[4:14] >>

[4:16] good morning and welcome to the metropolitan

[4:17] water

[4:18] reclamation district of greater chicago,

[4:20] my name is kari steele and I'm the

[4:23] president of the

[4:24] board of commissioners, it is january

[4:28] 22nd, 2026 and our regular board meeting

[4:29] will come

[4:31] to order, madam assistant clerk, can

[4:32] you please call the

[4:35] roll ?

[4:38] >> commissioner

[4:41] brady-davis, commissioner davis, vice

[4:42] president

[4:44] flynn, chairman

[4:47] garcia, commissioner mcelroy kirkwood

[4:50] , commissioner

[4:53] waller , nine present constituting

[4:56] a quorum madam

[5:02] president.

[5:03] >>

[5:04] so ordered, if there is anyone from

[5:05] the public that would like to

[5:06] make a comment, please fill out the

[5:08] yellow card being held up by jennifer

[5:09] right now

[5:10] in the back of the room, she will

[5:11] receive that card and you will

[5:14] have three minutes to address the

[5:15] board. At

[5:16] this time will everyone please rise

[5:17] for the pledge

[5:22] of allegiance. I pledge allegiance

[5:23] to the flag of

[5:25] the united states of america and to

[5:26] the republic for which

[5:29] it stands, one nation under

[5:32] god indivisible with liberty and justice

[5:38] for all.

[5:39] >> motion

[5:41] to

[5:42] accept the minutes from the last regular board

[5:44] meeting of january

[5:46] 8th, 2026 without having to read them

[5:47] into the record

[5:50] moved

[5:51] by commissioner brady-davis, second

[5:53] by vice president flynn, all

[5:56] in favor say

[5:59] aye.

[6:01] so ordered. Once again if there's

[6:02] anyone who would like to

[6:03] make a public comment, please fill

[6:05] out that yellow card and staff will

[6:06] make sure

[6:07] I receive it and you will have three

[6:08] minutes to address

[6:11] the board. Right now we have one speaker,

[6:14] joe macarthur, if you could please

[6:16] step to the microphone, clearly state

[6:17] your name

[6:22] and spell your name, state your affiliation and

[6:23] you have three minutes

[6:24] to address the board, welcome.

[6:25] >>

[6:29] thank you, I'm joe

[6:32] we macarthur

[6:35] ,

[6:38] macurthur, case number

[6:41] 77 oh 2239,

[6:44] I'm here to report ongoing

[6:47] encroachments of transportation

[6:50] on highway

[6:53] palatine, the city of

[6:55] rolling metals and harper city college,

[6:56] additionally

[6:59] for fairness, I request

[7:01] the board to amend minutes from the

[7:02] january 8th public comments

[7:05] to fully reflect my

[7:08] minutes. Additionally,

[7:11] sorry, lastly, I think

[7:14] everyone agrees that you, kari

[7:17] steele

[7:20] can say teamwork makes the dream work

[7:21] better than

[7:23] I

[7:26] do. Thanks.

[7:28] >> thank you and we appreciate your

[7:29] participation, do we

[7:31] have anyone else that would like to make

[7:32] a

[7:35] public comment? Okay. Motion

[7:38] to recess and

[7:40] convene as a committee as a whole

[7:44] moved by commissioner brown, second

[7:45] by

[7:47] vice president flynn, all

[7:50] in favor say aye. All opposed?

[7:53] hearing none,

[7:58] so ordered , we will jump right into

[7:59] business, the

[8:00] committee of the whole meeting will

[8:02] come to order, we will move into the

[8:05] consent agenda, right now I will call

[8:06] on

[8:07] each commissioner individually and

[8:08] you can let me know what items you

[8:09] would like

[8:10] to be pulled for discussion. Let's

[8:11] start with commissioner

[8:16] brady-davis. Do you have any items

[8:17] you would like to be pulled

[8:20] for discussion?

[8:21] >>

[8:22] good morning madam president, all

[8:23] of my questions have been addressed.

[8:24] >>

[8:25] thank

[8:27] you commissioner brady-davis, commissioner

[8:29] brown, do you have any items you would

[8:30] like to

[8:32] pull for discussion?

