Village of Western Springs President and Board of Trustees met Aug. 16.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
President Alice F. Gallagher, Presiding
Call to Order, 7:00 p.m.
Edward Tymick, Village Clerk
Board Members Present
Nicole Chen
Alan Fink
James John
Scott Lewis
Heidi Rudolph
James Tyrrell
Others Present
Casey Biernacki, Deputy Village Mgr.
Mike Kelly, Deputy Dir. of Fire & EMS
Brian Budds, Director of Law
Enforcement Service
Matt Supert, Director ofMun Svcs
Marty Scott, Director of CD
Aleks Briedis, Director ofRec.
Jefferey Koza, Director ofEng.
Grace Turin, Director of Finance
John Mastandona, Asst. Dir. of Finance
Ellen Baer, Director ofAdmin Svcs
Elaine Haeske, Deputy Village Clerk
Nick Partipilo, Mun Svcs Analyst
Michael Jurusik, Village Attorney
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting opened at 7:00 p.m.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
President Gallagher led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.
ROLL CALL
Roll call as noted above.
READING OF AGENDA - ADDITIONS - DELETIONS
There were no changes to the agenda.
CITIZEN COMMENTS
Several residents spoke in support of installing sidewalk throughout the Forest Hills subdivision: Angela Barrett, Lisa Edgerton, Tom Edgerton, John Svelnis, Sheila O'Malley, Chuck Herbst, David Albright, Rod Frazier, and Amy Tilles. Rod Frazier and Amy Tilles, on behalf of all uniform sidewalk proponents, asked the Village Board to vote on having the Village draft and submit a grant application in the amount of $250,000 to the Safe Routes to School program to install uniform sidewalks on the east sides of Woodland and Grand Avenues in Forest Hills. The second request was for a development solution to complete the project.
President Gallagher thanked everyone for their comments regarding the Forest Hills sidewalk issue. This is not something that the Board has turned its back on, but as Mr. Albright referenced, it is part of a larger comprehensive infrastructure compilation that we are studying and looking for the funds to commit to. President Gallagher added that she looked forward to seeing Ms. Titles and Mr. Frazier on Wednesday during her office hours. Ms. Gallagher will ask staff to also attend that meeting so that they can have a positive discussion about how we can look at that grant funding potentially to meet that September 30 deadline for submission.
NEW BUSINESS
President Gallagher noted that we have a couple of bond issuances, and we are fortunate to have the Vice President of Speer Financial, Inc, Mark Jeretina, here this evening to present. Mr. Jeretina stated that this morning, Speer did take bids for the Village's Series 2021A and 2021B bonds. With bonds near record lows, it is a great time for the Village to issue these bonds. On the 2021 A bonds, which were the road referendum bonds, we received 18 total bids from four different bidders and the winning bid was Northland Securities, Inc. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a 1.72% interest rate with a final maturity in 2037, so about 16 years. For the 2021B bonds, which are the Limited Tax Bonds, we received nine total bids from three different bidders and the winning bidder was the same bidder as the 2021 A bonds, Northland Securities, with a 1.25% interest rate and that had a final maturity in 2023, or about 12 years. During this process, the Village also affirmed its aa2 bond rating with Moody's, which helped with the low interest rates. Both bond issues are scheduled to close on August 30, 2021, which is when the Village will receive its bond proceeds. Mr. Jeretina also mentioned that the Village received a bond premium which is additional funds on top of the par amount of the bonds. On the 2021 A bonds, the Village received about $157,000 in additional funds and on the 2021B bonds, the Village received about $98,000 in additional funds on top of the par amount. That is why the true interest cost is lower than the 2% that is stated in the bond ordinance. Mr. Jeretina added that overall, we felt the process went very well on both bond issues and we recommended the bid from Northland Securities be accepted on both bond issues.
Trustee Rudolph said great news on the rates. President Gallagher concurred and said also on the premiums. Mr. Jeretina said that on the 2021A, that will leave the Village with about $4.062 million to be used in funds, and on the 2021B, about $1.8 million to be used in funds. Trustee Chen asked if this rate of 1.25% is similar to other municipalities going out to bid. Mr. Jeretina said that aa2 is a very strong rating and comparable to other aa2 ratings, 1 .25% is where other communities are.
Director Turi stated that the second bond issue. Ordinance No. 21-3056, amount should read $ 1,745,000 on the Board agenda and tonight's motion. The amount was reduced from the original amount because we received additional monies in premium.
1) ORDINANCE 21-3 055 PROVIDING FOR THE ISSUANCE OF $4.000,000 GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS. SERIES 2021A. OF THE VILLAGE OF WESTERN SPRINGS, COOK COUNTY. ILLINOIS, FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAKING ROAD AND STREET IMPROVEMENTS WITHIN THE CORPORATE BOUNDARIES AND UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE VILLAGE AND FOR THE PAYMENT OF THE EXPENSES INCIDENT THERETO, PROVIDING FOR THE LEVY AND COLLECTION OF A DIRECT ANNUAL TAX SUFFICIENT FOR THE PAYMENT OF THE PRINCIPAL OF AND INTEREST ON SAID BONDS. AND AUTHORIZING THE SALE OF SAID BONDS (Trustee Rudolph)
MOTION:
2) Trustee Rudolph moved, seconded by Lewis, to approve Ordinance 21-3055 Providing For The Issuance Of $4,000,000 General Obligation Bonds, Series 2021 A, Of The Village Of Western Springs, Cook County, Illinois, For The Purpose Of Making Road And Street Improvements Within The Corporate Boundaries And Under The Jurisdiction Of The Village And For The Payment Of The Expenses Incident Thereto, Providing For The Levy And Collection Of A Direct Annual Tax Sufficient For The Payment Of The Principal Of And Interest On Said Bonds, And Authorizing The Sale Of Said Bonds. President Gallagher said this is the third, and final, tranche of our roadway bonds. With no further questions, the matter proceeded to a roll call vote.
The motion passed on a roll call vote.
Voting aye: Trustees Chen, Fink, John, Tyrrell, Lewis, and Rudolph.
Voting nay: None.
ORDINANCE 21-3056 PROVIDING FOR THE ISSUANCE OF $L745,000 GENERAL OBLIGATION LIMITED TAX BONDS, SERIES 202 IB. OF THE VILLAGE OF WESTERN SPRINGS, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS. FOR THE PURPOSE OF PAYINGFOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF BUILDINGS AND THE ACQUISITION OF ROLLING STOCK, PROVIDING FOR THE LEVY OF A DIRECT ANNUAL TAX TO PAY THE PRINCIPAL OF AND INTEREST ON SAID BONDS, AND AUTHORIZING THESALEOF SAID BONDS TO THE PURCHASER THEREOF (Trustee Rudolph)
MOTION:
Trustee Rudolph moved, seconded by Lewis, to approve Ordinance 21-3056 Providing For The Issuance Of $1,745,000 General Obligation Limited Tax Bonds, Series 2021B, Of The Village Of Western Springs, Cook County, Illinois, For The Purpose Of Paying For The Improvement Of Buildings And The Acquisition Of Rolling Stock, Providing For The Levy Of A Direct Annual Tax To Pay The Principal Of And Interest On Said Bonds, And Authorizing The Sale Of Said Bonds To The Purchaser Thereof.
The motion passed on a roll call vote.
Voting aye: Trustees Chen, Fink, John, Tyrrell, Lewis, and Rudolph.
