Wood River City Council Meeting
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WOOD RIVER – In another special meeting Wednesday evening, Wood River City Council members voted 3-2 to change the requirements to call for a special meeting.
The approved City Code amendment raises the number of council members needed to submit a written request for a special meeting from two to three. The mayor can also call for special meetings, as was allowed previously.
Councilman Bill Dettmers previously stated he viewed Thursday’s special meeting, called by Mayor Tom Stalcup, as an attempt by the mayor to stop another special meeting already requested by Dettmers and Councilman David Ayres.
“The reason why Mayor Stalcup called this Special Meeting can only be explained as an attempt to deny Councilmember David ‘Doc’ Ayres and my request for a Special City Council Meeting on Monday, March 10, at 7 p.m.,” Dettmers said. “The purpose of our requested Special City Council Meeting is to schedule a hearing for the purpose of termination of City Manager Steve Palen’s employment contract for repeated failures to perform the duties of his position.”
At Thursday’s meeting, Mayor Stalcup said during a review of city ordinances, a compliance issue was found with the city code section on special meetings. He said the new amendment simply aims to bring the City Code into compliance with state statute. Under 65 ILCS 5/3.1-40-25, “The mayor or any 3 alderpersons may call special meetings of the city council.”
The city attorney said that in her legal opinion, any special meeting not requested by at least three council members could not proceed because it would violate state law. If it were to proceed, any action taken at that meeting would be invalid and unenforceable in court, making the city open to potential litigation.
Dettmers questioned the council’s consistency with state code compliance, recalling a prior occasion from February of 2024 when he claims a different city attorney allowed the council to go against a different state statute regarding a separate matter. His argument was that state statute either never applies to the city, or it applies in all instances.
The amendment also allows notification of special meetings to be made in advance to council members either via a summons in writing or via email. Dettmers said he was “uncomfortable” with the email notification provision, claiming potential technical difficulties could prevent it from being “proper notification” and moving to strike it from the ordinance. His motion failed 4-1, with Dettmers casting the sole vote in favor.
Councilman Jeremy Plank called for an end to the spike in special meeting requests, comparing the conduct of his fellow council members to the Jerry Springer Show.
“I’ve been a champion of transparency for a long time,” Plank said. “As far as special meetings go, we have two meetings a month – so maybe we can sort of get past the Jerry Springer Show method of City Council and move on, and start doing the business of this city."
The ordinance amending the city code requirement for special meetings was approved 3-2. Mayor Stalcup and Councilmen Plank and Tweedy voted in favor, while Dettmers and Ayres voted against the ordinance.
A full recording of the March 6, 2025 Wood River City Council special meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
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