[8:33] >>

[8:34] thank you, my questions have been

[8:38] answered.

[8:39] >> commissioner davis, do you have

[8:40] any items

[8:41] you would like to have pulled for

[8:44] discussion?

[8:45] >> all of my questions

[8:46] have been answered.

[8:48] >> thank you,

[8:51] vice president flynn,

[8:52] do you have any items you would like

[8:54] to have pulled

[8:58] for discussion? Thank you, chairman garcia,

[9:00] do you have any items you

[9:01] would like to have full for --pulled

[9:03] for

[9:06] discussion?

[9:07] >> yes, items one

[9:09] and five.

[9:10] >> thank you chairman

[9:12] garcia.

[9:13] commissioner mcelroy kirkwood, do

[9:14] you have any items you would like

[9:19] to have pulled for discussion?

[9:20] >> thank

[9:21] you, all of my questions have been

[9:24] answered.

[9:27] >> thank

[9:32] you, commissioner waller, do you have

[9:33] any items you

[9:34] would like to have pulled for discussion

[9:36] ?

[9:37] >> yes,

[9:39] items two and

[9:45] 15.

[9:46] >> thank you, and I

[9:47] have no items to be pulled at this

[9:48] time, and my questions have been answered

[9:49] so

[9:50] we will jump into business starting

[9:51] with item number one, madam assistant

[9:52] clerk, will

[9:54] you please read item

[9:57] number

[10:00] one?

[10:01] >>

[10:02] memorial resolution, sponsored by

[10:03] the board of

[10:04] commissioners, celebrated by the life

[10:06] of rick garcia.

[10:07] >> thank

[10:12] you.

[10:13] >> good morning madam president and

[10:14] colleagues, I would like to recognize

[10:15] the life of the pioneer

[10:17] rick garcia, I first met rick many

[10:18] many

[10:20] years ago when I worked in springfield

[10:23] at the governor's budget office, but

[10:26] you can see that rick was somebody

[10:27] passionate

[10:30] about his community and

[10:33] that

[10:39] community [indiscernible]

[10:41] at that time, there was not a profit

[10:42] to be gained and

[10:43] at that time people would shy away

[10:44] from you because of who you were,

[10:45] your

[10:46] sexual orientation and what he stood

[10:48] for. I was not a friend of rick way

[10:51] back when

[10:53] and it took me time to develop as

[10:54] a person

[10:55] to appreciate all these things that

[10:56] he was doing for our community, our

[10:59] nation and our society. I want to say

[11:00] thank you to rick

[11:02] for everything that he did to push

[11:05] unpopular agendas starting in the early

[11:08] 2000 and his work and tenacity and

[11:09] that of many

[11:12] other leaders in our society way

[11:15] back when, they have stood

[11:16] the ground to where I am right now

[11:18] as

[11:20] a person, to where my colleague is

[11:21] as a

[11:22] person and to where all of us are

[11:24] as people in this society so

[11:27] thank

[11:29] you rick, your movement to bring equality

[11:30] to everyone regardless of who

[11:33] you are make you

[11:36] a pioneer in our community,

[11:39] you sacrifice

[11:42] and your tenacity

[11:44] really yielded results for all of

[11:45] us, so

[11:48] that you --

[11:51] thank you.

[11:54] this saturday I think there is a memorial

[11:57] service at 11:00 a.m. But

[12:00] if you

[12:03] can join and make a prayer,

[12:06] not only for rick

[12:08] but for our society in general so

[12:09] we can all become better people,

[12:12] thank you rick.

[12:13] >> thank you

[12:14] chairman garcia, commissioners do

[12:15] you have any additional comments or

[12:16] questions,

[12:18] yes commissioner

[12:21] brady-davis ?