Voting nay: None.
2020 COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT PRESENTATION BY BMAN LEFEVRE
President Gallagher introduced Brian LeFevre of Sikich, LLP who presented the Village's Comprehensive Aimul Financial Report for the year ending December 31, 2020.
Mr. LeFevre thanked the Board for inviting him to make some brief comments on the 2020
Comprehensive Annual Financial Report which came out of the audit for the Village's year ended December 31, 2020. Sikich reviewed this report in detail with the Finance Committee on August 13, 2021. Mr. LeFevre added that he has a few highlights for the Board this evening, but he is happy to answer any questions.
Mr. LeFevre continued, stating that within the introductory section (page VIII) is the award the Village received, the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the year ending December 31, 2019. Mr. LeFevre noted that the Village has received this award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for 26 consecutive years and it is the highest level of award. Mr. LeFevre said the Village's interest rates and rating is impacted by the financial information that the Village's provides, and this is the most transparent reporting, what you see in the Comprehensive Financial Reporting. This does impact and equate to the great interest rates that the Village received on its bond issues.
Within the Financial section of the audit, on the first page, on Sikich letterhead, this is the independent auditor's report. This is where we give our opinion on the financial statements. In order for Sikich to give an opinion on the financial statements, Sikich is required to follow two sets of standards: audit procedures standards from the AICPA and GASB standards for the form of the financial statements. Sikich is pleased to present an unmodified audit opinion on the Village's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, which is the highest-level opinion that the Village can receive on its financial statements. Unmodified means without exception so that financial statements were presented fairly and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and that they are free of material misstatement.
Mr. LeFevre pointed out (page 3 of the opinion), a reference to a separate report on government auditing standards. That separate report is within the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report on page 118, and this was related to the fact that the Village had incurred over $500,000 in expenditures of state and federal funds combined, namely, your expenditures of state IEPA funds for water and sewer projects, your Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) road funds, and the dollars the Village received related to the COVID funding from the federal government. The opinion that Sikich was then required to issue, since the Village is within that category, related to your compliance with laws and regulations that could have a material impact on the financial statements and that was also an unmodified, or clean, opinion.
Finally, and related to the opinion that Sikich gave to the Village's Tax Increment Financing (TIP), each year there is a compliance opinion for the TIF District. There is a separate report for that and that was also an unmodified or clean opinion on the Village's compliance with TIF legal requirements.
Mr. LeFevre pointed out the Management Discussion and Analysis section, which is the executive summary of the report, where the Village can provide an explanation of its financial statement. Mr. LeFevre encouraged the Board to review the Management Discussion and Analysis section which is very well done.
Mr. LeFevre highlighted one item for the Board's attention in the financial statements. Page 13 has the operating statement, the income statement for the Village's General Fund. The Village had an increase on its overall fund balance of $378,000.00 which demonstrates that the Village is structurally in balance. The Village provides the services that is provides with the revenue streams coming in keeping in mind that this was during COVID so if you look at the budget versus actual comparison, one can see that management with the Village Board, worked to maintain within the parameters of the reduced revenue streams coming in. The fund balance is within the Village's fund balance policy and all of the Village's funds have positive fund balances as well.
The last piece of information Mr. LeFevre brought to the Board's attention is regarding the three pension plans and begins on page 81. This shows the contributions the Village made compared to what the actuary recommended. For IMRF, the Village funding is based on a percent of covered payroll based on what the IMRF actuary tells the Village what that percentage of funding would be. Each and every month the Village pays in what is required. For police and fire pension funding, the Village relies on an actuarial recommendation and levies a tax based on that recommendation. The Village's IMRF plan is 93% funded. The Village's police pension fund is 60% funded. The Village's fire pension fund, which doesn't have any active participants is still very healthy and is 77% funded, with one beneficiary.
Mr. LeFevre noted the separate document where Sikich has its recommendations to the Village. In that document, the Board will see the Village's pumped water versus what is billed. There continues to a significant water loss there, although 2020 was a major improvement over 2019 and Mr. LeFevre added that he knows that the Village has been working hard to identify those issues as well. The Village is still below the municipal average but is moving in the right direction.
Mr. LeFevre concluded by stating that auditing in a remote environment is very challenging for both Village staff and for the Sikich staff, but everyone worked hard and was very professional and it was easy to work with Village staff to bring the audit to this point.
President Gallagher congratulated the Finance Department led by Director Turi and Assistant Director Mastandona on the phenomenal job that they do year after year and for receiving the 26th consecutive Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. A big goal of this Board is to be as transparent as possible in our process and this is an example of that. For 26 years, oiir Finance Department has been producing a report that is clear and easily readable by lay people. President Gallagher said we truly do appreciate all of their efforts and she is sure it does reflect on our excellent bond rating.
MOTION:
Trustee Rudolph moved, seconded by Lewis, to accept the 2020 Comprehensive Financial Report as presented.
The motion passed on a roll call vote.
Voting aye: Trustees Chen, Fink, John, Tyrrell, Lewis, and Rudolph.
Voting nay: None.
CONSIDERATION OF AGENDA ITEMS DURING THE WORKSHOP PORTION OF THE COMBINED WORKSHOP AND SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA
1) PROPERTIES AND RECREATION - TRUSTEE CHEN
No report.
2) PUBLIC WORKS AND WATER - TRUSTEE FINK
A) Repair of Stairs at the Water Treatment Plant
Trustee Fink reported that the committee had met on August 12, 2021 and discussed this matter. While performing testing of Well No. 5 with Concentric Integration (CI) in June and July 2021, it quickly became apparent to the water operators and CI programmers that an integral part for automatic operation was missing, a flow meter. Detecting a flow is necessary for all equipment at the water plant to complete start up procedures in automatic and was overlooked by Baxter & Woodman engineers during the design phase. Following this discovery, it was then necessary to find an appropriate location for the flow meter. The water department was presented with two options for a location, the more desirable of the two placing the flow meter in the pipe gallery at the water plant. This location would allow for metering to be available while Well No. 5 is in both manual and automatic operations. Pushing the flow meter in the pipe gallery pushed the replacement of the platform and stairs into priority status. As the water operators would need to read the meter once or twice a day, collect samples, and potentially turn on a temporary chlorinator in this area, the condition of the stairs poses an immediate safety issue.
The water department plans to reallocate funds that were to be used for the front porch hatch this year towards the more immediate issue of these stairs and platform. Staff received a quote of approximately $21,000 from Genco Industries for removal of the old stairs and platform and installation of a new set of stairs and platform. The estimate is over $10,000.00. The committee discussed this at their meeting and directed staff to go out to bid for the stair repair project. Approval of the proposal with Genco was listed on the omnibus agenda for this meeting but Trustee Fink asked that that item be removed from the omnibus voting list at the committee's request. President Gallagher removed the item from the omnibus voting list.
B) Well No. 5 Update Schedule
Trustee Fink provided the Board with an update on the Well No. 5 timeline. In June, Well No. 5 was available for emergencies. In July, we received the final IEPA permit to finish the process. In September, Well No. 5 is going to use part of the transmission mains from Well No. 1 and staff will be flushing water back and forth between it to get any loose debris from the pipes before they use it. In October, hopefully, the flow meter will be installed with hopefully full operation of the well by the end of October. It has been a long process but hopefully by the end of October we will be in business. Well No. 5 will be using the piping to the plant, which Well No. 1 used previously, prior to the reverse osmosis process. Both Well No. 3 and Well No. 4 have their own dedicated piping. We are bringing Well. No. 5 into the existing penetration into the plant. Discussion followed.
