City of Salem City Council met March 2.
Here are the minutes provided by the council:
I. Call to Order
The regular March 2, 2026 meeting of the Salem City Council was convened in the Council Chambers of Salem City Hall. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Nicolas Farley at 6:00 PM.
Mayor Farley opened the meeting by calling for an amendment to the agenda to include Resolution 2026-R06, funding support for Community Project Funding for FY2027 through Congressman Mike Bost’s office.
Motion made by Councilman Addison and seconded by Councilman Bringwald to amend the agenda to include Resolution 2026-R06, funding support for Community Project Funding for FY2027.
Roll call vote:
AYES: Councilman Bringwald, Councilman Molenhour, Councilman Morton,
Councilman Addison, Mayor Farley
NAYS: None
Motion carried.
Council members present:
Councilman Frank Addison
Councilman Royce Bringwald
Councilman Gerald Molenhour
Councilman Craig Morton
Mayor Nicolas Farley
Council members absent:
None
Staff members present:
City Manager Lisa Peck
City Attorney Matt Wilzbach
City Clerk Tabitha Meador
Finance Director Keli Barrow
Chief of Police Todd Boles
Economic Development Director Leah Dellicarpini
Public Works Director Travis Sanders
Recreation Director Jed Casburn
Others present:
Adam Kremer, Milano & Grunloh Engineers
Members of the Public
Bruce Kropp, WJBD-WSIQ Radio
Dennis Rosenberger, Salem Times Commoner
II. Prayer and Pledge of Allegiance
Councilman Addison offered the opening prayer, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
III. Presentation of Petitions/Public Comments – None
IV. Mayor’s Report and Presentations
• indicated he was proud to attend the Lions Club’s 90th Anniversary celebration. He indicated the Lions Club has been instrumental in the community, by initiating the funding for the hospital and Addy’s Playground and are true servants in the community.
V. City Council Action
1. Consent Agenda
(a) Minutes of the February 17, 2026 Regular Council meeting
(b) Minutes of the February 23, 2026 Special City Council meeting
(c) Accounts Payable February 17-28: $309,143.65
Motion made by Councilman Addison and seconded by Councilman Molenhour to approve the Consent Agenda as presented.
Roll call vote:
AYES: Councilman Bringwald, Councilman Molenhour, Councilman Morton, Councilman Addison, Mayor Farley
NAYS: None
Motion carried.
2. Approval of purchase of 2024 Ford F-150 Police Responder K-9 Vehicle
Mayor Farley indicated the Salem Police Department requests a budget adjustment to purchase a new K-9 Vehicle using surplus funds from the FY2026 budget. Chief Boles indicated the vehicle is brand new that was not purchased by another agency, and the price comes through the state bid process. Chief Boles indicated the FY2026 budget surplus comes from the department being six officers short.
Motion made by Councilman Molenhour and seconded by Councilman Bringwald to approve the purchase of the 2024 Ford F-150 Police Responder K-9 Vehicle.
Roll call vote:
AYES: Councilman Molenhour, Councilman Morton, Councilman Addison, Councilman Bringwald, Mayor Farley
NAYS: None
Motion carried.
3. Approval of FY2026 LE Bodycam Grant Agreement
Mayor Farley indicated the grant award is $104,662.18 and will be paid over the five-year performance period to cover annual costs with Axon for costs of dash cameras, body cameras, and the software and data storage to use them. He further indicated the Police Department will be coordinating with the State’s Attorney’s office to collect the necessary data to meet reporting requirements. Chief Boles recognized Deputy Chief Tyler Rose for his work in obtaining the grant.
Motion made by Councilman Molenhour and seconded by Councilman Bringwald to approve the FY2026 LE Bodycam Grant Agreement.
Roll call vote:
AYES: Councilman Morton, Councilman Addison, Councilman Bringwald, Councilman Molenhour, Mayor Farley
NAYS: None
Motion carried.
4. Ordinance 2026-05, Amending Ordinance 2024-27, TIF Intergovernmental Agreement with Selmaville School District 10
Mayor Farley indicated Ordinance 2026-05 amends Ordinance 2024-27, an intergovernmental agreement with Selmaville Consolidated School District #10, to extend the term of agreement and add the condition that the district provide us with a letter of support for the extension of TIF 3. Mayor Farley indicated staff met with board members, the superintendent, and attorney from Selmaville to discuss the agreement.
Motion made by Councilman Addison and seconded by Councilman Bringwald to approve Ordinance 2026-05, amending Ordinance 2024-27, the TIF Intergovernmental Agreement with Selmaville School District 10.
