Meeting Summary and Briefs: Martinsville City Council for August 26, 2026

City Council | August 26, 2026

The Martinsville City Council moved through all 10 of its agenda action items in under an hour on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, opening at 7 p.m. and adjourning at 7:43 p.m. with only one vote falling short of unanimous. The council committed $100,000 toward an Illinois CDBG Public Infrastructure grant application and hired the Coles County Regional Planning and Development Commission to administer it, extended the city’s contract with Republic for two years to hold current rates, adopted Ordinance No. 2026-08-01 updating the city’s cannabis business chapter, approved a $3,710 downtown striping contract from CMG Asphalt Services, sold a surplus police computer to Police Chief Slater for $1, and set fall cleanup dates. Each of those items is covered in a standalone story in this package.

The longest stretch of the meeting came after the votes, during the mayor’s and aldermen’s comment period, when Mayor Robert Lovell reported on the city’s natural gas system, the nearly finished splash pad, a damaged pickleball court, a planned sand volleyball court and a long-range request from the Martinsville Ag Fair for a new Arts Hall. Aldermen used their time to raise a lift station replacement, a rentable water meter, the community garden and several property and repair questions. The minutes record no public comment and no executive session, though the agenda had reserved slots for both. Clerk Caitlin Dill submitted the minutes.

Lift Station Replacement Would Cost $500,000, Craig Says

Alderman Harley Craig told the council that a new lift station would cost $500,000 and that rebuilding the existing one is a good option instead. He framed the work as something the city should take on deliberately rather than under pressure, saying it needs to be fixed “on our own time when the City has the funds allocated rather than waiting for it to go out and be in a bind,” according to the minutes. No action was taken, no location for the lift station is identified in the record, and no rebuild estimate, timeline or funding source is recorded. The $500,000 figure is the second-largest dollar amount in the meeting record, behind only the city’s $100,000 grant commitment in terms of items the council discussed.

Gas System Pressure Up to 54 PSI From 20

Lovell reported that the town’s gas pressure is up to 54 psi from 20, and that crews found a few minor leaks but nothing major. The minutes do not state when the pressure increase was made, why it was undertaken, what portion of the system it covers, whether any customers were affected, or what the minor leaks cost to repair. It is the only utility operations update in the record and the only one accompanied by hard numbers.

Three Properties Headed to Tax Sale; Council Weighs CILB Transfer

Lovell told the council that three properties in town are coming up for tax sale, including one “on the hill of Union,” and asked whether the city should purchase that property and give it to CILB to select, through special criteria, who would be able to acquire and use it next. The minutes do not expand the acronym CILB, identify the three properties by address, state when the tax sales occur, or record a cost to the city. No motion was made and no vote was taken; the item was raised as a question to the council.

Fall Cleanup Set for Sept. 19-26

The council voted 6-0 to establish the city’s fall cleanup as Sept. 19-26, on a motion by Craig seconded by Alderman Chris Perry. The agenda listed the same dates. The minutes record no further detail — no collection rules, no list of accepted or prohibited items, no drop-off location and no contractor. Residents should expect the city to publish specifics separately; none appear in the meeting record.

Routine Financial Business Approved 6-0

Three housekeeping items opened the meeting, each passing 6-0. The council approved the minutes of the July 8, 2026, regular meeting together with the minutes of a special hearing on the 2027 City Appropriations Ordinance, on a motion by Alderman Travis Hill seconded by Craig. It then voted to pay the bills as presented, on a motion by Alderman Ashley Wilhoit seconded by Perry, and approved the treasurer’s report, on a motion by Ashley Wilhoit seconded by Hill. No bills list, payment total or treasurer’s report figures accompany the minutes or agenda, so no dollar amounts for the city’s monthly spending can be reported.

No Executive Session Held

The published agenda listed an executive session as item 11, with no statutory purpose stated, and “Consideration and Action regarding Executive Session items” as item 12. The minutes record neither. The council went from its final grant vote directly into the mayor’s and aldermen’s comments, then adjourned on a motion by Alderman Chris Davidson seconded by Ashley Wilhoit, carried 6-0. No formal action can be taken in a closed session in any event, and the record shows no action attributable to one here.

Soap Box Race Set for Oct. 10

Lovell reported that the Soap Box race will be held Oct. 10, and that a ramp will be built to allow two cars at a time to run. The minutes record no location, start time, registration process, organizer or cost for the ramp, and the council took no action on the event.

Community Garden Called a Mixed Season

Alderman Wendy Isbell reported on the city’s community garden, saying that overall she would do it again and describing the season, in the minutes’ phrasing, as a “half and half” outcome. Three-quarters of the plot is finished and ready to be tilled, she said. The record does not state the garden’s location, how many plots it holds, how many residents participated or what the city spent on it.

Rentable Water Meter Floated

Davidson asked whether the city should use a water meter that can be rented out for uses such as filling pools, watering large spaces and commercial work. No action was taken and no further discussion is recorded. The minutes contain no proposed rental rate, deposit, meter cost or administrative process.

Property, Repair and Code Updates

Several short exchanges closed out the comment period, each answered in the affirmative or with a status. Perry asked whether the ground around the water meter on Washington Street had been fixed and was told yes. Hill asked whether a check had been received for the sidewalk repair on Mill Street and was told yes. Hill also asked about a trailer on Bond; the response recorded is that the owners have been fined twice and the yard has been mowed. Ashley Wilhoit asked whether the City Hall entryway would be repaired and was told it is in the works to be tiled within the next week or two. Separately, Lovell reported that roofing has been completed at Changing Hands and at the building next to it; the minutes do not state who paid for that work or what role, if any, the city had in it.