C) Concrete Reconstruction of Grove Avenue (Oak Street to Ogden Avenue)
Trustee Fink said that the committee recommended to waive the competitive bidding process and to award a bid to A Lamp Construction in the amount of $403,220. 10. In May the Village received bids for the Rose/Grove Improvements Project ("Project"). The Project included a base bid and an add on alternate bid. At the May 24, 2021, Special Meeting of the Board of Trustees the Board awarded the base bid of the Project to A Lamp Construction of Schaumburg, Illinois ("Contractor") in the amount of $1,657,345.16. The alternate bid, which includes the reconstruction of the Grove Avenue between Oak and Ogden, was rejected at the June 14, 2021, Special Meeting of the Board of Trustees since when combined the base bid and alternate was negotiated the contract pay items and pricing for the project work with A
Lamp Construction. The proposed awarded contract amount is $403,220.10. This amount when added to the previously awarded base bid contract amount is equal to the low bid received for the combined base bid and alternate bid received in May. The proposed contract value is also $13,402.04 less than the contractor's original bid for the bid alternate.
The Public Works and Water Committee reviewed staffs recommendation on August 12, 2021, and recommended approval of this work. This item will be considered later this evening on omnibus.
D) Capital Summary Report
Trustee Fink provided an update on several items on the Capital Summary Report. The reimbursement agreement approved by the Village Board in May 2021 has been provided to the Ridgewood Oaks COA. We are awaiting receipt of the executed agreement from Ridgewood Oaks which includes an agreement on reimbursement to the Village of engineering costs. Trustee Rudolph asked how long they have to respond. Director Supert said that he did reach out to the COA last Friday but has not received a response.
On the Well No. 5 Electrical and Pumping Equipment project, a kickoff meeting was held for the landscaping around the well in July with concept designs anticipated for the committee's review in September/October for consideration and work anticipated to take place in spring 2022.
Work on the Elevated Tank project will begin in October 2021 with painting of the outside of the tank scheduled in spring 2022. Director Supert reported that in July, the Board approved, and President Gallagher executed the change order for extending the timeframe of this project [through May 31, 2021) to allow this schedule. Staff had a pre-construction meeting with the contractor two weeks ago getting through some preliminary schedules and working through the shop drawings right now and our start date is tentatively scheduled. Once the Village approved the change order, we were in compliance.
The Grand Avenue Roadway project will begin at the end of August. The Rose and Grove project will begin at the end of August as well. With good weather, they will get this work done before the end of this construction season. If not, temporary parts will be placed so that the road is usable and finish the work in the spring.
3) PLANNING AND ZONING - TRUSTEE JOHN
No report.
4) PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY - TRUSTEE LEWIS
A) 9-11Tribute
Trustee Lewis reported that the Public Health and Safety Committee met on August 5, 2021. The Fire Department is organizing a Patriot Day Remembrance ceremony on September 11, 2021, to mark the 20 anniversary of the 9-11 terror attacks. The event will honor those who were impacted by the devastating attacks that day, as well as first responders who work to keep us safe every day. The ceremony will begin at 7:15 a.m. that Saturday on the Tower Green and plans include a posting of colors by the Fire Honor Guard, public comments, a moment of silence and a bell ceremony. The Fire Department hopes to make the Patriot Day Remembrance ceremony an annual event in our Village.
B) Transportation & Safety Recommendation - Burlington Avenue at Clausen Avenue
Trustee Lewis also reported that the Transportation and Safety Commission met July 20 to consider a request from several Ridge Acres residents for the installation of stop signs on both Hillgrove Avenue and Burlington Avenue at the pedestrian railroad underpass near Clausen Avenue. The underpass is used by students from Ridge Acres attending Field Park and McClure Schools and many parents had expressed concerns for the safety of the students crossing Hillgrove and Burlington Avenues. Results of a traffic study conducted by the Village in response to the stop sign request failed to support the installation of additional signs. The Transportation and Safety Commission did, however, recommend an additional crossing guard be permanently assigned on school days to the area. Previously, one crossing guard had the somewhat difficult task of assisting students at intersections at both sides of the tracks. The plan is to have an additional crossing guard in place for the new school year.
C) Other
At the August 5, 2021, committee meeting. Chief Kelly reported that the Department is continuing its efforts to recruit additional paid-on-call firefighters. At that point in time. Chief Kelly had 1 3 applicants and another 20 individuals had shown interest. Ideally, we would like to send 15 people to the Fire Academy for training at the end of August. Chief Kelly added that the department is still in the process and in the fall, they will process the applications and start the background check process. They hope to have that done by the January 2022 Fire Academy start date.
President Gallagher said she thinks it is a wonderful thing that the Fire Department is doing with the 9-11 Remembrance Ceremony, and she is sure that every Board member supports that.
5) FINANCE - TRUSTEE RUDOLPH
A) Joint Finance and Public Works and Water Meeting of August 11,2021
Trustee Rudolph provided a report from the Joint Finance and Public Works and Water meeting of August 11, 2021, in the Grand Avenue Community Center gym. Several residents from Springdale attended the meeting.
Trustee Rudolph indicated she had six topics to discuss, four of which will require a consensus vote from the Board. This does not commit the Board to any costs at this time but provides staff direction to pursue requests for proposals, etc. The final proposals would require Board approval and potential budget amendments at a future Board meeting.
1. Village Staff and the Joint Committee recommended that Phase II design engineering work begin for the Springdale Improvements recommended in the March 2021 Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. (CBBEL) Stormwater Study. The design engineering was not budgeted for 2021 and will require a future budget amendment. A consensus vote from the Village Board will give staff direction to start seeking proposals for Phase II design from engineering firms. Phase II design is typically approximately 10% of a project cost, or $250,000 - $400,000, for this project.
Trustee Tyrrell asked for more information on what the Phase II design would entail. Director Koza explained the Phase II engineering design for this project. The Village received a concept plan that CBBEL prepared that gave a preliminary recommendation for the solution that would need to be implemented to solve the flooding in Springdale. That was a concept level design, not a detailed design. It was basically just sizing the pipe and giving a route and identifying the park as a potential storage area. What Phase II design would do is, it would give us a detailed set of construction plans that we could literally hand to someone to build the project. It is the next step in the process, typically Phase I engineering identifies the problem and comes up with a concept solution. Phase II, once you have the concept solution, you prepare the detailed plans and specifications and actually go out and implement the improvement. Phase III is going out and building it. While we do not necessarily have the funding for the construction of this project identified at this time, the Phase II is a significant cost, but it is less than the overall cost and it is something to keep the project moving forward while we wait for funding to resolve itself. This would get us a set of plans that we could go out and build to implement the improvements when the funding does become available. This would allow the Village to have all the details worked out, utility conflicts, permitting, etc. By the end of Phase II engineering work, the Village would have the bid set ready to go and would be "shovel ready" so, if the infrastructure money that is being passed by our federal government actually trickles down to us, we can take advantage of it and we would be in a position, at that time, to be able to jump on grant opportunities. The Village would be considered more attractive for grant opportunities because we will actually have completed the hard part, which is the engineering design.