Roll call vote:
AYES: Councilman Addison, Councilman Bringwald, Councilman Molenhour, Councilman Morton, Mayor Farley
NAYS: None
Motion carried.
5. Discussion of charging fees for credit card processing at the Salem Family Aquatic Center Mayor Farley indicated discussion at the General Fund Budget Workshop included the potential for charging fees for credit card use for pool ticketing and concessions. He indicated it is expected that the City is currently being charged 206% + $.15 per transaction on credit cards at the Pool that will be approximately $4,000 during the upcoming season. Mayor Farley indicated we are only able to charge either a percentage or a dollar amount and are not allowed to charge more than what we are being charged. He indicated this is to pass on the cost of the fees incurred to the customer.
Councilman Molenhour questioned if the fee would be charged on credit cards and debit cards and indicated he is concerned for the legality of charging a fee on debit cards. Further discussion by Councilmembers included questioning if a percentage of the transaction or a flat rate would be charged. Mayor Farley indicated he hears no opposition from Council members on collecting the fee, and asked Finance Director Barrow to bring back a recommendation to the Council on what the number should be to recoup the costs. Councilman Addison indicated if a fee is charged, that should be communicated through signage at the point of sale, and on the website that a fee is imposed for swiping a card.
6. Approval of Resolution 2026-R06, funding support for Community Project Funding for FY2027 Mayor Farley indicated information was received from Congressman Bost’s office on a potential grant. He indicated the resolution commits 20% matching funding for the grant. Mayor Farley indicated the agenda was amended to include this, due to the notification after the agenda was posted, and the grant has a short window to apply.
Motion made by Councilman Molenhour and seconded by Councilman Addison to approve Resolution 2026-R06, funding support for Community Project Funding for FY2027.
Roll call vote:
AYES: Councilman Molenhour, Councilman Morton, Councilman Addison, Councilman Bringwald, Mayor Farley
NAYS: None
Motion carried.
VI. City Manager and Department Head Reports
City Manager Peck: No report.
City Clerk Meador: No report.
Public Works Director Sanders:
• indicated crews are getting ready for busy season by performing maintenance of culverts, ditches, and cleaning inlets.
Finance Director Barrow:
• indicated the second part of the budget has been sent;
• indicated she expects to have Revenue/Expense reports for February done by the end of the week.
Recreation Director Casburn: No report.
Economic Development Director Dellicarpini:
• indicated she visited 618 Plastics, which supplies NAL will 800 pieces daily and indicated they are actively hiring;
• indicated she is working with industrial partners to market Salem as a place to work.
Chief Boles:
• reported February statistics for the Salem Police Department: 976 calls for service; 152 911 calls; 13 arrests; 12 accidents; 245 traffic stops; 33 citations, and 39 reports.
VII. City Council Members Reports
Councilman Addison:
• indicated interactions with the public are positive;
• indicated he visited Addy’s Playground with his granddaughter, and it is well-maintained.
Councilman Bringwald: No report.
Councilman Molenhour: No report.
Councilman Morton:
• indicated while he was in the park, he talked with a family from out-of-town, who stopped to play disc golf and stayed at UCamp.
VIII. Executive Session
1. 5 ILCS 120/2(C)1 – Personnel
2. 5 ILCS 120/2(C)11 – Litigation
Motion made by Councilman Addison and seconded by Councilman Molenhour to enter into Executive Session pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2(C)1 to discuss Personnel and 5 ILCS 120/2(C)11 to discuss litigation at 6:24 PM.
Roll call vote:
AYES: Councilman Bringwald, Councilman Molenhour, Councilman Morton, Councilman Addison, Mayor Farley
NAYS: None
Motion carried.
IX. Return to Open Session
Motion made by Councilman Addison and seconded by Councilman Molenhour to return to Open Session at 6:59 PM.
Roll call vote:
AYES: Councilman Addison, Councilman Bringwald, Councilman Molenhour, Councilman Morton, Mayor Farley
NAYS: None
Motion carried.
X. City Council Action Continued
7. Potential action on Personnel
No action to be taken.
8. Potential action on Litigation
No action to be taken.
XI. Motion to Adjourn
Motion was made by Councilman Morton and seconded by Councilman Molenhour to adjourn the meeting at 7:00 PM.
Roll call vote:
AYES: Councilman Bringwald, Councilman Molenhour, Councilman Morton, Councilman Addison, Mayor Farley
NAYS: None
Motion carried.
https://www.salemil.us/sites/g/files/vyhlif1161/f/minutes/minutes_-_2026_03-02.pdf
