Kendall County Times

Village of Oswego Committee of the Whole met Jan. 21.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

CALL TO ORDER

President Ryan Kauffman called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m.

ROLL CALL

Board Members Physically Present: President Ryan Kauffman; Trustees Tom Guist, Kit Kuhrt, Karin McCarthy Lange, Karen Novy, Jennifer Jones Sinnott, and Andrew Torres.

Staff Physically Present: Dan Di Santo, Village Administrator; Jean Bueche, Asst. Village Administrator; Tina Touchette, Village Clerk; Jason Bastin, Police Chief; Curt Cassidy, Incoming Public Works Director; Jennifer Hughes, Public Works Director; Andrea Lamberg, Finance Director; Rod Zenner, Development Services Director; Kevin Leighty, Economic Development Director; Bridget Bittman, Communications Manager; Steve Raasch, Facilities Manager; and Dave Silverman, Village Attorney.

PUBLIC FORUM

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

Jim Wilhelm addressed the Board regarding the helping of those affected by the fires in California; he wants to take a truck of bottled water but is still working through the logistics; he is hoping Oswego can help him; the Red Cross may not want the water; Yorkville and Sugar Grove are interested; need to find out if water is needed; Oswego may have connections with the Red Cross or FEMA; Trustee Jones Sinnott stated the Rotary Club may have connections and can reach out and get back to him; the Board will discuss further under the President’s Report.

Rachelle Koenig addressed the Board regarding economic development; she is a Commission member on Oswego’s Economic Development Commission; she encouraged the Board to use the Commission to help and assist with attracting businesses; Director Leighty is the best Economic Development Director she has worked with.

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

OLD BUSINESS

There was no old business.

NEW BUSINESS

F.1 Municipal Aggregation Funds

Director Lamberg addressed the Board regarding use of aggregation funds. On July 16, 2024, it was the consensus of the Board to receive the annual civic contribution and use the funds for a “green” initiative. The following options were provided to the Board for the use of aggregation funds:

Hold the Funds

• The funds can be held until the conclusion of the current contract in October 2026. The needs of the Village would be assessed closer to that date.

o Current amount= $44,000

o Amount at end of contract= $66,000

Village Facility Energy Upgrades

• The Village conducted energy efficiency improvements in TY24. Revenue could be recognized to fund these improvements.

o VAV replacement engineering - $20,000

• Energy efficiency improvements are included in the CY25 budget. Revenue could be recognized to fund these improvements.

o LED replacement lighting for the Police Tower - $27,000

o VAV replacement - $200,000

• Future improvements may include but are not limited to:

o Purchase of dehumidifiers for wells - $31,000

o LED lighting at the new Public Works Service Center - $300,000

o Window replacements at Village Hall - $500,000

o Streetlight LED upgrades - $50,000

o Replacement of 2 boilers at Village Hall (CY27 & CY28) - $210,000

o Replacement of the Chiller at Village Hall (CY27 & CY28) - $360,000

Energy or Water Conservation Rebates

• Provide rebates to residents that install energy efficient windows or attic insulations in their homes.

o An example of a program is to provide an incentive of 50% for the project, with a maximum rebate of $2,500. Subject to availability of funds.

• Provide rebates on water bills to residents that install the planned water usage app to promote water conservation.

Construct an EV Charging Station

The cost of EV charging infrastructure can vary widely depending on the type of charging station and the location. The three primary types of charging stations are Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 (DC fast charging). Initial research suggests the cost to purchase EV equipment could vary from $5,000 (Level 1) - $100,000 (for a Level 3). Infrastructure costs would also be involved and would vary greatly depending on location and equipment.

Board and staff discussion focused on how many kilowatts for the PD tower and how much used annually; like the water rebate because rates are going up; getting residents more involved; smaller rebates would benefit a larger number of people; would like to see the funds going to improvements and not into rebates; LED is the way to go because of expenses; whether there is a grant for lighting; would like to give back to the residents; how long a grant takes; could combine items; needing to take staff time into consideration; what happens when we run out of funds for the rebate; who do you decide does not get the rebate; setting aside a certain amount of money for the rebates; approximately 11,000 homes in Oswego; percentage of residents who would use the water app; needing to adhere to the agreement on how much water we can get from Lake Michigan; on-board with long-term savings versus causing staff time to manage; need to see numbers for savings and staff time on doing rebates; staff will do more research and update the Board; receiving $1,000 per month from aggregation; aggregation funds are included with all other Village funds. There was no further discussion.

CLOSED SESSION

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

• Pending and Probable Litigation

• Appointment, Employment, Compensation, Discipline, Performance, or Dismissal of Personnel

• Collective Bargaining, Collective Negotiating Matters, Deliberations Concerning Salary Schedules

• Sale, Lease, and/or Acquisition of Property

Aye: Tom Guist                 Kit Kuhrt

Karin McCarthy-Lange     Karen Novy

Jennifer Jones Sinnott      Andrew Torres

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 6:26 p.m.

The Board returned to open session at 6:51 p.m. A roll call vote was taken. All Board members were physically present for the roll call.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 6:51 p.m.

https://www.oswegoil.org/home/showpublisheddocument/7713/638749626305670000