Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting  
​December 19, 2024

In a 70-minute meeting the board approved several important resolutions and heard public comments from four individuals.   The 2025 budget remained virtually the same at $1.7B.  The corporate fund increased to account for non-union pay raises and the construction fund went down.  The updated draft of the Watershed Ordinance was lauded by Friends of the Chicago River for retaining volume control protection, and the User Charge Ordinance was updated to clarify definitions and inclusions such as adding showers to water carrying human waste and clarifying the definition of process wastewater.
Board discussion focused on Item 37-1120, the 2025 Legislative Initiatives.  Six (6) items were approved: 

1. Amend the District Act to increase the amount of debt that can be issued through bonds in any given year from $150 to $250 million.  The last change was in 2003, and the cost of construction projects/materials have significantly increased in the twenty plus years – as has inflation. 
2. Under the Act, change the word “secretary” to “aides” to more accurately describe employees working directly for individual commissioners.
3. Amend the Illinois Environmental Protection Act to ensure wastewater reuse can be utilized for industrial purposes - a step towards encouraging the industrial reuse of treated municipal wastewater from publicly owned treatment works. 
4. Amend this same act to create a statewide PFAS TRUST FUND to reimburse publicly owned treatment works including drinking water utilities and the MWRD for all PFAS direct and indirect  costs.  MWRD recommends that the IL Association of Wasterwater Agencies takes the lead.
5. Identify opportunities to support legislation pertaining to the following concepts:  Disadvantaged Business Enterprise utilization, water reuse, and PFAS.  The Board has identified these priorities as it is expected that subject legislation will be introduced in 2025.
6. Amend the District Act to create the position of Deputy Executive Director.  The Executive Director currently oversees nine departments and reports to nine commissions.  Adding the position would allow for the managing of day-to-day operations.

Newly elected Commissioner Waller identified a specific senate bill that she wanted added to the priority list which, if enacted into law, would turn off the faucet on PFAS’ discharge into Illinois waterways (SB 88).  The law department’s General Assembly liaison noted that it could not be added to the priorities list but could be brought as an individual item for board support.

Commissioner Brady-Davis commented on Item #38 24-1133 thanking the staff and noting that this is “environmental justice in action”.   #38 is an Intergovernmental Agreement with the City of Chicago for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the LeMoyne and Maypole Underground Storage Program at a cost not to exceed $6 million.

There were no deletions or deferrals to items on the agenda.  Without discussion, the board also approved the 2025 payment of $181,584 to the Water Research Foundation for its annual research commitment; Advertise for an estimated $5 to $6 million dollar contract for raw sewage discharge pipe support modifications for pumps; and a $200,000 purchase order for Mimecast advanced threat security support.

Requests:  Commissioner Davis requested a memo on the breakdown of authorities and responsibilities in regards to the demolition collapse into the Chicago River. MWRD was notified but Chicago is in charge.

Observer - Diane Edmundson

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting
December 12, 2024

This meeting was for the sole purpose of approving the Adopted Budget for 2025.  This was approved unanimously with no discussion.  However, there is one more step in the budget process before the 2025 budget will be finalized:  on December 19, the Board will consider any final amendments which could impact the numbers given below.

Beth McElroy Kirkwood was appointed by Governor J.B. Pritzker to fill the empty Commissioner position as a result of former Commissioner Mariyana Spyropoulos’ election as Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court on Nov. 5.  Ms. McElory Kirkwood will serve as a Commissioner until November 2026 when someone will be elected to serve the remaining two years of Comm. Spyropoulos’ 6-year term.

The Adopted Budget of $1.695 Billion:

• Is slightly up from the Tentative Budget approved by the Commissioners in November, and slightly down from the $1.7 Billion proposed budget presented initially in October by the Executive Director.  It is also $266 Million more than the adjusted 2024 budget, or an increase of 18.6%.
• Includes an estimated total tax levy of just under $710 Million, a 2.6% increase over 2024 (or $18 Million more).
• Has an estimated total tax rate slightly less than 2024.  Applying the total tax levy to the anticipated Equalized Assessed Value (EAV) of properties within the MWRD District, the total tax rate is expected to be 33.85 cents per $100 of  EAV in 2025 vs. 34.17 cents in 2024.
• Has the largest increases (10% increase or more) over 2024 for General Administration, and for the Construction Fund and Capital Improvements Bond Fund (for a total Capital Budget that is 64.7% higher than 2024).
• Has a proposed reduction in Full Time Equivalent positions by 14 to 1,952.

