05/02/2005MINUTES
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
May 2, 2005
The Village Board met at 8:33 p.m. (following the regular board meeting) as a
committee of the whole in the board room of the village hall on Monday, May 2, 2005.
In attendance were:
Village Board
Steven Harris, Mayor
Robert Benton, Trustee
Michelle Feldman, Trustee
Harriet Rosenthal, Trustee
William Seiden, Trustee
Barbara Struthers, Trustee
Matthew Wylie, Trustee
Treatment Plalfimprovements
Staff
Robert D. Franz, Village Manager
Robert Fialkowski, Director of Finance
Barbara Little, Director of Public Works
and Engineering
Philip Kiraly, Asst. to the Village Manager
John Sliozis, Chief of Police
Staff gave a brief summary of the work to date on studying the village's sanitary
sewer system, specifically the treatment plant and its satellite facilities. The Board has
held two meetings on the Stanley report and narrowed the options to: (1) upgrading the
existing plant and continuing to operate it locally, and (2) connecting to the Lake County
regional sewer system.
Since the last meeting on the topic, staff traveled to Springfield to meet with the
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. It was a very productive meeting in which
two primary points were emphasized: (1) The EPA does not favor a regional approach
over local improvements to the plant. They have no preference on how the Village
proceeds as long as their discharge standards continue to be met. (2) The only financial
assistance available is low interest grants, probably in the range of 2.5% to 3%.
Another option which has surfaced is privatization of the plant and/or sewer collection
system. American Water, Mundelein, Illinois has expressed interest in purchasing and
operating Deerfield's sanitary sewer system. Staff met with them in April to discuss their
interest. They are an international company which owns/operates several water plants
and sewer treatment systems. They would make upgrades to the system using the Stanley
report as a capital plan. They believe that rate increases would be in the same range as
those the Village would impose if it continued to operate the plant. In any event, rates
would be regulated by the Illinois Commerce Commission. American Water would
manage all customer issues and handle billing and operation. After discussing this
option, the Board directed staff to study the American Water proposal further. They
expressed concern with maintaining the high level of customer service, given the
profitability factor and the likelihood that savings might be sought through fewer on -site
employees.
The Board briefly discussed the Lake County option, once again expressing concern
regarding the six mile sewer transmission line that extends well beyond Deerfield's
corporate limits. It was agreed that this option was less viable and should no longer be
pursued.
Stanley Consultants' contract with the Village has expired. A proposal will be sought
to provide assistance to the Village in making a final decision on a future course of
action.
Scavenger Service Contract
The existing five year contract with Onyx Waste Systems is due to expire on
December 3Is'. They have submitted a proposal for a new agreement. Before negotiating
with Onyx, staff wanted to explore with the Board possible changes in the service.
Specifically, the option of curb side pickup has been suggested as well as a 65 gallon cart
for recycling. Last week, the Energy and Recycling Commission discussed these changes
and recommended that the Board give them further consideration.
After some discussion, it was agreed that staff should pursue all options with Onyx,
but that back door service is important to some people and should be offered, even if at
an additional price. Also, there were mixed reactions to the recycling cart, with concerns
expressed about its size and looks if people choose to keep it outdoors.
Staff will meet with Onyx and bring back a formal proposal for board consideration.
A new contract should be approved by mid -summer so that, in the event negotiations
break down, the Village would still have time to bid a contract.
Village Hall Expansion Plans
This project originally was considered in 2000, but it was decided then to separate it
from the police remodeling work. At the time, the future location of West Deerfield
Township was unknown. After the township decided to relocate to Deerfield Road and
the northwest quadrant was studied as part of the updated comprehensive plan, staff was
directed to pursue a design/build firm for expanding the village hall. Four firms were
interviewed, and staff recommends Williams Development/Architects of Carol Stream.
They have been working on tentative proposals and have developed conceptual drawings
for the expansion. Phil Kiraly walked the Board through the drawings, emphasizing that
they are very preliminary. We are at the point where a contract is needed with Williams
to prepare actual plans for the project. It is expected that the contract will be ready for
cn
Board consideration on June 6
The expansion plan will have to go before the Plan Commission (public hearing),
Village Center Development Commission and the Appearance Review Commission. It is
unlikely that, if approved, construction would begin before next year.
Rate 28 — Undergrounding Deerfield Road Utilities
The Board was updated on costs associated with undergrounding certain overhead
wires as part of the Deerfield Road project. In addition to the overhead wires at the
intersection of Deerfield and Chestnut, there are 13 ComEd wires which cross Deerfield
Road between Chestnut and Castlewood.
ComEd has a program whereby the costs for undergrounding its lines are paid by all
customers in the Village over a two to three month period. A report showing estimated
costs for residents and businesses was reviewed by the Board. Only ComEd offers this
payment method. The Village would have to pay for the other utility relocation costs.
The total cost of the proposed undergrounding is estimated at $510,000 of which the
Village would pay $105,000.
After discussing the concept, there was consensus to proceed to the next phase, which
involves a formal contract with ComEd to do final engineering work. This will
determine the actual cost for the project, which the Board will see prior to making a final
commitment. The ComEd proposal will be on the May 16th agenda.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:52 p.m.
Minutes prepared by:
Ro D. Franz, Village anage