City Owned Building, Secret Lease Terms, and $97,000 in Equipment: Citizens Want Answers

GraniteCityGossip.com, June 3, 2026

It was business as usual Tuesday night as the regular group of residents filled the council chambers to protest the potential data center project. Their comments were loud and lengthy and, as expected, the dominant topic of the evening. But while the data center debate consumed the first portion of the meeting, it was the final few votes that have Granite City residents calling and emailing GraniteCityGossip.com asking if we had any answers.

In a break from long standing procedure, public comment was taken at the beginning of the meeting rather than at the end just before adjournment. Once the public finished speaking, the Mayor moved directly into committee reports. Most aldermen responded with the familiar, “Nothing tonight, Mayor.” Then it landed on Alderperson Burton.

Burton first requested a motion to amend the fiscal budget. No explanation was offered to the public regarding what was being amended, why the amendment was needed, or which line items were affected. The motion was seconded by Alderperson McDowell and passed unanimously.

Immediately after the budget amendment, Burton made a motion to approve a bid for a Type I commercial/restaurant hood system in the amount of 41,504 dollars and 85 cents. McDowell seconded the motion, and it passed without discussion. This purchase directly mirrors a request made on May 6, 2026, when Mark Notz of Missouri, representing a proposed restaurant concept called Spinner’s Pizza with a Porpoise, appeared before the Finance Committee. Notz is seeking to open his business at 1312 Niedringhaus Avenue, a city owned building in The District. During his presentation, Mayor Parkinson specifically asked Notz what he expected from the city in order to occupy the space. Notz stated the building would require a Type I hood system and emphasized that the hood would remain with the building if his business ever closed. Importantly, no pizza oven was mentioned in the official May 6, 2026 Finance Committee meeting minutes.

Next, Burton made a second motion to award a bid for Budget Item 15, described only as a pizza oven, totaling 55,564 dollars and 10 cents. Again, McDowell seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously. No explanation was provided to the public regarding who the oven is for, why the city is purchasing a major piece of restaurant equipment, what business requested it, or how this expenditure fits into the city’s redevelopment strategy. The Council did not name the business, name the address, reference the May 6 presentation, identify the winning bidders, or explain why the oven was not discussed publicly in committee. The only way citizens can connect these purchases to a specific business is by reviewing the May 6 Finance Committee minutes, where Notz’s presentation appears.

Also on May 6, a separate business, Chat and Chew, presented a proposal for the old arcade building, which is a different city owned property. Chat and Chew is not connected to the hood or oven purchases approved last night. This distinction has caused confusion among residents because both businesses presented on the same night, both buildings are city owned, both are located in The District, and neither proposal has been publicly explained since.

The property at 1312 Niedringhaus Avenue, the one tied to Spinner’s Pizza with a Porpoise, is owned by the City of Granite City. Now, the city is preparing to lease the building, but no lease terms have been made public, including the monthly rent, the length of the lease, whether the tenant is required to reimburse the city, whether the equipment remains city property, or whether the city is providing additional incentives. With some storefronts in the area renting for under 1,000 dollars per month, the nearly 100,000 dollars in new equipment purchases raises questions about the city’s expected return on investment and the terms of any redevelopment agreement.

As residents review the sequence of events, many are now asking whether this type of arrangement is even legal, let alone ethical. It appears the city is using taxpayer funds to purchase expensive equipment for a private business venture, and the public has not been told why this business was selected, what the lease terms are, or whether other entrepreneurs were given the same opportunity. Citizens are openly wondering how many others would eagerly step forward to open a restaurant if they knew the city might supply their commercial hood system, their pizza oven, or other costly equipment as part of a negotiated contract. Without transparency, the process appears selective and raises concerns about fairness, accountability, and the proper use of public funds.

Following the meeting, citizens immediately began questioning why public comment was moved to the beginning of the meeting, why two major expenditures were approved with no explanation, why the city is purchasing a pizza oven for a private business, why the oven was never mentioned in prior minutes, why the winning bidders were not named, why the city is leasing a city owned building without revealing the lease terms, why the city is investing nearly 100,000 dollars in equipment for a building that most likely rents for less than 1,000 dollars per month, who is Mark Notz of Missouri and why the city is investing in his startup. As of now, no official explanation has been provided.

The Council previously authorized the Mayor to negotiate with both interested parties for the two city owned buildings. No contracts have yet been presented publicly, and no business has been formally announced as a tenant. Residents continue to await clarification on the identity of the business receiving the equipment, the terms of the lease or redevelopment agreement, whether the bids were publicly advertised, and how these expenditures fit into the long-term plan for revitalizing The District.

As of this morning, there were no posted bids on the public Granite City, Illinois website for either a commercial hood system or a pizza oven, but they could have been deleted from the city’s website directly after last night’s meeting once the bids were approved.