Galesburg City Council meets Tuesday night after the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday.
The seven members can vote on starting the process of selling about $5.2 million in general obligation bonds to fund a future Community Center.
If Council approves the resolution, administration would move forward with developing an official statement for the sale of bonds, meeting with a credit rating agency, and proceeding with other required steps.
LGBTQIA Resolution
Council will also vote on a resolution in support of the City’s LGBTQ+ community.
This comes after a Council member is alleged to have made some inflammatory posts and reposts about transgender individuals on social media.
Mayor Peter Schwartzman originally was looking into a resolution specifying “proper conduct on social media” for Council members.
The resolution was changed when legal counsel advised the Mayor that “specifying proper conduct” for Council members was inappropriate.
New TIF
The Council can also take the initial steps to explore turning the area around Grand Avenue into a Tax Increment Financing District.
They will vote on a resolution to perform a feasibility study, the required first step in the process, and later in the agenda, they can approve a contract with PGAV Planners LLC, with a cost of $31,500.
PGAV would assist in the process of determining if all or a portion of the area is eligible to be a TIF.
If all or a portion of the area is eligible, the city may direct PGAV to prepare a redevelopment plan for the area, which is included in the agreement.
Facade agreement for Arts Center
The Council will consider a facade grant for the Galesburg Community Arts Center.
The project consists of masonry work including cleaning, tuckpointing, stone repair, and waterproofing 100% of the south main façade and patching brick and securing areas of bulging.
The total estimated project cost is $93,000 of which the Arts Center is eligible to receive up to $40,000.
The Community Arts Center anticipates beginning work as soon as possible if approved for the grant and being done with work by December 2024.
Rezoning for The Ascent
Council can also finalize a change of zoning in the Gale Village Subdivision on North Seminary Street which would clear the way for The Ascent Church to build a permanent place of worship.
The church has held services at the Knox County YMCA for the past two years.
The Ascent is seeking an amendment to rezone 6 acres of land currently zoned R2 Two-Family to I Institutional and got approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 10 by a 4-0 vote.
