Fulton council discusses housing development

FULTON – The Fulton City Council discussed development of single family households April 14 as part of ongoing talks with Ryan Eissens Construction.

The official deal will be voted on April 28 as city officials wait for details on the legal contract to be finished, but as planned, the city will reimburse Eissens for the installation of a new road by paying him three payments of $16,000, with the first payment due October 2025, the second due October 2026 and the third payment due October 2027.

In other action, the council:

• Passed a motion approving new liquor license fees and license classifications within the city.

• Voted to vacate an alley at 1029 Ninth Ave. after Jeff Brondyke’s proposal.

• Voted to move administrative penalties from General Fund to Fund 61, which is the police department fund.

• Unanimously passed a motion to allocate funds for an outdoor fitness court as part of the 2025-2026 National Fitness Campaign. The city has received a $60,000 grant from the Illinois Blue Cross Blue Shield Healthy City Grant for the project.

In the Committee of the Whole meeting, the council continued ongoing discussion regarding the possibility of leasing the Marina building. In previous weeks, the council discussed the possibility of the police department moving its storage to the marina building. If this decision is made, the city has a 90-day lease clause to get out of the leasing contract.

The council elected to wait longer for the long-awaited Marina appraisal before committing to a decision. That appraisal has been in the works for months, but is set to tentatively be finished before the next council meeting.

Chief of Police Chad Hermes brought forward a proposal for a possible Administrative Tow Ordinance amendment because the current policy leaves some ambiguity for officers.

Effective May 5, Fulton has hired a new officer who will serve as deputy chief for the department.