City of Marseilles City Council met March 4
Here are the minutes provided by the council:
The City Council of the City of Marseilles met in the City Chamber of City Hall at the hour of 6:00 P.M. on March 4, 2026.
Pledge of Allegiance was said.
Roll call showed the following present: Commissioner Kaminski, Small, Scheib, and Buckingham. Absent: Mayor Hollenbeck.
Moved by Mayor Pro Tem Kaminski seconded by Commissioner Small that the minutes from the Council meeting of February 18, 2026 be approved as displayed and placed on file. Ayes: Commissioner Small, Scheib, Buckingham, and Mayor Pro Tem Kaminski.
Nays: None. Commissioner Scheib asked to verify that the mayor’s “council recap” is not part of the official meeting minutes. He stated a discussion should be had to remove the mayor’s recap. Commissioner Buckingham stated the mayors recap is incorrect by making it seem like Commissioner Buckingham is against three 501 (C) 3 organizations by asking at the last meeting about missing furniture.
Resident Jeff Welter spoke regarding the ongoing planning and engineering of roads and sidewalks. He stated that Marseilles progress appears to be measured in revisions and expressed concern that no sidewalks or streets are being completed.
Resident Brad Miller asked if the council is aware of the garbage that is being burned daily near his residence. He also addressed an issue on Clark and Sycamore Street he said a foot and a half is busted and never dry underneath the street.
Tamara Cummings FOP general counsel spoke on behalf of the members of the Marseilles Police Department. Tamara thanked the council members that support the Marseilles Department. She said members have expressed their concerns about statements that have been made publicly about officers and the department. Members feel their professional reputations are being questioned in ways that feel personal and damaging. She said she is present to relay a message on behalf of the Marseilles FOP police officers. She said the officers already are in a hard demanding profession and have long working hours and must make split minute decisions. When statements circulate, suggesting miscount or wrongdoing without context or factual basis, this can have a negative impact on the officer’s confidence and on their families. She said officers want transparency, accountability, and trust just like the council would want. She said the officers deserve fairness and facts to be reviewed in the appropriate way before a conclusion is wrongfully made. She asked for thoughtful consideration as to how the negative public statements do affect the officers every day.
Moved by Mayor Pro Tem Kaminski seconded by Commissioner Small that the accounts payable for the last half of February in the amount of $141,485.42 be approved and a warrant be drawn on the City Treasury for the said amount. Ayes: Commissioner Small, Buckingham, and Mayor Pro Tem Kaminski. Nays: Commissioner Scheib.
Moved by Mayor Pro Tem Kaminski seconded by Commissioner Buckingham that the payroll for the last half of February in the amount of $90,623.33 be approved and a warrant be drawn on the City Treasury for said amount. Ayes: Commissioner Small, Buckingham, and Mayor Pro Tem Kaminski. Nays: None. Abstain: Commissioner Scheib.
Moved by Commissioner Kaminski seconded by Commissioner Small that the payment to Phalen Steel in the amount of $90,022.76 for the City Hall and Police Department remodel project be approved. Ayes: Commissioner Small, Buckingham, and Mayor Pro Tem Kaminski. Nays: Commissioner Scheib.
Moved by Mayor Pro Tem Kaminski seconded by Commissioner Small that Ordinance 1907, an ordinance dissolving the special tax allocation fund and terminating the City of Marseilles TIF 4 redevelopment project area be adopted. Ayes: Commissioner Small, Buckingham, and Mayor Pro Tem Kaminski. Nays: Commissioner Scheib. Mike Etscheid said TIF 4 was created in 2000 for Illinois Valley Cellular, he said unfortunately IVC went out of business. Commissioner Scheib stated 200 Riverfront Drive was still generating revenue for the schools around $34,000 annually to the Marseilles Grade School. Mike Etscheid said Marseilles Elementary School is getting $1,100 annually not $34,000. Commissioner Schieb said Commissioner Kaminski should not have been the deciding vote to purchase the city hall building (200 Riverfront Dr.) since he was on 2 taxing boards.
Commissioner Small thanked Tamara Cummings FOP general counsel for coming to speak on behalf of Marseilles Police Officers.
Moved by Commissioner Small seconded by Commissioner Buckingham that the special event permit application for Rough Road 100 to be held April 11, 2026 be approved and the permit fee be waived. Ayes: Commissioner Small, Scheib, Buckingham, and Mayor Pro Tem Kaminski. Nays: None.
Commissioner Scheib said because he disagreed with two incidents does not mean he is anti-police. He said that advocating for better infrastructure does not mean he does not appreciate or care about the work currently being done. Commissioner Scheib also clarified that he is not a plaintiff in any lawsuit; however, he has filed an Illinois Public Human Rights complaint against Mayor Jim Hollenbeck. Commissioner Scheib has a conflict of interest issue, stating he does not believe a FOIA officer for the police department should be married to the Police Chief.
Moved by Commissioner Scheib seconded by Commissioner Small that the engineering proposal for bridge inspection and load rating for Lincoln Street bridge over Gum Creek with Chamlin and Associates be approved. Ayes: Commissioner Small, Scheib, Buckingham, and Mayor Pro Tem Kaminski. Nays: None.
Commissioner Small thanked Commissioner Scheib for his comments; however, he stated that he believes Commissioner Scheib is being disingenuous when publicly posting statements suggesting that the police department is corrupt or guilty of filing a false police report without evidence. Commissioner Small asked Commissioner Scheib to refrain from making statements she believes mischaracterize the police officers.
Commissioner Buckingham asked Attorney Cantlin to explain the process of the sale of public property. Cantlin said municipalities are not allowed to transfer public property, however, the city can sell the property at a reasonable amount.
Moved by Commissioner Buckingham seconded by Commissioner Small that the professional engineering design services proposal for Main Street Memorial Park improvements be approved. Ayes: Commissioner Small, Scheib, Buckingham, and
Mayor Pro Tem Kaminski. Nays: None.
Mayor Pro Tem Kaminski said there was a recent meeting regarding the Brownfield grant. The grant includes Phase 1 which will include the asbestos abatement which will help with resale of the properties. The city will have a public meeting to discuss the Brownfield grant on April 4/15/2026 at 5:00 P.M. Mayor Pro Tem Kaminski said the Easter egg hunt will be 3/28/2026 at Illini State Park.
Moved by Commissioner Small seconded by Commissioner Scheib that the City Council adjourns. Ayes: Commissioner Small, Scheib, Buckingham, and Mayor Pro Tem Kaminski. Nays: None.
https://www.cityofmarseilles.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Minutes-3-4-26.doc.pdf
