[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.