Galesburg City Council chambers at City Hall.
Galesburg City Council will discuss two items related to a community center and its funding on Monday.
One item is something that Mayor Peter Schwartzman tells WGIL he disagrees with but has been brought at the request of three council members.
That is an amended ordinance that would authorize proceeds from a recent $5 million bond sale to several city projects including just $1 million for a community center.
Other earmarks include $2.8 million to rehab Hawthorne Pool, $500,000 for constructing part of Irwin St., and about $500,000 for improvements to H.T. Custer Park.
The Council previously voted to restrict the $5 million bond sale to only a community center.
Ward 7 Council member Larry Cox is supporting the ordinance because he’s concerned about arbitrage which penalizes the city if bond money is not spent quickly enough.
He says this is a way to make sure that funds are spent in a timely fashion, with funds that were earmarked for these projects being re-applied toward a community center.
Another Council member in support of the change, Bradley Hix says that he doesn’t believe the council has properly allowed citizens to weigh in on the process of developing a community center.
He cites a referendum he proposed to ask voters if they wanted to spend $5-$10 million on Churchill that was defeated, as well as a proposal to hold a public forum going over community center locations.
Hix calls Churchill a “money pit” and says it’s not too late for citizens to weigh in with four aldermanic seats up for election in April.
He adds that these other projects need funding, and he doesn’t think all the proceeds have to go to one project.
Mayor Schwartzman tells WGIL says the three council members that have brought this forward have “consistently voted against anything connected to a community center in our city.”
He says their “occasional statements stating the ‘need for a community center’ have not been consistent with their “no” votes on anything action/measure related to a community center.”
