Category: Contracts

MWRD Board Meetings Continue During Coronavirus Crisis

6/12/2020

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting
June 4, 2020

The nine Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s Board members participated in an audio/visual board meeting that included input from public speakers via phone hookup.

Agenda Items - The Board approved all consent agenda items. The four below are included here either because of the size of the contract, interest of the Board, or interest of the Observer.

Agenda Item 20-0444 Authorization to amend the agreement with The Gordian Group, Inc., for professional services for the development and implementation of the Job Order Contracting System, for a one-year period, in an amount not to exceed $78,000.00. Commissioner McGowan inquired about the fees concerning this company, and staff answered that the $78,000 is the maximum contracted payout and included the per assignment fee.
Agenda Item 20-0445 Authorization to increase Contract 17-942-11, Job Order Contracting Services, with McDonagh Demolition, Inc., for an additional twelve month period (first term), in an amount not to exceed $4,000,000.00, from $8,000,000.00 to $12,000,000. A Presumptive Ethnicity Summary Report was attached.
Agenda Item 20-0437 Authorization to increase Contract 13-806-2S Television Inspection and Recording of Sewers and Manholes at Various Locations to National Power Rodding in an amount of $180,000.00, from an amount of $1,944,450.00, to an amount not to exceed $2,124,450.00.
Agenda Item 20-0440 Authorization to extend until July 31, 2020, the terms of the collective bargaining agreements between the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and the unions representing MWRD workers.

Stormwater Management

Agenda Item 20-0446 Authorization to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement with and make payment to the Village of Forest Park for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the Storm Sewers Connection to Existing Des Plaines River Outfall in Forest Park, SSA (18-IGA-21), in an amount not to exceed $1,955,206.00

Deferred or Deleted Items - None

New Business

Commissioner Avila commented on Covid-19's impact on declining revenues, the need to reduce future expenditures while ensuring the health and safety of employees.
Commissioner Shore commented on MWRD's Covid-19 response in providing essential services without interruption while protecting the health and safety of its employees. Since MWRD's Covid-19 Response Plan will guide the district through the remainder of the crisis, Commissioner Shore requested the Board hold a study session to review this plan and the District’s Return to Work Plan.
President Steele said her office will check with the staff as to their readiness and with the board for their availability.

Commissioner Requests

Commissioner Davis asked for a report on the District’s plans for Bond Issuance, which he said, typically occurs every 3 years. Staff answered that it is currently evaluating two RFP’s for a bond underwriter and a financial advisor.
Commissioner McGowan asked for the total amount paid to the Gordian Group for its services over the last two years. [20-0444].

Observer: Michele Niccolai Meeting length: one hour

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MWRD Board Hosts First Remote Audio Meeting

4/30/2020

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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting
April 16, 2020

Eight of the nine Board members participated in an audio only board meeting that included input from public speakers via phone hookup.

Decisions

Agenda Item #5, 20-0177 - Authorizing membership dues payment for the 2020 Federal Water Quality Coalition in the amount of $12,500 was voted down. This item was deferred at the March Board meeting by Commissioner Davis. He stated that he remains troubled by the number of dues payments to various organizations - some of which have no obvious benefit to the District. Commissioners Garcia and McGowan voted NO with him and Commissioner Spyropoulos voted Present. J. Morita was absent. With only four YES votes, the expenditure was rejected.
Agenda Item #8, 20-0205 - Deferred on March 5 by Garcia for authority to amend an engineering project related to the future of Lincoln Yards Project was approved without discussion
Agenda Item #30, 20-0314 - Commissioner Shore questioned a requested increase in an agreement with a professional engineering services firm to, among other things, do more stakeholder outreach for a flood control project on Midlothian Creek in Robbins, IL. She stated that the previously approved contract included provisions for outreach. Staff said that this is for attending community meetings on the next phase of the work, and the final design is due by December 2020. The expenditure increase was ultimately approved.
Agenda Item #40, 20-0217 - The reappointment of Jose A. Lopez as Commissioner on the MWRD"s Ethics Commission for a two-year term was approved after being deferred at the March 5, 2020 Board Meeting. There was no discussion.
Agenda Item #45, 20-0285 -The purchase of the last mobile home would then clear the way for the construction of the Addison Creek Channel Improvement Project which is a Stormwater Management project. Friends of the Chicago River asked that staff consider the use of green infrastructure on this project, and Davis supported the Friends comments.