[12:22] >> thank you for

[12:23] bringing forth today's resolution

[12:24] along with myself

[12:26] and I want to say thank you to the

[12:27] board

[12:29] of commissioners for supporting this

[12:30] resolution, today we honor

[12:31] the life and legacy of rick garcia,

[12:33] a trailblazer whose

[12:36] courage to

[12:37] shape illinois moral and political

[12:39] landscape,

[12:40] rick understood long before it was popular

[12:42] or safe that trans rights

[12:48] are human rights and he never wavered in

[12:50] that truth, he was before his time,

[12:51] moving fearlessly through

[12:54] religious communities and public institutions

[12:57] alike, insisting that faith and equality

[12:58] not be

[12:59] treated as opposites but partners

[13:03] in justice. Rick held elected

[13:05] officials accountable, he pushed institutions

[13:06] to do better

[13:09] and he helped lay the

[13:10] groundwork that made marriage equality

[13:12] possible

[13:15] in illinois. His advocacy was

[13:19] relentless, fierce, rooted in love

[13:21] for our

[13:24] community and as commissioner garcia and

[13:25] I sponsor this resolution, we do knowing

[13:27] so that we stand on the great shoulders

[13:30] of rick garcia. We

[13:33] are eternally grateful for

[13:39] his life , for

[13:40] his life's work and we commit to carrying his

[13:42] legacy forward with the same courage,

[13:43] tenacity, clarity

[13:45] and conviction that

[13:47] defined him. Anyone who ever knew

[13:48] rick garcia knew

[13:51] he was tenacious. My

[13:53] deepest condolences to rick's family

[13:54] and his

[14:00] loved ones and we will

[14:02] forever keep his memory alive. Thank you

[14:03] to the board of commissioners for

[14:04] sponsoring

[14:05] this resolution today.

[14:06] >> thank you

[14:07] commissioner brady-davis, commissioners

[14:08] do you have

[14:09] additional comments? Yes, vice president

[14:12] flynn .

[14:15] >> just a fun fact, I met

[14:17] rick garcia years ago on the campaign

[14:18] trail, he was a

[14:21] contender for mwrd,

[14:23] he was witty, smart and a very kind

[14:24] man, we

[14:26] became friends during that season,

[14:27] but yes, god bless rick,

[14:30] thank you.

[14:31] >> thank you

[14:33] vice president flynn,

[14:35] thank you, I was going to touch on

[14:36] that exact

[14:39] point. Rick, much

[14:43] earlier, probably towards the end of my

[14:45] young democrat days, but what I can

[14:47] say is, one, everything you are saying

[14:48] is spot

[14:51] on but, I appreciated

[14:54] rick's ability

[14:57] to collaborate and communicate

[15:00] with everyone and always

[15:03] be professional. You know now we are

[15:06] in a time

[15:08] where we have a lot of agitators in

[15:09] the room and we think we have

[15:12] to yell and scream or diss someone to

[15:13] get

[15:15] their point across or to

[15:18] make them view things the way we

[15:21] view

[15:23] them. I never saw him like that, so

[15:24] if you was, I didn't know about it,

[15:27] he was always professional and always

[15:30] just respectful and talked to you

[15:33] and that's what

[15:35] we need more, just regular conversation

[15:36] to make people be

[15:39] able to work together, so obviously

[15:40] he

[15:42] was a

[15:45] fan of all the reclamation's,

[15:48] so we lost a good one but thank you

[15:49] all for doing this resolution

[15:50] and I encourage everyone to read the

[15:51] resolution when you have a minute,

[15:52] to know

[15:53] a little bit more about his history

[15:54] and

[15:56] his life. Thank you, we will return

[15:57] this item back to

[16:00] the

[16:03] consent agenda. Madam assistant clerk,

[16:06] please read item number

[16:09] two.

[16:10] >> request authority

[16:15] to reviews

[16:21] the proposed amended sewage and waste

[16:22] control ordinance of the

[16:23] metropolitan water reclamation district of

[16:24] greater chicago and proposed procedural

[16:25] rules governing all

[16:26] administrative proceedings before

[16:27] a board appointed hearing officers

[16:31] brought pursuant to the amended

[16:32] ordinance.

[16:33] >> commissioner waller. >>

[16:34] thank you madam

[16:35] president, I understand one of the

[16:37] substantial changes is the

[16:40] added section 5, article five,

[16:42] section 15 to classify non-discharging

[16:43] categorical

[16:45] industrial users, I'm seeking clarification

[16:49] on why

[16:51] industrial user that is not discharging

[16:54] what have to file a report and I understand

[16:55] and acknowledge this is a

[16:58] federal requirement, but if

[16:59] you could opine us as to why, that

[17:01] would be

[17:03] great.

