MWRD Commissioners Elect Board Leaders for 2023-25 Term

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting
January 5, 2023

MWRD Commissioners elected

• Kari K. Steele for another term as President of the Board
• Kimberly Neely Du Buclet as Vice President, and
• Marcelino Garcia for another term as Finance Chair

They also postponed until the next meeting on January 19 the appointment of Chairs and Vice Chairs of the standing Committees.

Other Board Action:

• Passed a resolution to acknowledge and review studies regarding disparities affecting Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) people.  Currently MENA people are not a protected class under affirmative action or otherwise recognized as a category by the U.S. Census Board.  During discussion it came out that the City of Chicago is doing such a study and, once it was finished, the MWRD would review it and consider whether it should take any action to deal with any identified disparities of this group.  (Agenda #5, File # 23-0043).  One of the public speakers of the Arab American Association on behalf of the MENA Community thanked the MWRD for this resolution.
• Passed all other items on the agenda except for one item deferred and the other item deleted as described below.
• With regard to one Stormwater Management item (Agenda #35, File # 23-0015), the authority to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Chicago Board of Education to install green infrastructure at 24 schools, Comm. Spyropoulos asked where the staff was with creating a similar program for the suburban schools.  Executive Director Perkovich stated that the memo was being finished and should be brought to the Board soon.

Item Deferred:

• A purchase order for EMS PRISM Compliance Softward License Renewal.  Comm. Garcia said he had questions about whether PRISM was the right program to use.  He asked for deferral to allow the Executive Director time to provide a memo answering the Commissioner’s questions.  (Agenda #17, File # 23-0017)

Item Deleted by the Executive Director:

• Purchase orders to enter into agreements with 4 different entities for State Legislative Consulting Services.  (Agenda #22, File #23-0038)

Observer:  Priscilla Mims