Mount Vernon council appoints Nathan McKenna acting city manager; amends hotel liquor rules on first reading

The Mount Vernon City Council on March 3 approved a resolution appointing Assistant City Manager Nathan McKenna as Acting City Manager while City Manager Bechtel is on vacation prior to retirement and before McKenna’s formal contract begins on June 1, 2025.

Resolution #2025-07 provides liability protection and designates McKenna to perform city manager duties for up to three months, according to McKenna’s presentation. The motion to approve the resolution was seconded and passed with Yeas: Botch, Gliosci, Moore, Young, and Lewis.

Also on first reading, McKenna presented an ordinance to amend the city’s revised code related to hotel liquor regulations. McKenna said state regulation permits hotels with a liquor license to offer complimentary drinks as part of a reservation; the city’s prior code did not fully reflect that allowance after Drury Inn changed from a Hotel Patron License to a Hotel License when it added a restaurant. The proposed ordinance would allow Hotel License holders to offer complimentary drinks as part of a reservation and bring the city code into conformity with state rules. Drury Inn and DoubleTree were cited as the only local hotels holding the license. The ordinance was presented for first reading only; no final vote was recorded at the meeting.

The council also recessed into executive session at 7:14 p.m. under statutory authority 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(5) to discuss the purchase or lease of real property for city use, then reconvened at 7:29 p.m. The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.