Trustee Rudolph asked if the "shovel ready" status qualifies us or puts us higher on the list. Director Koza said it makes the Village more attractive because when grant agencies give out funding, they typically want to see a quick return, if they can, on their grant dollars so a community that has a project that benefits many residents and is ready to go will rank higher than a project that is just in the concept level. This is the next step in the process for that type of project. Deputy Village Manager Biernacki added that the Park District's property is required for this existing feasibility design that we have right now so this consensus vote will also give staff direction to begin conversations with the Park District and make sure that is all good to go before we get any deeper into the design. Trustee Tyrrell asked how much of the park we are talking about. Mr. Biernacki said we do not have specifics. Director Koza said we have an approximate area but that is another thing that we will be able to work out when we get this engineering consultant on board, is figuring out a solution that works for both parties. We cannot just take over their park with water, it has to be compatible for their use as well. We will have to work that out, provided they are willing to work with us on this project to come up with a solution that ideally suits both of our purposes.
Trustee Rudolph asked if this Phase II study is the same process that we follow for any of our projects, any of the engineering. Deputy Village Manager Biernacki confirmed that is the case for any construction process. This is typical design work from an engineering firm. Trustee Tyrrell asked how long this would take. Mr. Biernacki said it is anticipated for the design to be complete in fall 2021. Trustee Rudolph asked staff to comment on that since residents asked about that timeline at the joint meeting, too. She asked staff to review the complexity of the design and why it does take so long. She said that she hiows that the residents who are really severally impacted by this flooding, as well as the Board members, found it hard to understand. Everything is underground and things that are underground are obviously a lot more complex but if staff could just explain the totality of what has to be scoped out underground, that would be helpful to understand why it takes so long.
Deputy Village Manager Biernacki said that typically when we design, especially underground projects like this, there is a variety of utilities that are involved, not only ComEd, Nicor, AT&T, Verizon, anyone who has underground infrastructure in the area, we have to navigate around, the system that is what is called "gravity fed" so there is no pump that is pumping the water, but rather, the water, by gravity, will drain into the sewer system and then travel to the park. That means that we need to maintain the proper pitch all the way, from the start point to the end point, and that means you cannot go up and down over existing utilities. Now, the private utilities are one thing, there are also private utilities in terms of a homeowner's private service line or water service line from their home to the existing main. There are our Village mains that are underground, both storm sewer and sanitary sewer water mains so there is a lot of pipe. There are a lot of conflicts. That is only one piece of the puzzle. There is permitting, so we do have to go through a permitting process whenever we are doing a project like this and that is another agency, whether it be the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District or not, and that takes some time. It is a big project so the year or year and a half time estimate, as Trustee James said at the meeting, we will try to do that faster, we always will, but in our experience that is just how long it takes for something this complex.
Trustee Rudolph asked if other private land that will be required as part of the remediation besides the park was considered such as St. John of the Cross, which has a lot of green. Assistant Director Biernacki said he does not think it was looked at in the CBBEL study. He also does not know how the elevation is at the low point at 54 & Franklin and Howard to St. John's so he could not comment off the top of his head. Trustee Rudolph said that is a lot of space. Trustee John said that the problem with St. John's, just looking at it, is that it is a lot farther away from Franklin and Howard versus Springdale Park, so it is probably much more expensive. Trustee Tyn-ell asked if staff is talking about massive pipes to carry it. Mr. Biernacki said yes, to convey it. It would be inlets in the street that would tie into the new pipe from the start point, one pipe, all the way to the park. It is just conveying the water, which is still going to go there, to the low spot. It is just conveying it to storage in the park before it hits the rest of our system. Trustee Tyrrell asked where we would put it in the park. Mr. Biernacki said detention basins are usually designed for all the water to go there so whatever size we need for that basin, that is where the water is going to go, into that basin. From there, they are typically designed to drain back slowly to the sewer system. Trustee Fink asked if the detention system would be underground. Mr. Biernacki said the detention system would be above ground and the park would not be usable when there is water in the park, but a lot of the detention basins now a days, and this one would be no different, are designed with underdrains, ways to keep those fields dry much faster. Mr. Biernacki said he has some across from his house in Downers Grove and they are usable, relatively quickly once that water drains down.
Trustee Tyrrell asked how big these detentions are. Mr. Biernacki said it depends. We do not have an idea from the CBBEL study, but the Phase II engineering is complete, we will know more. It all depends on the volume of water you are talking about. Trustee John said it is essentially just digging out a portion of the park to lower the ground and have sides that can hold the water. Trustee Rudolph asked what we did in Spring Rock Park. Mr. Biernacki said that was a Park District project and they did install underdrains there so they should be familiar with that process. Trustee Rudolph said it is considerably different than it used to be before that and that took the soccer fields out of commission for a season. Trustee Chen said she attended the joint meeting as an audience member, and she certainly is so sorry for a lot of people in the area of the main drain point in Springdale. She also wished to point out that she was bom and raised in Springdale, her parents still live in her childhood home on Harvey and 51s and she does not mean to frustrate this project but is staff sure that the CBBEL study and putting the engineering to the next step is the best way to solve this. This is solving only that problem and there are other flooding problems in Springdale, perhaps. She just wanted to say that before we say we want to move on with this, does staff agree that this is the best way to address that. Mr. Biernacki said that that CBBEL study it for this southeastern portion of Springdale. The only other alternatives would be underground storage, which is very expensive, or green infrastructure, which is not really an option either. Detention is the stormwater management go-to for any big project like this one.
Trustee Chen asked if there was any chance for detention closer. Mr. Biernacki said the alternative would be to make space which would mean buying homes and gets expensive very quickly and, even that, one home would not do it, six homes that probably would not do it, it would be a lot of space that we would need. If you think about how big the park is, and again, we don't know the size yet that we need, it would be cost prohibitive to go that route.
CONSENSUS VOTE:
President Gallagher asked for the Board to provide a consensus voice vote to move forward with Phase II design engineering work for the Springdale Improvements recommended in the March 2021 Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. (CBBEL) Stormwater Study.
The consensus vote passed on a unanimous voice vote.
2. Village Staff and the Joint Committee recommended the investigation, design, and construction of additional inlets in areas of the Springdale subdivision. This is intended as a short-term solution to help, to attempt to alleviate the flooding occurring at 54th and Franklin and 54th and Howard. The total project cost for this is estimated to be $75,000 to $150,000. This study is not a budgeted item for 2021 and would require a future budget amendment. Trustee Rudolph said that she thought this was an interesting and good idea for something that could be done short-term. Trustee Rudolph asked staff to give an explanation of the inlets and what that means and what you see that helping.
Director Koza said that one of the observations noted in the CBBEL report on Springdale flooding, when they were on-site during one of the flooding events, was that some of the water that is heading toward our trouble area, which is 54th & Howard and the 5400 block of Franklin, some of the water is coming down from the north, down just by natural grade, and there are some inlets at key intersections, 53rd & Clausen, 52nd Place and Howard, and possibly, 52nd Place and Franklin, where there are intersection inlets at that intersections to collect water, that are actually routed through different pipes, not the pipe that runs from 54l and Howard west to Caroline. That is the pipe that is obviously having trouble right now because of flooding in both those two areas. One of the observations they saw, through the heavy rains, there was a decent amount of water that was bypassing some of these other inlets and, when it does that, it is not getting collected in those other pipes, it is rolling downhill and coming into our trouble area. The thought is that we should take a closer look at whether we can better collect that water upstream so that it does not head to our trouble area and possibly reduce the amount of water coming at us. Mr. Koza said this will not solve our issues, but it could make it better. That is what Mr. Koza thinks we are looking to see; we would like to get an estimate of what we think this would do for us if we did it and obviously a rough cost of what would need to be done as far as improving the inlet collection. There are a number of ways you can improve it but obviously bigger inlets with bigger grates at those key intersections would help collect the water better so that it does bypass it and does not come to our problem area. We are trying to keep the water in the other pipes that are north of the subdivision away from the problem area is what the thought of this smaller project is. This would mean an immediate need to engage a firm and make sure that before we go spending that money on that we think it might actually help a little bit. If there is a potential benefit and a quicker thing that we could get done next spring even as we wait for funding for the bigger project, this is something that could help.
