Galena Council OKs MOU study for potential Blackjack Road realignment

The Galena City Council voted May 20 to direct staff to draft a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with Jo Daviess County to begin studying a potential realignment of Blackjack Road that would create a new intersection with U.S. Highway 20.

City Administrator Matt (City Administrator) told the council the concept began with local conservation and trail organizer Brad Petersburg and landowners in the corridor and has evolved into a potential transportation connection that county and city staff have been discussing. He said the study would include a transportation demand analysis to present to the Illinois Department of Transportation and a later intersection design study to evaluate engineering needs such as turn lanes, signals or a roundabout.

The study would also consider stormwater and watershed work after county staff engaged the Natural Resources Conservation Service on a larger Davis Creek watershed project, Matt said, adding there may be synergy between the watershed work and a road alignment. He told the council a one‑page grant concept for IDOT’s Local Transportation Initiative — which the presentation described as having up to $10 million available — is due June 1 and would introduce the concept to state officials.

Councilmembers debated timing, public engagement and financial responsibility. Councilmember Cindy Johnson asked for town‑hall meetings before the project advanced; other councilmembers asked whether developers would pay for studies and whether the county or city would lead. Matt said the county is likely to take the lead on state or federal funding because this would interface with a county road, and that the MOU would define roles and responsibilities without committing funding. He said the draft MOU would be returned for council review and that any identified costs would be handled later through an intergovernmental agreement.

During discussion councilmembers also raised questions about potential impacts on existing properties, conservation easements and whether public facilities would need to be moved; Matt said engineering and alignment studies would determine that and no relocations have been identified.

The council then approved the motion to draft the MOU and proceed with further study. The motion passed by roll call; councilmembers voting yes as recorded included Wes Meyer, Lena (surname transcribed as "Lena"), Gates, Johnson, Kiefer and Brennan. The motion record shows the county will prepare parallel consideration; the city and county expect to bring a draft MOU for council consideration on June 9 and a county executive committee hearing on June 10.

The council and staff emphasized the action is exploratory: no agreements for design, acquisition or construction were executed at the meeting and funding commitments remain to be determined.