[17:04] >> good morning everyone, so

[17:05] this is

[17:07] a recommendation from epa that

[17:10] we include in our ordinance, so that

[17:13] is why we are including it.

[17:16] it's also,

[17:17] the feeling is that would make us

[17:19] aware of these types of entities are

[17:21] out there and that would be on our

[17:22] radar. That is

[17:25] the basic reason for

[17:28] that.

[17:29] >>

[17:30] it is interesting to me how this might

[17:31] be used for

[17:35] noncompliant utility, or significant

[17:37] industrial users such as we have

[17:40] talked about during this

[17:41] board meeting. Just to keep track

[17:43] of them. So,

[17:46] is that a use we are going to see

[17:48] for that, just tracking the folks

[17:49] that maybe are

[17:52] not allowed to discharge due

[17:57] to noncompliance?

[17:58] >> we have already

[17:59] compiled a list

[18:00] of what these entities are, we believe

[18:01] that they are.

[18:04] this allows

[18:07] us to

[18:08] provide notification, certifying they

[18:10] are

[18:13] not disparaging waste to

[18:16] our system.

[18:17] >> I

[18:18] would welcome an opportunity to think of

[18:19] that as a

[18:21] business opportunity, so we can help them

[18:22] with

[18:25] on-site treatment and this is

[18:28] in the vein of water use.

[18:33] thank you.

[18:34] >> thank you commissioner

[18:37] waller . Commissioners, do you

[18:38] have any additional comments or questions

[18:40] for item

[18:43] number two? Okay,

[18:46] let's move this item back to the

[18:49] consent agenda. Madam

[18:51] assistant clerk, please read item

[18:52] number

[18:58] five.

[18:59] >> report on investment inventory

[19:00] statistics at

[19:01] december

[19:02] 31st, 2025.

[19:03] >> thank you, chairman

[19:04] garcia.

[19:05] >>

[19:07] thank you. I wanted to

[19:10] pull

[19:13] this item on

[19:15] our investment inventory statistics to

[19:16] call out

[19:19] the 2025 green

[19:22] bonds report

[19:23] which was just released, it is important

[19:24] because some of these investments

[19:28] are from investments in

[19:29] green bonds, as you know the district

[19:30] has been issuing green bonds since

[19:31] 2014, where

[19:32] we are able to ensure green bonds

[19:34] aced on

[19:38] the environmental work. Treating wastewater and

[19:40] storm water and we are able to

[19:43] have a wider array

[19:45] of investors, please take a look at

[19:46] the 2025 report

[19:47] and see the depth and irony of categories

[19:51] that issuing green bonds have allowed

[19:52] us to

[19:55] fund

[19:58] which includes stormwater management

[19:59] and resource recovery

[20:00] and critical enhancements and improvements

[20:01] to our reclamation plants. I want

[20:02] to say

[20:04] thank you to the

[20:05] financing and all the staff who worked

[20:07] so diligently and

[20:08] respectfully, responsibly, we have

[20:09] more updates throughout the year.

[20:10] thank you to the

[20:13] teams and please look for

[20:15] the report which is posted online

[20:16] and

[20:19] you can get it in paper form I think

[20:22] from allison.

[20:23] >>

[20:26] thank you chairman garcia. Commissioners,

[20:28] do you have any additional questions

[20:29] or comments

[20:31] for item

[20:33] number five? Okay, let's move item

[20:34] number five

[20:37] back to the

[20:40] consent agenda.

[20:43] madam assistant clerk, will you read

[20:44] item

[20:46] number 15.

[20:49] >> authority to advertise

[20:55] contract 26-rfp-06

[20:57] employee benefits consulting services,

[20:58] for a

[21:01] three-year

[21:04] period, effective july 1st.

[21:07] >> commissioner

[21:13] waller .

[21:14] >> in light of this

[21:15] being one of the more expensive things

[21:16] on the agenda, can you tell

[21:17] us what the operational lifespan of

[21:19] these items

[21:22] would be?

