NORMAL, Ill. – The Normal Town Council faced a divided room Monday night as council members debated whether to move forward with the long-planned Uptown underpass, a $40 million project that would improve rail safety but require local tax increases to fund.

Normal Mayor Chris Koos cast the deciding vote after hours of discussion; this ordinance passed by a narrow margin of 4-3.

With 10 public comments, the debate revealed a sharp split between residents who see the project as vital for safety and growth and those who say its rising cost is too high for taxpayers.

Mike Kerber, public commentator and Normal resident, cited the daily risk faced by residents crossing the tracks and compared skepticism over the underpass to past opposition toward now-successful projects.

“There are many of us, including hundreds of ISU students, crossing the tracks daily when a two-mile-long container train is coming,” Kerber said. “Some people go around the pedestrian gates and try to beat the train, and we need the tunnel now and in the future. Some say it’s too expensive, and we heard this when Constitution Trail was proposed, and look at what a success it is. We heard this about the roundabout circle, and it has made it safer for cars and pedestrians to navigate Uptown.”

Matt Sweeney, business owner in Normal, said the project’s cost had ballooned from $13 million to $40 million. He suggested safer, cheaper alternatives such as pedestrian crossings that can be seen in other areas of the tracks.

“I understand that money has already been spent on the planning and design, and so much work has gone into this project,” Sweeney said. “The temptation is there to move forward just because we’ve come this far, but it’s just not financially responsible. The public will forgive this council for saying the numbers have changed. It no longer makes sense, or even we just need to step back and take another look at the options.”

Patrick Dullard, a Normal resident for 46 years, praised the town for earning a competitive federal grant, noting that only 55 of 665 applicants were chosen in 2019. He said the proposed hotel and restaurant tax increases would have little impact on consumers.

“An Expedia search for the Saturday evening of hotels in Normal produced 13 results, including two in Uptown,” Dullard said. “The average rate for the sample was $102, with the highest at $159. The revised tax would add only about $2 per night on average, and roughly $3 for the most expensive room. That kind of pricing change is not going to influence consumer behavior or push people to out of town hotels on the food and beverage tax.”

Chad Pacey, president of Firefighters Union Local 2442, argued the funds would be better spent addressing public safety needs such as staffing and equipment.

“While we fully support efforts to improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians and interact users, this specific project comes at a substantially higher cost,” Pacey said. “The cost of this project will differ from other critical needs, including public safety shortcomings that currently exist in our community. Staffing levels, response coverage and equipment needs are all areas that deserve immediate attention and investment.”

Ronnie Paul, Labor’s local 362 Business Manager, voiced the labor union’s support for this project.

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