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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/09/2017 COW Minutes COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MINUTES May 9, 2017 1. CALL TO ORDER — ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order at 7:03 p.m. in the Village Board Room of the Village Hall, 50 South Emerson Street, by Mayor Arlene Juracek. Trustees present included William Grossi, Eleni Hatzis, Paul Hoefert, Richard Rogers, Colleen Saccotelli and Michael Zadel. Staff present included Village Manager Michael Cassady, Assistant to the Village Manager Nellie Beckner, Public Works Director Sean Dorsey, Fire Chief Brian Lambel, Police Chief Timothy Janowick, Community Engagement Liaison Marianthi Thanopoulos and Administrative Analyst Alexander Bertolucci. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes for February 28, 2017. Motion made by Trustee Zadel seconded by Trustee Saccotelli. Minutes were approved. 3. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD Kristin — Resident, Inquired about the Village creating a Disabilities Committee to assist with increasing awareness for children with disabilities. Maria Plata — Resident, Inquired about reinstating the Community Relations Commission in light of what is going on in the country and to communicate that Mount Prospect is a safe community. 4. DISCUSSION ITEMS 4.1: Electricity Aggreqation Northern Illinois Municipal Electric Collaborative (NIMEC) Executive Director David Hoover summarized electricity deregulation in Illinois and how the State legislated municipal aggregation to allow municipalities to contract electricity rates for its residents and small businesses. Mr. Hoover reviewed the Village's previous and current electricity aggregation contracts and rates. He explained how in the fall of 2015 commodities prices fell which allowed ComEd's rate to drop below the Village's contracted rate. However, the Village's electric aggregation program has saved the average household $140 and $3 million village wide since August 2012. Mr. Hoover reviewed program renewal bids and compared them against ComEd rates. The lowest bid initially was 6.77¢ per kWh while ComEd projected rate with Purchase Electricity Adjustment can range from 6.685¢ to 7.685¢ per kWh. Applying these rates to an average household electricity use results in the lowest bid potentially offering up to $82 in savings or up to an additional $8 in cost over 12 months. However, the market was tested again prior to this meeting and updated rates are less favorable as the lowest rate for 12 months at this time is $6.98¢ per kWh further reducing potential savings. Committee of the Whole Page 1 of 3 5/9/17 Staff recommends suspending the program as savings are not guaranteed in the next twelve months. The following responses from NIMEC Executive Director David Hoover and Village staff were provided to questions from the Village Board: • Savings in the first two years of the program were great but have since declined. • ComEd account numbers should not be provided to solicitors unless the account holder truly desires to change suppliers. Less scrupulous solicitors may initiate account changes without providing full disclosure of their intent. • Pluginlllinois.org has information on ComEd rates, a list of alternative electricity suppliers operating in the State and also a widget to compare offers. • Accounts currently on the Village's Electricity Aggregation Program with Homefield Energy will automatically be switched back to ComEd when the Village's contract expires. • Accounts that selected an alternative retail electricity supplier independently would remain in their current contracts and would not go back to ComEd with the rest of the community. • No hourly pricing product for electricity aggregation. Consensus of the Village Board was to proceed with staff's recommendation to suspend the Village Electricity Aggregation Program. 4.2: Community Enpapement Discussion Village Manager Michael Cassady introduced the discussion topic and stated staff is looking to create additional opportunities to engage the community in ways that are convenient for the public. One beta event that the Village is testing is "Talk and Chalk" which is an opportunity to reach out to younger families, meet people and communicate what is going on in the Village. He stated staff is seeking input from the Village Board on engagement ideas and other feedback. General comments from the Village Board members included the following items: • The Village needs opportunities for younger families that would like to participate at the Coffee with Council meetings but cannot because of child care conflicts. • The "Talk and Chalk" concept is not to replace a monthly Coffee with Council, but is an additional event. • Trying to engage additional people and different segments of the population that might not be able to sit inside for two hours on a Saturday. • There was general discussion regarding community outreach opportunities over the years (i.e. New Residents Forum, traveling Coffee and Council). • The Village has been making majors strides in engaging the community using other media. Community Engagement Liaison Marianthi Thanopoulos provided an overview of the Village's current community engagement initiatives that include the Village YouTube and social media channels, expanding marketing efforts, various community events and cross promotion of events hosted by local organizations. Village Manager Michael Cassady stated dashboards can provide a better understanding of how we are reaching our residents. Also the Village rechanneled the focus of our communications and is starting to see gains in outreach. Committee of the Whole Page 2 of 3 5/9/17 General comments from the Village Board members included the following items: • The Centennial website and calendar cross promote community events. • Stories posted by the Village on social media (Police, Fire, Village Facebook accounts) have great information and is timely. Share these stories with friends to help increase awareness of what is happening in the community. • Improve promotion of meetings, increase consistency of posting Village Board recaps, and continue to improve on informing people. Public Comment Rachel Louis Goodman Dawn Fletcher Collins Resident 310 N School St Executive Director - Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce The following responses from the Village Board and staff were provided to questions from the Public. • The Village Board is limited from engaging in some social media groups as invitations are required to be able to participate. • The Coffee with Council meeting group is much larger now and existing meeting process may be outdated. Children are welcome to attend and participate. • There are opportunities to measure community engagement. For example, we can measure reach of social media and quantifying the engagement events. General comments from the Village Board members included the following items: • Potential case studies that highlight how Village services impact the lives of residents. • Break engagement/meetings in to smaller groups, neighborhoods, and find sponsors within the neighborhoods to help coordinate and share the event. 5. MANAGER'S REPORT None. 6. ANY OTHER BUSINESS • Community Connection Center Open House— Saturday, June 3, 2017. • Update on Patriot Acres: The County Board is holding its hearing tomorrow and the Village will be present to request conditions be placed on the facility. 7. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:23 p.m. Alexander Bertolucci Administrative Analyst Committee of the Whole Page 3 of 3 5/9/17