MWRD Board Questions Cost of Lobbying Contract

Observer: Kelly Kleiman
Meeting Date:  1/7/16   Length: 2 hour

Significant Decisions Made:

The whole meeting proceeded by consent calendar, which in turn was dominated by procurement/contract approval requests, and all but half a dozen of the 41 items  were approved.  Only a few were discussed individually.  

• Stormwater Management Fund (Item 37): The Board approved allocation of the District’s Stormwater Management Fund property tax levy (5 cents/$100 assessed valuation) between operations (2 cents) and capital projects (3 cents).  District Executive Director David St. Pierre noted that every  penny’s worth of allocation returns $16 million in economic activity in the County. 
• Resolution Recognizing Report (Item 40): In the same spirit, the Chicago Federation of Labor/Sierra Club report “A Flowing Economy” found that every $1 billion invested in clean water infrastructure creates 11,200 jobs throughout the economy and produces an 8 percent one-year GDP return on investment.  The CFL representative who spoke emphasized middle-class jobs, while the Sierra Club representative stressed the importance of battling invasive species, addressing flooding and reducing nutrient pollution. 
• Defense of $1.8m Contract (Item 16): St. Pierre defended authorizing rehabilitation of District turbines to generate electricity using methane, on the basis that a $1.8 million expenditure would save $20 million in electric costs over the 20-year life of the restored machines.

Destruction of Records: Commissioner Shore asked whether an archivist or historian should be consulted before proceeding with Item 6 authorizing destruction of routine District records, but seemed satisfied with St. Pierre’s answer that this was neither feasible nor necessary.  Commissioner Avila asked whether fewer items could be printed to begin with, and St. Pierre agreed to audit current printing policies to try to reduce waste of paper.

Significant Topics Discussed and/or Referred to Committee

Lobbying Contract (Item 24): A contract for lobbying services, attracted significant discussion: its $417,000 cost was 42% higher than the next competing bid.  St. Pierre explained that this was the same price paid the same contractor previously; that it was within the RFP (in fact, it was the exact amount specified in the RFP); and that the contractor “gets results,” having secured $48 million from the Federal Government on a $32 million District request.  But he agreed to consult with District lawyers about whether, now that the contract had been awarded, he could ask the contractor for a price break (though it would be illegal to do so as a condition for the contract’s award).  

Other Comments or Observations:

​Given the frequency with which anti-union opinions are expressed at meetings of the County’s Health and Hospitals System Board, the pro-union tenor of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District meeting was quite striking.  Commissioners and staff spoke repeatedly and with pride about the middle-class jobs the District provides and supports.  Even more remarkable was the collaboration displayed by the Chicago Federation of Labor and the Sierra Club in producing the “Flowing Economy” report, when environmental and labor concerns are so often considered to be at odds.  The District has apparently decided that “green infrastructure” is where the twain can meet.