New Business

Commissioner Davis asked the Exec. Director and staff to provide a summary of the status of getting federal assistance for water infrastructure projects in the next stimulus package. He offered his assistance to obtain a grant, and Commissioner McGowan also asked that the District's lobbyist in DC be included in discussions.
Commissioner Shore requested that staff look into whether the residue from toxic dust from the demolition of the Crawford Coal plant’s smokestack in Little Village has or will impact MWRD’s treatment plans. Ex. Director, Perkovich, responded that it is part of the regular monitoring program.
Commissioner Shore requested a detailed report be given to the Board on operations over the last month and what the potential impact of dealing with Covid-19 accommodations will be on the District's budget due to changes in operations, water flow, etc.

Deleted or Deferred Items

Agenda Item #42, 20-0279 - Authority to enter into a 25-year lease with the City of Evanston on 16+ acres of District real estate located east of the North Shore Channel between Dempster Street and Main Streets for a nominal fee of $10.00 was deleted by the Executive Director.
Agenda Item #17, 20-9392 - Authority to issue a purchase order and enter into a Contract for a Compensation and Benefits Study with MGT of America Consulting, LLC for $80,224 was deferred by Commissioner Garcia.
Agenda Item 20-0184-Deleted from the March 5 Agenda for a $3,883,400 request to advertise for Scavenger Services was not on the April 16 agenda. However, smaller scavenger contracts were approved.

Commissioner Requests

For Item #30, McGowan requested the dates of the held meetings and a report on the PCE participation goals as a result of the increase in the contract [$416,614].
Garcia requested that in the future, Board letters or attachments have details on the participation goals as well as any changes to the goals.

Observed by: Diane Edmundson Meeting Length: 1 hr.

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MWRD Board Requests More Background Information on Several Agenda Items

3/18/2020

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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting
March 5, 2020

Approved Items with Discussion:

#9, 20-0181: Discussion took place about the transfer of the $20,000,000.00 of Accumulated Investment Interest Income to the MWRD Retirement Fund. Questions were asked about the use of minority owned investment firms and in what way these funds will be allocated for investments. The outside investment manager is Marquette Investment; Commissioners asked what they charge for their services.
#23, 20-0207: Authority to lease 14.02 acres of improved District real estate at 6400 South Archer Avenue in Bedford Park, Illinois; Main Channel parcel 33.01. Currently, there is a tenant on the property. The Board requested more information.
#33, 20-0209 Discussion about the authority to amend the easement agreement dated March 24, 1949 between the District and Cornerstone Properties (successor in interest to ComEd) to use and maintain District owned portions in Stickney and Forest View. Commissioners questioned Com Ed’s obligation to alert the District about any problems occurring and would like this to be included in the new agreement.

Deferred or Deleted Items:

#13, 20-0177 Deferred by Commissioner Davis - more information was requested regarding why this money is sent to a law firm instead of directly to the Coalition and who the Coalition members are.
#14, 20-0205 Deferred by Commissioner Garcia - Much discussion took place about the relationship of this engineering project to the future Lincoln Yards Project. The Commissioners were assured that the project would have taken place because of TARP’s inadequate connections and are looking for others that need correction. The Commissioners requested more information.
#15, 20-0184 Ex. Director deleted a request to advertise for Scavenger Services estimated cost of $3,883,400.
#31, 20-0217 Deferred by Commissioner Garcia - More information was requested before the reappointment of Jose Lopez as Commissioner on MWRD’s Ethics

Commissioner Requests

Mr. Garcia requested a list of minority investment participation
Ms. Shore requested new leases include additional notices to the District
Mr. Davis requested the Diversity Department provide the Board message ready notices for district events.