Trustee Rudolph asked about the construction time for this work, assuming there were funds available. Mr. Koza said these are smaller projects working at the intersections themselves, adding a few inlets, a few pipes, and connecting to our existing system. We are not creating a brand-new pipe going a half mile to a park. We are working with what we have, trying to better collect the water before it heads to our trouble areas. Tmstee Tyrrell asked where the water is diverted.
Mr. Koza said it would go into the pipes we already have in those areas. There is piping on Clausen as it heads north to 53rd. Same thing with some existing storm sewers on 52nd Place. We are trying to keep the water that is coming from those areas into its area's tributary to those pipes, so it is not heading to our trouble area down south. Trustee Tyrrell asked if it would be a big project. Mr. Koza said we are just looking at putting additional inlets in pipes at the intersections themselves. We would not be running a new pipe all the way down the street. We are just trying to collect as much water as we can and keep it in a separate system. There are separate main lines within Springdale that all convey different drainage areas but based on the observations ofCBBEL, they saw that some of this water that we thought was going to stay to the north is actually bypassing some of these inlets and working its way down. We are just trying to keep the water away from the trouble area is what we are doing, as best we can, given the infrastructure we have without drastically changing everything to the north, as well. Trustee Tyrrell asked if this work could be done before the rainy season in the spring. Mr. Koza said if we were to start design on this, it likely would not be able to get constructed this fall. There is a possibility the work could get started early in the spring but this is a project that is small enough that it would not necessarily require a design that is as intense as it would be for the bigger project so it should be a shorter duration. Trustee Fink said it was described to him as a bigger funnel for the same pipe.
.Trustee Chen said she is in support of adding inlets in this particular area if the thought of that is that it will give some relief with not so much water flowing down. She asked if there should be inlets there already and it that something we should be looking at in general. Mr. Koza said there are inlets there but during the CBBEL observation of the flooding event, they observed that the water, because of the intensity or whatnot, was not getting collected in some of the inlets. Some of the water was passing through and once it passes through these key intersections, it is ultimately ending up at 54th & Howard and 54th & Franklin. It would be more inlets in the same general area. It could be as simple as swapping out a frame, as simple as that, or it may require a new structure nearby. We would have to work that out in the design to make sure that what we are doing would provide us a benefit. That is part of what we would want to do as well, engage a consultant to take a harder look at it. If they come back and say, well, this might help but its only going to provide a 1% benefit, then it might be difficult to move forward with this construction project, but it is something that could possibly help. That is the discussion we would have to have once we have the information
Trustee Chen said she is all for it, but she was just thinking of the science of inlets, but she asked Mr. Koza to be clear by confirming there are already inlets there, but the water is bypassing them. Mr. Koza said that is the case, the water is bypassing them in some instances. Sometimes one observes out there that an inlet with a back takes water in pretty well but sometimes one observes the circular inlets, those type ones, and you will notice on the curb line that a lot of that does not really catch water at the curb line very well so Mr. Koza said he could see why they saw the water bypassing it.
Trustee Rudolph said so, in part, this is design improvement, as well. Mr. Koza said that is correct. Trustee Rudolph said it is adding but it is also design improvement as there are newer and better ways that the inlets are constructed now. Mr. Koza said there are just different types, ones with more opening, different ways to catch the water more efficiently. When the subdivision was built, a lot of times, the infrastructure is not 100% perfect. Sometimes the inlets are just off a little bit and that can make a difference so they would be evaluating these intersections, seeing if there are improvements that we can do in the short term that are relatively low cost that might actually provide us a benefit down the way while we wait for the bigger project to materialize.
CONSENSUS VOTE:
President Gallagher asked for the Board to provide a consensus vote to approve the investigation, design, and construction of additional inlets in areas of the Springdale subdivision.
The consensus vote passed on a unanimous voice vote.
3. Village Staff and the Joint Committee recommended that Phase II design engineering work begin for the Ridgewood Drive Drainage Improvements ecommended in the 2016 Baxter & Woodman study. Design engineering was not budgeted for 2021 and will require a future budget amendment. Phase II design is typically approximately 10% of a project cost, or $250,000 - $350,000 for this project.
Director Koza explained that this project was identified in the Baxter & Woodman 2016 Infrastructure Study for Ridgewood. Essentially what it is trying to do is installing two larger outfall pipes from the trouble areas, typically from Maple and Ridgewood, and also one to the north, basically trying to collect the water that we know pools there and sits there for several hours, collect it, and help it get to the creek faster than it can currently. This is the second phase of the recommendation. The first phase was to investigate some of the outfalls, a pair of those, and that is a project that Director Supert and Municipal Services staff have undertaken, and we recently just got authorization last month to proceed. The next step on that project as recommended by the report was to look at the area that has the most flooding, which is where all the water is coming down from the east to the west and pools on Ridgewood Drive, to try to provide a better inlet system and outfall pipe to Flagg Creek to help keep the water out that is heading that way. Trustee Tyrrell asked if this is the same kind of concept as Springdale except that this goes into Flagg Creek. Director Koza said that is correct and that as part of this engineering design, we will need to take a harder look at Flagg Creek itself as well and make sure that the capacity is there for this. We have to make sure that we are not causing issues by moving that water too fast to the creek. We need to make sure whatever design we implement is compatible with the creek. That is something that the 2016 study did not specifically study so, before we install two massive new pipes taking a longer route, we have to make sure that where the water is going is compatible with what is out there. If there are any improvements there, we will have to identify those as well.
Trustee Rudolph said that does then underscore how all of this is connected because all of the water eventually ends up in Flagg Creek. Springdale is not its own isolated problem, Ridgewood is not its own isolated problem, it all works together. Director Koza agreed and said that both of these issues are stemming from older subdivisions that did not have detention when they were built and we have these higher intensity, short duration rainfalls that are just causing havoc. Not only here but in every other established community in Cook County. It is not uncommon; it is the same issue. Trustee Rudolph said it is an unfortunate pun, but it is the perfect storm of the aged infrastructure combined with the more severe, faster rain events and we are not alone. It is not as if this is just happening in Western Springs. Director Koza said that for whatever reason, in the last 10 years we are seeing higher intensity, short duration rainfalls. The one in June was between 2 and 3 inches but still it caused complete havoc in these two areas just because it came down quickly and there wasn't anywhere for the water to go. Trustee Rudolph said, again, they are all conunected, and Flagg Creek is ultimately the end point. Director Koza said that is correct. We have to get the water to Flagg Creek, and it can only take so much so that is part of why we have to make sure that what we are proposing with this Ridgewood Drive project is going to be compatible with Flagg Creek. The infrastructure study did not specifically analyze Flagg Creek, so we do want to take a look at that before we implement any large-scale projects.
