City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening everyone. I'll call our committee of the whole meeting to order here in council chambers at 6 pm. Roll call please. Alder person Silus present. Messias present. Rosac meen. Timian present. Finch present. McNeel present. Castro present. Schmidt present. Right. We have no remote electronic attendance needed. But I will take that time to just welcome older person Silus to his first meeting. So thank you for stepping up. Thank you. All right. Uh, public comment, chief. I don't believe there's anything Cheryl Humphrey. Where's the first

one? And as Chief reminded everyone earlier, but I'll say now, um, just state your name, your name, uh, and if you live in Molen, um, and you get three minutes and we'll, he's going to run the little monitor up there, but I might have to say thank you very much. It's not trying to be rude. It's just giving everybody the equal amount of time. Julie Cox,

good evening, Mayor. and members of the city council. Thank you for this opportunity to speak tonight. My name is Julie Cox. I'm the owner of Julie's. I live here locally. I live in Cole Valley and I opened my business in 2017 under the framework the city allowed at the time. In good faith, I invested my time, money, and energy into building a business that has been successful within the Molen community. This is my family's livelihood. I also have employees who depend on their jobs and income. A bit of history. When we opened in 2017, we opened under a class B liquor license. In 2018, we were reclassified into a new class K license, increasing our annual fees from 1,400 to 5,000, and we complied. In 2019, additional restrictions were placed on us, including limitations on advertising. We removed billboards and our monument sign to meet the requirement of a single sign. Again, we complied. Then in two 2022, we were notified that class K licenses would be reduced to zero with current businesses grandfathered in but subject to a 5-year sunset provision. I would like to raise a concern about fairness and consistency. Today, bars and other establishments in Molen are still permitted to offer video gaming, many operating under the same number of machines that we do. There are currently 33 locations in the city with slot machines. If the activity is considered acceptable and manageable in those settings, it's difficult to justify why it's no longer acceptable in ours. This distinction appears arbitrary and does not eliminate gaming. It simply shifts it elsewhere. If the city can approve a business model, allow people to invest in it, and then later eliminate it, it creates uncertainty for every small business owner, it sends the message that even if you follow every rule, your investment may not be

protected. That uncertainty discourages growth and weakens confidence in our local economy. The sunset provision as it stands effectively forces closure and places a full burden on small business owners who acted in good faith and in full compliance. It results in lost jobs, lost income, lost tax revenue, and more vacant store fronts, challenges the city is already working hard to address. It does not remove gambling from our community. Nor does it meaningfully address gambling addiction. In fact, I would argue that cafes like ours operate with greater control. We limit access to adults 21 and over who intentionally enter our businesses. While in other establishments, gaming machines are visible in environments where minors may also be present. If the city believes changes are necessary, I respectfully ask you to consider a more balanced approach. Allowing existing licensed cafes to continue operating as other communities have done would protect small businesses while still enabling the city to move forward with its policy goals. Thank you so much. Is that Yeah. Thank you,

Susie.

Madame Mayor and members of the city council. My name is Susan McAfeus. Uh I live in the Quad Cities and I operate several of the Suz's video poker and slot locations. Currently, I have four of the Class K licenses in the city of Molen. I'm here tonight to respectfully ask that the city reconsiders the class K video gaming ordinance that was created by the council in January of 2022. This new ordinance sunsets all existing class K licenses on December 31st of 2026. We are not asking to expand. We are simply asking to continue operating the businesses that we have built and run responsibly for the last decade. Over the years, we have contributed to the city through our licensing fees, application fees, renewal fees, and gaming fees. While it seems small in the context of the entire city's budget, it has consistently been a meaningful and reliable revenue for the city of Molen. This business has been my livelihood since November of 2013. It supports me and it supports over 25 local employees. Several of these employees who started with me are still working at Suz's. Many of these employees are members of this community, including retirees, who rely on this income to supplement their social security because of many of them, it just simply isn't enough. These are real people that depend on these jobs. I have also invested significantly into my businesses, not just financially, but personally. I put time, energy, and care into creating a safe, clean, and well-run establishment that operates within the rules set by the city. If the city moves forward with this, it will have a real impact, not just on me, but on my employees and their families. It will also risk creating more vacant storefronts, losing businesses that have

had stable revenue and consistent contributing to the community. We have followed the rules. We have made the investment. We have built our businesses here in Molen. We are simply asking for the opportunity to continue. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Jeff.

Uh, good evening, mayor, and the members of the council. My name is Jeff McAfeus. Uh, I owned the building at 2037 16th Street in Molen, the former pastures Vietnamese restaurant, and we converted it into a Suzies. Uh, we purchased it, we remodeled it. Uh, we did that roughly about 10 years ago, and uh, we've been maintaining it, paying taxes. Um, I'd like to speak to you about the e economic impact of sunsetting the uh, class K establishments. Um the three class K businesses together, Suzies, Julie's, and Sophie's contribute over $300,000 annually to the Emoline budget um through the licensing fees, gaming, terminal fees, taxes, and and uh other other fees as well. It's been a consistent, reliable revenue year after year, and that supports city services and infrastructure. So, let's put it in perspective. that 300,000 is equivalent to 18 years of road salt for your community. Uh we've also heard that there's going to be some renovations on the fire station that could certainly help. And but more importantly, this is meaningful funding that comes every year. It's reoccurring. It's not just a one-time deal. Um if these businesses are eliminated, the revenue that you're currently getting will leave moline. I mean, we've watched it. um these people that come to these uh Suzies, Julies, and Sophies, they like the environment. They're not going to go to the local molding taverns. They're going to leave and they'll go to East Molen, they'll go to Rock Island, Silvis, etc. Um also, uh when you lose those customers, those same customers that come to this community, they spend other money on other services here. They go grocery shopping, they fill up their cars, they go they

they visit other retailers. So those people will also will suffer as well. Um about the local the local jobs, these establishments also support dozens of local jobs. Many held by individuals who rely on this type of work because it fits their needs. Uh for some it supplements social security. For others it's simply an essential income they need to survive. Um you will hear from some of these employees tonight. If these businesses close, these jobs won't relocate. They're going to go they're going to be gone out of Molen. Um so there is a much broader economic event or effect. When these businesses close, it will lead to vacant storefronts, reduced property values, less activity in the surrounding areas. It doesn't only impact the business owners, it also impacts the whole community. Um, as I mentioned earlier, my wife mentioned earlier, I mean, we've invested thousands of dollars and we have a bank loan on that build on that building. Um, so I think we all can see and not just this community, but many communities. I mean, it's set up as a restaurant made right across the street is closed. This thing, if it closes, it'll be it'll remain vacant. I mean, people aren't going to be rushing into any community and open up restaurants.

And I'm not sure even what other business would go in there. a lot of empty space. I'm so sorry. Thank you very much. All right. Thank you for your time,

Chief. All right. Uh John Cox. Uh, good evening, mayor and members of the council. My name is John Cox. I'm here speaking in support of the K establishments. I'd like to talk about the fact that these businesses are not the same as bars or restaurants. While we may share some of the similarities, the experience we provide is very different. These cafes are quieter, more controlled environments. They are not centered around alcohol. They are designed to be calm, predictable, comfortable spaces. And that matters because of who they serve. Most of our customers are regulars. They come in, they know the staff. They appreciate the consistency of the atmosphere. It's not loud. It's not chaotic. It's a place where people feel comfortable. On a personal note, although she's no longer with us, my mother was a perfect example. She used to enjoy going to casinos, but over time her environment became became difficult for her. As she entered her 90s, her body began to slow down. Walking became more difficult, but her desire to embrace life, to go out and connect with others never wavered. Places like these cafes gave her a comfortable alternative, something she could manage, something she genuinely looked forward to. She treasured the time we spent together when I would pick her up and we'd make a day out of visiting Julie's. And I know she's not the only one. We've also provided each

of you with a few photos of our locations. I would just ask that you take a moment to look at those because they reflect exactly what I'm describing. Clean, quiet, well-maintained spaces that operate within the rules. If these businesses are removed, that experience doesn't just transfer somewhere else. Those customers don't suddenly get the same experience at the bar or restaurant. In many cases, they either go to another city or they lose the option entirely. So, this is not just about eliminating a type of business. It's about removing a specific kind of space from this community. a space that has existed here for years and serves a particular group of residents. We are not asking to expand. We are simply asking that this existing option remain available for the people who choose it. Thank you. Rachel Cox.

Mayor, members of council, my name is Rachel Cox and I'm the operations manager of Julie's. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. I want to take a moment to address what I believe is one of the underlying concerns in this discussion, gambling addiction. I want to be clear. I do not deny that addiction is real. Even in my personal life, I have seen how addiction affects individuals and families, and I have been actively involved in 12step recovery programs. So, I understand this is a serious and complex issue. But because it is complex, the solution is not as simple as eliminating class K licenses. If the goal of this ordinance is to protect public health, safety, and welfare, as stated in its intention, this policy does not actually accomplish that. Video gaming remains widely available in bars, restaurants, and neighboring communities, the same machines, the same access. So, this ordinance does not eliminate gambling. It simply shifts it somewhere else and in some cases to environments where alcohol consumption is higher. Statistics show that alcohol addiction affects significantly more people and has a greater negative and wellocumented impact on public health, safety, and well-being. In fact, the only path currently available to businesses like ours would be to increase alcohol sales in order to qualify under a different lensure, which raises an important question about whether that truly aligns with the goal of reducing harm. I'm not saying those businesses shouldn't exist. Again, I'm saying that this is a complex issue and that this ordinance does not solve it. What it does do is eliminate a small group of regulated compliant businesses while leaving the broader system unchanged. If the concern is truly about helping people who are struggling, then there is a more direct

and effective path. Class K establishments contribute over $300,000 annually to the city. Instead of simply eliminating those funds, they could be redirected toward programs that support addiction recovery, mental health services, and community resources. Efforts that would actually address the root of the issue. While this is an emotional topic, I would ask that this decision not be based on that, but on logical and measurable outcomes, not just your good intentions. Because the actual outcome of this policy is fewer local businesses, lost jobs, and less local revenue without solving the problem it was meant to address. So, I respectfully ask that you reconsider this approach and allow existing class K establishments to continue operating under the framework that was already in place. Thank you.

