Dupage Policy Journal

DuPage County Human Services Committee met April 1

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

1. CALL TO ORDER

9:30 AM meeting was called to order by Chair Greg Schwarze at 9:30 AM.

2. ROLL CALL

Members Cahill and LaPlante arrived at 9:32 AM.

Staff in attendance: Nick Kottmeyer (Chief Administrative Officer), Renee Zerante ( State's Attorneys Office), Mary Catherine Wells, Keith Jorstad, and Katrina Holman (Finance), Donna Weidman (Procurement), Julie Hamlin and Gina Strafford-Ahmed (Community Services Administrators), Mary Keating (DIrector of Community Services), and Shauna Berman, remote (Assistant Administrator of the DuPage Care Center).

PRESENT Cronin Cahill, DeSart, Galassi, Garcia, LaPlante, and Schwarze

3. PUBLIC COMMENT

No public comments were offered.

4. CHAIR REMARKS - CHAIR SCHWARZE

Chair Schwarze stated that as the small human services grant application deadline to apply is this Friday, April 4, 2025, there are 44 applications submitted, nine of them in the last 24 hours. We will discuss the grant applications more in depth at the next meeting, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. Member Galassi asked if she could get a list of the applicants from each district before Friday’s deadline. Mary Catherine Wells, the Deputy Chief Financial Officer, responded that she would email the current list to the committee. Member DeSart asked about getting a list of the agencies within their districts that may have errors in their applications before Friday, so they have the ability to correct them and resubmit them. Ms. Wells responded that the Finance team has been tracking the applications and following up with the agencies throughout the application process with errors or missing documentation. 

Greg confirmed with Mary Catherine that the April 4 date is a firm deadline for all applications to be completed and/or corrected.

5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

5.A. 25-0908

Human Services Committee - Regular Meeting - Tuesday, March 4, 2025

RESULT: APPROVED

MOVER: Paula Garcia

SECONDER: Dawn DeSart

6. COMMUNITY SERVICES - MARY KEATING

6.A. FI-R-0057-25

Acceptance and appropriation of the DuPage Housing Authority Family Self-Sufficiency Program PY25, Agreement No. FSS25IL, Company 5000 - Accounting Unit 1740, from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, in the amount of $184,000. (Community Services)

RESULT: APPROVED AND SENT TO FINANCE

MOVER: Dawn DeSart

SECONDER: Paula Garcia

7. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION - MARY KEATING

7.A. FI-R-0054-25

Acceptance and appropriation of the fifty-first (51st) year of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) PY25, Company 5000 - Accounting Unit 1440, for the period April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026, in the amount of $3,744,889, for Community Development. (Community Services)

Member Garcia asked if there is a time frame to spend the funds and if there are any repercussions with unspent grant funds. Mary Keating, Director of Community Services, replied that the amounts listed on today’s agenda items are planning numbers, based on the anticipation that the continuing resolution will have the same 2024 funding level.

They typically submit the acceptance and appropriation to meet the April 1st program year deadline. This is always a planning number, and they will tweak as necessary when the actual allocations are awarded, which HUD informed staff should be in mid-May. As far as retribution for unspent funds, the 2025 budget has been passed and if our funds are at risk, then all federal funds are at risk. CDBG and ESG funds are spent quickly. The 2025 HOME funding is going to the Naperville housing project. Ms. Keating believes they have seven years to spend the HOME funds, but they will spend the money well before that deadline.

RESULT: APPROVED AND SENT TO FINANCE

MOVER: Dawn DeSart

SECONDER: Paula Garcia

7.B. FI-R-0055-25

Acceptance and appropriation of the thirty-seventh (37th) year of the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) PY25, Company 5000 - Accounting Unit 1470, for the period April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026, in the amount of $286,741, for Community Development. (Community Services)

RESULT: APPROVED AND SENT TO FINANCE

MOVER: Cynthia Cronin Cahill

SECONDER: Kari Galassi

7.C. FI-R-0056-25

Acceptance and appropriation of the thirty-fourth (34th) year of the HOME Investment Partnerships Grant PY25, Company 5000 - Accounting Unit 1450, for the period April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026, in the amount of $1,727,602, for Community Development. (Community Services)

RESULT: APPROVED AND SENT TO FINANCE

MOVER: Paula Garcia

SECONDER: Cynthia Cronin Cahill

7.D. HS-R-0008-25

Recommendation for Approval of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Village of Glen Ellyn and DuPage County, with DuPage County to act as the Responsible Entity and perform the Environmental Review, under 24 CFR Part 58, as necessary for Glen Ellyn’s Community Project Funding (CPF) Grant.

