Rein, Hultz, Troup thanked by aldermen at final regular City Council meeting

QUINCY — Aldermen took time at the end of a 2½-hour Quincy City Council meeting on Monday night to thank three city officials who attended their last regular meeting.

Mayor Mike Troup, 3^rd Ward aldermen Ken Hultz and 5^th Ward alderman Mike Rein will make their last appearances sitting on the horseshoe in City Council chambers at 5:30 p.m. Thursday when the city holds its sine die meeting.

Adjournment sine die (from the Latin phrase “without a date”) is the conclusion of a meeting by a legislature or organizational board without setting a date to reconvene. When the City Council adjourns Thursday night, it effectively is dissolved in its current form.

Mayor-elect Linda Moore will have a swearing-in ceremony in Washington Park at 3 p.m. Sunday. Her first meeting as mayor is May 5.

Alderman Jeff Bergman (R-2) thanked Hultz and Rein for their work. Hultz was appointed in January 2024 by the Adams County Republican Central Committee to finish the term of Brianna Rivera. He lost to Mike Adkins in the Republican primary in the 3^rd Ward.

Rein has been on the Quincy City Council since 1999. He lost in the Republican primary in the 5^th Ward to Laura McReynolds.

“The community has no clue the magnitude of time and energy you’ve put in over the years,” Bergman said to Rein. “The public has been extremely well served with your conservative voice and thoughts behind the scenes and on the council floor. I have learned a lot from you, and I appreciate everything you’ve done to help me. What I appreciate even more sitting on the council is becoming your friend.”

“I just want to say goodbye, and I’ve enjoyed my time here and working with all of you,” Rein said.

Bergman did not thank the outgoing mayor, but Jake Reed (R-6) did.

“A shout out to you, Mayor,” he said. “Thank you for your service to the city. You did an excellent job these past four years, and it’s been a privilege to work with you.”

Aldermen voted to adopt a vehicle replacement policy to ensure adequate funds will be available to buy vehicles and equipment, stabilize budgeting for major purchases and to provide a systematic citywide approach. The goal is to provide sufficient cash flow for annual purchases.

Comptroller Sheri Ray said the city started a vehicle replacement fund in 2003, stopped it in 2010 and resumed it in 2017 for the water and sewer department. She wanted the policy to be implemented for Central Services, the fire department and the police department.

“It’s like funding depreciation,” she said. “When a vehicle reaches the end of its economic life, you’ve got funds available, and you’re not postponing the placements. This happened with garbage trucks. You were putting good money into old, worn-out equipment. The intent is to create stable funding so that there’s money to buy vehicles when the need arises.”

The creation of the policy also calls for the creation of a scorecard that would help prioritize the vehicles that need to be replaced based on condition.

In other action, aldermen:

• Saw Dale Schutte sworn in as an officer for the Quincy Police Department. A 2014 graduate of Quincy High School and a 2019 graduate from SIU-Edwardsville, Schutte was a corrections officer with the Adams County Sheriff’s Department for 2½ years. He previously worked in the services industry. He will attend a 16-week police academy in Champaign beginning May 4, followed by an 18-month probationary period.
• Approved a special event application to hold a dwarf wrestling show on June 28 at The Scoreboard, 234 S. Eighth. York Street from Seventh to Eighth will be closed from noon to midnight on the day of the event.
• Approved a special event application to hold the Fishing for Freedom fishing tournament from May 30 through June 1 in Quincy’s riverfront parks.
• Approved a special event application from Orville Jones of First Baptist Church to hold the Juneteenth Community Festival on June 14 in Washington Park.
• Approved a special event application from Quincy Brewing and Arts Quincy to hold MayFest on May 10 on York between Ninth and 10^th.
• Approved a special permit for planned development by Ryan Aden to operate an autobody repair and paint shop at 1518 N. Fifth. All repairs and paint must occur within an enclosed building on the site. All vehicles being serviced must be parked in the lot of the business. The hours of operation will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Approved a special permit for a planned development by Steve Schutte to allow for a garage at 1603 Center Avenue to be used for commercial operations/construction. The building will be used for the storage of commercial construction equipment and/or materials.
• Approved rezoning properties at 3011 Maine, owned by Marx Commercial, and at 3101 Maine, owned by the Quincy Family YMCA, from single family residential (R1A) to commercial (C1A) to align with the current use of the property and with surrounding zoning classifications.
• Approved a request from Steve Duesterhaus to subdivide property (one lot to two lots) at 2215 Oak.
• Heard a proclamation from Mayor Mike Troup for May to be Preservation Month.
• Approved an application with UMB Bank for a new credit card for Mayor-Elect Linda Moore with a credit limit of $5,000 and approved an increase to the UMB Bank credit card limit for the purchasing department from $5,000 to $10,000.
• Approved an annual policy management resource subscription from Lexipol LLC of Irvine, Calif., for $16,111.74.
• Approved a bid for $38,900 from American Dirt Works, LLC of Liberty for the demolition of 225 N. Fifth. the former location of Player’s Fifth Street Pub. The city bought the building for $90,000 to expand Parking Lot F at the corner of Fifth and Vermont. As part of an intergovernmental agreement approved Oct. 28 with Adams County, the county will reimburse the city for the $90,000 upon completion of the parking lot expansion.
• Approval additional spending for $82,640.00 for the Prairie Crossing Pavement and North 36th sidewalk project. The new owner of 743 N. 36^th requested a new sidewalk in front of his home. The previous owner had been unwilling to grant the easements needed for the sidewalk, so that portion along North 36th between Colonial Court and Wysteria Lane was omitted in the original bid documents and contract.
• Approved spending $79,995 with Altorfer CAT of Hannibal, Mo., for a 2025 CAT 304-07 CR Excavator.