[21:25] >> with this, this is for

[21:28] the calumet tarp deep tunnel

[21:34] pump system

[21:36] , so very critical like all of our

[21:37] large pumping stations, so we

[21:39] have the rotating assemblies waiting

[21:40] to

[21:43] be overhauled, both have a

[21:46] life expectancy

[21:48] of 10 years, so 10 years from now

[21:49] we will be doing that again. The

[21:51] same thing with the medium voltage,

[21:52] on a 10 year

[21:55] maintenance cycle, so about 10 years

[21:57] from now we will be doing that again

[21:58] and as far as

[22:01] the suction valve, they have a water

[22:02] lifespan of approximately 40 years.

[22:04] >> thank you executive

[22:07] director

[22:09] marie.

[22:10] >> commissioners, do you have

[22:11] any additional

[22:13] questions, comments for item

[22:16] number 15?

[22:17] okay, let's move that item back to

[22:19] the

[22:25] consent agenda. Commissioners, do

[22:26] you have any items that you would

[22:28] like to be pulled for discussion at

[22:29] this

[22:31] time that you did not

[22:34] mention earlier?

[22:37] madam

[22:42] assistant clerk, will you please identify

[22:43] the items on the agenda to bring

[22:46] forth to the regular board

[22:49] meeting?

[22:50] >> the following items have been

[22:51] recommended

[22:52] to bring forth to the regular board

[22:53] meeting, agenda items

[22:55] one through 32, that concludes the

[22:56] agenda for each standing

[22:58] committee, madam president.

[22:59] >> moved

[23:00] by

[23:01] vice president flynn, seconded

[23:04] by commissioner davis, all in

[23:07] favor say

[23:10] aye. So ordered. Are there any items

[23:11] to be discussed in

[23:16] executive session?

[23:22] okay, the committee of the whole meeting

[23:23] is adjourned,

[23:25] we

[23:27] will take a five-minute break and reconvene

[23:28] in the regular board meeting, quick

[23:31] five minute break,

[23:35] thank you.

[23:55] >> in the

[23:56] regular board meeting will come to

[23:57] order, madam assistant clerk, we have

[23:58] an ordinance and travel

[24:00] request this morning, please read

[24:01] industrial waste ordinance

[24:04] item number

[24:10] two.

[24:11] >>

[24:13] request authority

[24:14] to review the proposed amended sewage and

[24:15] waste control ordinance of the metropolitan

[24:16] water reclamation district

[24:17] of greater chicago and proposed procedural

[24:18] rules governing all administrative

[24:20] proceedings before board appointed

[24:21] hearing officers brought to the pursuant

[24:22] of the

[24:25] amended ordinance.

[24:26] >> thank

[24:27] you, moved by vice president flynn,

[24:28] chairman garcia, roll call.

[24:33] >> commissioner brady-davis, commissioner

[24:34] brown, commissioner davis,

[24:37] vice president flynn, chairman

[24:42] garcia, commissioner mcelroy kirkwood,

[24:43] commissioner waller, madam

[24:49] president .

[24:55] item 11, authority

[24:57] to approve travel expenses from the

[24:58] board of commissioners and

[25:04] board executive .

[25:05] >>

[25:07] moved by flynn,

[25:10] seconded by

[25:13] chairman

[25:16] garcia.

[25:17] >> commissioner mcelroy

[25:19] kirkwood, commissioner

[25:22] corral sepulveda,

[25:24] commissioner waller, madam president?

[25:30] >> yes, so ordered, madam assistant

[25:31] clerk, please recite the items for

[25:34] consideration.

[25:35] >> yes, madam

[25:36] president, item one was red, item

[25:37] two was

[25:40] right,

[25:43] item three,

[25:44] report on the investment interest

[25:45] income during december 2025, four,

[25:46] report on investment

[25:52] purchased during

[25:53] december 2025, item five was red,

[25:55] item six, report to the board of commissioners

[25:56] on payment of restricted interest

[25:58] earnings in the amount

[26:01] of $544,619.52 for

[26:03] the 2025 calendar year, pursuant to

[26:04] the terms of

[26:09] a project partnership agreement with

[26:10] the united

[26:11] states army corps of engineers approved

[26:13] by the board on january

[26:16] 24th,

[26:17] 2019. Eight, authority to transfer

[26:22] up to $6

[26:28] million $650,000 from the

[26:34] construction working cash

[26:35] fund to finance construction fund

[26:37] operations of the district in the year

[26:38] 2026, pursuant

[26:40] to the provisions of 70 ilcs

[26:46] 2605/9 c.

