Council approves Ameren gas-use settlement, buys new street sweeper and OKs Wright Street agreement

The Champaign City Council unanimously approved three resolutions on Feb. 4, 2025: a $1,120,519 settlement with Ameren Illinois over gas-use tax collections, authorization to purchase a new street sweeper for $290,273, and an intergovernmental agreement with the city of Urbana to design and construct improvements to Wright Street.

The council passed Council Bill 2025-013, authorizing settlement in the amount of $1,120,519 to be paid by Ameren Illinois for collection of a gas-use tax on out-of-state natural gas purchased for the period Jan. 1, 2016, through April 30, 2022. The resolution was read into the record and no public comments were offered prior to the roll call. The roll call on the settlement recorded nine votes in favor and none opposed; the mayor announced, “Council Bill passes 9 to 0.”

Council Bill 2025-014 authorized the purchase of one street sweeper from Key Equipment and Supply Company of Bridgeton, Missouri, for a net amount of $290,273, with an existing sweeper declared surplus and used as a trade-in to offset the purchase price. The council discussed the procurement briefly, heard no public testimony on the item, and approved the purchase by unanimous roll-call vote (9–0).

Council Bill 2025-015 authorized the city manager to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the city of Urbana for design and construction of improvements to Wright Street — described in the resolution as improvements from Church Street to Columbia Avenue/Dublin Street. The council approved the agreement by a unanimous roll-call vote (9–0).

Votes at a glance - Council Bill 2025-013: Gas‑use tax settlement with Ameren Illinois. Vote: 9–0; outcome: approved. Amount: $1,120,519. (No public speakers.) - Council Bill 2025-014: Purchase of one street sweeper (Key Equipment and Supply Co.). Vote: 9–0; outcome: approved. Net cost: $290,273; one existing sweeper declared surplus and used as trade-in. - Council Bill 2025-015: Intergovernmental agreement with the city of Urbana for Wright Street improvements (Church Street to Columbia Avenue/Dublin Street). Vote: 9–0; outcome: approved.

The council approved routine financial items later in the meeting, including vendor payments of $2,461,867.67 and payroll for Jan. 17, 2025, of $2,561,476.47 (each approved by voice vote and recorded as 9–0). The council set its next regular meeting date as March 4, 2025.

Context and next steps The settlement with Ameren resolves a multi-year dispute about collection of a local gas-use tax on out-of-state purchases between 2016 and 2022; the resolution authorized acceptance of the settlement payment but did not record further implementation steps beyond approval. The procurement for the sweeper will proceed with the declared trade-in; the intergovernmental agreement delegates final execution to the city manager for design and construction work with Urbana on Wright Street. The council did not record additional motions tying these approvals to specific budget amendments or implementation timelines in the meeting minutes.