Thank you,

Jason Cox. Good evening. My name is Jason Cox. I'm here in support of allowing the existing cafes to remain open and continue operating under the current laws. I'm here specifically in support of Julie's, a small, locallyowned, family-run business operated by my family. These cafes were approved by the city under specific rules. We've always followed those rules. We invested in those rules and we built within those rules. We're simply asking to continue operating lawfully under those rules. Frankly, creating rules that allow a business to open, then changing the rules later in a way that forces the business to close sets a very concerning precedent for others looking to invest in the community. These cafes are not only part of my family's livelihood, they employ other people right here in the Quad Cities, many of whom will have a hard time finding other stable employment that isn't physically demanding. I believe these types of jobs in particular are going to become increasingly harder to find. These aren't jobs that are moving or changing. If we close, these jobs are simply gone. With so many jobs being automated out of existence, it just doesn't make sense to needlessly eliminate more of them. Our cafes and most others are clean, peaceful locations. They're not bars where the primary purpose is alcohol consumption. They're not selling questionable merchandise and substances with minimal regulation. And they're not rowdy clubouses or backroom gambling operations. They're clean, calm spaces built around entertainment that is fully legal, monitored, and accountable. We see every person that walks through the doors, and every dollar is automatically tracked and reported to the state with earnings and payouts made publicly available for anyone to see. I know a major concern is that these establishments lower the quality of the area. I can agree that this is a valid concern for any community member, but to

that I would just invite you to stop out to any of our locations or those of our competitors. I think you're very likely to see a clean storefront, a calm, comfortable environment. You won't find loud music, intoxicated crowds, or illegal activity. If there are concerns, please let us know and they can be addressed. But shutting down a well-run business based on a perception that doesn't match reality isn't the right approach. There is a clear and reasonable path forward. Other Illinois communities, including places like Woodstock and Rolling Meadows, have allowed existing video gaming cafes to continue operating under grandfathered provisions while still addressing concerns through regulation. We're asking you to do the same. Not expansion, not new licenses. Simply allow the existing Class K establishments to continue operating. That approach protects jobs, preserves revenue, and maintains trust in the city's commitment to small business. We respectfully ask you to reconsider the sunset provision and allow existing class K businesses to remain. Thank you.

Thank you,

John Fuller. Madame Mayor, council members, thank you for letting me be here. I'm here on behalf of the senior citizen. I'm 79 years old. I've been living here since I was two years old in the Quad City area. Molen and Milin mostly is where I was raised. Raised in Milan. Moved to Molen so my daughters could go to Molen High School. I didn't want to go Rocky because that's where I went. So, I'm here because me and my wife both work at Julie's for the extra money that we need as a senior citizen. We count on that money. In fact, right now, my wife is working there at Julie's taking care of that part. It's It's hard when you're getting to be a senior citizen. You can only do so much. As a matter of fact, coming later in here today, coming up to cement steps, I uh kind of trip and fail. I because of my age, I can't get a just a job like I used to. And I've been in this business for seven years. I worked four years at the casino. Enjoyed it, but I had to get out of there. And I went to Julie's and I asked for a job. At the time I was fighting cancer. I came down with stage four metastatic cancer. It just took me four months ago. I found out I was cancer-free.

But I still need that job. My wife needs that job. And the older people that we got coming in there, they come in to see us. They enjoy being with us. They enjoy talking to us. They got a place, nice friendly place that they can enjoy. They don't have to worry about being If I have a lady that has to leave and it's dark outside, I go to the door and watch her get to her car and get the car started and leave and they enjoy that. That's what they look for. They come in the walkers. They come in crutches. They come in wheelchairs. Some of them walk in and walk out. And I don't know how they make it. They're my age, maybe a little bit older, but you need us. You can't shut us down. We We need your help. And so do the people of Molen that come in and enjoy it.

Thank you. Thank you, Britney Las. I'm saying that correctly. Sage.

Sage. You might not guarantee Hello, Madame Mayor and members of the council. I want to thank you for allowing us to come and speak in front of all of you today. My name is Britney. I am a current resident of Molen. I purchased my home in Molen four years ago. I have an 18-year-old son who attends Molen High School. He will be graduating this May and then off to college. I am currently employed at Julie's video game poker and slots for almost six years in addition to having a also having a part-time job as well. I love the laid-back environment, the social space, and the intimate atmosphere where regulars can socialize with staff and other patrons. Not only is it a fun place to visit, but it's a great place to work as well. This is uh this is my primary source of income, and this is how I support my household. This job keeps my lights on and food on the table. If Julie's were to shut down, I would significantly impact my household. And losing this job would affect my ability to support my family and our plans of the future. This job is more than just work for me. It would impact my way of living. The impact of the business shutting down is a loss of entertainment for our community. Not only is it where I work, it's somewhere people come to relax, have fun, and connect with others. Families, friends, and even individuals rely on spaces like this to take a break from their daily stress. Our atmosphere is less pressured than large casinos to play for casual leisure. A community would lose a place where they can laugh and where they can simply enjoy themselves. Getting shut down, it will make another empty storefront for molen. As a molen resident, I would like to see the business stay. When businesses shut down, they often leave behind a community that feels less alive. Our business contributes local tax revenue that funds schools, roads, and public

services. Every business supports local economy. Less or loss of tax income can strain a community's resource and limit what our city can provide. Please reconsider your decision. Thank you for allowing us to come to you. Thank you,

Deonte Jones. Hello, mayor and people of the council. I've been in the Quad Cities basically my entire life. I graduated from United Township back in 2022 2021 and um even as an able-bodied man, it's hard to find a job nowaday. You basically have to know somebody. I before I worked at Julie's, I applied to maybe over 100 some jobs all over Quad Cities, East Molen, Molen, Rock Island, even like uh Wland. And if it wasn't for Julie's, I probably still wouldn't have had a job. It's really hard to find one.

Sorry, I blanked out. That's all I really have. That's okay. Thank you very much. Le Keritch. All right. I'm sorry.

Good evening. Um, ladies and gentlemen, this is my first time here and this I'm nervous would be an understatement. My wife and I returned home um from a vacation about a week and a half ago and we live right off 23rd Avenue and uh 74. So 74 is like our backyard. So when we came and saw all the trees gone for the bike path, um our view of the woods isn't the same. We live the last house on a dead end street. We've lived there for 35 going on 36 years. Um Mr. Abdur was uh gracious enough to meet us at the library. I just thought I'd go sit down and maybe have lunch and talk about some things, but um he graciously gave me his 10 or 15 minutes and now here I am with my three minutes. I'm more of a relational person and uh haven't done any of this. Lived in the city all my life. I had a thing written out and time myself and now it's just all gone. Um uh I came here to talk about finances. I came here to talk about property taxes. I brought my checkbook. Um when I want something, I budget for it. If I want something big, I'll get a loan for it or wait or maybe get a smaller one. Uh, having gotten older and more involved and and when I say more involved, I mean more searching for information, not involved like I am now. Um, I'd like to have a relationship and learn a little bit more and be a little more participatory. Um, I hope I don't have to run for alderman at some point because it looks like a very timeconsuming job. But anyway, having said all that and to make time with my three minutes, um I don't believe we have an income problem. When I need income, like I said, I have to

budget. Maybe I have to go get a second job. I'm retired now. I've thought about going back to work if I need a better car. Um we get you get money from tax revenue and that's how you spend. As a Christian, I believe that it's not my money. It's not your money. It's God's money. And we're called to be good stewards of our money. And I think that from the things that I'm hearing, we tax a lot of things. We sell marijuana at the old Aldi store. We have these video gaming things that a lot of people seem to be in an uproar about, but we have gambling boats and and we're getting revenue from that. And I don't believe that's the right way to go about things. I'm sorry if I've offended anybody here because I know from what I've heard that a lot of you depend on that income, but there's there's other ways to do things. And I think again that we have a spending problem. I came to gripe about the bike path and the and the lack of trees. I have a bicycle. I'm going to spend time on the bike path. I'm going to enjoy it. It's all about priorities. and I look forward to knowing you a little better, I guess, and maybe having some conversations to see if we can work together to make mulling better. Thank you,

Sue Ferguson.

She You lower that microphone. Chief, can you lower that and start your timer?

Hello, members of the council. I I wanted to thank you all for letting us speak. My name is Sue Ferguson, and I have lived in Molen for 50 years. I have one daughter, one son-in-law, and one granddaughter, and one great grandson. I I work at Julie's Moline. I have worked at Julie's for four years and I really enjoy working there. If Julie's would shut down, it would be a big struggle to find employment because I am handicapped and walk with a walker. I am on social security and working for Julie to help support my income. Thank you again for letting me letting us speak. Cheryl Humphrey.

Good evening. Thank you for letting us be here. My name is Cheryl Humphrey. I'm a lifelong resident of Molen and most of my points have already been brought to you, but I will say uh I'm retired and I work I've worked for Susie's for 10 years. I really enjoy my job and I need the money to supplement my income. Uh, and I think my other points have already been stated. Thank you. Nathan Tilberg.

Hi everyone. I do apologize that I'm not for much of what everyone else is here for, but I've come before the uh the council to propose an idea of some radical changes. And I know that it's a bit scary to most people to hear an idea of a radical change. However, I believe Fifth A is currently being well constricted on its potential. You see, the one thing that a city prioritizes most is is the one thing that it's going to prioritize everywhere. And currently for us, that is parking and cars. Fifth A is the economic corridor and powerhouse of this city. and it's what is the cultural center of the city. If we ever want to potentially create a more pedestrian-friendly place, we need to remove cars as much as possible. And frankly, Fifth A is constricted by cars and it it isolates people more than it ever does bring more economic prosperity to the area. And so I'm proposing to the council and I would be happy to work with you to potentially create Fifth A as a as a bus corridor only preventing cars from traveling through and to reduce and elim excuse me to eliminate the the on street parking on Fifth Avenue. By doing this we can greatly increase the potential for greater pedestrian intermingling amongst businesses. Now, I know it sounds a little bit crazy and the traffic department might have a problem with me, but I believe that by doing this, we could potentially create greater opportunities for small businesses that might not be able to afford a storefront to operate on the street or in the uh in the current parking spots that are currently just being used for people that come to one business and then leave. By removing the parking, you people walk more. By walking more, you see more storefronts. And by seeing more storefronts, you go

to shop at more places. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you, DoraNook. We'll see if that's right. Anywhere close. That's not right. Not right. Well, what would you how would you like to be called today? Just today, though. Just today. You could be any name. We'll just say Dora. How about Dora? All right, Dora. This is Dora, everyone.

Hi. Thanks for having all of us. I do not live in Moline. I live in Sherard. But both my husband and I have tr retired. Mike retired from Mulling Forge. I retired from feeding your school kids for 20 years. But we chose when we retired to do a little something more because we've always worked and we enjoy going into Suz's. Mike is not physically capable of doing anything anymore lifting or any of that because he has a bad leg. But we just enjoy the camaraderie. We've met nice people. We get to know our customers. We play by the rules. And it's a great supplement to income with gas going up, food going up. So, thank you for having us. And I hope you keep us all open. Suspect this might be a duo. Shirley and Betty Powell. Is that right?

They're in the old. We'll give them a second. There's a little delay. So, they haven't got here yet. And the easiest name of the night, Darren Smith. You're on deck. You're on deck. You got my name right. Just start warming up. Don't go. Don't go yet. Don't go yet. Don't go yet. I'm arrested. No. No. No. not watch baseball. Do you not watch baseball? But dad, you got to time the picture. That's your only job right now is time the picture. Mr. Schmidt, will you go see if those two people are are We'll let you go there. Are you kidding me?

You're cutting into your time now. You only get two minutes. He's joking.

Hi, Mayor Council. I'm Darren Smith. I work at Julie's and Wolain part-time and I worked at Oscar Meyer for 30 years. I retired in the spring of 2018. I went to Julie's in the summer of 18 and I've been there ever since. It's a great place to work. It's laidback. The people come in and I'm kind of a bullshitter. I shoot the breeze with them a little bit. They gamble a little bit. They talk a little bit. They love coming in. They think it's great. It gives them something to do to get out of the house. If you go to valleys or wherever you got to walk so far, you know, I just want to tell you thank you for letting me speak. Can I go?