[26:54] authority to transfer up to $64,125,000 from

[26:55] the storm water

[26:56] management working cash fund to finance

[26:58] stormwater management fund

[27:00] operations of the district in the year

[27:01] 2026, pursuant to the provisions of

[27:02] chapter

[27:04] 70 and the illinois compiled

[27:07] statute 6205/9

[27:10] e. Item 12 was

[27:13] red, 13, to

[27:16] advertise contract

[27:21] 26-rfp-06 employee benefits consulting services,

[27:22] for a

[27:27] three-year period, effective july

[27:28] 1st. 14, authority

[27:30] to advertise contract 26-rfp-07 flexible

[27:31] spending plan administrator,

[27:34] for a four-year period,

[27:37] effective january

[27:40] 1st, 2027 to december 31st. Item 15

[27:41] was

[27:46] red, 16, authority to advertise

[27:49] contract

[27:51] 26-360-11 for public tender of bids

[27:52] for a 14 year lease on approximately

[27:53] 2.5 acres

[27:55] of district real estate located

[27:58] at 15680 canal bank

[28:01] road in lemont, illinois, known

[28:04] as maine

[28:07] channel parcel . 17, authority to

[28:08] advertise

[28:10] contract 26-713-11,

[28:13] scavenger

[28:15] services at the o'brien water reclamation plant, estimated

[28:16] cost

[28:19] of $1,423,000,

[28:26] account 101-67000-612520,

[28:32] requisition 165-2776.

[28:41] 20, issue purchase order for

[28:46] contract 26-100-11 preventative maintenance

[28:47] for laboratory

[28:48] balances and meters to certify balance

[28:49] and skill corporation in the amount

[28:50] not to

[28:52] exceed $58,800. 21, authority to award

[28:56] contract 22-377

[28:59] raw sewage discharge pipe

[29:00] support modifications for pumps one

[29:05] through

[29:06] three, to john burns construction

[29:08] company llc in an amount not

[29:11] to

[29:17] exceed $9,657,000

[29:19] . 22, authority to award contract

[29:20] 25-821-21 furnish,

[29:23] deliver and install grit

[29:26] screw conveyors at the

[29:29] calumet water

[29:32] reclamation plant.

[29:35] 23,

[29:36] authority to award contract 26-65-11,

[29:37] diving services at various locations

[29:38] to global

[29:40] infrastructure llc doing business as chicago

[29:41] underwater in

[29:42] the amount not to exceed $190,000.

[29:44] 24, authority to increase the

[29:45] purchase order and amend the agreement

[29:47] with a

[29:50] via llc for telecommunications equipment,

[29:53] maintenance and

[29:56] support and

[29:59] e911

[30:02] calling in an

[30:05] amount

[30:08] of

[30:09] $43,900. 25, authority to decrease

[30:17] contract 17-135-three

[30:23] , roof replacement

[30:29] of the

[30:32] lue-hing m&r

[30:35] complex, sticky water

[30:41] reclamation plant.

[30:56] 28, authority to settle

[30:57] the workers compensation claim of

[30:59] kevin

[31:02] matthew versus

[31:05] mwrdgc,

[31:11] claim number

[31:17] w003639421, illinois

[31:19] worker's compensation commission in

[31:20] the

[31:23] sum

[31:26] of

[31:29] $23,427. 31,

[31:30] authority to issue a five-year permit

[31:31] to the united states department of

[31:33] the interior u.s. Geological survey

[31:34] to continue to operate and maintain

[31:35] and

[31:36] remove a gauging station on the summit

[31:38] conduit outflow

[31:41] located on maine channel parcel

[31:44] in

[31:45] summit, illinois. Consideration shall

[31:47] be a nominal fee

[31:50] of $10. 32, consent

[31:52] to assignment of easement agreement

[31:53] dated may 5th, 2016, from american

[31:59] grading company to use and maintain an

[32:02] access

[32:05] road on

[32:08] 71,226 square feet of district real

[32:09] estate located along the eastern edge

[32:10] of the district's mainstream pumping

[32:11] station in

[32:13] hodgkins, illinois. That concludes

[32:14] the recital of agenda

[32:17] items for consideration

[32:20] madam president.