RESULT: APPROVED AND SENT TO FINANCE

MOVER: Lynn LaPlante

SECONDER: Cynthia Cronin Cahill

8. DUPAGE CARE CENTER - JANELLE CHADWICK

8.A. HS-P-0017-25

Recommendation for the approval of a contract purchase order issued to CareVoyant, Inc., for historical access data license fee for CareVoyant LTC Software to reside on DuPage County's file server, and support, for the period May 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026, for a total contract amount not to exceed $55,500. Other professional services not suitable for competitive bid per 55 ILCS 5/5-1022(c). Vendor selected pursuant to DuPage County Procurement Ordinance 2-353(1)(b).

RESULT: APPROVED AND SENT TO FINANCE

MOVER: Paula Garcia

SECONDER: Kari Galassi

8.B. 25-0909

Recommendation for the approval of a contract purchase order to Yami Fresh, to manage beverage and snack vending machines at various locations on County Campus, at no cost to the County, for the period of May 5, 2025 through May 4, 2026, per bid #24-004-DCC, first of three one-year optional renewals.

RESULT: APPROVED

MOVER: Paula Garcia

SECONDER: Kari Galassi

AYES: Cronin Cahill, DeSart, Galassi, Garcia, LaPlante, and Schwarze

8.C. 25-0910

Recommendation for the approval of a contract purchase order to Redsail Technologies, LLC, for software and software maintenance for the data system in the Pharmacy Department, for the period May 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026, for a total contract amount not to exceed $19,000; Competitive bids per 55 ILCS 5/5-1022(d) (IT/Telecom purchases under $35,000).

RESULT: APPROVED

MOVER: Paula Garcia

SECONDER: Kari Galassi

AYES: Cronin Cahill, DeSart, Galassi, Garcia, LaPlante, and Schwarze

9. BUDGET TRANSFERS

9.A. 25-0911

Transfer of funds from account no. 5000-1495-54100-0000 (IT equipment) to account no. 5000-1495-54100-0700 (IT equipment - capital lease) in the amount of $320, adding the sub account for leases for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). (Community Services)

RESULT: APPROVED

MOVER: Paula Garcia

SECONDER: Kari Galassi

10. INFORMATIONAL

10.A. 25-0912

GPN 005-25: 2024 HUD Continuum of Care Program Competition - Planning PY26, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - $328,070. (Community Services)

RESULT: APPROVED AND SENT TO FINANCE

MOVER: Paula Garcia

SECONDER: Lynn LaPlante

11. RESIDENCY WAIVERS - JANELLE CHADWICK

No residency waivers were offered.

12. DUPAGE CARE CENTER UPDATE - JANELLE CHADWICK

Shauna Berman, Assistant Administrator of the DuPage Care Center, stated that a resident tested positive for covid over the weekend. It is contained so no unit quarantine is needed. Staff continue to do contact tracing. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) inspected and cleared the 3N unit for occupancy. The residents from the second floor will be moving up to the third floor, so there are boxes everywhere and a lot of excitement with the residents. The DuPage Care Center Foundation’s annual golf outing will be held on June 27, 2025, at Prairie Landing Golf Club in West Chicago. There are almost 50 golfers registered already.

13. COMMUNITY SERVICES UPDATE - MARY KEATING

Mary Keating shared a voice mail from a past Family Self-Sufficiency participant thanking the staff, stating in May she will be graduating from Aurora University with her master’s degree. She attributes Family Self-Sufficiency, a long-term case management program, for assisting with her GED, associate’s, and bachelor’s degrees, leading up to the master’s degree this year. She has also become a homeowner during the process. Ms. Keating spoke regarding the federal continuing resolution, stating there was a recent announcement that the federal government will be cutting 10,000 staff from the Federal Health and Human Services (HHS), including the elimination of the division called the Administration for Community Living which houses all our senior service’s programs. The press release said all programs will be absorbed into something else, but we do not know who or when or where. HHS is also the agency where our LIHEAP, CSBG, and Weatherization funds come from. We do not know the status of these programs. They are funded in the 2025 budget, but we don’t know how the 25% staff reduction at HHS will impact the funds we get from that federal agency. The GPN on today’s agenda, item number 10.A., is for our planning grant for the Continuum of Care (CoC). They are waiting for their agreement with the new language adhering to the current executive orders. Upon receipt, Ms. Keating will forward the agreement to the state’s attorney for review. She will report to the county board if there will be any changes in their current practices.

14. OLD BUSINESS

No old business was discussed.

15. NEW BUSINESS

Member DeSart thanked Mary Catherine Wells, Assistant State’s Attorney Conor McCarthy, and the Finance staff for their unrelenting assistance with her and her constituents during the application process of the small human services grant.

Chair Schwarze stated that the next Human Services Committee meeting will provide a couple of presentations, one about remodeling the east wing of the DuPage Care Center, which is not part of the current remodel, and the other will be regarding food insecurity and what the potential is with the Northern Illinois Food Bank. (NIFB). Member DeSart asked about the monthly updates from the NIFB. Chair Schwarze said he discussed this with the Executive Director Julie Yurko and we should expect an update soon.

16. ADJOURNMENT

RESULT: APPROVED

MOVER: Paula Garcia

SECONDER: Kari Galassi

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