Shirley going once, going twice was not over there. No, no, she's not. All right. Well, we've got Paul Bre. How do I know the name? Perfect. Oh, look at that. I'm getting better.

Good evening, mayor and members of council. My name is Paul Brebach, and I'm Rachel's father. I'm not here as a business owner. I'm here as a parent. I just want you to understand who Rachel is beyond what you've heard tonight. She is a devoted mother of two young children. She works hard to support her family, but she has also built her life in a way that allows her to be present not just for her kids, but for this community. Because of this job, she's able to volunteer in her children's schools, help run after school programs, and give back in ways that many working parents simply don't have the time to do. That didn't happen by accident. It's because of the opportunity this business has provided her. If this business is taken away, that balance disappears. She will have to find other employment, likely with less flexibility. And that means less time with her children and less time giving back to the community. This isn't just about a business. It's about families and the lives they built around something that was approved and allowed. I'm simply asking you to consider the real impact that your decision has on people, not just policy. Thank you.

And Betty are here, but there are not speakers. Your honor, we have concluded public. Okay. Thank you very much, everyone. Uh we move into board appointments on our agenda. Mayor's appointment of Susanna Aguilar to the plan commission to fill the unexpired term of Alan Silus to expire June 30th, 2029. Any questions? All right. And there are no questions on the agenda. We don't have any updates. So, we move to our committee of the whole agenda items. 7.1, a resolution approving change order number one and final with her construction, Inc. for project 1448 2025 sewer lining program for the amount of $297,20.

Thank you, your honor. Um, when this contract came before council for execution back in June, we asked for permission to spend up to the budgeted amounts of $700,000 for sewer for sanitary and $100,000 for storm water improvements. We did go slightly over those amounts. Um, about 15,000 for the sewer and 11,000 for the storm. Um, so the total project amount was $827,228.30. Motion to approve. We already had a second over here. So, it was motioned by Finch, seconded by Schmidt. Discussion.

Can you just remind us what drove the cost up? Was it labor or something that had to be done in the field, right? So, we we added locations to get up to that $800,000 mark. That's what we were shooting for. Above that, it was just some unforeseen in the field. Thank you. Anything further from the council? Hearing none. All in favor?

I. Any opposed? That motion passes. 7.2. A resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to accept five deeds of dedication for Ste Street rightway and five temporary construction easements, more particularly described herein to allow construction to proceed on project 22-00289-0000-BT 25th Avenue shared youth pa use path construction. Miss Clower.

So, the city has some federal funding to construct a shared use path along 25th Avenue through Morgan Park. Um, in order to do that, we need to acquire some right ofway and easements from 11 parcels. These are the first five of those 11. Uh, the other six are still in the works, um, but undergoing negotiations now. I'll expect to bring them forward council soon. Motion to approve. Second. Motion by Timian, seconded by MSUS. Discussion, Mr. Chime in. Did any of the land owners voluntarily give up their land? Okay. Thank you, Mr. MS. Um, and some of the ones that are still pending, are they uh when do we expect to have some of those?

Well, I've already received signature pages from two of those six. Um, I just didn't receive them in time to make this agenda. The other four, I am told, are all have all verbally agreed. So, it's just a matter of making appointments. We have a third party negotiator that has to meet with each property owner and get the signatures. It's kind of like a little closing. So, it's just a matter of getting that done, but hopefully next meeting. Okay. Thank you. Thank you very much. Anything further from the council? Hearing none. All in favor?

Any opposed? That motion passes. 7.3. A resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute and attest to a contract with Langman Construction, Inc. for project number 1537 roadway improvements on 38th Avenue 34th to 35th Street for the amount of 253,466. Miss Clower. So this project is um widening the roadway on 38th Avenue Road between 34th and 35th streets and then performing an asphalt resurfacing on the roadway. This project is necessary to construct a left turn lane for the new Texas Roadhouse. Motion to approve.

Second. Motion by Finch, seconded by Castro. Discussion. Yes, Mr. Tum. I normally don't like widening roads, but I think that this is a good use of it. So, thank you for bringing this forward. Thank you. Anything further from the council? Hearing none. All in favor?

Any opposed? That motion passes. 7.4. for a resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute and attest to a contract with Phoenix Corporation of the Quad Cities for project 1511 2026 alley resurfacing program for the amount of $112,000 $645. So this is a it's kind of a new program for our 2026 CIP. We're going to try to resurface some alleys instead of reconstruct. We feel like this is a good way to stretch our dollar a little bit further. um reconstructions is is significantly significantly more expensive than resurfacings. So we have three alleys picked out for this program for this year and we'll see how it goes. Motion to approve.

Second. Motion by Finch, seconded by Castro. Discussion. Hearing none. All in favor? Any opposed? That motion passes. 7.5. have a resolution approving the special event application for the Molen 250 event scheduled for Thursday, July 2nd, 2026 that is sponsored by the city of Molen and closing certain streets more particularly described herein to vehicular traffic and authorizing the use of public rightway in conjunction with said events.

Yes, madame mayor, members of council, we are requesting approval to close 17th Street at the Bass from about Bass Street to the uh to the end of the culdeac. so that we can conduct the celebration of the nation's 250th anniversary on Thursday, July 2nd, 2026 when the declaration was actually declared as opposed to signed on July the 4th. Motion to approve. Second. Motion by Finch, seconded by Prozac. Discussion. Are you sure it wasn't because fireworks are cheaper? Not on July 4th. No, they're the same price every day that week,

especially this 250th year. Probably a little upcharge. Okay, gotcha. Thank you. Um, if there's nothing further, all in favor?

Any opposed? That motion passes. 7.6. A resolution approving a special event that is sponsored by the Glenn Oaks Neighborhood Association for the Morgan Park Fourth of July parade scheduled for Saturday, July 4, 2026. Closing certain streets more particularly described herein to vehicular traffic and authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute and attest to a licensing agreement with the Glenn Oaks Neighborhood Association for the use of public rideway in conjunction with said event. As you all mayor, members of council, as you all know, this is a longstanding traditional parade in the Glenn Oaks neighborhood. We are recommending approval of not only the event but the closure of the streets temporarily for the parade, which is a short parade, but a well attended parade.

Motion to approve. Second. Motion by MSA, seconded by Silus. Discussion. Yes, Mr. M. Just want to thank uh the the staff for working with the neighborhood association uh just u keeping this tradition and and really uh making sure that we have all the parameters in place to make sure that it's safe and um and yeah, thank you. Yeah, you're welcome. Thank you. Uh if there's nothing further, all in favor? Any opposed?

That motion passes. 7.7 A resolution approving the special event application for the TBK Quad Cities Marathon and road races scheduled for Saturday, September 26, 2026 and Sunday, September 27, 2026, and closing certain streets more particularly described herein to vehicular traffic and authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute and attest to a licensing agreement with the Quad Cities Running Club, Inc. for the use of public rideway in conjunction with said event. Mr. Vas,

once again, this is a a uh becoming a long-standing tradition here in downtown Mo Lane uh out in front of the vibrant arena which is the start point and the end point of the parade of the of the marathon. Um so we're recommending approval. We have an agreement with them for this motion to approve. Second. Motion by Finch, seconded by Castro. Discussion hearing none. All in favor.

Any opposed? That motion passes. 7.8 8. A resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to apply for a state highway permit for the Illinois Department of Transportation to execute the necessary forms for temporary closure of the ramp along I74 eastbound to 3rd Avenue River Drive in conjunction with the Quad Cities Marathon and Road Race scheduled for Sunday, September 27, 2026. Again, associated with item 77 just above. This would be to allow for the closure of the ramp so that the race can continue from Mullen into into the state of Iowa and then on his return. Thank you. Motion to approve. Second

motion by Finch, second by Rosak. Discussion hearing none. All in favor?

Any opposed? That motion passes. 79. A resolution approving work authorization number 04 with MKSK for the Molen Riverfront schematic design proposal part one as an amendment to the professional services agreement originally approved by council bill resolution number 1161-2023 to provide site investigation services including boundary and topographic surveying bometric surveying subsurface utility engineering preliminary geotechnical engineering and project management coordination for the riverfront and gateway districts and authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute an attest to work authorization number 04 with MKSK for the amount of $179,237 plus reimburseable expenses for the amount of $3,000 for a total amount not to exceed $182,237 for professional services necessary to support schematic design development for the Mullen Riverfront. redevelopment project and authorizing city staff to do all things necessary to implement work authorization number four 04 and advance the Molen riverfront schematic design process. Mr. Vitas mayor, members of council, um this is an exciting step forward for the city of Molen. As you know, we spent a year to a year and a half just working on the master plan to get to this point where we are today. last I believe it was oh was it July we had approved the master plan. So we are in the process now of looking to have all the geotechnical work done on both the large river parcel between the river river drive the offbound ramp on 74 as well as 19th street and then including the property across the street which is the center gateway. This is critical

next step in order for us then to understand all of the work that will be done for the civil engineering and the design schematics that will be necessary. So we're recommending that we proceed with the approval of this work order and then moving advancing the project further. Motion to approve. Second. Motion to approve by FCH. Second by I'm going in order. Castro when you all speak at the same time it's I have to decide in order um seconded by Castro discussion we all are excited about

all right thank you Mr. Ros yes it is exciting that I mean are we going to see any bulldozers in the president you know I think you might see bulldozers in the fall the fall okay well I said 2026 exploration going on now I guess that's exciting too if that's construction equipment of any sort, account it counts for 2026. Okay. Okay. All right. Thank you. If there's nothing further, all in favor?

Any opposed? That motion passes. 7.10. An ordinance approving a preliminary/final development plan for a planned unit development site and reszoning from NC neighborhood center to NCPUD neighborhood center planned unit development for an approximately 1.25 25 acre tract of land commonly known as 2701 to 2715 Avenue of the cities. Thank you, your honor.

So, you all remember, I'm sure, seeing this development agreement or the amendment to the development agreement come through. Um, and I know uh Alan Silus did not but saw it at plan commission this resoning, but um 7.10 is a PUD reszoning. It's going to reszone this um the northeast corner of 27th Street and Avenue of the Cities from NC to NCPUD. The reason that PUD is needed is really because of the 10-unit multifamily uh that's on the north side of this project and then also for the uh vehicle service use which will be their coffee shop, ice cream shop um and of course that goes along with the EV chargers. So phase two of this would be the EV chargers and that commercial on the corner and then phase three would be the residential. So um we do have two items on this 7.10 10 and 7.11 are tied together, but uh this did go to plan commission obviously and had unanimous support from the plan commission and we're asking um plan commission's recommendation on this would be to approve and that's as well.

Motion to approve. Second. Motion by Finch, seconded by Timmyian. Discussion. Mr. Timmyian as as a resident a block away and as a childhood Aldi soda buyer. uh th this neighbor this this corner is a very um important part of apparently my life and that's really kind of strange to say but um I'm really glad that this is moving forward and it's moving forward in the direction that we agreed upon before any of us were in these chairs. It's it's moving in the direction with housing with more commercial and it's just I'm I'm grateful for staff for um pushing forward and and holding them to the fire and moving forward in this direction. It's great.

