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

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD)
Board of Commissioners Meeting
October 3, 2024

In a meeting that lasted over two hours (excluding the time spent in Executive Session to discuss labor negotiations), the MWRD Commissioners addressed several issues raised in public comment and discussed several agenda items, ultimately approving all except two items which were deferred.

Issue of Harvey Stormwater Project

• There were 7 public speakers who expressed opposition to the MWRD’s and Harvey’s project to build a stormwater retention basin which was previously authorized by the Board and which includes the acquisition of 31 land parcels, some of which are vacant and some of which include occupied residences.  The MWRD expects the project will provide flood reduction benefits to approximately 209 structures.
• Some of the speakers alleged that Harvey does not maintain its property and so they are worried about the upkeep of the retention basin, and others expressed concern about displacing those whose homes were being taken to do the project.
• President Steele addressed the speakers’ concerns by stating that the MWRD had negotiated the purchase price with all the owners of occupied homes, with just 2 agreements left to finalize.  The President said that as of the day before the meeting, all the homeowners, including the 2 who have not yet finalized a deal, have said that they are satisfied with the process.  In fact, Item 37 on the meeting’s agenda was to authorize the purchase of one of those homes, with the contract to include an amount for relocation, as agreed to by the homeowner.  (24-0870)  President Steele said that eminent domain has not been used to acquire any of these occupied parcels, but has been used only for vacant parcels where the owner has not been able to be contacted.
• President Steele also said that part of the intergovernmental agreement with Harvey addresses maintenance of the retention pond.  The MWRD held town hall meetings in Harvey to allow citizens to ask questions and raise concerns.  Several other Commissioners , including Brady-Davis, Davis, Corral Sepulveda, Brown, and Flynn, commended the MWRD staff and the project which Commissioner Brady-Davis referred to as an example of environmental justice addressing an area that needed stormwater to be addressed.

Other Public Comments

• Two members of the SEIU Local 1 union asked the Board to make a reasonable offer to the union during the ongoing negotiations.  President Steele said that the health and safety of employees is the Board’s number one concern and said that she wants the union members to know the Board appreciates their hard work.  She also said that some recent emails which had been sent to the Executive Director and some of the Commissioners contained false information:  specifically, the allegation that the MWRD had offered only a 1% raise was not true.  
• Cook County Commissioner Scott Britton spoke expressing gratitude for the Board including Item 2 on the agenda, recognizing Cook County United Against Hate, which he had started. (24-0872)

Agenda Items Deferred

• Comm. Garcia deferred the authorization to make payment to Current Innovation, NFP, for the 2024 annual membership dues of $100,000.  (Item 14, 24-0863)  Comm. Garcia said that he wonders if there are other similar groups in the area and wants more information as to where Current is working and what partnerships Current has.  President Steel and Commissioners Corral Sepulveda, Flynn and Spyropoulos all expressed support for Current, which the MWRD helped found, and praised the activities of the organization, particularly under the current Executive Director.
• President Steele deferred the proposal to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the School District in Burnham for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the NatureNook Pilot Project 1.  (Item 40, 24-0866)  This would be the first of 4 pilot projects in the Suburbs along the lines of what the MWRD has been doing with Chicago schools.  It would include green infrastructure in the school playground to reduce stormwater runoff, as well as to educate the students and public about the benefits of green infrastructure.  President Steele said she was deferring to allow time for her questions to be answered by the MWRD staff.

Other Agenda Items Discussed (and approved)

• Commissioner Davis called for a roll call vote on authorizing the payment of $103,005 as membership dues for the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) so he could vote no.  He said that NACWA was supposed to provide quarterly reports to the members, which it hasn’t.  Executive Director Perkovich, who is also on the Board of NACWA, was able to tell Comm. Davis that it will support a resolution/bill on PFAs, once the legislation is introduced.  Comm. Corral Sepulveda said she had talked with MWRD staff and was satisfied as to the value of NACWA, but said she would like to see the organization be more pro-active, rather than reactive.  The item did pass with 7 yeas, 1 nea (Davis), and 1 present (Spyropoulos). (Item 10, 24-0842)
• Commissioner Garcia praised the 3 items authorizing contracts with entities to provide services for the upcoming bond sale under the District’s Financing Program.  Comm. Garcia noted that these reflect the District’s goals of awarding a minimum of 30% of the work and services to one or more MBE/WBE firms and a minimum of 3% to one or more VBE firms.  (Items 11, 12, and 13, 24-0847, 24-0948, and 24-0849)
• Commissioner Davis asked about the item which authorizes the increase by $1 M of the existing $10 M contract to haul the increase in biosolids from MWRD facilities due to the unusually dry late summer.  Comm. Davis expressed surprise that a dry summer had not been anticipated in the original contract and bid.  Exec. Director Perkovich explained that the excessively dry conditions in downstate Illinois has resulted in farmers wanting more biosolids, which provide moisture.  The Executive Director said that in the future, the MWRD’s estimates for this type of contract would anticipate more demand due to dryer summers.

