The Village of Manhattan approved a resolution supporting the Illinois Municipal League and the preservation of a Municipal Housing Authority, in effect opposing the BUILD Act.
The BUILD Act, a plan proposed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, was intended to alleviate housing shortages by establishing legislation that prohibits certain zoning restrictions and requires approval for others, such as granny flats or accessory dwelling units (ADU).
However, the BUILD Act has come under fierce criticism from local municipalities, which believe it limits their ability to make local decisions.
“Gov. J.B. Pritzker introduced a BUILD plan proposing statewide zoning standards that would override local control, including changes to lot sizes, density, accessory dwelling units, parking requirements, inspections, and impact fees,” Mayor Mike Adrieansen said.
The Village of Manhattan’s resolution opposes this broad preemption and supports preserving local authority over land use and zoning decisions through community-led policies,” Adrieansen continued.
The board unanimously approved the resolution.
Trustee Justin Young made a statement following the vote, urging the public to contact their local representatives.
“This is going to change the fabric of our community greatly if it happens, and it’s not good,” Young said.
“Every day goes by, it seems like this down in Springfield, they take more and more control of us, away from us, and we are going to eventually have no control of our town. So, it’s very important to stand up against these people right now and voice your opposition,” Young urged.
Clean Audit Findings, Excellence in Reporting
Jamie Wilkey, partner at accounting firm Lauterbach and Amen, presented the audit report from the April 2025 audit of the village’s finances. The village conducts audits each year and already has begun planning for next year’s audit.
The village received a certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting.
“This is another independent review of the village’s audit each year, conducted by the Government Finance Officers Association or GFOA. This award, in particular, is deemed the highest level of financial reporting any local government can undertake. There is quite a strict criteria to meet the award each year,” Wilkey said.
Additionally, the village received an unmodified opinion on the audit, the highest and cleanest possible opinion.
New Subdivision Addition to Prairie Trails
The village approved a final plat of subdivision for phase one of the Oak Ridge subdivision. The project, proposed by Prairie Trails Development, LLC, will divide a 7.36-acre parcel into 18 lots just south of Ranch Oaks. It will use existing detention ponds and was recommended by the planning and zoning commission.
Additionally, Core Homes (Prairie Trails subdivision) requested reductions in multiple lines of credit, as work has been completed. The board approved the reduction in the associated irrevocable lines of credit.
New Police Vehicles Approved
The board approved the budgeted expense of $129,647 for the purchase and outfitting of two 2026 Ford Police Interceptor vehicles.
The budget includes funding for four new police vehicles, and the immediate purchase of two is needed to replace older vehicles that are being retired due to high maintenance costs.
Adrieansen commented he thought it was cheaper than it was a few years ago, to which Chief Ryan Gulli responded that it was $5,000 less expensive than it was during the COVID backlogs.
In other police news, Gulli reported that he and other area police chiefs are meeting with the ACLU regarding flock cameras. The discussion is ongoing, and he will keep the village posted if anything changes there, such as the possible need to remove the license plate reader camera.
Gulli also urged residents with side-by-sides and golf carts to register them to ensure compliance with village codes. Gulli added only 73 were registered last year, and he knows there are more than that in town.
Village Hall Security Upgraded to Replace Obsolete Tech
Outdated security access at the village hall and police department building soon will be replaced with new building security access key fobs.
“The current access control system is outdated, no longer supported, and poses security and operational risks,” Adrieansen explained.
It will cost $19,100 to install, along with a monthly rate of $192. The price is locked in for three years.
“The company, who has our current system, actually went out of business. We replaced a board at $2,500. It caused another part that cost $3,800 to go out,” Gulli said.
“We have, unfortunately, had a police officer locked in our sally port, for like 20 minutes until someone came to let him out with the garage door opener because the board didn’t communicate with the server, which locked us in our garage. So, that’s why this is coming to your attention,” Gulli shared.
Eastern Avenue Hiccups
The much-awaited opening of Eastern Avenue was delayed again. This time, it was not NICOR that caused the delay; it was an issue with the culverts installed by Austin Tyler.
PT Ferro cannot continue with work until Austin Tyler fixes the culverts.
“We were supposed to start paving this week, but there’s a little tie-up – some of the box cover culverts on the north end of Eastern. So Austin Tyler needs to come back because they installed those, and they need to regrout some areas before we can actually pave on the whole section of Eastern then,” Public Works Supervisor John Tyk said.
Once Autin Tyler has completed that work, PT Ferro will be back for the final paving.
In “Stonegate, you can exit Groby onto Eastern. It’s drivable. We just ask that people abide by the speed limit, which is 25 miles an hour. We have people who already are doing over 40 miles an hour,” Tyk added.
Ivanhoe Turn Lane Coming Soon
Ivanhoe subdivision will soon have a turn lane wrapped up. Village Engineer Carrie Pintar said they will soon have a construction meeting. Development Director Marc Nelson said they recently received the IDOT permit to get road construction wrapped up.
Adrieansen asked if there would be street lights on Route 52, and she replied she did not believe so.
Local Students Recognition
The village handed out Star Awards to State Champion Elliott Swanson for AMA Indoor Tracks Winter Series and to the Manhattan Junior High School Wrestling team for finishing as runners-up in the IESA State Tournamen