[32:21] >>

[32:26] thank you.

[32:44] are

[32:45] there any items that the board of

[32:47] commissioners would like to

[32:51] discuss further? Okay, madam clerk

[32:53] please identify the items on the consent

[32:54] agenda.

[32:55] >> the following consent agenda

[32:59] items have and submitted for

[33:00] board approval, items one through

[33:02] 32 with the exceptions of items

[33:03] two and 11, that concludes the consent

[33:05] agenda madam president.

[33:06] >>

[33:08] thank you, moved by

[33:11] vice president flynn, second by

[33:14] commissioner corral sepulveda, roll

[33:15] call please.

[33:16] >> commissioner brady-davis,

[33:17] commissioner brown,

[33:21] commissioner davis, vice president

[33:22] flynn, chairman garcia, commissioner

[33:23] mcelroy

[33:26] kirkwood,

[33:28] commissioner corral sepulveda, commissioner

[33:29] waller, madam

[33:32] president ?

[33:35] >> yes.

[33:38] so ordered. We will move into

[33:44] new business.

[33:49] thank you, so our black history month

[33:50] flag raising ceremony

[33:51] will be coming up soon, I would like

[33:53] to take this time to

[33:56] remind all mwrd staff

[33:58] and colleagues to join us for the

[34:00] seventh annual pan african american

[34:02] flag raising ceremony, or I

[34:05] like to call

[34:08] the black flag raising

[34:11] ceremony, february 2nd, 2026 at

[34:13] 10:00 a.m. At this building, the main office

[34:14] building, the barbara

[34:19] j mcgowan main office building, the

[34:20] flag raising will take place

[34:21] directly outside the main entrance

[34:23] of the building.

[34:26] this ceremony is an

[34:27] important opportunity to honor the

[34:28] history, culture and lasting contributions

[34:29] of african

[34:32] americans while reaffirming

[34:35] mwrd's continued

[34:36] commitment to diversity, inclusion

[34:38] and unity throughout our organization

[34:39] and of

[34:41] course this kicks off black

[34:47] history month.

[34:50] and that is all

[34:51] the new business I have, I will call

[34:52] on each commissioner individually

[34:53] and you can let me

[34:55] know if you have new business or lead

[34:56] all of us know what your new

[34:57] business is, let's start with commissioner

[34:59] davis. Do you have any

[35:01] new business?

[35:02] >> thank you, I do not.

[35:03] >> thank you commissioner

[35:04] davis. Commissioner mcelroy kirkwood,

[35:05] do you have any new

[35:11] business ?

[35:20] >> [indiscernible] >> thank

[35:22] you commissioner mcelroy kirkwood.

[35:26] commissioner waller, any new

[35:31] business ?

[35:32] >> thank you, yes, I would

[35:33] like to say thank

[35:34] you to my fellow commissioners, executive

[35:35] director john murray

[35:37] and staff and the public for our collective

[35:38] value of public health, the federal administration

[35:40] has revised the cost benefit analysis

[35:44] associated with setting pollution

[35:45] limits

[35:47] to consider only the cost to

[35:49] industry and a limit consideration

[35:50] of public

[35:56] health, despite our

[35:59] total --anyway,

[36:02] despite this to public health, I would

[36:04] like to take this moment to just reaffirm

[36:08] our mission, mwrd will protect the

[36:09] health

[36:11] and safety of the public and its service

[36:13] area, protect the quality of water supply and

[36:15] lake michigan, improve the quality

[36:17] of

[36:22] water in the service area, protect

[36:23] businesses and homes from

[36:25] flood damage and manage water as a

[36:26] vital resource for our service

[36:28] area. To put these words into action,

[36:29] I request that we seek

[36:31] continued funding for our wastewater

[36:33] public health

[36:35] surveillance program, thank you madam

[36:36] president.

