EAST PEORIA – The city has found a lessee for most of its recently acquired property.
The City Council approved an ordinance Tuesday on its first reading securing a farm lease with Morton-based Mike Yordy and Sons for the 2027 crop season.
Yordy and Sons will farm up to 210 acres of tillable city-owned land at $225 per acre, with a bonus payment tied to the yield, according to the lease.
The city previously purchased through public auction three tracts of approximately 272 acres of undeveloped property between U.S. Route 24 and Centennial Drive.
“The City anticipates receiving ownership of this property in late October 2026, and this property contains approximately 210 acres of tillable farmland,” East Peoria city attorney Mike Brunton said in a memorandum to the council.
Brunton said the farm lease will take effect after the city acquires title to the property. The lease will roll over from year to year, which will allow the city to develop portions of the property. The ordinance will be placed on the table for public inspection for no less than one week.
The council also approved the second reading of an ordinance adjusting the compensation of a full-time mayor acting as a city administrator. East Peoria Mayor John Kahl abstained from the vote.
The measure raises the salary for a full-time mayor performing chief executive officer duties to over $128,000 per year, with annual cost-of-living adjustments. Kahl collects an annual base salary of $104,735, according to East Peoria’s 2025-26 compensation report.
If East Peoria hires a city administrator, the mayor’s salary will revert to the prior pay structure.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: East Peoria to lease newly acquired land to Morton-based farmers
Reporting by Mike Kramer, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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By Mike Kramer, Peoria Journal Star | USA TODAY Network