Can I add one thing? Sorry. The neighbors had concerns about trash blowing and some privacy concerns. So, uh the plan commission had a condition to have a privacy fence on the north side. So, that was added to our recommendation as well. Mr. Schmidt, the commercial building, is that a drive you said. So, I guess I'm looking at this map. I'm concerned that it's not adhering to our drive-thru requirements because those require that there's an easy exit at all points for any drive-thru being installed. Okay. Um and and perhaps that's what that second lane is kind of meant to do, but it looks like it's only one lane through parts of it. So,

and it may be long enough that it adheres. I don't but and we didn't do we there are no variances associated with this either. So you see a lot of those conditions at the end are like you will meet you know you will meet the lighting code you will meet TRA so it's going to have to meet those things and um certainly some kind of variance would be required if it's not going to meet those things. Um and I recognize it may be a little bit of a unique site with how it's running up against the busier roads that may cause challen but just something I'd rather us be looking at sooner than later um if there is to be a change or adjustment. Yes. Yes. Mr. It kind of looks like it on page nine at the end it has got like two lanes. Uh but it starts at one. So I don't know that could be the tricky thing

and it may be a hearing because of the the number of stack spaces. That's a it's a question not something where I'm saying it's we will and certainly we'll verify before the next meeting too so you can know what you're voting on in regards to that. Thank you very much. Anything further from the council hearing? None. All in favor? I. Any opposed? That motion passes. 7.11. A resolution approving the final plat of subdivision for Plaza on the Avenue, third edition, and vacating a portion of an existing utility easement. A replplat of lots two and four. Plaza on the Avenue second edition/dolan comments.

Yes. So, this sub this subdivision takes the balance of the site, the undevelop the undeveloped balance of the site, and uh converts that into two lots. Um, and like you said, mayor, as part of that, there is an easement vacation that's kind of trimming that the existing utility easement down. We've verified all the locations of the utility companies and communicated with those utility companies and uh worked with engineering on that. So, the subdivision does include that uh easement vacation as well. One other final point, this item will drop off next week and it will come back um at your next meeting. will drop off. It'll come back after that just so it times up with the resoning and that's per uh the uh city attorney's uh request.

Okay, thank you. Anything? Uh we need a motion actually. Motion approve. Second. Let's do one at a time. Please raise your hand. Raise your hand to to motion and then I can call on the right person. Motion to approve. To approve. Thank you, Miss Finch. Is there a second? Second. Thank you, Mr. Timian. Uh, discussion hearing none. All in favor? I. Any opposed? That motion passes. Thank you.

7.12. A resolution authorizing the mayor, city clerk, and city staff to nominate census tracks 219 and 223 for opportunity zone 2.0 O designation under the federal opportunity zone program and authorizing the mayor, city clerk, and city staff to take all necessary actions including procurement of professional services to achieve opportunities zone designations for census tracks 219 and 223. Mr. Parr,

thank you honor and council. Um, so opportunity zones uh 2.0. So it's original program created in 2017. We now have the passage of opportunity zones 2.0. Um, and it is an opportunity for it's a zone. It's an opportunity uh for reinvestment capital gain. So, it's a program that's been around for a while, but with the last passage, the 2.0 version, it's now made permanent. So, it has a lot more substance and structure. Um, the window is opening again for uh states to re uh to identify and recommend at federal level uh qualified census tracks. Um and so we want to present our qualifying census tracks uh to the state for consideration. Um the two tracks uh census track 219 and 223 um are qualified sens are projected to be qualified census tracks and meet the objectives for the state of Illinois uh to attract investment. So again this would be private capital uh investment uh through shelter and capital gain. So that's the program and we have those two qualified zones.

Motion to approve. Second. Thank you. That's motioned by Finch, seconded by Castro. Mr. Schmidt, do we have any indication how likely it is that census tracks would be accepted or what that's going to look like?

Um, so I think at the end of the day, no more than 25% of all qualified census tracks statewide will actually be able to be brought forward. So, um, to answer your question, uh, and this is again part of it is, uh, the first version, uh, the 1.0 versus 2.0 I know um the state of Illinois had one of the lowest utilizations of its uh presented census tracks at any state in the first round. Um and so the state is being very intentional uh to put forward census tracks that can attract investment. So it's not just being able to have a designated low-income census track that qualifies. Um it has to be investable. So it has to be able to attract investment. So there's a lot of um uh the state's looking at it in that lens and that good nexus. So for us 219 223 so that represents our downtown core uh riverfront area 219 and then 223 out uh in the South Park Mall area. Um so those are best positioned to attract investment. So

should be competitive. I want to just thank you for doing this. I don't know if you all recall when I came back from a uh I think it was last year's US Conference of Mayors, there was a huge panel about this and all the US Conference of Mayors was advocating to keep this in the federal budget and luckily it did stay. Um but I was already frustrated because Molen didn't have any qualified zones. They were all in other neighboring cities. There were a ton in Peoria. And so that's where that value of our connection with the liaison to the governor's office is that I've told you about before. I made sure they knew this was on the agenda today. Good.

As well as Starbond's upcoming. Okay. So I I mean there's no guarantees, but we're following the process and I just really want to thank staff for following up on and following uh the opportunities that are in front of us. Any others on the council comment? Question hearing? None. All in favor?

Any opposed? That motion passes. 7.13. A resolution authorizing the mayor, city clerk, and city staff to submit a notice of intent to the state of Illinois, stating their intent to apply for the recently created star bonds program and authorizing the mayor, city clerk, and city staff to take all necessary actions, including the procurement of professional services to attain star bond project designation. Mr. Park.

Um, thank you. So, uh, Starbonds, sales, tax and revenue bonds. So, it is a, uh, state tool. Um, it has a new round of authorization and they are, uh, function much much like tiff with property property tax. So, this is the opportunity to uh, freeze the sales tax uh, in a in a designated area to establish a district, freeze the sales tax and then create projected increment and then adds based on that increment. So it's much like tiff for property tax. Uh this is the starbonds for uh sales tax. Um it is a uh it's a high hurdle. Um we have to have an area that uh with significant sales tax capacity. Uh 60 million in annual sales tax has to be generated from a a target area has to be under under served area. So you put on all the different filters. Uh the one area where we can uh create that level of sales tax and have uh that's postured for our current low freeze and high capacity uh to have that bond is the South Park Mall retail area. Um so this is not specifically South Park Mall, but that South Park Mall retail area. Uh we would have to be uh this is just to file uh or submit our letter of intent. Uh so there's a rhythm to it. We submit a letter of intent. That's it. Uh it's just one piece of paper of our intent to uh create form a district and present a district. Um and then we have a district plan uh submission uh that's in January that the 1st 11th June 1st and then we have a a district plan submission January of next year. Now that's where we have to have a plan initially formalized. We would have to have a master developer uh partner um of scale uh in in partnership with us. um cities are not allowed to be the identified developer for a starbond designated district area. So there's a lot of work to be done there and there'll be a lot more conversation um to happen there and then we'd have to if if successful there's a project plan 612028 I should

say that's not uh that's to submit a plan uh in 2028. So, this is a multi-year uh process. Um it does require a significant planning to go along with it, but uh um has had minimum capital investment 30 million as I mentioned, gross sales greater than 60 million. Um and also has to create new jobs greater than 300. So, a lot of work to be done. This is just a file letter intent. Motion to approve. Second. Motion by Timmyian, seconded by Finch. Discussion, Mr. Timmy,

I have a question, Chris. Um I'm I'm ignorant to this. Does this just capture the state's portion of sales tax or does it capture local portion or what percentage of that is is captured as as an increment? Yeah, that's great. So uh it can be state and uh state and city. Okay. Um and as local home rule, we can then also elect additional sales tax like a hotel motel tax uh food beverage. Then that's at our own election. We just have to uh we have to state that has to be part of our package application. Um So there's a world that we would you we would opt it we could pending approval and everything include our own portion of the sales tax in order to create okay

anything further from the council hearing none. All in favor? Any opposed? That motion passes. 7.14, a resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute a notice of intent to award with Miller Trucking an excavating company for project 1520 the 2026 lead service line replacement project for the amount of 7,947,755 contingent upon receipt of a loan agreement from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Yes, Williamson.

Thank you, Madame Mayor and Council. We're excited to be here for what we call our phase two of our lead service line multi- multi-phase program to replace all of the 4,900 approximately lead service lines that we have. We received three bids. We're happy that Miller was actually the lowest responsible bidder and that's what you have before you. You will also see this on the agenda for um your approval for later in the evening because we do need to get this to the state so we can get the loan agreement going. Happy to answer questions. Thank you. Motion by Finch, seconded by Schmidt. Thank you. Um, any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor?

Any opposed? That motion passes. 7.15. A resolution accepting a quotation for office furniture to be placed in the newly renovated space at city hall for the relocation of the Department of Finance from All Makes Office Furniture, Inc. utilizing Omnia Partners contract number CO23 for the amount of $110,929,75.75 plus installation of the same for the amount of $10,794 for the total amount of $121,723.75 and authorizing the assistant director of public works to purchase said furniture and do any and all things necessary in order to complete the purchase. Mr. Schmidt,

thank you. Good evening. Uh public works staff is currently working in that space uh to renovate. We anticipate in the next few several weeks that space um be very near completion. Uh we just need some furniture for staff. So we've been working with Carol and her team um to understand their needs. Uh I think what we found was very reasonably priced um durable and professional looking furniture. Um so we're recommending it now tonight and also appear um on the city council agenda tonight as well just to kind of expedate the process to get the furniture. Thank you. Motion to approve. Thank you. Second. Thank you, M. Finch, and seconded by Rosac. Discussion. Yes, Mr. Schmidt.

With the drastic changes in workspace, it makes sense that we would have to get new furniture to fit a place it goes. What is our process with the furniture left behind? We try to find spaces for that um to go into. If not, we'll try to relocate, resell if we can. I can tell I can actually speak to that. They've been pillaging and pilfering for for weeks as we've been moving operations and consolidating operations. Everything is getting recycled. Sure.

So, what ends up at the end of the line is that which is probably beyond its useful life anyhow. So, that would then be sold off. It would be declared as surplus. So, the city staff is going down and saying, "Hey, this is an upgrade for me. I do swap it right in." Yeah. Yeah. Good. That's good. Any other questions, comments? Hearing none. All All in favor?

Any opposed? That motion passes. 76.16 a resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute and attest to a licensing agreement with two Bad Boys LLC for use of public rightway to install and maintain a barrier fence and an outdoor dining deck for outdoor service of alcoholic liquor and food. Mr. Atkins,

this is essentially a excuse me, essentially a correction of a prior licensing agreement. Uh they've had this agreement uh each year for a number of years now. We discovered that the actual dimensions for their deck uh are a little bit different than what had originally been authorized. So there is a change. This is replacing an already existing agreement that had been signed off on. Um but now it is actually for the correct uh area to be covered and so we are recommending approval. Thank you. Motion to Miss Finch. Second.

Thank you Mr. Silus. All right. Um, any comments, questions? Hearing none. All in favor? I.

