Galesburg City Manager Eric Hanson joined WGIL’s Jay Redfern and Tyler Gumm on Galesburg’s Morning News to preview the Monday, May 5, 2025, City Council meeting.
Key topics include:
- Welcoming new City Council members Wendel Hunigan and Greg Saul, while recognizing the service of outgoing members Wayne Dennis and Sarah Carrington. Hanson highlights the dedication of citizens who serve and touches on the training process for newcomers.
- The Council will consider a resolution establishing a 120-day moratorium on new applications for solar energy systems to allow for the review and development of updated ordinances, emphasizing this is not meant to prohibit solar development.
- Also on the agenda is the reappointment of the Director of Finance as City Treasurer, a position Hanson believes works well for a city of Galesburg's size.
- The proposed Assistant City Manager - Director of Community Engagement/PIO position is back for consideration, aligning with strategic planning goals to improve communication and engagement.
- Additionally, aldermen will review a preliminary engineering agreement for the East Main Street Improvement project, an initiative funded partly by a Highway Safety Improvement Program grant. The East Main Street Improvement project spans from Grand Avenue to Walnut Avenue near I-74. The grant funds a project to reduce East Main Street from five lanes to three—one lane each direction with a center turn lane—to cut crashes and add pedestrian and bicycle accommodations, addressing the corridor’s high crash rate and lack of safe infrastructure.