Time of meeting:  2 hours and 9 minutes (excluding the Executive Session)

Observer:  Priscilla Mims

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting  –
​June 20, 2024

Agenda Items

• All 44 agenda items were accepted and brought to the regular agenda. There was no public comment.

Stormwater Management

• Item 24-0519 will be advertised for Assessment of Local Sewers (estimated cost $1,645,900) and Item 24-0539 will be advertised to Furnish and Install Odor Control System at Thornton Reservoir (estimated cost $4,471,074).

Deferred or Deleted Agenda Items

• No agenda items were deferred or deleted.

New Business

• The Board went into Executive Session at 10:59am to discuss Collective Bargaining Negotiation Matters. It reconvened at Noon with no further new business brought forth.

Commissioner Requests

• No reports or requests by commissioners.

Observer - Peggy Kell                                                   Executive Session - Yes

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting
May 16, 2024

Board Action:

• The Board, with no discussion on the merits, approved all items on the Consent agenda, except for #13 which was withdrawn by the Executive Director (authority to advertise a contract to remove and replace pavement at various locations, Item 24-0396).  The items approved included authorizing the staff to negotiate and enter into intergovernmental agreements for 13 projects dealing with stormwater management in different areas across the County:  Broadview, Brookfield, Forest Park, Franklin Park, Glenview, Hoffman Estates, Markham, North Riverside, Northlake, Willow Springs, Hillside, Chicago, and the Cook County Forest Preserve District.  (Agenda items 47 through 59)
• The intergovernmental agreement with the Forest Preserve District is for land acquisition, concept planning, and preliminary engineering for a flood control project near the confluence of Deer Creek and Third Creek that is expected to provide increased flood protection for Ford Heights, Glenwood, Thornton, South Hollland, Calumet City, and Lansing.  Friends of the Chicago River expressed its support for this item during Public Comments. (Item 24-0415)
• While not directly related to the merits of the rejection of bids for another proposed flood control project on Midlothian Creek in Robbins, Commissioner Davis did raise questions which he said would further his understanding of the effectiveness of the MWRD’s procurement process.  Commissioner Davis asked what factors lead to a determination that a bid is incomplete.  The response was failing to properly address diversity requirements, failing to provide signatures, and failure to provide the required bond.  (Agenda Item 5.)
• The Board then went into Executive Session and took a lunch break before returning to open session to complete the meeting with New Business.  Because of the expected length of the break (well over an hour), this Observer left and watched the remaining few minutes via video.

Time of meeting (without break and executive session):  1 hour and 15 minutes

Observer:  Priscilla Mims

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting
​April 18, 2024
8 Members present, Commissioner Corral-Sepulveda attended remotely, and Commissioner Spyropoulos was absent.  

The Board meet in regular session for 20 minutes before going into executive session. In that 20 minutes Board approved the full consent agenda without comment or questions.  Approved items include:

• Administration:  A 1-year extension of the intergovernmental agreement allowing Cook County’s Office of Independent Inspector General to serve as MWRD Inspector General. This item had been deferred by Commissioner Davis in the April 4th Board meeting. MWRD will pay $600,000 for services covered by the extension.  #15 24-0244           The Board previously approved an $10.9 million dollar contract with IHC Construction for roof replacement at the Lue-Hing Maintenance and Repair complex at the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant. A series of change orders in March resulted in the Board approving an increase in the contract with IHC in an amount not to exceed $11,144,401 million. #29 24-0265
• Phosphorous removal:     The Board previously approved a $16 million contract with IHC Construction for a Phosphorus removal facility at the Calumet Water Reclamation Plant.  At this meeting the Board approved an increase, to an amount not to exceed $16,334,179 million.   #28 24-0261

Stormwater Management: 

• The Board approved authority to advertise a contract to rehabilitate Salt Creek intercepting Sewer #3 at a cost estimated between $16 and $19 million dollars. The project is located in Brookfield and LaGrange Park, which have combined sewer systems. The district expects to award a construction contract in October, and estimates completion in April 2026. Item #11 24-0260
• Commissioners approved the section of the Village of Posen to receive MWRD assistance in planning stormwater projects.  Several communities had submitted proposals.  

During public comments, Tessa Murray, who spoke for the Friends of the Chicago River, praised the selection, saying the program was designed to provide assistance to flood-affected communities lacking capacity to do this on their own.  Ms. Murray encouraged the District to expand the conceptual stormwater program to more than one community in future years. She also suggested the projects include green infrastructure as part of their flood control options. #33 24-0264

Executive session: A 2-hour closed session was held after the completion of Old Business and approval of the consent agenda.  In motioning to close the meeting, two purposes were cited:

1. The first motion for executive session was to discuss collective bargaining.
2. The second motion to discuss employment matters for a specific individual, including disciplinary action and dismissal.

New Business:  There were announcements following the executive session. No significant new business. The meeting adjourned about 10 minutes after return from executive session.

Observer:  Laurie Morse