Observer:  Priscilla Mims                             Length of meeting:  30 minutes

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting
December 5, 2024

MWRD President Kari Steele commented that this might have been the shortest Board meeting ever.  For the first time (at least since the League has been observing), none of the Commissioners identified any of the 38 agenda items for discussion at the meeting.  The Commissioners said that all their questions had been answered by the Executive Director prior to the meeting.  All items were passed unanimously, and included:

• An amendment to the User Charge Ordinance which is to recover each user’s proportional share of the operations, maintenance, and replacement costs incurred by the MWRD for the treatment and disposal of sewage, industrial waste, and other wastes generated by the user.  This amendment will be effective January 1, 2025.  (Agenda item 1, #UC24-001)
• A number of purchase orders and awards of contracts.  Several of the low bidders for the contracts were well under the District’s estimate of the expected costs, including Items 21 (#24-1054, 25% lower), 22 (#24-1056, 34% lower), and 24 (24-1058, 14% lower).
• Authority to negotiate and enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Villages of Crestwood and Midlothian for the design, construction, land acquisition, maintenance, operation, and ownership of the Flood Control Project on the Calumet-Sag Tributary C for up to $5.5 M. (Item 38, #24-1099)

During the time for Public Comment a person from the Historical Society of Harvey raised objections to the taking of homes for the proposed flood control project there, which has been the subject of public comments over many recent meetings.

This was newly-elected Commissioner Sharon Waller’s first meeting. The seat formerly held by Mariyanna Spyropoulos, who was elected as Cook County Clerk for the Circuit Court, has not yet been filled by an appointee of the Governor.  All other Commissioners were present except Eira Corral Sepulveda.

Length of meeting:  50 minutes, including a 15-minute Executive Session.

Observer - Priscilla Mims

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting
November 21, 2024

Public Comment

• Speakers for and against a new Stormwater facility in the Town of Harvey again addressed the Board.
• Item 36  #24-1018  This item, to grant the Wilmette Park District an 8-year easement to construct a new road configuration on a small piece of District land near the entry to Gillson Park, drew opposition from two speakers representing preservation groups in Wilmette.  They spoke in opposition to the Wilmette Park District’s plan to reconfigure a treasured landscape by altering road patterns in the park, and they asked the MWRD not to participate in these alterations. Steve Wilson, Executive Director of the Wilmette Park District, stood to defend the plan.   

Board Action
Item 36  #24-1018

• The MWRD Board approved item 36 as part of the consent agenda without comment.  
• Later, in the New Business portion of the meeting, Commissioner Davis stated that he did not want his vote in favor of the easement to be interpreted as support for the road alternations.

Items 1-5   #024-015, O24-016, 024-017, 024-018, 024-019

• The Board approved ordinances to issue $500 million in bonds.  At least $325 million of the dollars raised through the bond sale are reserved for capital projects.  Other money raised will pay general obligations of the District, including pension funding. Some of the bonds in the package are designed to reduce interest costs on existing debt.
• Commissioner Garcia pulled these five items from the agenda to thank Steve Lux, the District’s Treasurer and recognize a long list of financial advisory firms and bankers for their part crafting the bond package.   The bonding was later approved as part of the consent agenda.

Items 31-33 #24-1041, 24-1042, 24-1043

• The District ratified new labor agreements with three divisions of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union No. 9.
• Commissioner Spyropoulos pulled these items to thank the unions and their members for their work at the MWRD.  

Items 10  #24-1027 and 14 #24-1013 were deleted from the agenda by Executive Director Brian Perkovich

Stormwater Management

• Item 41 #24-1049.  The District approved an intergovernmental agreement to fund about $2,500,000 for the acquisition of flood-prone properties and construct stormwater storage in Lyons Township.   This item was approved without discussion.
• In related business, (Item 37 #24-1019 and Item #24-1034) the Board approved settlements of eminent domain lawsuits for the acquisition of property for stormwater management in Robbins.   

Exiting Commissioners
Items 44 and 45.  

• Board members thanked Commissioners Pogorzelski and Spyropoulos for their service on the Board.
  
• Commissioner Spyropoulos leaves the board after 15 years of service, including serving as Board President from 2015-2019.

Observer - Laurie Morse                       Executive Session: No              Meeting length: 1 hour 45 minutes

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting  –
November 7, 2024

Prior to the start of its formal agenda the Board heard 45 minutes of testimony from 12 people –most residents of the town of Harvey --regarding the MWRD’s proposal to buy out a dozen flood-prone homes in the town and use those parcels to construct a stormwater holding basin. There were comments in favor of and against the plan. The Board had also heard comments from Harvey residents at the October 17th Board meeting.   

