04-07-2025 City Council Highlights

FREEPORT, IL — Highlights from the April 7, 2025 Freeport City Council meeting include the upcoming arrival of eight EV chargers to the downtown Freeport and more upgraded streetlights.

Eight “Level 3” EV Chargers Coming to Freeport

The City of Freeport received a $320,000 2025 EV Charger Grant through the Illinois EPA’s Climate and Equitable Jobs Act program. With this funding and $240,000 from ComEd for interconnect installations, the City will install eight Electronic Vehicle chargers in two locations: the municipal lot located along N. Chicago Avenue in downtown and the City lot behind the Lindo Theater (4 in each location).

The Level 3 EV Chargers will become highly visible on maps for those seeking the service, inviting tourists and travelers to plan a stop in Freeport. At this time, there is only one charger visible on the map in Freeport, located at a local dealership.

Funding for this half-a-million-dollar project is mostly covered through grants. Out of the $650,000 required for this project, the City will only need to put forth $90,000. In addition, the funds coming from charger users will go to the City.

70 IDOT Streetlights to be Upgraded to LED

The City will replace 70 incandescent and failing streetlights in IDOT corridors with LED bulbs thanks to funding from IDOT and ComEd. These corridors include West Avenue, Galena Avenue, and South Street. This project must be complete by June in order to receive funding. With this development, crews will be working on replacing the bulbs at the safest times of the day but will still require intersections to be closed as they work. Anticipating these closures, we ask that you follow the City’s Facebook page or regularly check the Road Closures page on cityoffreeport.org.

Other News

The City was awarded $65,000 via the 2021 Rebuild Illinois Grant for the installation of video security systems on Pretzel City Area Transit (PCAT) buses.

We recognize and congratulate Jo Lynn Marcum of the Freeport Police Department for her service with the City for the last 25 years! Thank you for amazing dedication and hard work here in Freeport!

More information about these topics and more can be found in the City Council meeting packet, viewable here: LINK TO AGENDA

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