All Commissioners were present

Observed by: Pat Lind Meeting Length: 1 hr. 45 min.

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MWRD Board Approves Amendment to Ethics Ordinance

1/25/2020

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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting
January 23, 2020

Board Decisions:

The Amendment to the Ethics Ordinance of the MWRD of Chicago was passed unanimously without discussion. Commissioners Shore and Steele expressed how gratified they were to see this come to fruition.
There were a considerable number of items that requested an increase of existing purchase orders. The authority to increase the purchase order with the law firm of Neal & Leroy came under scrutiny from several commissioners. Commissioner Davis stated that these orders came up for change too often because they did not adhere to the fee policy of 2018. He suggested three choices: live within the policy, eliminate it or amend it. Commissioner Garcia observed that the board was not sufficiently well prepared and in possession of all the necessary facts before being asked to render decisions. There is a need for more timely response from staff when commissioners have questions. VOTE: 7 ayes 1 nay (Davis)

Board Discussion:

Commissioner Shore raised concerns with (pipeline) perpetual easements and their risk to the MWRD. Given that they are perpetual, can they be renegotiated to respond to a change in risk. The MWRD attorney said renegotiation was unlikely, but these easements still must meet insurance requirements and compliance expectations. All pipelines have IEPA and EPA requirements they must meet. Commissioners Shore and Morita expressed a need to review perpetual pipeline agreements and to address at a policy level.
State of Illinois 2020 Legislative Program. The deadline to submit this program was January 24, 2020 (the following day). While the commissioners were in support of the program, several expressed some frustration that there was no time to address their questions given the deadline. They were reassured by the legislative head that there were already shell bills in place, allowing for flexibility. Legislative initiative #2 was deemed particularly important because it would allow registered voters outside the District’s corporate boundaries to vote for the MWRD commissioners. Item deferred at Comm. Garcia's request. (Agenda Item #36,0053)

Observer - Georgia Gebhardt

Report corrected 1/27/2020 to note item #36,0053 was deferred

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Non-Profit Groups Urge MWRD Board to Modify Proposed Ethics Ordinance

1/16/2020

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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting
January 9, 2020

The League of Women Voters of Cook County and Friends of the River both spoke in favor of modifying the proposed ethics rules the MWRD is in the process of trying to strengthen. The Ethics Ordinance had been pulled from the agenda due to letters sent by the League and other groups to commissioners, according to Commissioner Cam Davis, so that better language could be used to distinguish commercial interests from public advocacy interests.

The board recognized the plight of Puerto Ricans without drinking water and electricity after earthquakes. Commissioner Garcia had been in touch with his mother in Puerto Rico.

Board Items Discussed and Approved:

A software expenditure was discussed by Commissioner Shore as being very important for the security of a public infrastructure entity like MWRD especially with regard to current events with Iran. Mimecast is a security software that is used to protect public computer systems. She noted it was a small amount of money to pay for computer security. (Agenda Item 19)
Commissioner Garcia asked why MWRD would charge a small farm for use of MWRD land and bio-solids in Blue Island. Due to an ordinance, when a farm wants to sell its produce the MWRD is required to charge the entity rent. (Agenda Item 32)

Agenda Items Deferred or Deleted

Commissioner Davis asked that Bio-Solids Farming contract bids be made smaller so that smaller and minority companies would be able to bid on the contracts. He noted that many small non-profit farms are unable to bid on large contracts due to lack of scale. His argument was noted and future contracts will be smaller. (Agenda Item 13)
An item regarding the furnishing and delivery of liquid carbon dioxide to the Stickney Plant was deleted by the Executive Director. There was no discussion of this item. (Agenda Item 28)

Observed by Amy Little [by video] Meeting length - approximately 50 minutes

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MWRD Commissioners Ask that Contracts and RFPs Be Brought to Them Earlier

