Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD)
Board Meeting
April 17, 2025

The request to advertise a contract to furnish and deliver lamps and emergency lighting was deleted by the Acting Executive Director (Agenda Item # 18, 25-0294).  All other agenda items were approved, with no discussion of the merits.  

• Ann Hokum of ETHOS (Environment, Transportation, and Open Space, a registered block club in the South Shore Community) raised concerns about the proposed Quantum Computing development at the South Works site and the potential toxic pollutants at the site that could impact Lake Michigan through storm water run-off.  The group is also concerned about the issue of industrial water usage at the site and wants to make sure there is a closed system used to prevent any discharges.
• Commissioner Waller did pull the reappointment of two people to the MWRD’s Ethics Commission for discussion, but in order for an explanation as to how the public can find out how to submit a complaint to the Ethics Commission.  Acting Executive Director John Murray said that the information is on the MWRD web site.  Note:  This Observer did a search on the MWRD web site and found the information is located at https://mwrd.org/what-we-do/management-and-administration/ethics-commission-and-ethics-advisor
• During the New Business section, President Steele and Commissioners McElroy Kirkwood and Brady-Davis talked about the MWRD’s trip to Springfield the prior week to meet with legislators of both parties to lobby for their legislative priorities.  Commissioner Waller mentioned one bill that the MWRD supported, HB2515, that has passed out of the House and is now in the Senate.  This bill is called the PFAS Wastewater Citizen Protection Act.

While not discussed, there were 2 items pertaining to Stormwater Management:  

• A report on submittals from municipalities and townships seeking assistance through the MWRD’s Voluntary Flood-Prone Property Acquisition Program (Agenda Item #29, 25-0308.)  There were 3 submissions, identifying 40 properties.  After review, 2 of the 3 proposals in Lyons and Markham are recommended as projects, but for a total of 22 properties.  There will be a subsequent request for Board approval to negotiate intergovernmental agreements.
• A request for authority to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Village of La Grange Park for the MWRD to fund $4 M of the total estimated cost of $13.2 M for a Central Area Sewer Separation Project.  This project is expected to mitigate flooding, benefitting an estimated 522 structures, and to reduce impacts on local roadways by increasing sewer capacity ad providing detention for excess stormwater runoff.

Length of Business Meeting:  30 minutes, with an Executive Session of 1 hour and 10 minutes prior to New Business at the end of the meeting.

Observer:  Priscilla Mims

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
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