The Kewanee City Council will meet on Monday, June 23rd, at 7 PM. The meeting will be carried out live on our WKEI RegionalMediaNews.com Facebook page. The agenda and notes from the packet are below. You can find the background information on the agenda items in the Kewanee City Council packet.
1. Roll Call
2. Closed Session to discuss Personnel Section 2(c)(1) and Litigation Section 2(c)(11)
3. Roll Call
4. Consent Agenda
a. Approval of Minutes
b. Payroll
c. Staff Reports
d. Bock Report
e. Chamber Fireworks
5. Payment of the bills
6. Public Comments
7. New Business
a) Presentation: Sarah Bambas, Bi-State Regional Commission
b) Bill 25-61 Resolution in support of the Illinois America250 Commemoration.
c) Bill 25-62 Resolution authorizing the City Manager, Fire Chief, and City Clerk to execute a lease agreement with BD Pyxis for hardware and software for security and tracking purposes for the City of Kewanee Fire Department.
d) Bill 25-63 Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute an agreement with CMT for engineering services related to the Source Water Improvement Project, Water Service Line Scale Analysis, and Copper Pitting Study.
8. Council Communications
9. Announcement
10. Adjournment
Also in the Packet:
1. Mobile Home Parks— Court cases have continued regarding the mobile home parks. Another request for a temporary restraining order was denied, while the receiver’s petition to be released from the court appointment in the foreclosure case was approved with an effective date in July, allowing the receiver time to notify tenants that the parks will be closing. The City’s motion to have the water issues consolidated with the foreclosure case is set for the second week of July.
2. Francis Park— The playground equipment has been delivered and installation will be completed over the next week, ensuring completion in time for the Independence Day festivities that will have the traditional car and tractor shows, along with a number of vendors selling foods and crafts.
3. Run. Hide. Fight – The Kewanee Police Department, in partnership with LSU NCBRT, will be hosting a free Run Hide Fight training on Tuesday, August 12th, from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Henry County Office of Emergency Management. This training is open to the public and is designed to teach individuals how to respond effectively in an active threat situation. Participants will learn situational awareness, personal safety strategies, and the principles of survival during violent incidents. If you are interested in attending, please email SRO Shaun Gruszeczka at [email protected]. Space is limited to 45 participants.
4. ILSRO Conference Attendance— School Resource Officer Shaun Gruszeczka attended the Illinois School Resource Officers (ILSRO) Conference from June 18–20, 2025. The annual conference offers SROs the opportunity to learn about emerging trends in school safety, legal updates, and best practices while networking with other officers from across the state. The Kewanee Police Department covered the training fee and meals, while Kewanee Community School District #229 paid for lodging. Moving forward, KPD plans to rotate both SROs through the conference annually.
5. Henry County Tourism Bureau— Staff attended the Tourism Bureau meeting, where a review of the first year since the bureau’s resurrection was made, the next year’s budget was approved, and new appointments to the bureau board were made. According to the State of Illinois, tourism has an impact of more than $50 million per year on the economy of Henry County.
6. Hiring— The City made an offer to one of the candidates that applied for the Clerk position. Tyler Jones accepted and began with us on Monday June 16th. Jessika Boelens, who will be leaving, is working with him to learn the specifics of his new role. He will then work with the other clerks to learn the rest of his duties. We are excited to have Tyler join us and are looking forward to his success with the City.
7. Mobile Data Terminal Upgrade— New mobile data terminals (MDTs) and mounts have arrived and are scheduled to be installed in patrol squads, replacing some computers that are over a decade old. The upgraded MDTs will improve reliability and allow officers to access critical information more efficiently in the field. The majority of the cost for the equipment was covered through the Rural Violent Crime Reduction Grant, with the remaining expense paid from the department’s local drug fund, an account funded entirely by seized cash or assets from criminal investigations.
8. Frontier Utility Poles— Frontier has completed their work on The City has continued its efforts to have Frontier Communications address the growing concerns over the status of their poles on East Street. Frontier has indicated that they have escalated the matter to a contractor that will be addressing the matter.
9. Stormwater concerns— A resident of Mill Creek Station passed along a concern regarding stormwater infrastructure adjacent to his property. Staff met with the homeowner at the site to view the location and assess the infrastructure. Public Works staff followed up to investigate the situation using the camera system and is developing a plan to remediate the problem.
10. Downtown Improvements — There was a stakeholder meeting last Wednesday that was well attended and provided great feedback as Hutchison Engineering finalizes design for the project. Based on information provided at the meeting, public works staff has taken steps to fill the utility cuts with a hard surface until the construction project kicks off in the spring.
11. Source water Engineering — Included in the packet is the first draft of the Agreement for engineering services related to the City of Kewanee’s EPA mandated improvements to the source water that serves the community. CMT is updating the agreement to provide additional detail. This item is listed for approval in the event that the updated agreement is provided in time, in which case it will be substituted.