Any opposed? This motion passes. 7.17 an ordinance amending chapter 4 alcoholic liquor of the moling code of ordinances by repealing section 4-3104 number of licenses in its entirety and enacting in lie thereof one new section 4-3104 entitled number of licenses to amend the sunset provision for class K video gaming establishment liquor licenses set to take place on January 31 2027 this is a yes council person brought forward. Um, so we'll let you do the explanation and then we'll have the motions as usual.

Okay. All right. Thank you. I would like to start off by thanking Chief Reaganweather, all of the directors, Mr. Atkins, Mr. Vas for their help in gathering information. Alder person Castro for her support, and a special thank you to Carol and her team for their continued work in crunching the numbers. You all are appreciated. Thank you. This evening, I have brought forth an ordinance to end the sunset on Class K license, allowing the gaming parlors to remain open. So, how did we get here? Let me take a moment to refresh everyone's memory. My predecessor, Mr. Moyer, made a motion to eliminate class K license, but grandfather the current license holders. Mr. Went made a motion to add a provision to sunset class K license in five years. That vote ended in five eyes's and three Nazs. In that meeting, the mayor asked an important question. What is the financial impact? Because there's a consequence for every action. And tonight, I'd like to share the consequence to that action. But first, I'd like to speak about the jobs lost and the lives affected. I've had a chance to meet some of the employees of the gaming parlors. And I met some of my constituents as some of yours as well. I'd like to share their stories. Mike, who's worked at Seuzies for seven years, has retired from Molen Forge after 40 years. It's already hard for him to afford his medicine, and he uses this income to supplement his social security. Dora, who worked at Suzie's for third three three years, retired from Chartwell after 20 years, also supplements her social security with this job. Haywood has worked at Seuzies for seven years. He's had multiple surgeries and this is the only source of income. He lives in Rapid City, but states that when he works in Moly, he does all of his shopping here. Tara has worked at Su Julie's for seven months. She's a widow going through a hardship at the moment and is using this job to pay for her child's college tuition at the University of Iowa. Don has worked at Suzie's for nine years. In the past year, she's experienced a house fire and is trying to put everything back together. She supplements her social security with this job. Dante, he's worked at Julie's for two years. He just moved out on his own. He helps his

parents on the side with a brand new barbecue business and says he loves his parents, but he doesn't want to move back with them. Sue has worked at Julie's for four years. She's in the process of a double knee surgery, and she lives a few minutes away from Julie's and loves being so close. She supplements her social security with this job. Cheryl, she works at Julie's for 10 years. She's retired from Rock Island Arsenal and also supplements her social security with this job. Johnny's worked at at Julie's for seven years. He's retired from Eagle Center in my he supplements his social security with this job. Janet, she worked at Julie's for seven years. She's retired from a doctor's office and supplements her social security with this job. Britney, who's worked at Julie's for five years. She has two children and just purchased a new home. Dennis has worked at Suzie's for three years. This is his second job, but he's close to retirement. Maria has worked at Susie's for 13 years. This is her second job. She has some medical issues and is close to retirement. She fears that losing her job will throw off her retirement plans. Brian has worked at Suz's for eight years. He does have a second job, but not frequently for extra cash. He stated that his roommate also works for Suzie, so they both would be affected by this decision. Darren, he's worked at Seuzies for nine years. He's retired from Oscar Meyer. He supplements his social security with this job. Lee has worked at Suz's for six years. This is her primary income and she does have a second job for extra money. When sitting down with the gaming parlor employees, I asked them all the same question. What happens if you were to lose this job? And their their answers were unanimous. It was housing they were concerned with. Employees and patrons both expressed that it's not just about the money that's spent at the gaming parlors. When they leave, they use our gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and our shopping centers. To demonstrate the economic impact of $37,000 in a budget, I reached out to some of our directors, and they helped me with a list. So, what is $37,000 purchased in a city budget? That's 18 years worth of salt brine for our roads, fire department personnel. That's

approximately three full-time firefighter, paramedic, salary, and benefit. This directly impacts our ability to maintain staff safe staffing levels, meet responsible expectations, and ensure that adequate personnel are available for emergencies. Emergency equipment, roughly five to seven cardiac monitors, defibrills, which are critical for life-saving interventions during cardiac events, or 25 plus self-contained breathing apparatus units, which are essential for firefighter safety during fire suppressions. The renovation of station 12 is currently underway and that's 250,000. The closest impact to the library is circulating books and content in approximately 329,000. Contractual tree work is 314,000. Parks and rec park parks and recreation capital projects are budgeted at 1 million, but 307,000 would be a 30.7 reduction in projects. Recreation programming has a $421,000 budget, but 30 $37,000 would be a 72.9 reduction in program. I've heard a few reasons that this decision was made. Possibly addiction and quality of place. Closing gaming parlors isn't tackling addiction when you're allowing gaming machines and other establishments. Alcohol is consistently listed as the top three to four preventable cause of death every year in the United States. There's no active ordinance to reduce the number of liquor licenses in the city of Molain. As far as quality of place goes, gaming parlor, As far as quality of place goes, gaming parlor is bringing down the quality of place, but bars that don't require but bars that require mobile police stations because people who drink lack appropriate judgment. The butterfly effect of this decision has a financial impact of 307,000. The owners will lose their business and their income. Employees lose their job. The owner of the gaming machine is a

small business. He's out $200,000 in an investment. We have an empty brick and mortar. Landlords have to find new tenants. The owners of the buildings will be forced to sell. And over 10 years, they've contributed $7 million in revenue to the state of Illinois. That could possibly be grant money. I strongly oppose the sunset of Class K license due to loss of employment and loss of revenue into the city. We all have the ability to not negatively impact people's lives and create unnecessary hardship. These establishments have been in operation for 12 years. Please let them die naturally. Thank you. Thank you. Is there a motion? Motion to approve. Motion by Castro. Is there a second?

Second. Second by Finch. Discussion. Miss Castro.

I was going to say something, but um Jessica already pretty much said everything that um I was going to say. Um, but I um did want to say that I actually I have one um I think it's a Susie Slots in my ward. I um was um they reached out to me probably at the end of last year, early this year and I sat down and went to their establishment. It was um it was clean, it was safe, it was um I could see why people would want to go there, you know, besides going into a bar. Um, I really loved what I think it was Mrs. Miss Cox said about the um the issues with addiction and you know how we use our cannabis dollars to assist people who have been negatively negatively impacted by that and you know maybe trying to find some way to use those dollars to do um something for um for gambling addiction or mental health um mental health issues. So, um I don't think that there's any reason for us to I don't think there's any reason for us to to sunset them. I wasn't here when um it first happened. I don't think I would have voted for it at that time. So, I am hopeful that um we can let them continue.

Thank you. Any further comment from the council?

Mr. I think that the arguments to keep them open are compelling arguments. When we look to the revenue losses, that is of course a big piece of the budget. We'll have ways to find that money in other ways, but it is every revenue source helps in city planning. Um, more compelling to me is the loss of jobs. I I I struggle with this because of that reality. Um, and those are the reasons why when this first passed in 2022, I voted against the amendment to push it forward. Um, but what has changed my mind and was changed my position is that since we passed that ordinance at that time, um, I have heard overwhelmingly from the community that they want to see the sunset go through. In fact, I until this evening had never heard from any constituent or anyone other than the owners of the businesses asking me to keep it open. And when I sought opinions, that's not what I've heard from the community. Um, this was 5050 to me at the time. It remains that way now. It it's it's fighting multiple facets of of how I like to keep our town. Um, but I'm choosing to go with what I've heard from overwhelmingly from my constituents and that's why I'll be voting to leave the sunset in place.

Thank you, Mr. Timian.

Thank you, your honor. I have so many thoughts um and I really appreciate everyone that came today, especially those um from Julie's who from my point of view have really built a community. And what we're seeing is that this establishment is acting as a third place, a place that isn't home and isn't work. And they're going to to congregate and have family and build a community together. And I think that that's wonderful. Um, I work in the mental health care field and every single year, every single month, we have new federal regulations that come forward and I work with a team of software engineers that are directly responsible for making sure we are legally compliant. This is what our entire team is built for. It's boring, but it's necessary because if we don't do it, people lose lose access to mental health care. We have to remain compliant with the laws in order to do this when this sunset provision was passed. Um, and I was the deciding vote and that was kind of fun. Um, to think about because it's been four years. We gave the shop owners a five-year time limit to become compliant with the laws. And in my profession, if we don't do that, we get shut down. And this is a similar situation. I I would ask why the business owners have not chosen to become compliant to keep these communities and these third places open. They've had four years to do it. If we did that same thing at my job and said, "Well, we're going to wait until the deadline and then fight it." We would get shut down. And the best thing about this is that there's still time. There's still nine

months for business models to change to adapt to the regulations that have been passed and I would encourage everyone to do that because I would hate to see these communities in these third places be affected. Um, but having said that, I still stand by the decision that I made and I I don't know if I need to go into a a budget argument or any other discussion. I would just remind this council that about this time last year, I was the only vote that wanted an abandoned building to be a convenient store and vape shop because I argued that any business is better than an empty business. And this council overwhelmingly said that not all businesses are good businesses or not all businesses are ones that we want. And I'm happy to say that I was wrong and you're you were right. And so that is my stance and I've adopted your stance that you all voted for last year and so I thank you for that and I encourage the business owners to adapt.

Thank you. Anything further? Yes, Mr. Castro.

Um just in response to Mr. Timian regarding um that vote last time, we didn't close any businesses. We just decided not to add any new licenses. We are not suggesting that we are going to be adding additional um gaming salons throughout the throughout the city. We just want to let the ones that are that are operating right now um continue in order for them to become compliant. They would have I mean we would have to have them sell more. I mean they would have to apply for another license. They would have to sell more liquor which is going to completely change completely change their business. Um I think I had asked chief one time about the you know if they've ever had any kind of police calls or any um any you know violence or anything like that at any of these um establishments and I don't believe at that time he said that there were any. I think maybe there was like maybe one police call to those um to those businesses. is when if you look at the businesses that are downtown or other, you know, other bars where there's, you know, there's the gambling and the alcohol, I mean, there are a lot more um, you know, more problems could happen down there and the folks that are wanting to go to these establishments are not going to want to go to um to a place like that. It's going to completely change completely change the model. So, I mean, they could become compliant, but it would completely change the risks.

Thank you, Mr. MSAS.

Uh, thank you. and and yes, um I'm not insensitive to everybody's uh livelihoods and um and the effort and all the work that has been put into these businesses. Uh and also the the welcoming environment that's been creating created for folks. Uh but thinking back then, it was the quality of life. What do we want our neighborhoods and our uh our business environment to look like? Um you know, it was mentioned it is complex. It's very complex. Uh a lot of the decisions we makes are are complex. It was also mentioned let let them die die naturally which frankly uh the disruptors are probably going to do it sooner than later. Um I can't watch a sporting event without the need to hey should I be gambling on this and I'm not really a gambler and without friends and and people that I know saying hey you want to go in on these squares or whatever. It's very very mainstream. So regardless of our decision, there is going to be a sunsetting just by disruptors and the nature of how mainstream this has has gone. Unfortunately, there's no way to compete with the big uh corporate uh sports giants and and the mega uh casinos. It's probably bound to happen regardless of what's decided here. Um, that said, I also uh had the chance to take a tour and meet with some of the business owners, and I I don't think there's anything wrong with the businesses, but I also believe that some of the folks I don't know how many of the folks will probably end up going to bars if they want to continue to um go to the slots, maybe they'll go to neighboring cities. Uh but that said, um the shifting of business to bars is one thing that could happen, but there's been years and some of the businesses could have maybe added a restaurant element to it, a bar element. It's not just bar and liquor. There could be

other ways of making it a destination. In fact, I'd be supportive of a whole brand new casino. I'm not anti-gambling uh because then that's a destination. Uh but uh there's been a lot of time and here we are less than a year to go and we have to basically I'm going to stand with the decision I made years ago. Again, I appreciate everybody's input. Um but there's been a lot of time and there's still some time to look at how you can evolve the business and this is a a fight that you're going to have to have at some point or another. This disruptors are not going to go away and people are just going to continue gambling on their phones. That's just something that it's a it's a certain thing that's going to happen.

