The Waterloo City Council approved the annexation of nearly 20 acres into the city for a new development during Monday’s council meeting.

The annexation agreement between the city and BMW Land Trust, with Dennis Brand as trustee, is for 19.84 acres on Legacy Drive off Hamacher Street behind the Southern Illinois Center for Health.

The zoning classifications for the property to be annexed, per the agreement, are R5 multi-family and R2 single family residential. 

Also at the meeting, the council approved a local public agency agreement for federal participation between the City of Waterloo and Illinois Department of Transportation on the South Market Street Sidewalk Project.

A grant was awarded for this project a couple of years ago. 

This sidewalk project involves construction of a pedestrian and bike trail on South Market Street from Route 3 to Bulldog Boulevard. It would connect to the existing shared use path that runs along Route 3 from South Market to North Market streets.

The project calls for $203,600 in federal funding and an $80,900 cost to the city.

Waterloo Public Works Director Tim Birk said an optimistic timeline for construction on this project is the summer of 2021, but that all depends on the land acquisition process.

In other news from the meeting, Jane Gaitsch was appointed to the city’s planning commission to fill the remainder of Carol Vogt’s three-year term that expires Sept. 1, 2022.

The council OK’d the renewal of annual group health insurance coverage with Blue Cross-Blue Shield at a 2.4 percent decrease, as well as the renewal of life AD&D and dependent life insurance with Amalgamated Life at a zero percent rate increase.

The council also approved a one-year collective bargaining agreement between the city and Monroe County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #145 for 2021.