Trustee Rudolph asked if a facility located in Ridgewood Park might be a possible solution. In Springdale, we identified that a detention basin in Springdale was the most likely solution. Trustee Rudolph asked if that could be the situation in Ridgewood as well. Director Koza said possibly and added that the Ridgewood Drive south flooding would not be able to directly benefit from Ridgewood Park, but Ridgewood Park could potentially be used, because it is upstream, to keep the water back to keep it from getting to Ridgewood Drive. This project is more of an immediate, trying to get the water that is coming there, to get rid of it as fast as we can but we have to be responsible with that so that we need to make sure that Flagg Creek can handle everything we are sending at it and that it meets all permitting requirements. That will be part of that design. Discussion followed about where storm water ultimately ends up: Flagg Creek or Salt Creek. Most water goes to Flagg Creek with a small portion to MWRD (from combined sewer areas) for treatment and anything that overflows to the Salt Creek system. Deputy Village Manager Biernacki said that anything north of 47th Street is combined sewer.
CONSENSUS VOTE:
President Gallagher asked for the Board to provide a consensus vote to approve Phase II design engineering work begin for the Ridgewood Drive Drainage Improvements recommended in the 2016 Baxter & Woodman study.
The consensus vote passed on a unanimous voice vote.
4. Village Staff and the Joint Committee recommended the development of an Overhead Sewer Assistance Program. Trustee Rudolph said that she thinks this is pretty clever and it has a short-term opportunity. The program would financially assist residents in installing overhead sewers, similar to programs in neighboring communities. The recommended pilot program would be for $50,000, with a cost participation of $5,000 or 50% of the project cost, whichever is less. Trustee Rudolph said that to her this is interesting because it is an immediate action that can be taken. She said that she also thinks it is indicative of what she thinks we are going to need going forward. All of the things we have talked about as well as a lot of other infrastructure, there is going to have to be a lot of cooperation and collaboration needed with the community. Trustee Rudolph applauded the research on this, and she said that she knows the Deputy Village Manager Biernacki found many other communities that do this. Deputy Village Manager said he cannot take credit, that Director Supert and Municipal Services Analyst Partipilo did all the work. Trustee Rudolph said thank you to everybody for researching this program and finding this idea for a pilot program. She added that she thinks there are some residents that would like to act on this
Trustee Tyrrell asked how many homes we are talking about; how many homes have overhead sewers. Deputy Manager Biernacki said he would hesitate to say that most homes in Western Springs have gravity fed, not overhead sewers. New homes do have overhead sewers, and some homes have retrofitted, but a lot of homes, and it is not just Western Springs, it is the entire Midwest and most of the country, probably. President Gallagher said that most homes built after 1975 have overhead sewers but before that, not usually. Tmstee Rudolph asked how quickly we would be able to implement this. Director Supert said staff believes we could implement this pretty quickly. There are just a couple of internal administrative items we would need to review. We would need to review our municipal code with our Village Attorney to see if any changes would be needed. There would also be some cooperation with the Community Development Department since this would be a building permit process that we need to implement, and we would need to set up a process for staff to review these applications and then some sort of inspection process once it is constructed. There will be some administrative overhead, but we are confident that we can probably get something up and running this fall, although we do not have an exact date at this point. Trustee John questioned what the ask of the Village contribution would be; is the plan for the Village to pay for 50% of the cost. Trustee Rudolph said the proposal is that the Village would pay either $5,000 or 50% of the cost, whatever is less. Village Attorney Jurusik said that is typically how that program is incentivized, up to $5,000, is the incentive.
President Gallagher said she did want to emphasize that this only helps people that have sanitary sewer overflow, not stormwater. Deputy Village Manager Biernacki said that any seepage or anything coming from window wells, this would not assist those individuals. This would be for water coming back up through the sewer. Trustee Rudolph said that determination is part of what the permitting or application process would be, too. To make sure, so that no resident is misled, to believe that this is something that could help them, if it cannot, so we want to be clear on what the water issue is in their home. We would also need to be clear that this is not going to solve a particular house problem in total. A lot of the things we are talking about all work together. This is not a solution that will help every house. Mr. Biernacki said that is correct. It will not help everyone, but it will help specific problems. If someone does have that sewer back-up problem, it will certainly help them, and it would have to be permitted like any other work that is done. They would have to go through Community Development for a permit and they would also have to request the cost-share so that process, which we have not fully outlined, in most communities requires quotes from three individuals as well as a host of other criteria that they would have to meet. Trustee Tyrrell asked if this is then a massive project if there are so many homes without overhead sewers. It could be quite expensive for the Village. President Gallagher said potentially but right now the program is capped at $50,000 but if we find that it is successful and we find that it helps residents, we may way to extend it. Director Supert said this is proposed as a first-come, first served program and is essentially a pilot program. Director Koza made a really good point in the joint committee meeting that if we launch this $50,000 program and find out that we have a ton of applicants, we could always come back to the Board for discussion and consideration of additional funds if the program becomes that successful. President Gallagher said that people need relief. Trustee Tyrrell concurred. Discussion followed.
CONSENSUS VOTE:
President Gallagher asked for the Board to provide a consensus vote to approve the development of an Overhead Sewer Assistance Program. The consensus vote passed on a unanimous voice vote. President Gallagher said that the Board has now given staff direction on all four of the consensus items and while all four are high priorities, she would ask that we really push ahead the Overhead Sewer Assistance Program as quickly as we can. Deputy Village Manager Biernacki said we will get to work.
Village Attorney Jurusik clarified for the public that the Board is not voting tonight to spend money or to hire any consultants. It is really a direction to staff to implement these programs, to work on them, the RFPs, the RFQs and get those put together and initiate those programs and bring back the Overhead Sewer Assistance Program to the Board so that the Board can take final action to evaluate implementing these programs, hiring successful consultants that provide the best value proposal and to also amend the budget at a later date to implement and appropriate dollars to pay for these initiatives. President Gallagher thanked Attorney Jurusik for that clarification. She added that you will see on the spreadsheet provided to the Board that each fund is identified for each project as to where those dollars would come from.
5. Village Staff presented the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a Comprehensive Capital Infrastructure Study. The study will review and prioritize the maintenance, unfunded projects, and new recommended projects for the following infrastructure: roadway, sanitary/combined sewer, storm sewer, water distribution, water infrastructure, streetscape, sidewalk, fiber optic, street lighting, sidewalk, bicycle facilities, and municipal properties. To date, the Village has identified approximately $30 million in unfunded projects. The study will be followed by a Financial Study to determine funding sources and opportunities. The RFQ should be ready for advertising within the month. This study is not a budgeted item for 2021 and will require a future budget amendment. A cost for the study is difficult to determine at this time due to its size and complexity. Trustee Rudolph said this is not something on which we are seeking to obtain Board consensus this evening. Deputy Village Manager Biernacki said that is correct, once the RFQ process is complete, staff would come back with a formal recommendation to the Board so there are no dollars being spent on the study until we have that final proposal. Trustee Rudolph said that a result with something like this, with this kind of breadth, is that we could be in a position where we could foresee a 1-year plan. She added that she feels like a lot of what the Board does is spurred by things, kind of like emergencies with the rain, with the changes of the rain in the last couple of years, we can't foresee the weather of all of the changes like that, but by looking at this comprehensively, really trying to get the full picture, we are obviously not going to be able to fix everything but it puts us in a position as a Board and as Village staff to really identify needs. That to her would be our ideal end result, that we end up with a true 10-year plan and we can also be looking at and addressing how we could fund it. Deputy Village Manager Biernacki said that is correct. Our goal is to help us prioritize all of our projects, not only our annual maintenance, which we can estimate with what we have, but the $30 million in unfunded projects that we already know about, potential projects that we don't know about and so, yes, it is a big picture with everything that we need to fund and the follow-up financial study would help us try to target each and every type of infrastructure and how we can fund those improvements or maintenance.
