Category: Budget

MWRD Interim Inspector General Patrick Blanchard's term extended through December 31, 2026.

6/21/2026

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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting
June 4, 2026

Agenda Items

Interim Inspector General Patrick Blanchard’s term of service was extended to December 31, 2026 in the amount not to exceed $150,000. Chicago Bar Association is still working through a list of candidates for this position.

Stormwater Management

Item #26-0393 authorized the purchase of three properties in Midlothian for a flood control project on the Cal-Sag Tributary in the amount of $339,000.

Deferred or Deleted Agenda Items

Deleted item 26-0365 for Activated Sludge removal from O’Brien Water Reclamation plant in the amount of $389,933,408.

New Business

Adam Pulley, Principal, and Ben Packett, Manager, from Clifton Larson Allen gave a presentation to the Board on the 2025 Audit Results of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Retiree Health Care Trust Fund.

Commissioner Requests

Comm. Steele requested the past research comparing electric versus gas vehicles to be shared with the board and Comm. Corral Sepúlveda requested a report on the recent activity the Task Force has conducted.

Executive Session - Yes, to discuss minutes of meetings lawfully closed under the Open Meetings Act.

Observer: Peggy Kell

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MWRD Board approves $27 million contract to upgrade Kirie Water Treatment Plant

2/22/2026

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Metropolitan Water Reclamation Board (MWRD)
Board of Commissioners Meeting
February 5, 2026

Board Action:

Item 13: #26-0074. Authority to award Sollitt/Broadway Joint Venture a contract for electric power distribution and phosphorus removal improvements at Kirie Water Reclamation Plant (KWRP), for a total amount not to exceed $27 million. Commissioner Sharon Waller pulled this item from the agenda for discussion. She asked Executive Director Murray what the public might expect to receive for this $27 million. The KWRP, located in Desplaines, is one of the newer (built 1980) and smaller of the District’s seven treatment plants. Executive Director Murray responded that the KWRP needed extensive electrical upgrades; and biological processes at the plant need to be amended to meet new phosphorous removal requirements. The item was returned to the agenda and approved.
Industrial Waste: Item 2. #IW26-001A. The Board approved without discussion amendments to sections of the MWRD’s Sewage and Waste Control Ordinance that address industrial polluters. The amendments included new regulations requiring certain industrial companies not currently licensed to discharge into the MWRD’s systems to certify annually that they have not done so.The hearing process for industrial polluters was also streamlined, making the Director of Monitoring and Research primary hearing authority, rather than the District’s Executive Director.
Tax abatement:Item 3. Ordinance #O26-00. The Board approved without discussion an Ordinance directing the County Clerk to reduce 2025 property taxes by $10 million for payments on capital improvement bonds that were alternately funded through the District’s Bond and Interest fund, making taxpayer funding redundant.
Projects: Item 16. #26-0073. The Board received a year-end 2025 engineering report on the Addison Creek Channel improvement project. The project, which was scheduled to be complete in August 2026, has experienced delays and cost overruns. The work is now expected to be complete in June of 2027 and was about $1.5 million over budget as of December.
Recreation and Community: Item 17. #26-0075. Commissioners gave permission for Friends of the Chicago River to access District real estate at 25 locations along the North Branch of the Chicago River, North Shore Channel, Main Channel, and Cal-Sag Channel for its annual Chicago River Day cleanup event on May 9, 2026. Annette Anderson, Friends of the Chicago River Program Manager, spoke in support of the permit at the start of the Board meeting.

Information request: Commissioner Sharon Waller asked Executive Director Murray to investigate monetizing phosphorus savings associated with the use of treated wastewater for irrigation at MWRD facilities.

