Quincy City Council
QUINCY — The Quincy City Council voted during its meeting Monday night to indefinitely shelve a proposed 1 percent municipal grocery tax that would replace a state tax that has been collected since 1981. Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, the state no longer will collect a 1 percent tax on groceries. However, each taxing authority statewide…
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QUINCY — The Quincy City Council approved during its Monday meeting a bid of $2.727 million from Hood Construction of Rushville to replace as many as 340 lead service lines on the city’s northwest side. A resolution to award a $4.038 million contract to Wiemelt Plumbing to replace the lines, between Cherry and Locust and between…
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QUINCY — Mike Farha said Friday he’s “had enough and I’m worn out” in explaining his decision to step down as an alderman in Quincy’s 4th Ward. Farha, 69, hinted in an Aug. 19, 2024, interview with Muddy River News Publisher Bob Gough that he wasn’t sure if he would run again for alderman in 2027 or finish…
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QUINCY — A request to rezone an 18-acre parcel near 4900 Columbus Road and Rooney Elementary School was tabled for two weeks at Monday night’s Quincy City Council meeting as neighbors continue to ask questions and voice concerns about a plan for a multi-phase, multi-family residential development. The Plan Commission recommended to aldermen at its…
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QUINCY — Aldermen tabled for one week a vote on a resolution to award a $4.038 million contract to Wiemelt Plumbing to replace as many as 340 lead water lines between Cherry and Locust and between Second and Fifth. Dave Bauer (D-2), a member of the Utilities Committee, said a competing bid was much lower…
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QUINCY — Laura McReynolds, a Quincy businesswoman making her first attempt at political office, handily defeated long-time incumbent Mike Rein in Quincy’s 5th Ward. “I’m very excited,” McReynolds said. “I’m a little bit like, wow, OK, this is really happening … I’m excited because I just really I want to be a part of this…
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QUINCY — Democrat Jack Holtschlag defended his 7th Ward aldermanic seat on the Quincy City Council Tuesday night against the first challenger he’s encountered in nearly 20 years on the council. “It’s good to be challenged every once in a while, you know?” Holtschlag said in a phone interview after the results came in during…
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QUINCY — Mike Adkins’ victory isn’t quite complete in his bid to win the 3rd Ward aldermanic seat, but that didn’t diminish how he felt Tuesday night. “That’s the most excitement I’ve had in a long time,” he said during a gathering at Instant Replay. “I’ll just be honest. I’ve killed a lot of big…
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QUINCY — The debate over a proposed 1 percent municipal grocery tax, which would replace a state tax that is scheduled to sunset on Jan. 1, 2026, was just getting warmed up when Alderman Mike Rein (R-5) offered a question to Comptroller Sheri Ray during Monday night’s Quincy City Council meeting. “This replacement tax for next…
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QUINCY — Republican 5th Ward Alderman Mike Rein said he’s hearing no complaints as he goes door-to-door leading up to next Tuesday’s primary election where he faces a challenge from buisnesswoman Laura McReynolds. “They’re telling me they’re voting for me. They tell me that I’ve done a good job, and they want me to stay…
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QUINCY — An advocate for safe and livable housing hopes to unseat a long-serving politician, facing opposition for the first time, in the Democratic primary for 7th Ward alderman and earn a seat on the Quincy City Council. The primary election is set for Feb. 25. With no Republicans filing to run in the 7th…
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QUINCY — Director of Administrative Services Jeff Mays spent about 20 minutes during Tuesday’s Quincy City Council meeting making a presentation and taking questions from aldermen about a proposed 1 percent municipal grocery tax that will replace a state tax that will sunset on Jan. 1, 2026. A third reading and a vote on the…
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QUINCY — The Quincy City Council at its Tuesday meeting approved a bid of $6,917,962 from Rees Construction Co. for the lead water main replacement project from 12th to 24th Streets on Broadway. When Alderman Greg Fletcher (R-1) asked Jeffrey Conte, director of public works, if the project was a prelude to the eventual repaving of Broadway,…
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QUINCY — Three men with little or no political experience hope to unseat incumbent Ken Hultz to win the Republican primary for 3rd Ward alderman and earn a seat on the Quincy City Council. The primary election is set for Feb. 25. With no Democrats filing to run in the 3rd Ward, the Feb. 25…
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QUINCY — Director of Administrative Services Jeff Mays promises he’ll have a brief presentation for the Feb. 18 meeting of the Quincy City Council that goes into the history of the state grocery tax, what kind of revenues the city has received from it and what kind of revenue impacts it may have if the…
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QUINCY — A local radio personality apologized for a gesture she made — putting an imaginary gun to her head and pulling the trigger — during the Quincy City Council’s Jan. 27 meeting. The gesture was captured during a live recording of the meeting on the City of Quincy’s Facebook page. “I stand here tonight…
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QUINCY — The Quincy City Council learned on Monday night that the net taxable value on the property at 3601-3701 Broadway, which once housed the former Kmart building that was transformed into Target in August 2023, has more than tripled in two years. Director of Planning and Development Jason Parrott reported to aldermen on Monday…
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QUINCY — The Finance Committee voted Monday night to send to the Quincy City Council a proposal — with no recommendation — to implement a locally-imposed 1 percent grocery sales tax by ordinance. The state of Illinois passed Public Act 103-0781, which repeals the statewide tax on groceries beginning Jan. 1, 2026. If municipalities want…
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QUINCY — At Monday’s Quincy City Council meeting, a woman came up during public comment and asked if the city was in a “financial crisis.” Carol Mayfield said she had been watching mayoral debates and that former alderman Dan Brink had used that term in describing city finances. While Quincy Mayor Mike Troup didn’t publicly…
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QUINCY — It took three meetings of the subcommittee formed by Quincy Mayor Mike Troup and nearly an hour of discussion by the Quincy City Council, but aldermen finally gave Troup the votes he needed to recommend Contour Airlines of Smyrna, Tenn., as the essential air service (EAS) provider for Quincy Regional Airport. It took…
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QUINCY — The Quincy City Council learned that the volume of recyclable materials collected this year is on pace to increase by 16 percent over last year. Director of Administrative Services Jeff Mays made a presentation to aldermen during Tuesday night’s meeting showing the pounds of recyclable products collected, the recycling material received at each…
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QUINCY — Asked if Wednesday’s meeting of the subcommittee he formed to review the three airlines bidding to become Quincy Regional Airport’s EAS (essential air service) provider went as expected, Quincy Mayor Mike Troup simply shrugged his shoulders. The smile on his face said everything. It only took about 45 minutes for the subcommittee to…
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QUINCY — Don’t say he’s retiring. Jeff Mays, 72, has spent 45 years in public service, but just because he’s stepping down at the end of February from his position as the director of administrative services for the City of Quincy doesn’t mean he’s finished working. He said after Monday’s Quincy City Council meeting that…
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QUINCY — The Quincy City Council will vote on Tuesday, Jan. 21 to approve an ordinance that calls for making $2.384 million in cuts to the 2024-25 Fiscal Year budget. The Finance Committee, which met an hour before the City Council met on Monday night, voted to send the amended budget to the full City…
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QUINCY — Quincy Mayor Mike Troup hopes the subcommittee charged with recommending an airline to the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide essential air service (EAS) can decide by the end of January. He plans to schedule a meeting soon, and the opinions of subcommittee members certainly will be many and varied. “We can’t get…
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