Environmental Concerns Committee

Village of Lombard Village Hall 255 East Wilson Ave. Lombard, IL 60148 villageoflombard.org Minutes Tuesday, January 22, 2013 7:00 PM Lorraine G. Gerhardt Community Room Environmental Concerns Committee Trustee Mike Fugiel - Chairperson Trustee Reid Foltyniewicz - Alternate Chairperson Diana Lavaque, Nancy Schukat, Winnie Lyons, Darlene Bartt, Jason Cooper, Dustin Smith, Daniel Richardt and Dana Moreau Staff Liaison: Dave Gorman Environmental Concerns Minutes January 22, 2013 Committee 1.0 Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance Meeting was called to order by Chairperson Fitzpatrick at 7:13 PM. 2.0 Roll Call David Gorman, Assistant Director of Public Works and Mike Brink, Waste Management in attendance. (Dustin Smith arrived at 7:30 PM) Present 6 - Trustee Laura Fitzpatrick, Jennifer Jendras, Darlene Bartt, Jason Cooper, Dustin Smith, and Daniel Richardt Absent 3 - Diana Lavaque, Nancy Schukat, and Winnie Lyons 3.0 Public Participation 4.0 Approval of Minutes A motion was made by Jennifer Jendras, seconded by Darlene Bartt, that the minutes be approved . The motion passed by an unanimous vote. 5.0 Unfinished Business 050616 Current Solid Waste Contract - Update No items. DG mentioned that he will be on vacation in March and is proposing that that meeting be cancelled. Gorman: went over 2011 and 2012 Recycling Reports. Recyclables were down slightly by 4% but a notable change was a 47% decrease in yard waste due to the drought. The Contract had been amended to shorten Waste Management's yard waste collection from the second full week in December to the last full week in November. This had been recommended by the Committee and approved by the Board of Trustees. This reduced the Village's Contract cost by $8,600 annually. 6.0 New Business 130030 FY2013 Funding for Rain Barrel and Compost Bin Grant Programs Recommendation from the Environmental Concerns Committee to allocate $5,000 in FY 2013 from a surplus in the Community Recycling Fund to be split between the Rain Barrel and Compost Bin Grant Programs. Gorman: distributed a copy of the webpage that shows that the Rain Barrel, Compost Bin and Recycling Education grant programs have been without Village of Lombard Page 1 Environmental Concerns Minutes January 22, 2013 Committee funding since June 1, 2012, as recommended by the Committee. The purpose of this discussion is to determine whether some amount of the projected $20K surplus should be allocated to one or more of the grant programs, or perhaps in another direction. As explained in the memo provided, the higher the amount, the sooner that the Village Service Fee would need to be increased due to inflation. The memo dated 1/18/12 from the January 2012 meeting was distributed to revisit the purpose of the Fee, which is to cover Staff's costs to administer the Contract and for waste reduction and diversion activities. Gorman: explained that the Village Service Fee is $0.35/month per residential account and $3.00/month per commercial account. Currently, 10% of salaries and benefits for the Assistant Director, Administrative Coordinator and Administrative Secretary are paid by the Fee, as well as other items listed in the FY2013 cost center table. The Compost Bin Grant Program is directly in-line with the intent of the fee. The Rain Barrel Grant Program was justified since it involves reuse of barrels. Gorman: explained that both programs have been successful in spurring local retailers to carry bins and barrels in their stores, often accompanied by a stack of grant applications. The Rain Barrel program was reduced from two barrels at $80 each to one barrel at $40 but it's still popular with residents. The Committee discussed the Recycling Education grant program and there was consensus that Village funds are no longer crucial to further promote recycling since schools' awareness and actions have greatly increased since the early years of the grant program. Bartt: asked whether the surplus could be rolled into subsequent fiscal years and Gorman replied that it could be, depending on the wishes of the Village Manager and Board of Trustees. There was consensus that such an annual rollover was desired in order to prolong the time necessary to increase the Fee. A motion was made by Darlene Bartt, seconded by Dustin Smith, that this Request be recommended to the Board of Trustees for approval . The motion passed by an unanimous vote. 7.0 Other Business 130031 Grant Funding for Energy-Efficient Lighting Gorman: explained that the grant for efficient lighting upgrades in the Police and Public Works buildings are due to the work of Keith Steiskal of the Building Department. The Village, like other municipalities, does not pay an electric bill since it's billed to Lombard customers as an overhead on utility bills instead of managing it as an additional tax. The Village has been installing efficient lights and occupancy sensors out of a sense of duty to reduce electric consumption. 130032 Lombard Electric Aggregation Results Fitzpatrick: pointed out the fact that Lombard residents are on track to save $4.5M in electricity costs, or $344 per house over the first year of the electric aggregation contract. Also, 97.2% of eligible accounts are enrolled and the Village of Lombard Page 2 Environmental Concerns Minutes January 22, 2013 Committee savings are 44.5% over the ComEd rate. Gorman: reminded the Committee that its role was critical in recommending carbon-free electric sources, which were obtained at no added cost to consumers. 8.0 Information Only No items for "Information Only". Gorman: stated that he will be on vacation in March and is proposing that the March meeting be cancelled. 9.0 Adjournment A motion was made by Jennifer Jendras, seconded by Jason Cooper, that this meeting be adjourned at 8:00 PM. The motion passed by an unanimous vote. Village of Lombard Page 3