Observer: Laurie Morse Meeting Length: 53 minutes Executive Session: None

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Board Votes on Several Resolutions and Again Defers the Drug Takeback Program with the Cook County Sheriff

1/7/2026

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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting
December 18, 2025

Agenda Items Approved:

After a month of deliberations and a public hearing, the board approved annual tax levies and adopted a 2026 final budget of $1.8B that includes investing in public infrastructure, stormwater and flood management, and with new consideration of the long-term environmental and financial implications of permit compliance. Soon to be available is an online interactive budget dashboard* The 2025 budget was just under $1.7B. Ordinance 025-0004A
They also adopted an Ordinance establishing the minimum qualifications and duties for the MWRD Inspector General and are convening search and selection committees for appointing an IG to replace the current interim, Patrick Blanchard, whose contract was extended thru June 2026 at the December 4, 2025 board meeting. 025-012
Previously twice deferred by Commissioner Sepulveda, the board approved a $250,000 contract with Web-based Compliance Software. Commissioner Sepulveda asked that in the future RFPs include a “no charge” provision to allow business to upload redundant information from other submissions. #22 25-0848

Agenda Items Deferred/Deleted:

For the 3rd time, Commission Davis asked that the Intergovernmental Agreement with the CC Sheriff’s Office for the Prescription Drug Take-Back Program in the amount of $80,000 be deferred so that his team can digest the responses received from MWRD staff. The board agreed to the deferral but voiced several strong supporting comments including those reported in the November and then again at the December 4 meeting. Brady-Davis said she understands that the issue isn’t the value of the program but who pays. Garcia strongly supports and wants more boxes in communities in 2027. Sepulveda asked that staff develop a strategy for getting the pharmaceutical association(s) more involved in 2027. #43 25-0885
Commissioner Flynn deferred a $191,525,00 landscaping contract for a Paver Walkway Improvement. No reason was given. #35 25-0962
President Steele deferred with no discussion the Recommendations for the State of Illinois 2026 Legislative Program. Expect to see it on the January 8, 2026 agenda. #45 25-0968

Other Interesting Items:

Authorization was given for payment to the Water Research Foundation for the 2026 Annual Research Commitment not to exceed $190,663. Commissioner Waller now serves on a new committee covering IT Data Centers: Understanding Economic Considerations and Opportunities for Water and Wastewater Utilities #20 25-0941

No Executive Session; All commissioners present; Length of meeting: 70 minutes

Observer - Diane Edmundson

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MWRD Board Holds 3 Meetings on Dec. 4

12/14/2025

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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meetings
December 4, 2025

The Board held

The Annual Meeting at which President Steele presented her Annual Message which can be found HERE by clicking on the link “President’s Message 2025” (item 25-0893).
The regular Board meeting, with information provided below.
The public hearing on the proposed 2026 budget for the public to provide any comments, but no one spoke.

At the regular Board meeting, all items were approved, except for Agenda Items 20, 33, and 34, which were deleted by the Executive Director; and Agenda Items 9 and 32, which were deferred.

Commissioner Sepulveda requested a second deferment of an authority to advertise a contract to furnish, deliver and install web-based compliance software at an estimated cost of $250,000. (See the observer report for the November 20 meeting.) Since this was the second deferment, a vote had to be taken and the deferment was approved. There were no comments or questions about this Item 25-0848 (agenda item #9).
Commissioner Davis deferred Item 25-0885 (agenda item #32), the proposal to amend and extend the intergovernmental agreement with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office for its prescription drug take-back program at a cost of up to $80,000 for 2026. Comm. Davis said that he continued to have problems (also raised last year) with using taxpayer money for the take-back program which, now under law, the drug companies are required to pay for. Comm. Flynn and President Steele both expressed support for the MWRD continuing in the program, with President Steele saying that the MWRD contribution allows for receptacles and drug pick-up in communities where there otherwise would be none.

