Metropolitan Water Reclamation Water District (MWRD) Board Meeting  
February 6, 2025

Commissioner Cam Davis deferred authorization to continue an $80,000 payment to the CC Sheriff’s office Prescription Drug Take-Back program.  He noted that in January of 2022,  the Illinois Legislature passed a law to shift the cost of take-back programs to the Pharmaceutical Companies and asked what progress staff has made to effect this change.  He is open to passing the resolution for a period of 2-3 months, and noted that when, in the past, he asked staff when it would be ready, he was told “we will look into it”. President Steele voiced her strong support for the intergovernmental agreement and noted that 95.5% is for administrative costs. Waller noted that it would likely be the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association that would be the contact and the one responsible for payment. Several commissioners asked for more information including the legislative text, a 2-year invoice of costs, next steps/ timelines.   #24 25-0082

Other Items of Interest

• Attorney, Jeffrey Mathis, was appointed as a Hearing Officer for hearing appeals under the MWRD’s User Charge Ordinance; for conducting proceedings under the Sewage and Waste Control Ordinance and the Watershed Management Ordinance; and for conducting other administrative proceedings as needed.   #1 25-0102
• The Board approved Ordinance 025-002 directing the County Clerk to reduce the levy of taxes on Capital Improvement Bonds for the levy year 2024.  Commissioner Brady-Davis thanked the Treasurer for the reduction and for saving taxpayer money.  #2 025-002
• Cam Davis asked about the cost/benefit of approving Staff’s request to accept pricing for the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits for 2025 and 2026. The Director of Operations & Maintenance said it would result in an $800,000 cost of energy savings for the District.  #7 25-008
• The Board authorized payment in the amount of no more than $100,000 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the MWRD’s share of the cost for the Upper Des Plaines River and Tributaries Study.  Commission Waller used this as an example of the type of items she would like to see be “hot linked” in the agenda to provide more information and transparency to the public. President Steele asked the Executive Director to meet with Commissioner Waller and bring forward a proposal to the board for consideration.  #23 25-0106
• Approval was granted to settle an eminent domain easement lawsuit for $197,500 to be paid  from the Stormwater Management Fund for the Addison Creek Channel improvements project. #25 25-0110
• Approved a contract not to exceed $7.14 M to haul processed biosolids from two plants. 
  
•       Meeting Length:  45 minutes    NO Executive Session     No Public Speakers    
  
•  Three Commissioners were absent [Garcia, Brown, Sepulveda]

​Observer - Diane Edmundson

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 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