Village of Oswego Committee of the Whole met Aug. 17

By Philip Gonzales

Sep 17, 2021

Village of Oswego Committee of the Whole met Aug. 17.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

CALL TO ORDER

President Troy Parlier called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m.

ROLL CALL

Board Members Physically Present: President Troy Parlier; Trustees Tom Guist, Kit Kuhrt, James Marter II, Terry Olson, Jennifer Jones Sinnott and Brian Thomas.

Staff Physically Present: Dan Di Santo, Village Administrator; Christina Burns, Asst. Village Administrator; Tina Touchette, Village Clerk; Jeff Burgner, Police Chief; Jennifer Hughes, Public Works Director; Rod Zenner, Community Development Director; Mark Horton, Finance Director; Scott McMaster, ED Director; Joe Renzetti, IG/GIS Director; Jenette Sturges, Community Engagement Coordinator, Marketing; Karl Ottosen, Village Attorney; and Douglas Dorando, Village Attorney.

PUBLIC FORUM

Public Forum was opened at 6:02 p.m.

Gerald Sternberg addressed the Board regarding infrastructure; fibrous in concrete; other reinforcement types; saving money on curbs and concrete; rental housing.

Jose Villarreal addressed the Board regarding the death of his son at the intersection of Mill Road/Lynx and Washington Street; he was a Sgt. First Class and did three tours in the Middle East; need to do something at that intersection; school is a half block away; cars are doing over 25 mph; advocate so no one else goes through this.

There was no one else who requested to speak. The public forum was closed at 6:09 p.m.

OLD BUSINESS

F.1 Update on the Alternative Water Source Evaluation – Part 3: Water Conservation

Director Hughes addressed the Board regarding alternative water source options and water conservation. The presentation will address the issue of the max day to average day ratio; the minimum requirements for the Lake Michigan permit; and introduce other conservation measures that could be considered later. Baxter & Woodman representatives, Carolyn Grieves and Lauren Schuld attended in person and presented the following:

• Lake Michigan has very specific requirements

• Important practices to embrace

• By conserving water, would save 1.5 million gallons per day

• Would reduce infrastructure needs

• Projected water demands through 2050 with conservation plan in Oswego = 6.41 max day

• Conservation will not replace the need for a new water source

• Help buy time for the short-term capital improvements

• Rebates

• Outdoor water uses

• Village’s ordinance will need to be updated to get Lake Michigan allocation

• Possible to meet the 10% with small modifications

• Annual leak detection

• When to fill swimming pools

• Rolling current practices into future ordinance

• Conservation trends

Board, staff, and Baxter & Woodman representatives’ discussion focused on why Oswego’s and Montgomery’s gallons per day numbers are so close together; due to Boulder Hill and possibly industrial; broad requirement for public education; no specific guidelines; #10 of the IDNR requirements does not apply to Oswego; has more to do with boating; IDNR require certain conservations; sod ban in July and August; incorporating the minimum requirements; competing issues; #8 of the IDNR requirements can be handled on a case by case basis; measurable usage; vast of housing is new; irrigation systems are the biggest impact; low flow fixtures won’t be a large impact. Next step is to codify the steps into code. Will be back for more presentations. There was no further discussion.

NEW BUSINESS

There was no new business.

CLOSED SESSION

A motion was made by Trustee Jones Sinnott and seconded by Trustee Kuhrt to enter into Closed Session for the purposes of discussing the following:

• Appointment, Employment, Compensation, Discipline, Performance, or Dismissal of Personnel [5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1)]

• Sale, Lease, and/or Acquisition of Property [5 ILCS 120/2(c)(5) & (6)]

Aye: Tom Guist Kit Kuhrt

James Marter II Terry Olson

Jennifer Jones Sinnott Brian Thomas

Nay: None

The motion was declared carried by a roll call vote with six (6) aye votes and zero (0) nay votes.

The Board adjourned to Closed Session at 6:28 p.m.