Thank you, Mr. McNeel.

Yeah, it it's also hard for me to hear about the loss of jobs. Um I I work in an industry u and work with two organizations that had significant layoffs in the last year. I I understand the impact. Um it's across businesses. It's across industries and technology changes, jobs, industries. Um, I was able to visit a business with many of you and we talked about the concerns and the change in your industry. Um, we did see sports gambling explode online, right? And now, you know, the state of Illinois is considering legislation to bring casino gambling to your phones as well. And so, whatever the outcome in the vote tonight, um, you know, I I would continue to talk to your employees about, you know, the possibilities of these jobs being lost due to the change in this industry as well. Um, I think that was a concern that we discussed and um, I I I would see that as a concern for you. Um, I am favoring staying with the sunset. Um, I understood the rationale from the council. I did not serve at the time. I did not vote. Um, but I appreciate everyone coming. This is a difficult decision for myself and as others have stated, but that's my position.

Thank you. Anything further from the council hearing? None. Can we have a roll call vote? Yes. And this is the motion is to amend the sunset. So if you vote I, right, you're voting or if you vote in favor, you're voting to get rid of the sunset. If you vote no, you are sticking with the sunset. Correct, Mr. That's correct.

Thank you. All right. So, if there's nothing further, all in favor, uh, roll call. I mean, wait. Yeah. I can't do all in favor. Sorry. One second. One second. If there's nothing further, roll call, please. Alder person. Castro. I. Schmidt. Nay. Silus. I. MSAS. Nay. Rosac. Nay. Timmyian. Nay. Finch. Sorry McNeel. Nay. All right. That motion fails 3 to five.

So the class K onset remains in place. Correct. Thank you. We move to number 7.18. The resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute and attest to a memorandum of understanding between the city of Molen, city of Rock Island, and county of Rock Island, setting forth the terms for submitting a joint application for allocated funds through the 2025 Edward Burn Memorial Justice Assistance Grant. Chief, is that you?

Yeah, no problem. Thank you, your honor. Uh you if you've been on council before, congratulations all our person silence. Uh we bring this forward annually. It's the DOJ Edward Burn Memorial Justice Grant or commonly known as the JAG grant. Uh we uh are awarded this uh in conjunction with our partners at the city of Rock Island and uh this year the total allocation is 58,505 of which $29,230 is awarded to the city of Moline. There's a 10% offset to Rock Island County. So our allocation is $26,37. Uh the uh the uh resolution before you explains that uh the police department wishes to expend $20,000 of that money on a one-time discounted trial of Urban SDK's traffic analysis software that the director of engineering and and her staff, my staff uh have been uh evaluating uh to better understand the traffic in the city of Molen, including traffic volume and speeding. uh and we feel that this will give us datadriven insights to enhance traffic enforcement, traffic planning and public safety efforts. Uh the balance remaining of 637 is planned to be used for digital tablets, the brand name of remarkable uh which we already have several of these uh deployed our investigation division. Uh but this will allow us to expand that program and further digitize our uh infield notetaking and forms that our detectives use on a daily basis. So, uh,

please note that this item will appear on the city council agenda as well on items not on consent. The DOJ gives us very narrow windows of the application when it drops and then when they're due. So, I'd ask for both consideration uh or approval tonight and then consideration on council as well. Motion to approve. Thank you. Second by Alder President Schmidt. Discussion hearing none. All in favor? Any opposed? That motion passes. Thank you. And we move to ourformational build molen, a city-led pilot to restore attainable housing. Mr. Timian, David, do we is it up there?

It's on the shelf. Thank you.

Uh good evening, members of council. Um, I come before you tonight to introduce an idea, get feedback, and hopefully uh attach it uh approval so that as staff moves forward with this idea, they have all of our ideas and feedback and we can kind of go with it. So, I'm introducing a program that I am calling Built Molen, and this is a city-led pilot program to help restore attainable home ownership within the city. So, what is the problem? The population of Molen peaked in 1980 at 46,400 people. It has been in decline ever since. Now, arguably, we have built homes since then. We have built plenty of homes in the last 45 years, but the population continues to decline. And we have to ask ourselves, why is it that when we add more places to live, we still have fewer people? And it's quite simple. People are having fewer kids. people are requiring less space or they're taking up more space because they're not leaving their homes uh because they stay in place longer. Their houses are paid off and there is nowhere for them to downsize into. Uh further nationwide apartment building uh declined over the years. There was a a peak around the 1980s when people were building apartments and then they just stopped when they discovered condos because they could make a quick buck instead of making their money back over 30 years. why this matters and why the the housing issue is there. Starter homes which are not present uh are not being built currently. They're an entry point to home ownership which gets families into uh the generational cycle of home ownership and wealth building. Fewer starter homes means that fewer families choose Molen and they instead go to other neighboring communities where

these kinds of homes are being built. In our case, it's usually across the river because they have better incentives for this kind of house building. So, according to um our our partnership uh for the um man, I'm I'm losing the word. What's that thing we're doing? The comprehensive plan. Okay. The average uh home in Molen was built in 1959 with only 7% of our housing stock being built in the last 25 years. That means that if someone is looking to get into home ownership, they have to choose between a house they can't afford, which is the houses that are being built, the larger homes, or a hundred-y old house that needs a lot of upkeep. In my own neighborhood, there's a house that's for sale uh for $70,000 that no one wants to buy because it requires probably $100,000 worth of work. And it isn't always a a finance issue. It's a do I want the headache of changing pipes, getting rid of knob and tube, uh insulating it, changing the roof, doing all the work to modernize a speestous abatement, modernize an older home. On the flip side, there's another house near me that just sold on 12th Avenue for $180,000, and that's a busy street because it was kept up and modern, and it was a smaller home as well. The point is is that people will buy homes that are newer. we're missing that segment of smaller homes that are newer construction. Um, I will also encourage anyone if they have questions in the middle of this, please raise your hand. I'm happy to make this a discussion. So, what we're seeing here is that this is a market failure. The private market focuses on profit and typically fast profit. They don't have the capacity for long-term profits unless they are building apartment

buildings and again making money over decades to to get their investment back. Further, another market failure that we've contributed to and all city governments have are regulations that have prohibited building on smaller lots or requiring too many parking spots or requiring a max lot coverage. A lot of different regulations. Now, we can tackle those and we've we've done that for a lot. But I would argue that the development community is just out of practice for building these smaller homes because they get instant gratification when they build a 2500 foot house or a big uh commercial or multif family development and not these smaller houses. And despite the demand, the private sector is not building them. So my proposal is build moline and did I do that here? I did. So a quick overview, we have already allocated a million dollars for housing initiatives for 2026. This is already budgeted money. The pilot program is that we will build four to five starter homes. Let's just say 1,000 square feet, 1100 feet, two bedrooms. We will target building these on already existing lots that the city owns. and we own a number of them. Um I'm sure we have at least four or five in the city that we can start with. Uh and using this million dollars and there's other potential funding sources like CDBG that can likely be used for um site prep, uh maybe uh utility hookup, things like that to lower the cost. Arguably, if we are uh targeting certain AMIs, we can use CDBG for even more. um the design and development model of these homes. We will have a standardized design of the home, one to two floor plans. I advocate for one. Uh this is just for ease of use. We would be able

to meet with a uh would have an RFP out for a developer who will build these houses. They will massproduce them. So, because we have one floor plan, they can better predict cost. They can buy they can buy materials in a bulk amount. so they can get a little bit cheaper and um just build the same house all over the place on these empty lots. Uh as I mentioned, they'll be built in a a l a batch with an RF through an RFP homes built by a private developer and then the rest of it kind of is on autopilot. We already have inspectors for new homes. We have oversight already through existing city processes. So, all we're doing is paying for construction and ignoring the profit incentive for the city. I'll get to that in a second. Who gets to buy these houses? Uh, homes will only be sold sold to owner occupants and not landlords or corporations. We deal with this through um a very tried and true method. Habitat for Humanity does it currently. We could put a deed restriction when we sell the house that requires them to live there for five years or the city gets right of first refusal and we could get the property back um if we so desire. Um and so all the approved buyers who have pre-approved letters will um apply to this program at a future time. The people who get to buy them will be chosen through a lottery. So it will be randomized lottery based and we won't be able to pick and choose ourselves who get to do it. The homes will be sold at or below cost. The preference is at cost because as these the money comes back, we can roll the money over into next year and do the same thing over again. This is a long-term investment in the

city. In the event that the uh at cost price is too high, we can take a initial hit on this because with every new house we build and every new resident we bring into the city, we generate uh new money for the city either through tax uh property tax. Currently, these lots are zero. We get usage fees uh through utilities. We get sales tax. And generally speaking, every single uh person that uh comes into a city generates between $2 and $5,000 in economic impact that directly goes into the city's pockets. And so if we do have to take a loss because the um price is too high, then we will end up recouping that money pretty quickly. Um and let's see. So the next steps are get feedback from the council tonight. Uh you've you have the white paper in front of you. I I've spelled out things with a lot more detail. Um I think we already kind of have a budget and we have some feedback from staff. Um we will need to determine what the housing plans are, how we'd like to get them and and move forward there. And based on the success of the program, we can make tweaks. We can add a little bit money to it to add more houses or possibly pivot to other housing types in the future. I know Bob has some thoughts about um uh getting housing plans and and how that might work and and anything else, but I'd like to hear any feedback from the council and just generally the idea um as you've read it and taken it in over the last few days.

Oh, this is the mayor's meeting. Mr. Silus, I really do like the concept. I'm curious, has there been a pilot or successful program we could point to nationally or regionally? Um, I have looked and I haven't found I haven't looked too hard,

but I know that there have been discussions um especially in like the strong towns community of the city guaranteeing loans for ADUs or small housing construction. I haven't found an example where the city is directly financing it. Um, but I'm also aware that we're not afraid to do innovative and new things. Um, to set an example for our neighbors and and to be fair, I want pending success. I want Rock Island and East Moly to copy us because it lifts up the whole community to have more housing optionality for people. I will say that the the standardized building house plans is something I gave y'all in the program book in the summer of 2022. Um, so I like that there are pieces of it that have been tried in other communities. I think that was Southbend was the one I shared with them from a conference I was at. Um, and pieces of we already know CDBG has been used in this manner to to help with these kinds of transformations. So there's pieces of I think of this whole plan that have been done, but this would be like pulling it all together in some way.

