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Lincoln City Council Discusses
Infrastructure Projects, HR Study, and Upcoming Events;
Revisits Code of Ethics
[June 02, 2025]
At the May 28 city council
Committee of the Whole meeting, Lincoln officials covered a wide
range of topics. From sewer projects and staffing discussions to
festival planning and salary concerns. The night was packed with
updates and debates.
All eight alderpersons, Stan Anderson, Kevin Bateman, Dennis
Clemons, Sam Downs, Robin McClallen, Rhonda O’Donoghue, Steve
Parrott, and David Sanders were present. Also on hand were City
Clerk Peggy Bateman, City Treasurer Chuck Conzo, City Attorney John
Hoblit, Lincoln fire Chief Aaron Ty Johnson, City Building and
Zoning Officer Wes Woodhall, Assistant Police Chief Matt Comstock,
and Street and Alley Superintendent Walt Landers.
At the beginning of the meeting City of Lincoln Fire Department
Chief Aaron “Ty” Johnson was sworn into another year of service to
the city.
Crawford, Murphy & Tilly
The council discussed extending its contract with Crawford, Murphy &
Tilly through 2029. Mayor Welch praised the company for saving the
city money and being reliable. Alderman Bateman agreed, saying it
had been a pleasure working with them. The proposal was placed on
the regular agenda.
CMT also introduced two new work
orders. One focused on the 2025–2026 sidewalk and curb program. The
other concerned Campus View Drive. That work depends on the approval
of a letter of understanding between the city and Open Arms Church
related to the area’s sewer line.
Sewer work for Campus View Drive
City Attorney Hoblit presented the letter. It would allow an
organization to install a sewer line and utility easement. Alderman
Bateman raised concerns about the document's terms. Welch
recommended signing the letter “as presented” to prevent changes
after the vote. After some debate, the item was placed on the
regular agenda.
City Clerk credit card limit
City Clerk Peggy Bateman requested an increase to the clerk’s credit
card limit. She said the current $500 limit wasn’t enough to cover
all costs. She brought up Microsoft, Adobe, and domain expenses as
examples. It was discussed that a $5,000 limit was the typical limit
for department heads, which was agreed upon and then added to the
regular agenda.
City Treasurer Certificate of Deposits
City Treasurer Chuck Conzo spoke about the city’s certificate of
deposit in the General Fund. The current rate has dropped to 4.1%,
but he is working to find a better one. The CD was due on May 22.
The council placed this item on the regular agenda as well.
Juneteenth
A request to permit a Juneteenth event was brought forward. The
event will include vendors, a bounce house, and other activities for
children. Peggy Bateman asked about the request street closures
which included North Kickapoo Street adjacent to Latham Park. Police
Chief Meister has spoken with Jennifer Hunt who is on the planning
committee. She said the request was a matter of safety, and that the
businesses on that block had other entrances so they were okay with
the closure. The request was added to the consent agenda.
Terms of Employment
John Hoblit discussed several non-union positions that could be
revised. Hoblit proposed changes that would make some positions,
like the code enforcement officer, not tied to elected terms. He
also suggested removing the long-vacant Public Works Director role.
This discussion was placed on the regular agenda.
Code of Conduct/Code of Ethics
The Code of Conduct ordinance returned after being first proposed in
October, 2024. A name change could be put upon the State Officials
and Employees Ethics Act and was discussed among the council to no
certain conclusion. Bateman believes it should be left alone.
Alderman Downs said he supported a code of conduct but wanted to
review the details before voting.
“I also want to state I’m 100% for a Code of Conduct, I just want to
know what I’m voting on.”
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Alderwoman McClallen
suggested adding more language about decorum and is working with
Hoblit to revise it. It was added to the regular agenda.
Note: The code of conduct was
first introduced by Lincoln Mayor Tracy Welch in September of
2024. It was appointed to a committee and in October the draft
ordinance was brought before the council. Then alderman Craig
Eimer objected to the entirety of the ordinance saying that it
would “weaponize the public, city employees, and aldermen,
enabling the same to physically remove an alderman from office.”
When the item came to vote in October, four aldermen voted in
favor of the ordinance and four were opposed. Typically the
Mayor is left to cast the tie-breaking vote. However on this
particular topic, Welch said he would have to abstain from the
vote. Therefore the motion fell to the wayside for the lack of a
tie-breaker.
Compensation Study
A salary compensation study was discussed. Alderman Parrott
presented two proposals—GovHR and Morgan HR. Parrott said both
were qualified but worked at different speeds.
Alderman Kevin Bateman voiced concerns
about underpaying employees, citing a case in Clinton where wages
were found to be too low.
“We can’t go backwards on what we pay our people.”
Peggy Bateman was skeptical of Morgan HR, saying they rely too
heavily on FOIA requests and won’t go above and beyond. Hoblit
supported GovHR, noting their professionalism. Sanders said he
supported transparency and hoped to include information on benefits
as well. The council will be using nine thousand dollars for the
proposed project cost plus additional benefits services.
Alderwoman McCallen said, “I think that can make a really big
difference in people who are getting reimbursed and I think that
would be important to get that piece in there if we can.”
The topic was added to the regular agenda.
Announcements
At the end of the meeting, there were several announcements.
Peggy Bateman shared that Lincoln Christian Church will hold a kids’
event on June 14. It will require road closures on McClean and Pekin
Streets.
Alderman Bateman encouraged the public to sign up as volunteers for
Balloons Over 66 on social media. “We’d love to have you volunteer a
couple hours of your time. These kinds of festivals do not happen
without volunteers. If you enjoy it and would like to see it come
back year after year, please consider putting in some time to help
us out. Thank you.”
Parrott mentioned a drainage issue on N. Union Street. Street and
Ally Superintendent Walt Landers said it could be due to a utility
patch and that it could have nothing to do with the resurfacing
projects happening currently. He offered to follow up. Alderman
Bateman added that residents could save the city time and money by
moving debris if they notice a blockage.
Landers also reported that the recent townwide cleanup collected 40
tons of material. He reminded residents to help by keeping storm
drains clear.
The meeting closed with a reminder about grass clippings. Wes
Woodhall said to call dispatch if you see anyone blowing grass into
the streets. Officers can issue a ticket. Welch added that the city
hopes to educate people before resorting to fines.
[Sophia Larimore]
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