Water District Board Recognized for Excellence in Accounting and Financial Reporting

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting - April 5, 2018      

What did the Board decide?
There were 46 items on the consent agenda. Highlights include…

• Approved entering into a Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program Subrecipient Agreement with Cook County for joint funding of flood-relief management projects and storm water management planning studies located in Cook County. Estimated cost to MWRD is $200 million and cost to Cook County of $10 million.
• Approved Boeing’s request for reimbursement of $128,960 in property taxes pursuant to a Tax Reimbursement Agreement dated 9/6/01. 
• Issued purchase order to Black & Veatch for flood control project on Deer Creek not to exceed $647,745.72.
• Issued purchase order to Nu-Recycling Technology for automatic misting and odor control systems at the Stickney and Calumet Water Reclamation Plants not to exceed $433,500. 

Unexpected Votes, Events, Testimony or Items to Watch for in the Future

• During the public comment portion, 2 members of the West End Area Plumbing Task Force expressed concern that adequate meeting notices regarding the pumping station for the Morton Grove-Niles Water Commission at 2525 Church Street in Evanston were not provided. They wanted the work stopped. William Balling, Supt. Morton Grove-Niles Water Commission (MGNWC), responded to the citizens’ concerns, noting that the work is fully contracted and did not start until the project was fully approved. He answered numerous questions from Commissioners Shore, Steele, Avila, and Durkan. The public comment on this topic, including the Q&A session, lasted about 25-30 minutes. In the end, MGNWC was encouraged to continue the dialogue with the citizens to address their noise and other concerns. After this exchange, Mr. Blakemore spoke up and suggested the decision on where to locate the pumping station was an environmental justice issue. This article summarizes the concerns mentioned.

Other Comments or Observations

• MWRD staff were recognized for accounting and financial reporting excellence by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) in the form of several awards. 

​Observer - Peggy Pissarreck                               Meeting Length      1 hr 45 minutes