Just in time for the holiday season, 22 unclaimed bicycles — 13 children's and nine adults — that were being stored at the Washington Police Department will be getting new homes.
The Washington City Council this week approved declaring the bicycles surplus city property and gave Police Chief Jeff Stevens permission to give the bikes to a Washington business owner.
Joe Russell, owner of Russell's Cycling and Fitness, will donate the bikes to the Children's Home of Illinois' Operation Christmas Bike.
Russell and the police department have had the arrangement for several years.
The oldest of the 22 bikes was acquired by the police department in 2020, Stevens said. Most were obtained in 2023.
Property tax levy to climb 4.1%
Also this week, the council approved:
• A tentative 2025 property tax levy [payable in 2026] of nearly $2.4 million, a 4.1% increase from 2024 [payable in 2025]. The property tax rate is projected to fall from $0.53 to $0.50 per $1,000 assessed valuation.
• A nearly $11,000 business improvement grant payment for Sleep Inn, 1101 N. Cummings Lane, that covered half the cost of parking lot and landscaping improvements.
• A partial tax increment financing [TIF] payment of $7,200 for work to remove and replace roughly the back half of the roof at the Denhart Building on the downtown square. The remaining $2,400 of the TIF payment will be paid in one year.
• A payment of nearly $430,000 to Peoria-based P.J. Hoerr for the construction of the police evidence building. That brought the total contract cost to a little more than $2.3 million with work still to be done.
• The jurisdictional transfer of about a half-mile of North Main Street from North Street north to Cruger Road from Tazewell County to the city.
New life for farm lease that expired in 2002?
Here are highlights of department heads' reports to the council this week:
• A resolution has been drafted that would extend a farm lease agreement with John Guth for two years for the Memorial Gardens property. Council originally approved a lease with Guth in 1995, and he's farmed the property since then. However, his last lease expired in 2002 and has not been brought back to the council for renewal. The city has received $630 annually in revenue from the lease since 2004. The drafted resolution would be placed on a council meeting agenda if Guth wants to continue farming the property, which is about seven acres and located south of Glendale Cemetery.
• Linda Storer, the police department's administrative assistant and FOIA administrator, retired Tuesday. Stevens said Storer has helped others in the department learn her duties and done cross-training to smooth the transition.
• Mayor Lilija Stevens' November "Let's Talk Washington" session will be at 1 p.m. Monday at Brickhouse BBQ, Burgers & Brews at 1021 N. Cummings Lane.
