Town Council - Regular Meeting

call to order a meeting for the Normal Town Council for December 1st, 2025. Please call the RO. Mayor Cus here. Mr. Preston, Miss Lauren, here. Mr. Buyers here. Mr. Roers, here. Miss Smith, Mr. McCarthy. Here we begin with the pledge of allegiance.

[clears throat]

Uh we'll start with the omnibous agenda items considered routine and will be taken with one vote. Most council member item for discussion approval. Second.

Items on the omnibus tonight are approval of the minutes to the regular council meeting of November 17, 2025, a report to receive and file town of normal expenditures for payment as of November 26, 2025. Resolution authorizing execution of an agreement with the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office for uh community development block grant section 106 environmental reviews. resolution to award a contract to J. Spencer Construction LLC for the Children's Discovery Museum flooring project in the amount of $168,800 and an ordinance establishing the time and place for a public hearing for the Uptown Tax Increment Finance District redevelopment plan and project area. Please call the RO. [clears throat]

Mr. Preston, Miss Loren, hi Mr. Buyers. Hi, Mr. Roers. Hi, Mr. McCarthy. Hi, Mayor Cuse. Hi. Those items are approved. We have two items of general orders tonight. The first is an ordinance granting a special use permit to install roof mounted solar panels at 1209 South Bell Avenue. Move approval. Second. Discussion on this item. Please call the roll.

Mr. Buyers, I Mr. Roberge. I Mr. McCarthy. Hi. Mr. Preston, Mayor Cuz I forgot. I could not. Oh, Miss Lawren I and I'm I that resolution is approved. Item eight is a resolution amending the employment agreement of the municipal manager. Approval second discussion on this item.

Thank you. Um obviously this is a matter of personnel so u I don't want to go deep into it at all. We did hold an executive session or actually crossed over two executive sessions recently were fully discussed. Um the only thing I will say and I will be voting no um because of the amount I believe is excessive in light of the fact that um our employees are tied to CPI index cost of living increase which I looked up is around 3%. and our collective bargaining units bargained I think most recently for a package over four years that roughly um estimates around 4% each year and I just believe that 4.8 is excessive for the CEO of an organization to have such a greater amount than the rest of the organization. Thank you.

Further discussion on the item please call the Mr. Buyers I Mr. Roberge I Mr. McCarthy I. Miss Lauren, no. Mayor Cous.

I that [clears throat] resolution is approved. We have no new business. Um we do have two public commenters tonight. Um the first uh is Eric Hall. And just to go over the rules, I'm sure many of you are familiar with them, but uh we ask you state your name for the record. And you have three minutes for for a comment. any of the they're all mics are all live whichever one you would like.

Good evening. My name is Eric Hall. I'm a resident who lives a few blocks from the current fire station number two. I'm here because this firehouse has been a meaningful part of our neighborhood safety and identity for decades. I'm concerned about what it relocation means for the people who currently live here. This firehouse has provided something that won't show up on a map or a study. Peace of mind. Knowing that in an emergency, trained professionals are seconds, not miles away, has mattered to every family here. My children, like many others in this area, have grown up watching firet trucks respond to calls multiple times a day. They wave from the sidewalks as firefighters drove by. They learned early what service, courage, and sacrifice look like. You can't measure the value of that influence. It shapes how children see their community and the responsibility to it. Now with the upcoming relocation, I and many of my neighbors have legitimate concerns about longer response times and whether our area will still receive the same level of protection. We understand that the goal of improving response times elsewhere in town. But improving service in one area while reducing it in another isn't progress. It's simply shifting the risk. This isn't just theory. Recently, a normal fire department Facebook post highlighted a cardiac arrest that occurred only blocks away from the current station 2. Crews arrived quickly and rendered care. Their help restored a pulse and a positive outcome. Under the current relocation plan, that same emergency would have would have faced a four to five minute response. In severe medical emergencies like this one, those minutes can impact life or death outcomes of our community. Tonight, I'm asking for accountability and transparency. If this decision is truly based on data, then that data should be easily visible for all to see. The firefighters union has released its response time study to the public. The town needs to do the same. Show the data used to make this