President Gallagher said she would like to add identifying projects that we don't know about. That is what has her kind of intrigued going forward a decade or so and project, perhaps we can do some things proactively that will, in the long run, save the Village money over time. Trustee Rudolph she thinks this is an important endeavor and gives us the opportunity to give us that horizon. It is not going to be easy, and we know that $30 million is not something that we can fund overnight. Trustee Rudolph said that the more opportunity for our community to understand all of the complexity and the breadth of this, the better. The end result also gives the Board the opportunity to communicate with the whole public so that everybody can appreciate that for so much of this, it is the whole community. When Trustee Rudolph looks at this, it is not just one thing or one area, there is a lot of things that are needed from an infrastructure standpoint and she really appreciates the view, to get that whole picture.
6. Village Staff presented the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Storm Water Utility Fee Study. The proposed study is split into two phases. Phase 1 will focus on the feasibility of the new utility fee and provide information on our current billing system, existing GIS/parcel data, a draft fee structure and policies, and public education. Phase II focuses on the implementation of the new fee and will include a robust public education campaign, implementation of the fee into the organization, and a final fee structure and policies. The RFP allows the Board the option to move on to Phase II or not, during the study. The RFP should be ready for advertising within the month. This study is not a budgeted item for 2021 and will require a future budget amendment. Similar studies in other municipalities have ranged from $65,000 to $100,000.
Trustee Rudolph said that this Stormwater Utility Fee Study, is a study. It is something that is being used in other communities. We have had some good diligence from our staff here in finding other examples including nearby in Downers Grove, for example, and other communities, learning how those have worked, what it took in terms of educating the community so that they would understand, and it is a way to help spread out costs and help to fund some of these projects.
Deputy Village Manager Biernacki added that it is an option for us even though we are a non-home rule community. There are other examples of those, and Attorney Jurusik provided quite a bit of information for us to determine that that is something that is within our ability to do. Some other examples, the City of Morton, East Moline, and Richton Park are all non-home rule communities who have had this in place for quite some time now. Mr. Biernacki said he did not mention this at the Joint Finance and Public Works Committee meeting but wanted to make sure he shared this information tonight.
Trustee Rudolph reiterated that this is another study, so that means this is not something that we would absolutely do, but it is a study and gives us the opportunity to know how we could implement it. Mr. Biernacki added that it is split into those phases so after the feasibility portion of it, the Board could choose to not fund the second portion of it, which would be the actual implementation into the community and organization.
Trustee Rudolph said that concludes the six items from the Joint Finance and Public Works and Water Committee meeting held on August 1 1, 2021. President Gallagher said she wanted to thank the Joint Finance and Public Works and Water Committee members for their extra work on this to shepherd it through. President Gallagher also thanked staff, Director Supert, Director Koza, Deputy Village Manager Biernacki, Village Manager Velkme and everyone on staff who attended the joint meeting. Ms. Gallagher added that we had a full complement of staff at the meeting, and it was very productive, and she really appreciates their attention and diligence in seeing this through. It is an exciting time to be part of the Board. President Gallagher said she would also like to clear up one thing. There was a misconception as noted by many of the residents regarding Attorney Jurusik's role and his question of why he asked residents to provide data to staff. The residents misunderstood why we wanted to collect the data for the flooding. President Gallagher said she just wanted to reiterate that we would like the residents to report every flooding event, public, private, and that is the reason for the request.
Deputy Village Manager Biernacki said it is always important even in areas that we know have flooding issues, well-known flooding issues, it is always important for us, as staff, to know where that water is coming into the home because that really does drive what the solution might be. As we talked about during our discussion of the Overhead Sewer Program, if water is coming into the home during a big storm and it is not over the window wells, if it is coming from the sanitary sewers, then that is a very different solution for the homeowner than if it was coming into those window wells. Whenever a resident does have any flooding event, the more information that we as staff receive, the better we can help guide a solution.
Village Attorney Jurusik said that the goal of his comments was to really help provide us with information and to help evaluate what would be the appropriate solutions to address the problems. Mr. Jurusik said that he thinks that Deputy Village Manager Biernacki said that staff sent out 300 plus surveys, and we only received a certain number of responses back and some of those responses did not have the type of detail that we really wanted so that was the thrust of Attorney Jurusik's comments on July 26, 2021, to the residents. The comments were made to have those folks who are having these types of drainage problems provide us with the best level of detailed information to supplement the citizen survey that we got in these areas.
President Gallagher added that we are very fortunate to have such an engaged attorney. This is not really within the realm of statutes and laws and yet he recognized and identified this as a potential where we can improve to better serve our residents in their time of need.
Trustee Rudolph concluded the discussion saying that she wished to echo the praise of President Gallagher of Director Turi and Assistant Director Mastandona for the financial report and for the really incredible recognition as she even further appreciates what it means to get that kind of award. When we sit here tonight and confront what are some extremely significant and pressing problems for the community, funding is obviously the next thing on all of our minds and we are in as good, or best position we can be in, she thinks because of the terrific work that Ms. Turi and Mr. Mastandona have done, and she thinks we are really fortunate to have such a strong staff and financial team here. This is not going to be easy; the funding is not going to be easy, but we are well-positioned due to their great work. Trustee Rudolph thanked them again.
6) GENERAL GOVERNMENT - TRUSTEE TYRRELL
A) Security Upgrades
Trustee Tyrrell said that because of the outbreak of ransomware going on across the country. Director of Technology Schramm has educated us that we are going to have to make some changes to our computer security systems. Per his recommendation, he suggests moving from Office 365 licenses to Microsoft365, which is an upgrade, allowing more advanced features, including mobile device management and improvement of our Windows capabilities. These features, according to Director Schramm, give us much better security to prevent the sort of ransomware, which is really gripping a lot of communities and businesses across the country. This does not require a budget amendment for this year but will the following year. Director Schramm is also recommending replacing Malwarebytes Endpoint Protection with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and adding Defender for Office365 and Defender for Endpoint Server. These are apparently two programs also following in the same suit. The price for these new services is nearly identical to the old ones. This item is on the omnibus voting list later this evening for consideration of approval.
