City of Hoopeston City Council met Feb. 17
Here are the minutes provided by the council:
I. CALL TO ORDER – Mayor Carter called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm following the pledge of allegiance.
II. ROLL CALL – The following 8 alderpersons were present: Eyrich, K. Ferrell, M. Ferrell, Garrett, Lawson, McElhaney, Porth and Scharlach. Mayor Wise and Clerk Hardcastle were also present. Eric Eves was present on Zoom.
III. AMENDMENT OR APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA – Alderman Garrett moved to approve the agenda as presented. Alderman Scharlach seconded the motion. A voice vote was held and all voted yes.
IV. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE PREVIOUS COUNCIL MEETING – Alderwoman Lawson moved to approve the minutes of the February 3, 2026, city council meeting. Alderman Garrett seconded the motion. A voice vote was held and all voted yes.
V. APPROVAL OF THE PAYMENT OF THE BILLS – Alderman McElhaney moved to approve the payment of the city’s bills. Alderman Garrett seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken (Ayes: Eyrich, K. Ferrell, M. Ferrell, Garrett, Lawson, McElhaney, Porth, Scharlach – Nays: None – Abstentions: None – Absent: None) and the bills were approved 8-0.
VI. PRESENTATIONS TO THE COUNCIL – Eddie Jones was on the agenda to present to the council, but he did not show up.
VII. PETITIONS TO THE COUNCIL – None
VIII. PUBLIC COMMENT – None
IX. EXECUTIVE SESSION – None
X. REPORT OF OFFICERS
a. EYRICH
i. No report.
b. K. FERRELL
i. ELECTRONIC RECYCLING DATE CHANGE – Alderwoman K. Ferrell advised that the date for the electronic recycling event has changed. The new date is April 18, 2026, at the same time and same place.
c. M. FERRELL
i. PARKS COMMITTEE MEETING – The Parks Committee will be meeting on February 18 at 6:00 pm at the Civic Center.
d. GARRETT –
i. Nothing to report.
e. LAWSON –
i. VEHICLE BIDS – Bid documents will be going out soon for the 2017 Ford Transit van, 2017 Ford Explorer, and 2018 Ford Explorer. Minimum bids will be: 2017 Ford Transit will be $4500; 2017 Ford Explorer and 2018 Ford Explorer will be $1500.
ii. RESOLUTION 2026-24 – WAIVER OF FEES FOR 217 E MAIN ST – Alderwoman Lawson moved to approve the resolution. Alderman Garrett seconded the motion. Alderman Porth advised that this is just for the connection fees to the water and sewer system, not the reimbursement costs for the material and labor for connecting them. Alderman Eyrich advised that if the city gives out free labor, the Water Department must take the hit since it must break even at the end of the budget year. A roll call vote was taken (Ayes: K. Ferrell, M. Ferrell, Garrett, Lawson, McElhaney, Porth – Nays: Scharlach – Abstentions: Eyrich – Absent: None) and the resolution was approved 6-1.
f. MCELHANEY
i. Nothing to report.
g. PORTH
i. BUDGET WORK SHEETS – Alderman Porth reported that he is 80% done with the budget work sheets and they will be in the alderperson’s mailboxes by Thursday.
ii. CITY AUDIT – The city audit is done. There was a letter about discrepancies included in the audit. The Finance Committee will be meeting to dig into the discrepancies deeper.
h. SCHARLACH
i. Nothing to report.
XI. COMMUNICATIONS TO THE COUNCIL
a. RESCHEDULE OF COUNCIL MEETINGS – Clerk Hardcastle indicated that the March 17, 2026, regular council meeting will have to be rescheduled due to a change in state law. Regularly scheduled meetings can no longer be held on election days. Since the primary election is on a regularly scheduled meeting day, it needs to be changed. It was agreed to move that meeting to Monday, March 16, 2026, at 7:00 pm. Clerk Hardcastle also advised that the November 3, 2026, regular council meeting will need to be moved since the general election falls on that day. That date will be changed when the new fiscal year meeting calendar is published.
b. WEBSITE ADA COMPLIANCE – Clerk Hardcastle also advised on the Department of Justice ruling on website ADA compliance. The final rule that was published states that public entities websites must comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. The city has until April 8, 2027, to comply.
XII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. SOLAR ORDINANCE – Alderman M. Ferrell passed around a sheet outlining changes to Illinois law regarding solar zoning ordinances and made suggestions on how to change Hoopeston’s.
XIII. NEW BUSINESS – None
XIV. MAYOR COMMENTS
a. AMBUCS PLAYGROUND GRANT – Mayor Carter reported on the meeting that was held between AMBUCS, city staff, and community members. This will be a lengthy process, and Mayor Carter suggested a committee made up of city officials and community members to handle the project that would report directly to Mayor Carter.
b. RESOLUTION APPROVING DOOR TO DOOR SOLICITATION – This resolution was tabled.
XV. COMMENTS FROM THE ATTORNEY
a. SOLAR ORDINANCE – Eric Eves advised that the solar ordinance needs to be changed since the version that was passed was an older version of the draft and there was a newer draft that should have been passed. There are 3 sections of the ordinance that need to be changed. 1 of the sections can be changed easily and the other 2 will need to have a public hearing. Since we need to make changes to comply with the new state law regarding battery storage, we can make all those changes at once.
b. ACTON CASE – The next hearing will be held on February 24, 2026.
c. DILAPIDATED BUILDINGS – A set of 4 petitions have been drafted and just need signed. 217 N Market St – the 15 days have passed, and the petition needs signed. 643 Wyman – the owners have contacted Eric, and they wish to quit claim it over to the city. The council agreed with that as long as the title work comes back clear.
d. EMAIL RETENTION POLICY – Eric asked if the council would like him to draft a policy. The council agreed with that.
XVI. ADJOURNMENT – There being no further action to come before the council Alderwoman K. Ferrell moved to adjourn the meeting. Alderman McElhaney seconded the motion. Motion was carried 8-0. Meeting adjourned at 7:44 pm.
https://cityofhoopeston.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2-17-26-Meeting-Minutes.pdf