12/15/2019

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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Annual Meeting, Board Meeting, and Public Hearing on the Proposed 2020 Budget
December 5, 2019

Board Meeting

Several Commissioners expressed frustration that several new contracts or requests for proposals (RFPs) for services under existing contracts set to expire by the end of the year were only coming to the Board now. They asked that such items be brought at least two months ahead of time in the future to allow the Commissioners sufficient time to review the contracts or RFPs and get answers to questions to ensure that there would be no lapse of services. The Executive Director at the end of the meeting said that he understood what was wanted and he and the staff would take steps so this will happen in the future. Among those items,
- RFP for state consultants/lobbyists for the MWRD for 2020. However, don’t expect to award contract until Feb. 20, 2020, almost a month after the State Legislative Session begins. Commissioner Garcia also asked whether further thought had been given to placing all lobbyists under oversight by a single department. This item was passed. (Item 10, File 19-1192)
- Extension of contract which would otherwise expire on Dec. 31 through 2020 for federal consultants/lobbyists. Comm. Spyropoulos asked to defer, but expects will be on Dec. 19 agenda, so no interruption of service. (Item 29, File 19-1186)
- Authority to grant a 25-year easement to Enbridge Energy to continue to operate and maintain a petroleum pipeline. Existing easement expires Dec. 18. Concerns were expressed by Comm. Shore and Davis over the past fines the company has had for spillages and the age of the pipeline (50 years). The MWRD General Counsel said the delay in coming before the Board was due to some extra safeguards that the staff had negotiated in conjunction with this extension, including a $4.5 million letter of credit to cover any problems, as well as inspections of the pipeline. However, none of this information was included in the transmittal letter for this item. Comm. Davis asked to defer this item. (Item 36, File 19-1210)
Other items discussed and approved:
- Authority to issue RFP for rain barrels. Originally MWRD gave away rain barrels pursuant to a consent decree that has expired. Now sell the barrels. Comm. Garcia asked whether MWRD has any info on whether these barrels are actually used (answer was “no”), and suggested that some follow-up be done going forward to ensure this is worthwhile. (Item 16, File 19-1201)
Other items discussed & deferred:
- Payment for 1 employee to attend 10-day residential development program by the Water Wastewater Leadership Center. Several Commissioners wanted to know who else has gone in the past and what is the criteria for selecting the employee. Comm. Garcia requested deferral. (Item 8, File 19-1195)
- Proposed contract with Sun-Times to publish legal notices for 2020. Comm. McGowan asked to defer. (Item 23, File 19-1219)
- Settlement of property loss claim in connection with a sewer backup adjacent to a District manhole that was undergoing emergency repairs. Comm. Shore asked what, if anything, has District learned from this. Comm. Garcia asked to defer. General Counsel advised that settlement must be completed by Dec. 31, or the settlement agreement expired. (Item 35. File 19-1202)

Annual Meeting
Immediately prior to the Board meeting, the Annual Meeting was called to order at which the Board received and filed the Annual Report presented by President Steele. This Report is available at https://mwrd.legistar.com under “Meeting Details” for the Dec. 3, 2019 Annual Meeting. (This meeting had been suspended on Dec. 3 for lack of a quorum and resumed on Dec. 5.)

Public Hearing on the Proposed 2020 Budget
There were no public speakers. Finance Chair Avila, who was presiding, explained that the Civic Federation had written a letter to the Board stating that it would not be reviewing or commenting on the budget as it has in the past.

Observer - Priscilla Mims

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MWRD Board Meetings Continue During Coronavirus Crisis

MWRD Board Hosts First Remote Audio Meeting

MWRD Board Requests More Background Information on Several Agenda Items

MWRD Board Approves Amendment to Ethics Ordinance

Non-Profit Groups Urge MWRD Board to Modify Proposed Ethics Ordinance

MWRD Commissioners Ask that Contracts and RFPs Be Brought to Them Earlier

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