Contentious meeting in Chenoa
- Kent Casson
- 7 minutes ago
- 4 min read
A packed City Hall and tensions between the mayor and a commissioner were the perfect recipe for a contentious Chenoa City Council meeting Tuesday evening.
The council approved posting to hire a city supervisor/working employee despite some initial resistance.
Mayor Shane said he would like to get accountability for what is getting done in the city, noting he has a list of items started but never finished. This prompted someone in the audience to start asking about the list during the meeting.
“Would you take him out of here please?” Mayor David Shane asked as he looked toward the Chenoa police chief.
The chief gave the room a chance to maintain order.
Shane gave examples of his list such as bumps on Maple Street, stop signs leaning and tile issues. That prompted Commissioner Zack Lopeman to try to answer what the mayor brought up, requesting a chance to reply.
After a back-and-forth conversation ensued between the two, with occasional raised voices, the mayor took a pause.
“We are stopping for 10 minutes,” Shane said.
Discussion on the supervisor employee position continued after the brief recess, with Lopeman questioning how this will work.
“To what extent can they spend money without commissioner approval?” he asked.
“(The supervisor) goes and talks to employees to help prioritize what project needs to be done,” stated Shane.
While Lopeman agrees on the accountability aspect of the position, he believes it is an “unnecessary expense” for a problem the city really doesn’t have. He wants the person to actively work and not simply be a supervising manager.
Commissioner Spencer Shipley weighed-in with his thoughts on the matter.
“My thought is Fairbury pays their (superintendent) pretty well and we should be below theirs.”
Shipley noted other smaller towns have a salary range of $65,000 to $80,000 for this position and he thinks Chenoa would pay $70,000 to $75,000, or between $33 and $36 an hour.
“You want to have some sort of continuity when the commissioners come and go,” explained Shipley. “Also, commissioners are not here full time with the employees.”
Shipley acknowledged there are valid concerns over the position but said everyone needs to be on the same page for it to work.
While introducing the public comment portion of the meeting, Mayor Shane gave instructions to the audience, stating there would be comments and not discussion. Police Chief Travis Cornwall echoed those comments once the public comment period began.
Several spoke in favor of Zack Lopeman’s property for camper parking on Commercial Street which was previously recommended by the Zoning Board. The request for amending sections of the city zoning code regarding special uses of light industry zoning was denied by the council earlier this month along with a special use permit for 600 and 624 Commercial Street.
“The City Council has never had a negative vote for this in the three times it was brought up,” Lopeman told the group while speaking as a member of the public and not as commissioner.
He said the proposed use is consistent with the Chenoa land use plan and meets state criteria for utilities and safety.
“I’d ask the council to please reconsider shutting this business down,” Lopeman concluded.
Melissa Cooper of CARE Charities approached the council for approval of several upcoming events such as a fundraiser, kids carnival and ninja course. Cooper also expressed concerns over trees and bushes blocking views on streets.
During commissioner comments, Shipley reported the dog park now has two pumps for watering dogs.
“That dog park does look great,” he said.
He also said he heard several good points about Lopeman’s Commercial Street property and only a couple of concerns.
Commissioner Jay Bell said he and the mayor met with the insurance company about vehicles and equipment.
Lopeman updated the group on work happening such as roof repair, tar and chipping of roads and brush piles. The city plans to start doing tile repairs and tree work.
In other business Tuesday evening, the Chenoa City Council:
-Approved the regular meeting minutes from Aug. 12 and executive session minutes from July 22.
-Voted to approve an ordinance appropriating funds to defray the necessary expenses and liabilities of the city for the Fiscal Year from May 1, 2025 to April 30, 2026. This is a housekeeping item so they are able to approve the budget.
-Amended temporary permit requirements for underground boring. This is for fiber optics and utilities as CIRBN asked for a non-profit exemption.
-Approved the second amendment to the Chenoa TIF District 1 redevelopment project area, plan to projects. This takes Commissioner Jay Bell’s house out of the district so he can vote on TIF items.
-Executed a TIF redevelopment agreement between the city and J&S Holding Group, LLC and Andrew Jolly for property on Veto Street.
-Amended the employee handbook regarding the return-to-work policy. This changes “prompt care” to “closest E.R.” following an accident before returning to work.