decision, put it side by side with the union study so residents can see the two studies and clearly make informed conclusions on the needs and impacts. The borders of our town may look the same, but the demands placed on our fire department have grown and now extend beyond our community. Normal has taken on contracts for service in Hudson and Towanda, yet hasn't added additional resources in the town to ensure our service doesn't suffer. How does this benefit our citizens and not further impact response times? Change may be necessary, but it should never come at the cost of public safety. Do not relocate the reor resources in this station unless you can guarantee equal or improved response times, service, and protection for the families who live in this neighborhood. The firehouse represents security, dependability, and critical care when seconds count. This neighborhood has relied on that excellence, and we expect nothing less. Our safety is not negotiable, and we need action, not assumptions, to preserve it. Thank you for your time. And our uh second speaker is Trevor Ghart. Thank you, council members. My name is Pastor Trevor Gearhart. I'm actually the person from the Facebook post that the gentleman just a moment ago mentioned. So, it's an honor to be able to speak to you. Seven weeks ago, this past Saturday, my life changed dramatically and suddenly. I was driving west along College Avenue when I suffered a massive heart attack and collapsed behind the wheel. My vehicle swerved off the street and crashed into a stairwell at Lancaster Heights Apartments near College in Tanda. Now, by God's grace, nobody else was

injured in the accident, but at the moment of impact, I was already in critical condition. I had experienced one of the most life-threatening forms of cardiac arrest. In fact, according to the American Red Cross, out of hospital survival rates in this situation are less than 10% with fatalities numbering over 100,000 annually. That was almost one of them. Of course, the most important survival factor is rapid intervention. The chance of surviving decreases by 10% for every minute treatment is delayed. That's why it's absolutely essential for rescue workers to respond immediately. Minutes and seconds really do count. Now, in my case, a police officer was on scene in just a matter of seconds, and a crew from Fire Station 2's current location on College Avenue reached me just over two minutes later. I was unresponsive when rescuers pulled me from the vehicle and immediately began administering CPR and two shocks with a defibrillator before stabilizing and transporting me to Carl Broomman Hospital. Again, that's only seven weeks ago. If not for the skill and the quick actions of the rescuers from station two, I wouldn't be sitting here in front of you today. It's not an exaggeration to say that I really am genuinely a walking miracle. I don't know how long my brain was without oxygen before first responders intervened, but clearly the clock was ticking. I have every reason to believe that I was minutes, perhaps even seconds away from lapsing into a coma, permanent brain damage, or certain death. But here I am, thinking, talking clearly. At least I hope I am. It seems clear to me. I owe my life to the brave men from station two. I shudder to think about the whatifs. Things could have gone very differently. What if our understaffed fire and rescue workers had been out on a call? Would another station have reached me on time? What if those stations were also unavailable?

Certainly a very real scenario given their current overwhelming call volume. Worse yet, what if the station on College Avenue wasn't even there? I genuinely believe our community would have lost a pastor, a dad, a husband, and a friend to so many of the terrific people in our community. So, council members, I strongly urge you as a citizen of a city I love to reconsider your plan to close the College Avenue fire station. The location is a crucial hub to several population centers in our community, and it is a hightraic area. In fact, I don't even live in one of the neighborhoods that surround that spot. But like so many of our residents, I spend a lot of time traveling College Avenue. It's not just a want, it's a need. This time my life was spared. Maybe next time it will be your daughter, your son, your spouse, your loved one, your friend. Don't let our fire department fall behind. Keep us safe and keep the College Avenue Fire Station open. Thank you.

Before taking a motion for German, are there council concerns? Motion forj. So moved. Second. Please call the roll. Mr. Roberge. I. Mr. McCarthy. Hi. Miss Lauren. I. Mr. Buyers. Hi. I Marcuse. I We are journ. Thank you.