[36:37] >> thank you commissioner

[36:40] waller, commissioner corral sepulveda,

[36:42] any new

[36:44] business quest mike

[36:45] >> just wanted

[36:46] to say thank

[36:47] you to dr. O'connor for joining us

[36:48] yesterday in

[36:49] the environmental town hall, we had

[36:51] a great session

[36:54] working with our county

[36:57] government and sharing awareness

[36:59] and resources available to our residents

[37:03] on lead poisoning and resources

[37:06] for

[37:09] families to particularly in

[37:10] the home childcare sector to address

[37:12] those

[37:13] and replace their lead waterlines

[37:14] and we also provided some information

[37:15] on how

[37:18] they could better use

[37:21] green infrastructure

[37:26] in our green neighbor guide to protect themselves

[37:27] from flooding so thank

[37:28] you, we had really good participation

[37:30] and registration of over 100

[37:32] interested parties and I appreciate

[37:33] dr. O'connor taking

[37:35] the time to engage with our residents

[37:36] and share

[37:39] more about what we do at

[37:41] mwrd . And thank you commissioner

[37:42] waller

[37:45] for bringing that to

[37:48] the front. We are the front-line

[37:49] in ensuring that the public health

[37:51] of

[37:53] our residents continues to be protected

[37:54] from polluters,

[37:57] thank you.

[37:58] >>

[38:00] thank

[38:01] you commissioner corral sepulveda.

[38:03] commissioner brown ?

[38:05] thank you commissioner brown. Commissioner

[38:11] brady-davis ?

[38:12] >> thank you madam president,

[38:13] first I would like to thank the executive

[38:15] director for looking

[38:18] into fixing the livestream

[38:21] on the

[38:22] reservoir, there was a part that needed

[38:24] to be fixed, the executive

[38:25] director ordered that, I don't know

[38:27] about you all but I enjoy

[38:30] watching that reservoir fill up

[38:31] during storms, something I enjoy checking

[38:33] on so thank you

[38:35] executive director murray. I also

[38:36] want everyone to stay

[38:38] warm , tomorrow the wind chill is

[38:39] going to

[38:42] be -35, I heard

[38:44] it's going to be the coldest day this

[38:45] year, so everyone

[38:48] stay warm,

[38:51] stay home, have some hot cocoa if you can,

[38:52] that

[38:53] is all I have madam president.

[38:54] >>

[38:57] thank you commissioner brady-davis.

[39:00] chairman garcia, do you have any new

[39:03] business?

[39:04] >> nothing today,

[39:05] thank you.

[39:06] >> thank you chairman garcia.

[39:07] vice president flynn,

[39:09] do you have any new business

[39:12] ?

[39:13] >> just a comment

[39:14] regarding commissioner waller's statement, I'm

[39:15] so grateful, you

[39:18] stated what we do every day

[39:20] all day and how great it is to have

[39:21] the forefathers of this agency set

[39:22] the ground rules and get it rolling. But

[39:24] all this happens whether

[39:26] we sit in the seats or not, so I'm

[39:28] so grateful for the whole show putting

[39:30] it together, thank you

[39:33] very much.

[39:34] >> thank you vice

[39:36] president flynn. Madam

[39:39] assistant clerk, will

[39:42] you please read the motion to

[39:44] adjourn?

[39:45] >> yes madam president, I

[39:48] move that when the board adjourns,

[39:50] it adjourns to meet again on january

[39:51] 25th,

[39:57] at 10:30 a.m., and also that today's

[39:58] meeting is adjourned.

[39:59] >> moved by

[40:00] vice president flynn and

[40:03] seconded by

[40:06] commissioner

[40:08] davis.

[40:09] >> vice president flynn, chairman

[40:10] garcia,

[40:12] commissioner

[40:15] mcelroy kirkwood, commissioner

[40:18] waller, madam

[40:21] president ?

[40:22] >> yes,

[40:23] so ordered, the regular meeting is adjourned,

[40:24] everyone have a

[40:27] productive day,

[40:30] thank you.

Board of Commissioners on 2026-01-22 10:30 AM

Agenda

Transcript