City of Highland

The council meeting agenda includes several new business items such as the approval of a municipal letting for the construction of a utility storage building, the awarding of bids for a parking lot expansion on Main Street and Pine Street, and repairs for the water treatment plant filters. Additionally, the council will address resolutions supporting fair housing and authorizing an application for the Madison County sustainability grant for lake improvements. The meeting also involves the acceptance of expenditure reports.

The City Council held a public hearing on the Truth in Taxation to discuss the proposed Estimated Tax Levy. The City Manager provided historical data from 2014 to 2024 to explain the necessity of the proposed revenue increase, citing inflation, rising personnel costs, and the need to maintain essential city services such as police, parks, and streets. The council reviewed budgetary impacts on government funds and the expected impact on property owners, noting that while the requested revenue increase is 7.2%, the impact on individual property owners is projected to be around 2%.

The council meeting addressed several operational and financial matters. Key discussion topics included a special event application for a music concert, staff reports regarding railroad work, water main replacements, and parking lot expansion. The Public Safety Director provided an annual report on police, fire, EMS, and code enforcement activities. Lighting options for the downtown square were presented for evaluation. The council authorized various bids for street resurfacing and utility extensions, approved resolutions for equipment purchases, and passed ordinances for rate changes and special use permits. Additionally, the council reviewed the proposed fiscal year 2026-2027 budget, discussed various departmental capital projects, and held an executive session regarding litigation.

The City Council discussed a variety of agenda items including a special event application for a 5K run, a staff report on e-bikes, and several ordinances and resolutions. Key actions involved declaring real property and personal property as surplus, approving a notice of municipal letting for sludge lagoon cleaning, waiving bidding procedures for a compact wheel loader purchase and for roof replacement at the Korte Recreation Center, approving a change order for the Aldi store access road project, and authorizing an amendment to a Memorandum of Agreement with Heartlands Conservancy regarding Silver Lake projects.

The City Council meeting included a mayoral proclamation for Motorcycle Awareness Month and several appointments, including Bradley Scott to the Police Pension Board and multiple members to the Industrial Development Commission. Business items included the approval of an early lease termination for the Senior Center at 187 Woodcrest Drive, the purchase of a bulk water meter from the Country Hills Water District, and authorization for the City Attorney to intervene in proceedings before the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board. Additionally, the council approved a sole source purchase of the TRUGrid Reliability and Transformer Analytics software bundle from Tantalus and accepted expenditure reports.