this crap? We're tired of seeing a beautiful city and a beautiful countryside just be ruined. And you guys are ruining it for nothing. I mean, it just doesn't make no dang-gone sense. So I don't know. I mean, I know you guys are going to approve it. You're going to do your first reading. You're going to approve it. You're going to do your second reading. You're going to approve it. You're not listening to us. And everybody in Jacksonville, even though they don't come up here and talk like I do or like the other people do, they get online and talk. Do you guys ever get online and look at the comments that are being made about this stuff? No. Because if you guys did, you wouldn't vote for these guys. You'd vote for us, the people that put you all in this position. And just remember, we put you guys in this position, we can take you guys out of these positions. So just remember that. Thank you.

Any other public comment, please? Seeing none, consent agenda items tonight. Finance, IT, and personnel. Alderman Scott.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We have two items. The first is a resolution authorizing payments from the Capital Improvement Fund for certain improvement projects. And our second item is a resolution authorizing payments from the General Fund for services rendered.

Parks and lakes alderman large old metal Thank You mr. Mayor we have one item resolution authorizing the waiver of advertisement for bids and accepting proposal from beard implement for a Kubota UTV for the parks department Thank You planning and public works alderman Henry

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We have two items. First is resolution of support and commitment of local funds for the Community Development Block Grant Housing Rehabilitation Program. And the second is resolution of support and commitment of local funds for the Community Development Block Grant for the Downtown Community Revitalization Program.

And Utility Alderman Scott.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We have four items. The first one is polled. Item number two is a resolution authorizing contract change order number one for MB construction for the lead service line replacement project. The next one is resolution authorizing partial pay estimate number one to MB construction for the lead line replacement project. And the last resolution, to authorize payments from the Water Works and Sewerage Projects Fund for services rendered improvement projects. And I so move.

Is there a second?

Alderman Henry?

Is there any wish to poll for further discussion? Seeing none, I would ask the clerk to please call roll.

Heap? Yes. Henry? Yes. Lachman? Yes. Olden Edel? Yes. Ruben Decelis? Yes. Scott? Yes. Sorrell? Yes. Speed? Yes. Thomas? Yes. Motion carries.

Committee, sorry, committee reports tonight. Planning and Public Works, Alderman Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We have two items to discuss. The first is a first reading of an ordinance amending the Jacksonville zoning map for property located at 302 West College Avenue from B2 to R4.

And is that a motion? Is there a second? Alderman Scott.

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Jacksonville that the Jacksonville zoning map for the property located at 302 West College be amended from B2 to R4.

Any discussion? Seeing none, I would ask the clerk to please call roll.

yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes

You go. I'm sorry.

Our second item is the first reading of an ordinance amending the Jacksonville zoning map for property located at Blacks Lane from R2-EXT to M2-EXT with special use.

Is that a motion? okay okay is there a second alderman Scott all those in favor removing the taking it off the table please respond by saying aye aye opposed okay Okay. Is there a second? Alderman Lockman.

All right. Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Jacksonville that the property located at Black's Lane be rezoned from R2-EXT to M2-EXT with a special use to be used as a solar farm.

Discussion? Discussion?

I'll just say that, you know, there's been a lot of dialogue between the community, between the folks at Nexamp and amongst ourselves, and I think the solar farm, I would be in favor of the solar farm, not because of anything more than we have to do many things. One of them was to buy a house in order to make them compliant in their endeavor. Also, the works on Black's Lane that they're wanting to do. I believe that solar and wind power energy is necessary going into the next phase of the project. the next thousand years for us. We're not gonna have the other, so I believe that it's important as an addition to our energy source, so I would be voting in favor of it, but that's what I would like to say about it. Thank you. Thank you, Alderman Lockman.

Any other discussion? Seeing none, I would ask the clerk to please call roll.

Heap. Yes. Henry.

No.

Lockman? Yes. Olden Edel? Yes. Ruben Decelis? Yes. Scott?

Yes.

Sorrell? No. Speed? Yes. Thomas? Yes. Motion carries.

Any old business this evening? Any old business?

Any new business?

No new business. Is there a motion?

Alderman Lars Joel Nettel.

Second by Alderman Scott. We are adjourned.

Thank you.