Charleston Mayor Brandon Combs, with the advice of the City Council, appointed Amber May to the Council at its meeting on Tuesday.  

The Council had a vacant seat since former Council Member Tim Newell retired at the end of the last meeting. 

May is the assistant athletic director for development at Eastern Illinois University, a position she has held since January of this year.  

She first came to Eastern in 2008 for a degree in sports management and has worked there since December 2011, when she was a development intern for athletics. 

During her time as a development intern, she received her masters in sports administration. 

In May 2012, she became the assistant director of alumni services, where she stayed until July 2022. She was then promoted to the role of director of alumni services, which she held until December 2024. 

“I’m just excited,” May said. “It’s something new.” 

May said that her priority is helping people. 

“I just want to listen to the people and be able to help out any way I can,” May said. 

The Council also approved a resolution confirming the completion of a pension fund report during the meeting. Illinois law requires that a report be made before a tax levy can be created. 

The report details the firefighter and police pensions’ assets, liabilities and the net position of funds. 

The asset total for both pensions combined is $41,314,655, with $21,126,916 for the firefighter’s fund and $20,187,739 for the police fund. This includes physical cash, receivables and investments, with the latter making up the majority of the assets.  

There is a total of $1,665 for liabilities, with $855 for the firefighter’s fund and $810 for the police fund, which puts the total net position of each fund at $21,126,061 for the firefighters and at $20,186,929 for the police. 

With the report made, the council put the fiscal year 2026-27 tax levy ordinance on public record. 

The property tax levy will be $5,230,425, which is a $199,316 increase from last year, according to Combs. 

“The increase is needed to cover the rising pension obligations,” Combs said. 

The ordinance calls for $1,905,000 for the police pension and $2,070,000 for the fire pension.  

Combs said the tax rates will be chosen when the county finishes calculating the estimated annual bill, which he expects to be less compared to this time last year. 

Also at the meeting, the Council accepted a grant from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for $50,000.  

The grant was applied for at the Council meeting on Oct. 21 to complete an inventory of the lead pipes within the city water system.  

Finally, the Council passed an ordinance accepting a grant and donation from the Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation.  

The SICF donated two city entrance signs, one on the south side of the city and another on the west side.  

The south entrance sign reads “Charleston,” and both signs are on stone veneer bases, according to the purchase order. 

The west sign shows a cutout of Old Main, reading “Home of Eastern Illinois University” on a panel below, with a panel to the right reading “Since 1831.” 

The total cost of the signs is $98,558.80, with the south entrance sign being $42,663.70 and the west sign being $42,862.80. There is also a change order with a cost of $13,032.30.  

According to the ordinance, SCIF paid the 50% deposit of $49,279.40 directly and gave a grant for the remaining 50% to the city to cover the rest.

Jason Coulombe can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].