And I will your honor mention that and I mentioned in the white paper too, I would like the plans to become free to the public so that if someone has a lot and they want to build a house, they could walk into the planning department, say, "I want plan 15 C and get a stamp of approval because they meet the setbacks that that have been set up and they can get a building permit the next day." And it just so happens now we have a bunch of local developers who are used to building plan 15c so they can be an easy place to go to to uh get their house built. And so we're creating a system uh and knocking maybe $10,000 off the price because we're providing plans for free quick approval etc. So anything we can do to kind of knock the price down encourages this kind of development.

There were other hands. Yes. We'll go this way. Miss Castro, I had a couple of questions. Um I think um did you say that you were it was going to be paid for out of the um funds that we have set aside for housing initiatives or I guess my question is more to staff to Bob. How would that impact our other housing programs that we are wanting to do things with um like unhoused um folks or our emergency shelters or winter shelters? How would you know diverting that those funds affect affect that or would it um It's not a question of diverting is it?

Really? It's not a question of diversion. I mean the the money that that has been set aside or was used for the uh the unsheltered um 25,000 of that actually came through the city council from the contingency front because it wasn't budgeted for. Um but that's what the contingency is there for when there was no shelter to stand up. Um you know the the million dollars that that Alderman Timmy is referring to. I mean we've been working toward a housing you know as a part of the housing task force standing up a program. So we did set aside that million dollars you know into the special CIP is actually Carol right that's where it's at. So, it is sitting there in the special CIP, you know, pending some type of a program. Um, one of the things that we're doing this summer is that we have a um uh a young intern who is going to be joining us uh as a part of what is known as the abundance internship program. Uh, and this was something that was brought to our attention by the mayor based on her affiliation with the uh

abundance electeds. Huh? Abundance electeds. That's all I know.

Whatever. Anyhow, so we interviewed a number of young young people for the internship and and uh this young gentleman will be joining us this summer and his whole purpose is is helping us to put this program together. He will be working with Renu Molen. One of our goals of course is housing. That's why we did set aside the million dollars. Um Renu Molen has a strategic plan that almost mirrors ours. They are also looking at how to deal with this housing crisis locally. Um and they've got really two approaches to it. One is multif family. They're looking at project uh on 4th Avenue. Is 4th Avenue? Thank you. Fourth Avenue. And um they've also agreed or Alex has agreed to help mentor this young person and work with them as we start to put together a program. The timing here is kind of ideal because you know, Alderman Tim has this idea to do this uh and put this white paper together. At the same time, we were having these conversations and he wasn't part of those conversations. So, it kind of came together, I'd say, accidentally. Um, though we all talk about housing pretty pretty frequently. So, long answer to a short question. Sorry, but I think I just wanted to make sure the council understood what's going on behind the scenes to try and stand this up by September. We really want to have a program that this council can plan for, budget for, and replenish these funds. I'd like to see this thing replenishing itself, right? We have a history and KJ is also involved in that for I don't know 20 some years now. Um, you know, we have built houses. I mean, we have renovated houses. We've done a lot of things, but there's there's just not enough of that private investment side that you want to see. That's really where the pinch is. It's the private investment dollars. We try to attract private investment dollars from Lamar Homes. They don't want to come to this market. They're only interested in

Chicago market. So, we've we've reached out to home builders hoping to see if we can get something done. So, we're going to have to take this on our own if we want to stand this up and make it work and make it an example when, you know, private developer might build, you know, 100 homes in a year. We may build five, but we're building and that's really the difference. and and I would they can't accelerate it beyond the fiscal realities. There is a thing called an incremental developer which might be a mom and pop developer that is interested in building one house a year as a supplement or just as a side project or or whatever. Yeah.

We can create the framework that shows them how to do it with this model of house. And then as you mentioned Southbend, Indiana, this is exactly what they did.

Yeah. They created this network of developers and electricians and plumbers and they all kind of came together and they're helping each other and the city has I would argue a couple dozen free plans that they can all use and um these incremental developers they can start building these different housing types and I think like what a great problem it would be if we no longer need to do this anymore and the market picks up. we where we have pushed it, but right now it's big developers who want a hundred homes and we're looking for people that want two or three. Yeah. And and so we're going to fill in the gap because the government should step in when the market fails.

So I I'll call on you in one second. I wanted to mention that perhaps there's a chance that we could replicate what Davenport schools do. I think it's Davenport where they they those kids um build a house. Um I don't I mean if we're going to you know create a network or be a part of that then then it seems that you know working with the trades etc and the high school which we have a history of doing internships well with them that that could be one of the homes and that's wonderful on the job training. We also some of us were down with the electricians last year young students doing stuff in the summer getting that work done. So I think anyway it's something to think about. Um, and secondly, I had thought while I was reading through it, um, well, this sounds like what Habitat does, and you mentioned Habitat. Um, however, then I also remembered that Tom Fischer King talked with me this year when I was at the first ribbon cutting or uh, for the the first home he'd been able to do in Molen and like I think it's over five years, right? It's been a long time since they built a home in Molen and it is because of a lot of regulatory but also um fiscal realities right I don't think we can count on nonprofits who are already cashstrapped in many ways to manage the market in the same way that that we can in some ways so I kind of I wanted to address the idea that like well why don't we just let Habitat do it doesn't happen if they don't have enough money

and I would argue if we give them this million dollars They can build five homes, but then the million dollars is gone. This plan is to build them and sell them and recycle that money as many times as possible. Understood. Okay. There was I think that my question was really answered in your long um answer. I just wanted to know if this was going to change any of our plans that we had um as far as um funding like shelters or work with the homeless. Can I address that? I know you're the administrator, but that's all that was my question. That's all I think it's a great idea. I just wanted to make sure that there wasn't going to be like any kind of that was kind of still like in

it's in the works and so there is absolutely no dollar amount out there yet or an agreement yet with the other cities, but that is happening. We just talked this morning with our intergovernmental folks about when that when the next step meeting is. So, can I add to that too? What was really great is that, you know, we reached back out or I reached back out to the other cities and uh the county just jumped on it has now taken the lead.

And I'm thrilled. I'm thrilled because I don't think there's any one of the administrators here local who locally who doesn't believe the county should be taking the lead on that issue of homelessness. So, we may become funders, but we will never be owners or operators. I've been saying that since the beginning. We just did this because it was an emergency this year. Other questions? Yes, Mr.

M. Yes. So, well, obviously Habitat, it sounds like Habitat and they could certainly um it's not replicating. You run out of the money, all all that, but they already have the plans, they have the structure. Um, I wouldn't be opposed to working with a nonprofit provider and not just because they might have the experience of doing this stuff, but together we could tap into other grants that might not be that would be separate from CB uh CDBG grants. Um, and there are they're out there. Um, they could apply for them. We probably wouldn't necessarily, but a housing organization certainly could. So, uh I would keep that as an option because uh then you can leverage funds here, leverage our our funds, and I'm all about leveraging um and even if it does run out, I mean, you could get like maybe 15 houses, you know, uh or so, but

uh I I would just recommend not, you know, thinking about other partners that um could could bring other funds to the table. Mr. Thank you. So I I'm just thinking about how we measure success and that can be years down the road, right? The way when I'm reading this and hearing you, it's like project lead the way for developers. We start this and you know we create this so they can replicate it and so success is going to be measured over time, right?

If if this works, right? Um I guess my question is about um you know our outreach and you know maybe it's marketing to this audience you know are we creating a product that there's no audience for today or a very slim audience like the small developer right so we're so we'd have to be actively selling this right I mean James you can chime in on how it's this isn't a market out there that's like going crazy how we're bringing them the product, right? And it's so, um, that's would be something I'd like to see us focus on is how do we find or even entice folks to get into the small development space because I think it's great. But that would be my concern is there's a reason that they're building big homes because they see the return on investment. Well, and that's just it is if you can make $100,000 on a house or 15,000 on a house, you're gonna you're going to chase $100,000. And I think like that's just the nature

of the system that we're in. They chase profit. We're chasing neighborhood stabilization.

We are chasing uh adding new housing to our city. And quite frankly, we are chasing income streams to power the city going forward through all the different revenue stream possibilities. So our motives are very different. Now, the the private developers, their motive might be that 15,000 because they now have a network of builders and plumbers and people that have become a welloiled machine over a couple years of doing this that can knock out these housing models based on a bank loan that they get that now we have credit unions that are familiar with it and that they can do this kind, you know, it becomes a system. And so maybe I mean that's the hope. That is really the hope. And just lastly, um I know it's a real estate term, but the starter home. Um so my family of three lives in a thousand square foot two-bedroom, oneb house, and that's like our environmental resiliency plan. So um I just don't it's a small home. I don't know if we can call them small homes.

We quit calling them tiny homes because starter home is more appropriate. Um my mother lives in an 800 square foot house and it's still her starter. It's No, it's her final. Yeah. Um we have a lot of communities in the first and second ward specifically that have homes that are 600 square feet and the market conditions are they're all occupied. They're not empty. People live in them. They might not like it entirely, but people live in them. Moletes or they do like it in your case. Mletes are all occupied and they're going for quite a bit of money. So, I think the market speaks for the demand already. Mr. Schmidt, was that a hand? Yes. Go ahead.

Um, I do think that the marketing component you brought up is going to be interesting where um people who know who's looking for houses are your realtors, but this could be sort of in competition to them. So, maybe they're not as interested. But then there's of course for sale by owner and QC. I mean there's probably partnerships you have to look at on the marketing component of how we get that out there. What what makes the most sense. I also think for the when you talk about selling it at cost versus the low cost and I agree of course we want to sell at cost first. I do think one thing we'll have to figure out is especially we're working from a city-owned lot is what cost of that lot gets carried over into that calculation right as and do we go back to what it cost the city once upon a time where like we have a lot of flexibility because we own so many lots and I think that's also what's going to slow down our need for like more upfront capital because if you're going to build this as just a developer you have to buy that lot and so we can just bring that to the table. But um and the last piece somewhat related as well is is looking at awarding things via a lottery among qualified applicants makes perfect sense, especially when we're selling at cost. But I would think if we're selling below cost, we probably would want to have that be a a proper bidding scenario. And then but anyone who bids at cost would be in entered into a lottery because if some if if people are bidding lower than cost, we should recoup as much as we can. I totally get how we don't want to turn around and say only the wealthiest people who can throw an extra 10 or 20,000 on from our at cost thing wouldn't wouldn't serve the needs of this program. But it's just one thought as we're getting into that that we

I'm sure those details we can fine-tune in the future as we continue. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. All right. Thank you. All right, we'll call our regular council meeting to order. Pledge of allegiance, please.

I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all.

All right. Do you have a invocation, Miss Castro? I do not. Okay. Roll call, please. Alder person. Silas, present. MSAS, present. Rosac, present. Timmyian, present. Bench, present. McNeel, present. Castro, present. Schmid, present. All right. We have no remote electronic attendance. Attendance. Is there any more public comment? No. All right. If not, we'll move on to our consent agenda. Your honor, I request approval of committee of the whole council and executive session meeting minutes of March 24, 2026. Appointments made during committee of the whole on April 7, 2026 and consent agenda items 16.1 through 17.15 inclusively.

