Council approves consideration of private public-restroom proposal at 141 East Main Cross; owner offers to rent facility for $750/month

Taylorville aldermen moved and recorded the passage of a motion related to a private offer to provide public restrooms for the downtown square. Property owner Dave Brummer presented a plan to renovate 141 East Main Cross, make the restrooms ADA-compliant, maintain the space and rent it to the city for $750 per month.

"We would renovate the building for public restrooms...and then we would offer them to the city on a monthly fee," Brummer said, explaining he and his wife would renovate the vacant property and supply consumables and cleaning as part of the arrangement. Brummer said the initial proposed hours were roughly business hours (about 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) with flexibility to extend hours for special events such as Chili Fest.

Councilors asked whether existing courthouse and library restrooms (which are public during courthouse/library hours) made a new paid arrangement redundant; Brummer responded that courthouse facilities are county property and not always convenient for visitors and that a downtown restroom would keep shoppers and visitors on the square. Council members also asked about liability and insurance: Brummer said the city (tenant) and property owner would carry liability insurance as appropriate and that he would maintain the restrooms.

Brummer estimated two to three fixtures (stalls) as likely and suggested flexibility for special-event hours. Some councilors and commenters raised concerns about homeless use, liability and whether water or utility costs in the building would be waived; Brummer said the restrooms’ water usage would be low and that consumables and day-to-day cleaning would be included in the arrangement.

Outcome: the motion to consider/approve the restroom arrangement was recorded as carrying on the meeting record (the transcript records "Motion carries"); the meeting did not include a detailed lease or final contract in the public record, and formal terms (insurance certificates, exact hours, event provisions and final number of fixtures) remain to be negotiated and documented. Council indicated further review and public-record bids/budgets would follow typical procurement steps.

Next steps: the council encouraged follow-up questions and noted that specific contract details and procurement steps would be made available as public records when prepared.