Also discussed:

Authority to advertise a contract to create in Harvey a 23-acre stormwater detention basin to provide flood storage and installation of storm sewer to convey the stormwater to the basin and allow discharge into the Wood Street storm sewer system. Cost is estimated to be between $11.4 M and $13.8 M. This project is expected to provide flood reduction for 209 structures. Comm. Davis asked about the annual maintenance costs for these facilities should Harvey not perform its duties to maintain. Exec. Director Murray said that they would be nominal. In response to a question from Comm. Sepulveda, Exec. Director Murray said that the MWRD had the sole authority to pick the vendors for the construction, with Harvey playing no role. (Agenda item 10, Item 25-0897)
Comm. Garcia thanked the Board members who back in 2007 created the Other Postemployment Benefits Fund, which is used to cover the costs of the MWRD providing medical and prescription drug benefits to qualifying employees and their eligible spouses and dependents. Under the existing policy, $5 M was to be provided to the Fund in 2026. However, the Fund is above 100% of its funding goal. So no payment will be made in 2026 and the Policy for the Fund has now been amended to provide that funds will only be deposited in the future to maintain the 100% funding goal. (Agenda item #1, Item 25-0908)

During public comments, Cook County Commissioner Josina Morita, a former MWRD Commissioner, presented a resolution from herself and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle congratulating John Murray on his appointment as the MWRD Executive Director.

Length of regular Board meeting: 55 minutes

Observer: Priscilla Mims

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New Commissioner Joins MWRD Board To Approve a $1.69B Tentative Budget

12/24/2024

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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

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MWRD Board Approves 2024 Budget

1/10/2024

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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meetings
December 14 and December 21, 2023

MWRD APPROVES FINAL 2024 BUDGET
2024 Appropriation vs (2023) 2024 FTEs vs (2023)
$1,428 Billion $1,432 B (- .2%) 1,967 1,957 (+10)
$131.5 Million $ 129 M Stormwater 100 99 (-1)
2024 Tax Levy: $693.7 M (2.1%)

Board Action

The December 14, 2023 meeting lasted 20 minutes. All commissioners were present to approve the recommended 2024 budget. A motion to revise the 2024 budget to approve a 3% salary increase for non-union employees was approved without discussion - #4 23-1192. The Board also approved the motion to increase the Reserve Claim Fund by .005%. 23-1194. All members were present and there was no Executive Session.
The December 21, 2023 meeting lasted 50 minutes and all Commissioners were present. There was no Executive Session. The board was asked to adopt the amended budget which it did unanimously without discussion along with all other budget ordinances. Also approved was a $7.1 million dollar contract for a Westchester pumping relief sewer with no discussion and an amendment to an Intergovernmental Agreement with the CC Sheriff’s office to continue supporting the prescription Drug Take-Back Program for another year for an amount not to exceed $80,000. #35 23-1218 and #50 23-1242 respectively.

Items Deferred

Commissioner Garcia deferred the request to participate in the Suburban Purchasing Cooperative-Joint Purchasing Program as he noted that the MWRD and the program are not for profit, and he wants to see if participation goals can be applied to big purchase items. The staff responded that goals are not used for services under this program. He wants more details on the program. #19 23-1220
Commissioner Sepulveda deferred the $14.5 million purchase order request to enter into an agreement for change orders dealing with its huge Biogas Combined Heat and Power System that it is developing for the MWRD. There was no discussion by any of the Commissioners including Sepulveda. #28 23-1203
Commissioner Sepulveda also deferred a request to increase a Janitorial Services contract by almost $100,000 to $776,191. She wants information on whether the contractor pays “prevailing wage and provides health benefits. #41 23-1209

Observer: Diane Edmundson

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MWRD Interim Inspector General Patrick Blanchard's term extended through December 31, 2026.

MWRD Board approves $27 million contract to upgrade Kirie Water Treatment Plant

Board Votes on Several Resolutions and Again Defers the Drug Takeback Program with the Cook County Sheriff

MWRD Board Holds 3 Meetings on Dec. 4

New Commissioner Joins MWRD Board To Approve a $1.69B Tentative Budget

MWRD Board Approves 2024 Budget

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