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Mt. Vernon council unanimously approves road funding, solar agreement amendment and housing-resolution support
Summary
On May 4, 2026 the Mt. Vernon City Council unanimously approved Motor Fuel Tax resolutions for in-house and contracted road projects, authorized bidding for striping and asphalt milling, amended a solar power agreement for the wastewater plant, and adopted a resolution backing municipal housing authority legislation.
The Mt. Vernon City Council on May 4, 2026 voted unanimously to authorize use of Motor Fuel Tax funds for both in-house and contracted street work, to seek bids for pavement striping and asphalt milling, to amend a previously adopted solar power agreement for the wastewater treatment plant, and to adopt a resolution supporting a municipal housing authority proposal.
Mayor John Lewis presided over the regularly scheduled meeting at City Hall. Council members present — Joe Gliosci, Donte Moore, Jay Tate and Mike Young — joined Lewis in unanimous roll-call votes on the items listed below.
The council approved consolidated vouchers for accounts payable totaling $1,387,042.10. City Manager Nathan McKenna then requested permission to seek bids for the City-wide Pavement Striping Project 2026 and for asphalt milling under the 2026 Annual Street Maintenance Program; motions to seek bids were approved without objection.
On funding mechanics, the council adopted two resolutions to use Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) funds: one authorizing MFT for in-house road improvements (resolution #2026-17) and another authorizing MFT for contracted asphalt overlay projects (resolution #2026-18). Both passed unanimously.
On energy procurement for the wastewater treatment plant, the council approved a resolution amending an earlier agreement with KPH IL44, LLC to downsize the proposed solar array from 1,300 kilowatts to 750 kilowatts because of capacity constraints and to make the project acceptable to the local utility. City staff reported that, despite the smaller system, the developer offered the same rate as the original proposal and estimated 30-year savings of $1,986,848. The council approved the amendment by unanimous vote (resolution #2026-19).
The council also adopted a resolution supporting municipal housing authority measures and the Illinois Municipal League's proposal called REAL (Reducing Expenses and Advancing Local Housing Act), which the IML presented as an alternative to the Governor's BUILD plan; the resolution passed unanimously (resolution #2026-20).
Mayor Lewis presented the appointment of Mike Carbonaro to the Police and Fire Commission; the council confirmed the appointment unanimously. In a separate recognition, former Mayor David Keen and city officials thanked Alpha & Omega Construction and Lowe's for providing new roofs to local veterans through a partnership with the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project. A resident, Rachel Chapman, was present and thanked those organizations for a recently installed roof.
During public comment, resident April Dawn asked for a speed limit sign or a special-needs warning sign on the 200 block of North 9th Street; Mayor Lewis said he would have the City Manager pass the request to the City Engineer for review.
An ordinance to increase the number of package liquor licenses from nine to ten (a first reading) was presented for information only and received no final action. The meeting was adjourned at 7:37 p.m.
