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Highland council sets budget hearing and approves fleet purchases, façade grant and rezoning
Summary
At its April 7 meeting the Highland City Council set a public hearing for the tentative FY2025–26 budget, approved multiple cooperative‑purchases for city vehicles and equipment, awarded a façade incentive for a downtown building and rezoned a city parcel to industrial.
The Highland City Council on April 7 set a public hearing on the tentative FY2025–26 budget and approved a slate of equipment purchases and land‑use and economic‑development actions, voting unanimously on each item brought forward.
The council voted to make the tentative budget available for public review and set a public hearing for 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 21, 2025, at Highland City Hall. Councilwoman Peg Bellm moved the measure and Councilwoman Sloan seconded; Councilmembers Sloan, Bellm and Napper voted aye.
In a series of largely procedural votes, the council approved several purchases using cooperative purchasing programs designed for municipalities. The council authorized the purchase of a TA60 bucket truck from Altec Industries for $362,348 under the Sourcewell program and a DM47E 47‑foot hydraulic digger derrick from Altec Industries for $373,908, both approved after waiving customary bidding procedures. Council also approved a $25,000 purchase from CSTK for a Brandon 11‑foot dump with tarp system truck bed, toolbox and backup camera (CSTK’s faster delivery timetable was cited as the reason for the bid waiver) and a $46,000 purchase through the State of Illinois Joint Purchasing Program for a Ford Police Explorer Interceptor SUV from Morrow Brothers Ford.
City Manager Chris Conrad said the purchases used pre‑negotiated government pricing programs available to non‑home‑rule communities. On the CSTK item Conrad noted that delivery timeframes drove the choice: “the pricing was very close on the bids; however, CSTK would be able to deliver this within a few weeks versus seventeen weeks.” All purchasing motions carried on roll calls recorded in the minutes.
The council also approved Bill #25‑33/Resolution #25‑04‑3172 to award façade improvement incentives to Cliff and Jan Couch for 1101 Broadway and Bill #25‑34/Resolution #25‑04‑3173 to set the Fair Solar Credit for May 1, 2025–April 30, 2026 under Section 78‑185 of the City Code. Mayor Hemann noted the rezoning of a city‑owned parcel (Bill #25‑39/Ordinance #3386) from R‑1‑C Single Family Residential to I Industrial had been approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission the previous week; the council approved the ordinance unanimously.
The council accepted Expenditures Report #1287 (March 15, 2025 through April 4, 2025) and adjourned at 7:23 p.m. The minutes record roll‑call votes in which Councilmembers Sloan, Bellm and Napper voted aye on the motions; on several purchasing items Mayor Kevin Hemann also recorded an aye vote.
