Roundabout redux: Quincy City Council to vote on rescinding 48th and State resolution it passed two weeks ago

QUINCY – As Halloween approaches, the issue of the 48th and State roundabout continues to haunt the community.

It returns from the dead as does Count Dracula.

It staggers like a zombie from “The Walking Dead.”

Wooden stake, anyone? Daryl Dixon’s crossbow handy?

The issue doesn’t appear to be any closer to finality as a vote to rescind a deal to work with Adams County was placed on the agenda for next Monday, Nov. 4.

Mayor Mike Troup voted to break a 7-7 tie on revisiting the plan. After the meeting Troup, who called the roundabout something that was “definitely worth pursuing” at last week’s council meeting, said after Monday’s meeting he was merely voting to give the council another opportunity to revisit the issue and not necessarily an indication of any future action should his vote be needed to break a tie again next week.

Troup, Engineering Director Steve Bange and Assistant Corporation Counsel Bruce Alford met Sept. 5 with Adams County Engineer Jim Frankenhoff and Todd Eyler and Erin Wilson Lageler from the Adams County State’s Attorney’s Office to discuss options for the intersection, including:

• Construct the roundabout with shared costs and a $650,000 transfer from the county to the city
• Modify the jurisdictional transfer and a partial payment
• Follow the original jurisdictional transfer created in 1973 
• Follow the original jurisdictional transfer with an optional $650,000 payment from the county to the city

County officials maintained their preference for the final option — to build the roundabout — with the county paying $3.25 million and the city paying $1.95 million. However, the Finance Committee voted Sept. 30 to send a resolution to the full City Council that called for the city to assume the State Street portion of the agreement, but it would only assume South 48^th from Broadway to 300 feet south of State.

A motion made during the Oct. 15 City Council meeting called to amend the Finance Committee’s recommendation, instead calling for the city to partner with Adams County to build the roundabout. Aldermen voted 8-6 to amend the recommendation, and then the Quincy City Council voted 8-6 to share costs with the Adams County Board on the construction of a roundabout at 48^th and State.

Alderman Jeff Bergman (R-2nd Ward) was the one who wanted to revisit the issue again and his action calling for a vote to rescind the city’s previous action was seconded by Alderman Mike Farha (R-4th Ward). Farha then voted with Bergman and the five other aldermen, whose action was supported by Troup’s tiebreaking vote. The five, Greg Fletcher (R-1st Ward), Dave Bauer (D-2nd Ward), Tony Sassen (R-4th Ward), Mike Rein (R-5th Ward) and Richie Reis (D-6th Ward) were all consistent with their previous vote, as was Bergman.

Then Farha, who voted with the majority to support the roundabout on Oct. 15, attempted to explain his flip-flop.

“I get tired of the threats,” Farha said, regarding the county saying they could just give the entire intersection to the city if the city chooses to take no action. “Is the City of Quincy not in Adams County?And do we not pay Adams County tax? We get motor fuel (tax revenue). They get motor fuel (tax revenue … They take the lion’s share, and we get stuck. I have no interest in this. And to be honest with you, I never thought it was … I switched my vote because I felt sorry for the people that were asking for it, and because, just like with my little kids when they were little, they’re not little anymore. If they complained enough, I got such a headache, I would just say, ‘Okay, go ahead.’

“There is no sensible explanation. And I’ve told people that have asked me when I was thinking that I would support it. There’s no sensible explanation for sticking that thing there. if John Wood wanted it, they’re a taxing authority. They should tax for it. I don’t know why we want it.”