Citizens' Environmental Commission

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB Citizens’ Environmental Commission November 3, 2022 The Citizens’ Environmental Commission (CEC) held a regular business meeting on November 3, 2022, in the Second Floor Training Room at the DeKalb Police Department. Chair Steve Honeywell called the meeting to order at 4:05 p.m. A. Roll Call Roll call was recorded by Management Analyst Scott Zak, and the following members of the CEC were present: Chair Steve Honeywell, Julie Jesmer, Clare Kron, Kyle Moore, Nick Newman, and Sven Hansen. Not present were Commissioner Rachel Farrell and Ex-Officio Members Mat Emken, Sarah Fox and Mike Holland. Also present were Mayor Cohen Barnes and Management Analyst Scott Zak. B. Approval of Agenda MOTION Ms. Jesmer motioned to approve the agenda, seconded by Mr. Hansen. VOTE The agenda was approved by unanimous voice vote. C. Approval of Minutes 1. Regular Monthly Meeting Minutes of October 6, 2022 MOTION Mr. Newman motioned to approve the minutes, seconded by Mr. Hansen. VOTE The minutes were approved by unanimous voice vote. D. Public Comment Mayor Barnes said he tries to make it to all Commission meetings and that he was attending to observe. E. Commission Reports 1. DeKalb County Health Department Mr. Zak shared he had been told by Health Department Administrator Lisa Gonzalez that the Department is recruiting a new Solid Waste Coordinator and once hired, the new Coordinator will contact the Commission about serving as an ex-officio member.  2. DeKalb Park District In Ex-Officio Member Emken’s absence, Chair Honeywell read Mr. Emken’s report. There will be a woody invasive cleaning at the Ellwood House on Nov. 12. An EPA grant is available to address non-point pollution. 3. Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District In Ex-Officio Member Holland’s absence, no report was given. 4. Northern Illinois University With Ex-Officio Member Fox absent, no report was given. 5. City Staff Liaison Mr. Zak attended a recent Finance Advisory Committee meeting on the proposed Fiscal Year 2023 City budget, and he shared resources next year will be dedicated to public safety, including the hiring of five additional police officers. F. New Business 1. PRIDE Awards Chair Honeywell said a news release will be distributed to solicit nominations. Ms. Kron suggested there is a group building birdhouses that would make a good nominee. Chair Honeywell encouraged Commissioners to keep their eyes open for people, businesses and organizations that have improved DeKalb’s environment in a material way. 2. CEC Members in the news It was shared that Commissioner Moore received a nice write-up in the newsletter for DeKalb County Community Gardens, where he works. Chair Kron shared that former Commissioner Adrian Lopez lost his life in a motorcycle accident. The Commission agreed this is a tragic loss, which Chair Honeywell said was important for the Commission to take time to recognize. G. Old Business 1. Next articles for Daily Chronicle a. December—recycling over the holidays b. Future possible articles Ms. Kron will write the December article on recycling over the holidays. Insulation was suggested for January’s article, and Mr. Moore will write February’s article on seed starting. Mr. Hansen said insulation is a valuable topic since it is important to cost savings on energy and can make a big difference in the City’s energy consumption. Mr. Newman said the importance of replacing old windows could be a Spring article. Ms. Kron said vehicle idling had been discussed as an article idea in the past and could be written for January. Chair Honeywell said insulation and window replacement could then be done back-to-back in the Spring. 2. Sustainability plan changes Ms. Kron introduced Shawn Langley, who is interested in joining the Commission. He is attending the November meeting to observe and will then submit his letter of interest to the Mayor. Commissioners shared the progress being made on updating their section of the Sustainability Plan. Ms. Kron noted many of the goals in the existing Sustainability Plan are outside the scope of the Commission’s ability to complete, such as one directing the City to create an online listing of jobs at sustainable businesses. Mr. Newman suggested existing resources could be used for such goals, and it was noted that links to those resources could be included on the Commission’s webpage. Mr. Hansen asked if there was a way to see how many people are visiting the webpage. Mr. Zak will ask the City’s website company how to access the analytics. Ms. Kron said the language in the plan will need to be adjusted to reflect that the Commission has no budget. It was suggested that social media, which is free, could be used to achieve some goals. An idea was discussed to break up the Commission’s monthly article into a series of social media posts. Mr. Newman volunteered to take the Commissioners’ changes to their sections and incorporate them into the master plan. Chair Honeywell said Commissioners should upload their changes by the next meeting. 3. Ideas for 2023 CEC presentations Mr. Newman said he liked Mr. Hansen’s idea to promote home insulation and suggested that could be a presentation in February or March. Ms. Kron said she would like to do her native tree program again and encouraged thinking about further collaborations with STEM Café. 4. Updates on other issues No information was shared here. H. Public Comment Mr. Langley introduced himself. He works for a Chicago-based GIS consulting firm, for which he is working on marketing. He said he has had a long interest in getting involved with City government. I. Announcements 1. New announcements No announcements were shared. 2. Next regular meeting: December 1, at 4:00 p.m. (This was later canceled.) I. Adjournment MOTION Ms. Kron motioned to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Mr. Moore. VOTE The motion was approved by unanimous voice vote. The meeting was declared adjourned at 5:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted: Scott Zak, Management Analyst Approved by the Citizens’ Environmental Commission on January 5, 2023.