• Christopher Clark, Mayor of Harvey and several current and former Alderman spoke in favor of the stormwater basin construction and thanked the Board for approving the project, saying payments to residents for their homes seemed generous.  They were wearing T-shirts reading “Harvey Supports Water Basin.”  
• Those in opposition cited distrust of the Mayor; fear the project was too close to a school and confusion about why the 12 homes had been selected when there were hundreds of abandoned properties in Harvey.   An elderly resident whose home would be demolished in the plan said she was too old to move, lived alone, and did not know where to go.   
• The Board did not respond to comments; President Steele offered to assist the elderly resident.

Stormwater Management

• Item 10. #24-0982 and Item 25. #24-0971.   In agenda item 25, the Board increased without comment the amount of an existing purchase order for small streams maintenance (group A) by $347,000 bringing the new total cost to $3.9 million for work contracted to J&L Contractors, Inc.  Clearing streams of brush and deadfall facilitates stormwater flow throughout Cook County, and is a tool for flood prevention.  Agenda item 10 provided authority for the MWRD to advertise a new contract for stream maintenance at an estimated cost of $3.9 million.  This was also passed without discussion.
• Item 37. #24-0995. The Board accepted without comment a report from the Stormwater Management Committee saying a project to acquire 2 flood-prone properties in Northlake at a cost of $550,000 was cancelled because the homeowners were not interested in selling their property.

Industrial Pollution

• Item 30  #24-0956.  Report on public notification of dischargers found to be in significant noncompliance of pre-treatment standards or other requirements during 2023.  This is an annual report of industrial polluters, which in this case included two pages of corporate names. 
• ​Commissioners Davis and Flynn pulled this item from the consent agenda for discussion. Their questioning focused on the procedures, penalties and timelines for escalating sanctions against non-compliant dischargers.  Staff answered Commissioner questions and the item was returned to the agenda.

Phosphorus Removal

• Item 11 #24-1007.  The Board agreed without comment to advertise a contract for chemical phosphorus removal from wastewater with an estimated cost between $16 and $19 million dollars.

General

• Item 19 #24-0991. Without discussion the Board awarded a $20 million contract for rehabilitating Salt Creek Intercepting Sewer #3 to Inliner Solutions, LLC.  
• Item 4 #0985.  Toward the end of the meeting President Steele brought forward a resolution on the part of the Board of Commissioners to adopt Volume 1 and certain portions of Volume 2 of Cook County’s multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan. 
• Other resolutions recognized Veteran’s Day, October as Hindu Heritage Month, and November as National Native American Heritage Month

The entire consent agenda was approved.

Observer - Laurie Morse                       Executive Session: No          Meeting length: about 2 hours

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD)
​Board of Commissioners Meeting​
October 17, 2024

Public Comment

• Eight public speakers including a community activist from Evanston and a non-profit representative spoke for 70 minutes before the agenda business began.  Residents expressed deep concern with the location of the proposed retention basin [close to a school], the loss of their home with not enough compensation to purchase equivalency, the requirement for several elderly individuals to move, and their distrust of the mayor.  
• It wasn't clear if the community activist had been invited by Harvey residents to speak, but he was very vocal and talked about the commissioners losing voter support if they do not address the resident's concern.  President Steele assured the residents that the MWRD wants to work with them and that she will speak with the relocation staff.  
• She also allowed the commissioners to offer comments which almost never happens during the public comment period.  Several Commissioners voiced their concern and support for finding a compromise. Commissioner Spyropoulos suggested holding another public meeting in Harvey so that residents' questions and concerns are fully heard.

Board Action

• At 11:45 a.m. the Board began to discuss agenda business. 
• Item #47 was deferred by Garcia with no questions allowed.  This is a contract procurement issue based on the selection of a bid that was not the lowest and has been contested several times.   Another bidder that was the lowest spoke and asked that the contract go out for rebid. Later in the morning, Garcia lifted his deferral and asked that Item #47 be placed on the afternoon agenda.  A roll-call vote affirmed the afternoon placement.  During the afternoon session, this item was voted on, again by roll call, and passed with 6 ayes, 1 no, 1 present, and 1 absent.  #24-0936.

All other agenda items were approved without discussion including:

• 1)   $37 million dollar in General Obligation Refunding Bonds.
• 2)  Resolutions recognizing "imagine a Day Without Water; October as LGBT History Month; and the 35th anniversary of the Federation of Women Contractors.
• 3)  Motion to approve dates and times for the 2025 regular board meetings of the MWRD.

An Executive Session was held from 12:05 to 12:40. When the board meeting resumed the agenda items were read in full and passed without comment. 
​In new business, President Steele noted that the MWRD Civil Engineering Team won an award from the Illinois Engineering Association for its work on the Addison Creek Project.

Observer:  Diane Edmundson