Motion to approve consent agenda. Second. Thank you. Now they're going way high in the air. You guys just exercise. All right. Uh so we have a motion by Timmy and seconded by Finch. Roll call, please. Aler person Castro. I Schmidt. Hi, Silus. Hi, MSAS. Hi, Rosac. Hi, Timian. Hi, Finch. Hi, McNeel. I

Eight eyes, nos's. That motion carries. Non-consent agenda resolutions. Item number 19.1, a resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute and attest to a memorandum of understanding between the city of Molen, city of Rock Island, and county of Rock Island, setting forth the terms for submitting a joint application for allocated funds through the 2025 Edward Burn Memorial Justice Assistant Assistance Grant. Motion to approve. Second. Motion by Finch, seconded by Castro. Discussion hearing none. Roll call, please. Alder person Castro. Hi. Schmidt. Hi. Silus. Hi, MSAS. Hi, Rosac. Hi, Timmyian. Hi, Finch. Hi, McNeel. Hi.

Eight eyes, no nazs. That motion carries. Item number 19.2, two, a resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute and attest to a notice of intent to award with Miller Trucking and Excavating Company for project number 1520, 2026 lead service line replacement project for the amount of 7,947,755 contingent upon receipt of a loan agreement from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Motion to approve. Second. Motion by Finch, seconded by Rzac. Uh, roll discussion. Roll call, please. Alder person Castro. Hi. Schmidt. Hi. Silus. Hi. MSAS. Hi. Rosac. Hi. Timmyian. Hi. Finch. Hi. McNeel. Hi.

Eight eyes. No. That motion carries. Item number 19.3. A resolution accepting a quotation for office furniture to be placed in the newly renovated space at city hall for the relocation of the department of finance from AllMakes Office Furniture, Inc. utilizing Omnia Partners contract number CO23 for the amount of $110,929.75 plus installation of SAM for the amount $10,7940 for the total amount of $121,723.75 and authorizing the assistant director of public works to purchase said furniture and do any and all things necessary in order to complete the purchase. Motion to approve.

Second. Motion by Finch, seconded by Schmidt. Discussion hearing none. Roll call, please. Alder person Castro. Hi. Schmidt. Hi. Silus. Hi. MSAS. Hi. Razak. I. Timmyian. Hi. Finch. Hi. McNeel. Hi.

Eight eyes. No nays. That motion carries. Non-consent agenda. First reading ordinances. Item number 20.1. An ordinance amending chapter 22 offenses miscellaneous of the Mullen code of ordinances section 22-1105. tobacco products, tobacco accessories, smoking herbs, and alternative nicotine products by increasing the number of class B incidental tobacco dealers licenses in the city at the request of sorry, city of Molen at the request of Web Services LLC, DVA Casey's Tavern. Motion to advance the second reading. Second. Motion by Finch, seconded by Timmyian. Discussion hearing none. Roll call, please. Alder person Castro. Hi. Schmidt. Hi. Silus. Hi. MSAS. Hi, Rosac. Hi, Timmyian.

Hi, Bench. Hi, McNeel. Hi. Eight eyes, no nazs. Motion to advance to second reading carries. And that's all I have this evening, your honor. All right. Thank you very much everyone for a good um meeting, quality discussion. Um we had quality discussion today as a member of the passenger rail committee. Um Rock I think it the official title is if there is one is what? Rock Island County passenger rail committee. something like that.

Something like that. It It's what Doug House is leading um regarding making sure we are walking alongside the uh passenger rail project so that it gets done. Um and so he just gave us an update. Um I'll forward you some information from that. Um so just look in your email, but basically you know this is still a multi-year process. It's going to be much more like how the I74 bridge was in terms of a long range project. The difference now is that when you hear constituents say, "Oh, I've heard that forever. We're going to get the train." Well, that now we have a checkbook open that has needed to be open for the negotiations to finish. And we have still maintained commitments from Amtrak and the Federal Railway Administration for um committing to this line. it's been a priority line, etc. So, uh, still a few years out before we'd be riding the train, but I just wanted to assure everyone that, um, leaders across Rock Island County, city administrators, there were folks from Visit Quad Cities as well because there's a huge impact on tourism there, folks from the chamber, etc. were there and it was good to be in the same room and get all the same information and know that um we're in contact with folks in Cook County who are very supportive of this project, right? Because Chicago land still remains one of the highest places we get weekend visitors from. Um and people who stay in hotel rooms and go to our events at at Vibrant and our all of our summer experiences, etc. Um and so that kind of cooperation um is helpful for those out of town dollars that will come in and and people experiencing the good that is the Quad Cities. Um

and uh that is all I have under miscellaneous. You got anything for us, Mr. Silus? No. Well, we're glad you're here. Yeah. Excited to be here. Um Mr. Nothing. No, thank you. I'd like to welcome older person Silus. I'm glad you're here. Um, and uh, want to thank Nathan as well for his idea that I I love an idea of a a closed off walkable Fifth Avenue. I might be in the minority, but I think it's great. Thank you, your honor. Thank you. Mr. McNeel,

um, City of Molen is getting an Eddie award from River Action, and so I had to remind Chris that he's going to be accepting that on April 30th. Um, so if anybody wants to attend, um, we'll be there. Awesome. Thank you. For the riverfront plan. Did I say that? Oh, no. We did plan. Okay, great. Yeah. Can we make sure we get a calendar invite to that or is it not for everyone? It's for talking. I need to get a city of moing table or something. Oh, okay. Gotcha. Thank you. Table of 10. Miss Castro, nothing. Staff, anybody? Yeah, I'm ready. Okay, go ahead.

Okay. Uh, two things I want to bring up. one, I know that there was a announcement over the weekend, but I wanted on the record here in this council meeting at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity reached out to Molain to uh Chris Matias on April the 1st, 2026 as the RERC administrator and they have now approved the designation of the Molen River Edge Redevelopment Zone, which as you know stretches from border to border, 4,500 ft up the up the bluff. off uh and it is a significant achievement. Um our next step in this process will to will be to bring forward the IG based upon the meetings we had with all of the taxing jurisdictions uh that appear on properties in Molain and we had reached a mutual agreement on how that would look. So we'll be circulating that. Uh city attorney Atkins is actually preparing the IG. We expect that'll be done shortly and then we will circulate that for signatures and approval by those governing bodies and then bring it back to the city council for final approval and that will then allow CED and Mias and Par. It sounds like a business par and my office to really go out and start pushing for those bulldozers the mayor keeps talking about uh along the riverfront. So, that was really fantastic news and uh I wanted to make sure we enter that into the record. Um the other thing I want to do is I want to go back and just revisit something with council that was brought up. It was a public presentation by the YMCA when Mr. Winnamp was here and he made a request for $130,000 from the city to support the YMCA's project which is a multi-year project. I believe he said it was three or four years. uh I think that's what he said but as a significant investment $24

million project that they're doing there and he was looking for 130 which basically you know would cover in a lot of respects the the permit fees right for a project of that magnitude I don't like getting in the habit of waving permit fees for anybody other than for ourselves because that's the way local governments operate um otherwise you're just billing yourself to pay yourself but you know in his case he looked for 130 So I thought about that and I said, "Well, what can we do?" Well, we could just say no to 130. Makes life easy. Say no. Um or we could say yes to 130. That make him happy. But then I thought about the equity. I thought about who have we actually supported in the past as a city, you know, when similar requests have been made and not talking about special events either. So, one of the more recent ones that we that we did was the new business center for junior achievement. So, as you'll recall, uh when the former director approached us and requested $37,500, the council was gracious and gave them $37,500 over three years. So it was 17,500 which was the first trunch that went out to help get the business center up and running which by the way is a screaming success that business center if you haven't been there you really need to go and see how that's operating and then 10,000 for each of the consecutive years after that we have now paid that all out this was that I think last year was the last year last payment and they've made no other requests. Um, one of the other big ones that we have is the 30,000 that goes out and it's really it is I don't really want to call it a special event because it's an ongoing event every Friday all summer long. Marcato at 5th and we allocate $30,000 in the police department budget to support the overtime so that we can

have proper security at that event in today's day and age. Okay. So that that's an amount that goes out every year to them, but it's in the PD budget and managed by the police chief as opposed to what we used to do. So I said, "Okay, 130." Yes, 130. No. I said, "We could wave up to half of the request and give them 65,000 in one trunch. We can wave up to half of the request or 65 and provide them with a donation of 65 in a lump sum. Or we could turn around and we can do what we have done with others which actually lightens the burden on us. Remember this is a multi-year project. Either give them the 130 and split it up over the years or cut it in half say 65,000 and then donate $21,666. Sorry for those last three numbers each year for three years during the project. So starting with fiscal 2728 and ending in 29 because this is not budgeted. I don't have this money. I can't find that money very easily. So, I just want to throw that on the table and let the council decide how they would like to proceed. And if you can't decide tonight, then you can come back at the next meeting and we can wrap up that discussion. But I don't want to leave the request hanging out there.

Point of order. I don't think we can decide. Is that on the agenda? No, you can't. But I can get input. You can you can discuss it and you can make clear what your opinion is. Um you can't actually take a binding vote. Not tonight. Mr. Timmy, I I like that approach. It spreads it out. Um we can probably do 65 and 21 over three years even from contingency if if needed. Uh, I mean that's for future budgeting discussions to to really figure out where Yeah, it would be a part of our budget discussions and Carol and I would build that into the budget, but then we would give them advanced notice that that's what we were doing. Yep.

So they would know that the city supporting that project up to the tune of $65,000 over three years. Mr. Schmidt, so when we're considering the choice a cash donation which certainly simplifies things to think versus a waving of fees. And is there an added administrative cost to waving the fees in addition to obviously the cost of inspections?

It's all rolled together. Permit B. The permit fees are supposed to cover our cost to deliver a service, right? The more complex the project, the greater the permit. That's why bigger projects have bigger permit fees because you're going to be out there more frequently. You know, it's not like building, let's say, a house versus a car instrument project. I mean, you can imagine the difference there and the skill sets required.

I don't need an answer tonight, but I'm putting it out there. I want, you know, I want you to think about it, and then if you want to get back in touch with me, by all means, please feel free. I I would encourage you all to go back to his presentation uh because there's so much good information there on what they provide to the city um in many ways that we're not funding right and and the good partnership that they have been for the Riverside Riverlide and all of that quality of life stuff and a place for our youth to be. I mean you kids who could be there I think it was 12 years old and up right that's a huge benefit for kids all summer long you know alone is what I'm saying now it's changed right chief

I think it's 14 but the point is we're they're providing services and that presentation he gave us is a good good reminder and we'll make sure you get to see that Mr. Yes Mr. I I was going to add that the services they provide make them feel like a unique partner when it comes to a contribution and in addition to Riverside it's a our parks department doesn't need to be in the fitness center game right the why is the fitness center the dayare so there's a lot in that partnership that um yeah so I'm I'm in favor of spreading it out one second

yes Mr. I'm sorry. I'm saying that it is a unique organization and it tends to help the community people. Okay. Thank you. Thank you much. That's all I have for tonight. Thank you. Okay. Then I know I have nothing. We are no executive session. I need a motion to adjourn. Second. Yes. Master second by all in favor. Any opposed? We are ajourned.