City Council Planning Sessions

Monday, June 8, 2026 I. Call to Order The Wheaton City Council Planning Session was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Suess. The following were: Physically Present: Mayor Suess Councilwoman Bray-Parker Councilwoman Brice Councilman Brown Councilman Clousing Councilwoman Robbins Councilman Weller Absent: None City Staff Present: Michael G. Dzugan, City Manager William Kolschowsky, Assistant City Manager Susan Bishel, Public Information Officer Erik Berg, Management Analyst II. Approval of Planning Session Minutes – May 11, 2026 The Council approved the May 11, 2026, Planning Session minutes. III. Retaining Wall America250 Mural Final Design City Manager Dzugan stated that the Council approval of the mural design was required before painting could proceed. Mural artist Jeffrey Swider-Peltz provided an overview of the design. Beginning where the existing mural ends, the new mural depicts Wheaton through the passage of time, incorporating a variety of artistic styles, imagery representing different historical eras, and notable city landmarks. Throughout the length of the painting, letters in typefaces from various historical periods spell out “Your Hometown.” The design is intended to appear legible and cohesive from a distance while revealing additional details as one approaches the mural. In response to a Council question, Mr. Swider-Peltz confirmed that the mural would be approximately 275 feet long. Council suggested installing a plaque describing the painting and artist and incorporating America250 imagery into the artwork. Fine & Cultural Arts Commissioner Randy King stated that an informational plaque could be placed on the panel between the existing mural and the proposed America 250 mural. Council approved the design and thanked the artist and the Fine & Cultural Arts Commission for their efforts. IV. Strategic Plan Update  CITY COUNCIL PLANNING SESSION MINUTES Monday, June 8, 2026 City Manager Dzugan stated that, in early 2025, the Council directed staff to update the existing Strategic Plan rather than create a new plan. The draft 2026-2028 Strategic Plan incorporates the results of the 2025 Community Survey to identify key areas of focus. The Strategic Plan has five priorities, each supported by goals for each priority. Goals are supported by initiatives, or action items intended to be completed within the term of the Strategic Plan. Assistant City Manager Kolschowsky provided an overview of the draft Strategic Plan, highlighting goals that had been added, removed, or modified. The five Strategic Priorities remain largely the same. While Strategic Priority 1, Financial Stability, remains largely intact, the goal of maintaining a long- term financial plan was revised to focus on the integration of the budget, Strategic Plan, and Capital Improvement Plan to provide a more comprehensive view of the City’s finances. New initiatives include evaluating fleet management and overtime costs and maintaining parity between operational revenues and costs. Strategic Priority 2, Enhanced Infrastructure, adds goals to mitigate the risks from aging infrastructure and prioritize traffic management, a key priority from the 2025 Community Survey. New initiatives focus on long-term risk evaluation and financial planning for the City’s water infrastructure, sanitary sewer system, and facilities. Strategic Priority 3, Responsive and Efficient Services, has been revised to identify new opportunities to enhance the quality of City services. New goals include assessing departmental IT needs, maintaining workforce excellence through recruitment and professional development initiatives for City staff, and regularly updating the Council on departmental performance measures. Strategic Priority 4, Community Resilience, formerly Community Safety, retains the goal of promoting and preserving Wheaton as a safe city and revises another goal to focus on improving community experiences. New initiatives include consistently highlighting programs, services, and events in City communications, strengthening emergency preparedness, and implementing traffic improvement projects. Finally, Strategic Priority 5, Environmental Sustainability, modifies the existing Strategic Plan’s goals: one focuses on environmental improvements to City operations; the other aims to make it easier for residents to make environmentally friendly choices. New initiatives include continuing to convert the streetlights from high-pressure sodium to LED, improving bicycle and pedestrian mobility, and providing for environmental sustainability in the Zoning Ordinance. Council suggested that staff highlight progress on initiatives from the original plan to demonstrate which initiatives have been completed. Assistant City Manager Kolschowsky stated that further discussion of the draft 2026-2028 Strategic Plan would occur at the June 22 Planning Session. V. City Council/Staff Comments Councilman Brown congratulated the boys’ lacrosse team at Wheaton Academy for their first place in state finals.  CITY COUNCIL PLANNING SESSION MINUTES Monday, June 8, 2026 Mayor Suess expressed his appreciation for the Wheaton Park District and the Chamber of Commerce for their efforts hosting the Cream of Wheaton. He also recommended visiting the Wheaton Municipal Band’s concert in Memorial Park on Thursday. VI. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:40 p.m. Respectfully, Erik Berg