MWRD Board Establishes Office of Independent Inspector General

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD)
Board Meeting,
April 3, 2025
 
After unsuccessful negotiations with the Cook County Office of the Independent Inspector General to renew its Intergovernmental Agreement for investigative services, the MWRD moved ahead to establish its own office and prepare to begin a search for an experienced person to lead the department.  The board also approved the appointment of retired Cook County Inspector General, Patrick Blanchard, to work for the MWRD as the Interim Inspector General.   Mr. Blanchard was in charge of the MWRD’s IIG responsibilities under the intergovernmental agreement until his retirement in late 2023.                                Items #2&3  25-0277, 025-010

Other Items of Interest

• The board approved advertising for very high-skilled laboratories to respond to the MWRD’s request for analysis of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances and absorbable organic fluorine in wastewater samples.  Will also test biosolids.  Commissioner Steele said that only the best of the best labs can do this right now; which, down the road, might be worth bringing in-house.  Commissioner Waller made several requests of a technical nature, and President Steele asked that Waller send her an email containing both her requests and her comments.   #12 25-2406
• At the March 20, 2025, Commissioner Garcia deferred two furnish and deliver contracts asking that Procurement look to see if the contracts can be “unbundled” to allow for small minority and women owned businesses to compete.  At this meeting, he voted to approved the contracts after hearing that neither unbundling or changing from one to a two-year contract to meet the dollar threshold for furnish and deliver contracts to come under the diversity requirements of the District were not practical in this instance.  President Steele said that this long-time vendor for the glass and plastic labware was very good.  Garcia asked for an analysis over a 10-year period on whether prices change that much from year to year.          #22&23  25-0226, 25-0236
• Several 2024 excellence awards were received in financial reporting, budgeting, retirement fund and its health care fund.
  

New Business

• President Steele announced that 2025 is the 5th year of MWRD’s current Strategic Plan and that Interim Executive Director, John Murray, will roll out a plan in May to start the process of developing the next five-year plan.
  

Deleted or Deferred Agenda Items 

• Interim Executive Director Murray deleted Item #34-0273 which is the authority to negotiate an intergovernmental Agreement with the Chicago Transit Authority for the Red Line Extension Project.

NO Executive Session        

​Observed by:  Diane Edmundson                  Meeting Length:  63 minutes