Village of Manhattan Board of Trustees met Jan. 24.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP
A Strategic Planning Workshop of the Village of Manhattan President and Board of Trustees was held on Saturday, January 24, 2026.
Neighbors motion to approve the Appointment of Trustee, Bob Dilling, As Mayor Pro-Tem in the Absence of Mayor, Mike Adrieansen. Bahena Second. Roll Call: Bahena aye, Young absent, Dilling aye, Neighbors aye, Boone aye, Doyle aye. (5 ayes, 1 absent, 0 nays).
CALL TO ORDER:
Dilling calls the Village of Manhattan Board meeting to order at 8:30 A.M.
Doyle motion to approve Electronic Attendance of Mayor, Mike Adrieansen. Boone second. Roll Call: Young absent, Dilling aye, Neighbors aye, Boone aye, Doyle aye, Bahena aye. (5 ayes, 1 absent, 0 nays)
ROLL CALL:
Bahena aye, Young absent, Dilling aye, Neighbors aye, Boone aye, Doyle aye, Adrieansen aye. Also present are Bouck, DiBenedetto, Nelson, VanVooren, Gulli, Tyk, Pintar.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
None.
STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP:
Public Works – Infrastructure
• 5 Year plan for road resurfacing
• 2026- Leighlinbridge – Celtic/Carlow
• 2027- Leighlinbridge – Celtic/Carlow
• 2028 – Brookstone
• 2029 – Brookstone
• 2030 – TBD
• Bruns Rd – 16520 W Bruns Rd to Cherry Hill
• 3rd layer of tar and chip to Cherry Hill
• Replace Marion St. Watermain
• SCADA Upgrade- Phase 3
• Trask St Drainage – Phase 2
• Fire Station New VanderBoegh Court
• Water Tower Cleaning
• 4- year Conservation Area- Manhattan Creek
• Village Hall & Public Works HVAC Maintenance/Replace
Public Works – Fleet & Equipment
• Outfitting 2 New Chassis Snowplow trucks
• Replace Bobcat/Skid Steer
• Grappler Attachment for Skid Steer
• GIS instruments
• SCADA Upgrade – Well 8
• Well 6 rebuild Chlorine Rooms
• Chlorine Booster Pumps
• Clearitas pumps
• Lightning mixers- wells
• Gear reducer for oxidation Ditch
• Influent Pumps
• Flight Mixers
Community Development
• Complete Route 52 Safety Study – Allows for us to apply for grants for construction related safety projects
• Extend New Lenox/ Manhattan Boundary Agreement
• Begin Single Family portion of Villas of Prairie Trails
• Tramore Development – Complete Subdivision
• Complete Ivanhoe improvements – Route 52 turn lanes
• Begin commercial retail project at Route 52 and Benck Drive
• Begin Phase 2 of the Ivanhoe Subdivision
• Create Downtown Design Guideline Committee and focus on redevelopment of downtown
• Pursue downtown improvements – Structure over parking lot behind Fritz’s
• Recruit commercial prospects for the corner of Route 52 and Gougar Road with the extension of the water and sewer lines
• Continue new business recruitment – ICSC
Public Safety
• Maintain low crime rate
• Reduce Truck Violations
• Obtain ILACP Accreditation (Partially grant funded, hopefully by July)
• Maintain Staffing levels (No additional new hires, replace if needed)
• Explore a traffic Unit (Would require 1 new hire and 1 new Vehicle)
• Replace three Police Vehicles
• Explore Outdoor shooting range on Village owned property (For qualifications & training)
• Leadership training for Command Staff FBI – Leeda – Staff (Commander and Sgt.) Staff & Command (SGT), FBI Academy (Chief)
• Specialty duty training for officers and detectives
• Community outreach programs: Bike Rodeo, Glow Ride, Cops and Bobbers, Women’s self Defense class, Coffee with a cop, Public Safety Night
• Maintain compliance with the ILETSB training requirements utilizing trained officers to keep training in-house to reduce cost.
• Evaluate resident outreach and emergency notification effectiveness through the use of Motorola Rave.
EMA
• Hire more EMA Employees
• Update Village’s Emergency Operating Procedures
• Training for all employees
• Joint training – meeting with Fire and Police
Finance
• Implement a vehicle and equipment replacement fund
• Put fee increases in place effective FY 2027 (May 1, 2026)
• Create or update financial policies
Community Events for 2025
• Blood Drives – 2 annually
• Irish Fest
• Manhattan Resident Luncheons – 4 annually
• Touch-A-Truck
• Community Garage Sales – 2 annually
• Cruise Nights – 4 annually
• Independence Day Parade / 250th Celebration
• Young Entrepreneurs
• Labor Day Party and Parade
• Taste of Fall
• Trick or Treat/Scare Crows
• Light Up Manhattan
• Pictures with Santa
• Christmas on State and Parade of Lights
• Jangles the Elf/Snowman Stroll
• Irish Ball Drop and NYE Ball Drop
• Manhattan Messenger
• E-News newsletter
• Community Event Budget $65,000. Received sponsorships/donations in 2025 in the amount of $31,610.
Administration & Personnel
• Explore options to possibly hire a Part-time HR Professional or outsource to a firm
• Explore the engagement of a Grant Writer Consultant to pursue funding opportunities
• Establish clear legislative priorities and goals for the Village Lobbyist
• Conduct a comprehensive review of all job descriptions and update as needed
• Develop and implement new personnel operational policies
• Implement enhanced safety protocols for staff and the main entrance of Village Hall
• Develop a formal Emergency Action Plan for all Village employees
• Improve communication protocols with Elected Officials regarding watermain breaks, press releases, and emergency related updates
• Establish a standardized onboarding process for new hires
• Crosstrain employees to improve operational continuity and efficiency
• Negotiate the Full-Time Patrol Officers and Sergeants Collective Bargaining Agreement for the term of May 1, 2026, through April 30, 2030
• Create official Village email addresses for all employees
• Evaluate IT services and explore alternative options. Current Cost is $9,500 per month
• Upgrade printers and related technology infrastructure
• Revive internal e-newsletter to improve communication with staff
• Develop a Five-Year strategic plan
• Resident Survey
The Village Board has discussions about Future Development, high priority projects and contingency projects for the coming year.
ADJOURNMENT
Doyle Motion to Adjourn. Bahena Second. All are in Favor. Motion Carried.
Meeting Adjourned at 11:13 A.M.
 https://www.villageofmanhattan.org/Agendas-Minutes/Village%20Board/2026/Minutes/01.24.2026%20-%20Strategic%20Planning%20Workshop.pdf?t=202602101517030
