DuPage County Municipal/County Intergovernmental Committee met Sept. 14.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
WELCOME, INTRODUCTIONS, AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Co-Chair Garcia called the meeting to order at 6:04 p.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. A roll call was taken, and a quorum was present.
Those in attendance included:
Committee Members:
Mayor Rodney Craig Hanover Park
(Co-Chair)
Mayor Dave Brummel Warrenville
Mayor Scott Levin Elmhurst
Mayor David Pileski Roselle
Mayor Jeff Pruyn Itasca
CB Member Paula Deacon Garcia District #2
(Co-Chair)
CB Member Ashley Selmon District #1
CB Member Greg Schwarze District #6
Others Present:
CB Member Liz Chaplin District #2
Suzette Quintell DMMC
Freddy Vasquez DMMC
Sheryl Markay DuPage County
Joy Hinz DuPage County
Barb Reynolds DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office
PUBLIC COMMENT
There was no public comment submitted.
MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
Member Selmon made a motion to approve the Minutes from the June 8, 2022, committee meeting, seconded by Member Levin. All Ayes, motion carried.
UPDATE ON PROPOSED MERGER OF CANADIAN PACIFIC AND KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN RAILWAYS
Mayor Craig led a discussion regarding Monday’s public hearing held in Itasca by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) on the proposed merger of the Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern Railways. Eight suburbs and DuPage County have formed a coalition to prevent this merger due to the negative impact on its communities, significantly increasing freight traffic, blocking access for emergency vehicles, and threatening public safety. Mayor Craig noted Itasca Village Administrator Carrie Anne Ergo made strong opening remarks on behalf of the coalition at the STB meeting. Presentations by local elected officials, public safety officials, and DuPage County’s Transportation Director were made at the hearing, outlining the time delays and impact on ambulances, police vehicles and school buses. The merger could result in up to 14 freight trains daily for these communities. A delegation of mayors’ plan to travel to Washington, D.C. on September 28-29 to attend a STB hearing and to lobby Congress against the proposed merger.
988 SUICIDE HOTLINE SIGNAGE – RAILROAD CROSSINGS
Mayor Craig presented several materials regarding Suicide Prevention Month (see attached) and commented that 22 veterans die every day in the U.S. due to suicide. To educate the public about the new 988 Suicide Hotline Number, Villa Park has updated its signs throughout the community’s rail access locations to include this information. Member Schwarze stated that DuPage County recently approved an additional staff person and funding for its Veterans Assistance Commission (VAC) and Member Garcia commented that the VAC and county recently hosted a Veterans Resource Fair on August 30 that was well attended.
OVERVIEW OF DUPAGE COUNTY’S SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN/5-YEAR UPDATE Joy Hinz, Environmental & Sustainability Programs Manager for DuPage County, led a discussion regarding the county’s process to update its solid waste management plan (see attached Memorandum). The county’s first initial plan was adopted in 1990 and state statute requires it be updated every 5 years. A primary focus of the plan is to divert more waste from landfills. Currently, DuPage County’s (residential) recycling rate is between 30% and 32% (data is not available for commercial recycling).
The county hired Aptim Environmental & Engineering to assist with updating the plan and is seeking municipal input on a number of topics listed in the Memorandum. Committee Members discussed a variety of issues including recycling efforts for multi-family households, how to incentivize-increase business/commercial recycling rates (Mayor Pileski suggested the establishment of a “Green Certification” program), electronic recycling opportunities, and the need to include restaurants as they contribute a significant number of items to the waste stream (food scraps, containers, etc.). The mayors also requested from the county additional educational tools (research/printed materials and videos) to better educate the public, which DMMC will assist in sending out any materials received from Ms. Hinz. Ms. Hinz referenced that a major legislative initiative next session will be Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation focusing on packaging.
LOCAL UPDATE FROM COUNTY BOARD MEMBERS & MAYORS
County Board Members and Mayors each provided an update on their work and communities: • Member Garcia – on Tuesday, the County Board approved the allocation of $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds (ARPA) to support the Northern Illinois Food Bank and local food pantries. Need continues to increase as well as the cost of food. • Mayor Pileski – Roselle is developing its annual budget and income and sales tax revenues continue to be strong. The village plans to eliminate its formal red light camera program in 2023 and undertake several major capital projects. In addition, the number of new residential properties continues to increase. Mayor Pileski noted all are invited to the Founders Day Festival in Roselle on October 8.
• Member Chaplin – detailed the county’s clean water program and stated the county’s current budget/revenue picture is strong. On Tuesday, the County Board developed a timeline for the implementation of a cannabis program (text amendment) and there will be a public hearing on the proposal on October 6 at 6 p.m.
• Mayor Levin – commented on the number of new residential (rental) properties going up in Elmhurst and stated the city has a new Police Chief and soon will have a new Fire Chief. In addition, residents have voiced concerns regarding the implementation of a new state law (SAFE-T Act) and concerns regarding crime, specifically fleeing and eluding.
• Mayor Pruyn – Itasca is working to modify the new runway rotation plan at O’Hare and expressed concern about the proposed rail merger. The village is also working on a downtown redevelopment plan.
• Mayor Brummel – Warrenville has a new City Administrator (Cristina White) but he noted it continues to be a challenge to recruit and keep city employees. The city did recently hire its first full-time communications coordinator. Mayor Brummel also noted Warrenville’s Police Chief is retiring in January.
• Member Selmon – stated on Tuesday, a new County Board Member took office for District #5, Amy Phillips, who replaces Member Amy Chavez who relocated out of state.
• Member Schwarze – who serves as Chairman of the Emergency Telephone System Board (ETSB), discussed the rollout and timeline for the new radios for police and fire agencies.
• Mayor Craig – spoke to the potential rail strike that may start on Friday and the disruptions to the local economy, the need to continue to fight for an increase in Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) dollars, and at this weekend’s Illinois Municipal League Conference (IML), expressed support for passage of a resolution in support of an assault weapons ban. Mayor Craig noted Hanover Park is allocating $7 million for streets and maintenance, more than double the amount in previous years. He lastly noted Hanover Park’s Corks & Crafts Festival is scheduled for Saturday, September 17.
OLD BUSINESS
There was no old business.
NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business.
ADJOURNMENT
With no further business remaining before the committee, Member Selmon moved to adjourn, seconded by Member Levin. All Ayes, motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
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