B) St. John of the Cross Parish Carnival Operator Change
Trustee Tyrrell stated that the Board will recall that at the last Board meeting, we approved a Class I Special Events Liquor License for the Parish fest at St. John of the Cross. They are having their event this Thursday, August 19, until Sunday, August 22. We also granted a Temporary Use Permit for this event. St. John has learned that the carnival operator, All Star Amusement, which has been their vendor for the last eight fests was terminating the contract with the parish. They learned of this after we approved the Class I license and the Temporary Use Permit on July 27. The reason for the termination was that All Star Amusement secured another more profitable deal for this weekend which Trustee Tyrrell said he finds extremely disturbing. Trustee Tyrrell said he was hoping for some further clarification but that is not before the Board this evening. To leave a whole parish like that on the eve of their major fundraising event, he found extremely egregious. Be that as it may, they found another vendor, All Around Amusements, Inc. to substitute as the carnival operator. They have done their homework very quickly. The new vendor has operated carnivals in LaGrange and Naperville and the new vendor has their own COVID compliance protocols which parallel the protections that St. John's had in place with the previous vendor. The new vendor has also submitted a list of employees to our police department for background checks. Trustee Tyrrell said that he does not believe there were any problems with that. That being said. St. John's need an amendment for the Temporary Use Permit substituting All Around Amusements for All Star Amusement. All the other conditions approved in the Temporary Use Permit need an amendment. Clerk Tymick said what happened is that the carnival vendor had an offer that came in before the 2021 contract with St. John's had been signed. Approval of the amended Temporary Use Permit is on the omnibus voting list for consideration later this evening.
7) OTHER - PRESIDENT GALLAGHER
A) Reappointment of Marcia Buell as Chair of the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners for a three-year term to expire in September 2024; and
B) Reappointment of Janet Dahl and James Maragos as Members of the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners for a three-year term to expire in September 2024.
President Gallagher said she is very happy to report that each of these members are willing to serve yet another term. Each is a former trustee, and we are very fortunate that they are willing to serve another term. President Gallagher recommended these reappointments and with no objection from the Board, they remained on the omnibus vote list for consideration of approval.
CONSIDERATION OF AND ACTION ON AGENDA ITEMS DURING THE SPECIAL MEETING PORTION OF THE COMBINED WORKSHOP AND SPECIAL MEETING EXPLANATION OF OMNIBUS VOTING PROCEDURE
President Gallagher explained that the Illinois State Statutes allow a municipality to collectively vote on a group of ordinances, resolutions, and other motions, such as awards of contract, appointments, etc. This is known as an omnibus vote. All the items contained on the omnibus vote list have been previously discussed by the President and Board of Trustees on at least one occasion, and often on several occasions. By placing them on the omnibus vote list, a single vote may be taken to approve them. A Trustee may remove any item from the list and have it discussed and voted on separately, prior to the omnibus vote.
Trustee Fink requested to remove agenda item number 2 from the omnibus voting list. The Public Works and Water Committee has directed staff to go out to bid for this work. President Gallagher removed that item from the omnibus vote list.
CONSIDERATION OF AN OMNIBUS VOTE (*)
The Village Manager recommends that the Village Board act upon the following agenda items under the omnibus vote provision of the Western Springs Municipal Code:
Motion: Madam President, I move that the following ordinances, resolutions, and motions as contained on the meeting agenda for August 16, 2021, be adopted and/or approved under an omnibus vote:
1) ^APPROVAL OF THE MEETING MINUTES OF JULY 26, 2021, AS READ
3) ^MOTION TO WAIVE THE COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROCESS AND APPROVE A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT WITH A LAMP CONSTRUCTION OF SCHAUMBURG, IL FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF CONCRETE RECONSTRUCTION OF GROVE AVENUE (OAK STREET TO OGDEN^VENUE) IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $403.220.10
4) *MOTION TO WAIVE THE COMPETITIVE BIDDD4G PROCESS IN LIEU OF PURCHASE OF MICROSOFT 365 G3 GCC CSP (MONTHLY COSTOF $3.199.20), OFFICE 365 Gl GCC (-MONTHLY COST OF $532.80), AZURE ACTIVE DIRECTORY PREMIUM Pl GO FOR GOVERNMENT CSP MONTHLY COST OF $532.80) AND MICROSOFT DEFENDER FOR OFFICE 365 (PLAN 1) GCC CSP (-MONTHLY COST OF $332.00) FOR A TOTAL MONTHLY COST OF $4,464.00. AND THE PURCHASE OF DEFENDER FOR ENDPOINT GCC AOSG AT AN ANNUAL COST OF $5.635.00. DEFENDER FOR ENDPOINT SERVER GCC AOSG AT AN ANNUAL COST OF $1^90.50JTOTAL ANNUALCOSTOF$7,325.501 FROM BDO OF OAK BROOK, ILLINOIS AT THE GOVERNMENTAL PRICING SCHEDULE
5) *MOTION TO APPROVE A TEMPORARY USE PERMIT FOR THE OPERATION OF A CARNIVAL (AUGUST 19 TO 22, 202ilATTHE_ST,JOHN OF THE CROSS-PARISH FAMILY FESTIVAL
6) *MOTION TO APPROVE THE RELEASE, HOLD HARMLESS AND INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT FOR TEMPORARY USE PERMIT FOR OPERATION OF A CARNIVAL AT THE 2021 ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS-PARISH FAMILY FESTIVAL (CARNIVAL OPERATOR: ALL AROUND AMUSEMENTS. INC. fAAA)
7) *MOTION TO APPROVE THE FOLLOWING REAPPOINTMENTS:
A) Reappointment of Marcia Buell as Chair of the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners for a three-year term to expire in September 2024; and
B) Reappointment of Janet Dahl and James Maragos as Members of the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners for a three-year term to expire in September 2024
Trustee Rudolph seconded the motion.
The motion passed on a roll call vote.
Voting aye: Trustees Chen, Fink, John, Lewis, Rudolph, Tyrrell, and President
Gallagher.
Voting nay: None.
OTHER
There was no other business.
REPORTS
1) MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT (-Rudolph)
The July 2021 Financial Report will be presented in September.
2) VILLAGE PRESIDENT GALLAGHER
President Gallagher provided an update on the local technical assistance program that the WCMC Central Council of Mayors submitted to Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning which was awarded in 2019 and which President Gallagher has reported on in the past. This is actually the follow-up to the Transportation Plan which happened previously to that, and we now have a comprehensive GIS compatible plan for large scale transportation projects throughout the Central Council region. This grant, that will be kicking off tomorrow, will address flooding, primarily for the Central Council large scale transportation routes, but also, they will be looking at each individual community and identifying problems and potential solutions as well. The kick-off meeting for this is on August 24, 2021, and President Gallagher stated that she believes it should run for about a year or 18 months, but Deputy Village Manager Biernacki is part of the steering committee for that, so we will keep the Board updated as that goes along. While this cannot replace what we are doing individually as a community, it should be a nice adjunct and potentially give us some other ideas, as well.
On August 9, 2021, several staff members and House Leader Durkin and Senator Curran, along with two members from the Ridgewood community, several IDOT agency members, and President Gallagher met to discuss possible solutions to flooding problems for the Ridgewood community, specifically, along 55 Street. We are now awaiting IDOT's review of potential repairs to existing infrastructure and whether those can happen quickly. President Gallagher said she would like to especially thank Leader
Durkin and Senator Curran for attending that meeting. Ms. Gallagher said she would also like to thank Public Works for their diligent work in repairing the water main breaks that we have been experiencing with the high heat.
We received the 2020 Census results from the Illinois Municipal League and the population count for Western Springs was 13,629 residents.
3) DEPUTY VILLAGE MANAGER BIERNACKI
No report.
4) VILLAGE ATTORNEY JURUSIK
No report.
ADJOURN
MOTION:
Trustee Tyrrell moved, seconded by John, to adjourn this Combined Workshop and
Special Board Meeting.
The motion passed on a unanimous voice vote.
This meeting adjourned at 9:11 p.m.
https://www.wsprings.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_08162021-1249
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