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The Galesburg City Council on Monday night tabled the purchase of two buildings from the Galesburg Rescue Mission until they can further investigate. The vote to table was 6-1 with only Dwight White opposing. Ward 3 Council member Evan Miller says that the Rescue Mission has done a good job of managing its clients but is worried that a facility under new management that might change. Mayor Peter Schwartzman said he also walked the area as well and didn't hear those concerns although he didn't ask directly about the issue. City Manager Gerald Smith said the city had not surveyed residents around the building because they had assumed that because a homeless shelter had been present the change would have minimal concern. Ward 7 Council Member Steve Cheesman says helping the homeless is an important cause but wasn't ready to vote yes with limited information. Cheesman, Heather Acerra, and Bradley Hix all compared the purchase to buying Churchill as a Community Center or purchasing a building before having specifics sorted out. Acerra says homelessness is a complex problem that often is mixed with substance abuse and mental illness and more data is needed. Ward 2 Council member Wayne Dennis said he's concerned there will be a lot of other costs beyond just the initial cost of purchasing the buildings. Schwartzman says the city has set aside $75,000 a year for two years to operate a warming shelter, but at this time doesn't have a facility. He envisions the building that houses people currently becoming affordable rental properties. Schwartzman says the City shortly will engage in a housing study which he anticipates will show that Galesburg needs more apartments that at a "reasonable cost."
The Galesburg City Council on Monday denied a one-month contract extension to the interim Public Works Director on Monday night. It was originally on the consent agenda before the contract extension was removed and then tabled, effectively leaving the city without a Public Works Director. The vote was 5-2. Voting to table was Bradley Hix, Wayne Dennis, Evan Miller, Heather Acerra and Steve Cheesman. Ward 1 Council member Bradley Hix says he doesn't think the council has enough information to extend given that interim Mark Rothert's contract pay is equivalent to $183,000 a year. City Manager Gerald Smith says Rothert has operated under this contract for the past two months and the cost includes salary, insurance, and benefit costs. Ward 5 Council member Heather Acerra moved to table the item which was seconded by Ward 3's Evan Miller. Acerra says that $183,000 is still higher than many other similar city administrative positions when you factor in things like benefits. Ward 6 Council Member Sarah Davis says the nature of contract labor is that it will be a little more expensive than a regular employee. Smith says without council extending the contract the council would be operating without a Public Works Director as soon as Tuesday since Rothert's contract was expiring. Ward 4 Council member Dwight White says he doesn't understand who will fill the Public Works Director duties in the interim. Sarah Davis says this is a "silly conversation to have" when the city needs a Public Works Director in place. Mayor Peter Schwartzman said this seems "egregious" to dispatch with an interim Public Works Director as soon as the next day. Schwartzman adds that he hasn't heard any concern about Rothert from staff or the public in his two months on the job.
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Galesburg City Council decided on Monday to table a contract to design Churchill Junior High as a community center until after the April elections. Ward 7 Council member Larry Cox made the motion and was joined by Bradley Hix, Wayne Dennis, and Kevin Wallace. Cox's motion was to table until May 1, the first meeting in which the new council after the election will be seated. Cox cited WGIL's reporting that Mayor Peter Schwartzman had asked the item be pulled before the item was put back on the agenda at three aldermen's insistence. Cox said some residents who wished to speak on the issue may have been unsure if the matter was being voted on. The $76,000 contract was for Farnsworth Group to design programs and design schematics including floor plans for use of Churchill Junior High as a community center. Council documents say that construction on the center could have started early as September but that timeline has likely been pushed back.