Council agrees to chip in $10,000 for Lloyd 200 corridor feasibility study

South Beloit — The City Council agreed Sept. 2 to contribute $10,000 to a private civic group, Lloyd 200, to help fund corridor planning and a feasibility study for the garden site in South Beloit. The nonprofit is paying the bulk of the outside consultant work and asked the city to commit to creating a 10-year strategic plan to guide future public-private projects.

Carrie, who identified herself as executive director of Lloyd 200, told the council her organization has funded large redevelopment studies elsewhere and has already paid $50,000 to one consultant and is contracting with others to study a sports-complex option. “We’re giving you all of our time and our resources for free, but these bills are quite large,” she said, urging the council to partner on studies and long-term planning.

The council moved to amend the original request — a city contribution “not to exceed $30,000” — to a $10,000 city contribution and approved that amendment. Carrie said Lloyd 200 would continue to fund and lead consultant work and that any formal public hearings for projects would follow the city’s normal processes.

Nut graf: Lloyd 200 seeks a public-private partnership to study uses for the garden site with the goal of increasing taxable development and tourism revenue. The group asked the city for a modest contribution and for a formal strategic plan so private investment is sustained across future council terms.

Council members discussed prior pricing for a strategic-planning contract. City staff said a past inquiry to Northern Illinois University’s governmental-studies department returned an estimated cost in the $18,000–$25,000 range depending on the depth of community outreach; the mayor and staff suggested placing the planning project on the 2026 capital list. The city indicated it could solicit bids and that Lloyd 200 would contribute $10,000 toward studies if the council agreed to pursue the strategic-plan procurement.

The motion to reduce the city’s contribution to $10,000 was seconded and put to a voice vote. The clerk recorded the motion as approved; the council also discussed whether a council member who serves on Lloyd 200 should abstain because of the potential conflict of interest. The council handled abstention informally at the meeting and recorded the final result as the amended request passing.

Ending: Lloyd 200 said it will continue consultant work funded privately and will return to the city as projects reach the stage for public hearings and formal land-use approvals. The council directed staff to include strategic-plan procurement on the capital planning list for 2026 and to prepare any required documents to accept Lloyd 200’s contribution and the amended contract request.