Will County Gazette

Will County Democratic Caucus met May 17.

Here is the minutes provided by the Committee:

I. Call To Order / Roll Call

Minority Leader Herbert Brooks Jr. called the meeting to order at 8:48 am

Attendee Name; Title; Status; Arrived:

Herbert Brooks Jr. Minority Leader Present

Lauren Staley-Ferry Minority Whip Present

Mark Ferry Member Present

Kenneth E. Harris Member Present

Tyler Marcum Member Present

Donald A. Moran Member Late

Beth Rice Member Absent

Laurie Summers Member Present

Jacqueline Traynere Member Present

Denise E. Winfrey Member Present

Present from State's Attorney's Office: K. Meyers.

II. Pledge Of Allegiance To The Flag

Mrs. Traynere led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

III. Approval Of Minutes

1. WC Democratic Caucus - Special Meeting - Apr 15, 2018 6:00 pm

Result: Approved [Unanimous]

Mover: Denise E. Winfrey, Member

Seconder: Mark Ferry, Member

Ayes: Brooks Jr., Staley-Ferry, Ferry, Harris, Marcum, Summers, Traynere, Winfrey

Absent: Moran, Rice

2. WC Democratic Caucus - Regular Meeting - Apr 19, 2018 8:45 am

Result: Approved [Unanimous]

Mover: Denise E. Winfrey, Member

Seconder: Mark Ferry, Member

Ayes: Brooks Jr., Staley-Ferry, Ferry, Harris, Marcum, Summers, Traynere, Winfrey

Absent: Moran, Rice

IV. Old Business

V. Other Old Business

VI. New Business

1. Discussion of County Board Agenda

Proclamations:

Mr. Brooks announced there will be a presentation of keys from the Sunny Hill Nursing Home.

Land Use & Development Committee:

Mrs. Summers reviewed the zoning cases and Resolutions.

Finance Committee:

Mrs. Traynere reviewed the Resolutions.

Mrs. Traynere stated there was a discussion about a policy for accumulated benefit time to avoid using it to increase pensions.

Public Works & Transportation Committee:

Mr. Moran arrived at this juncture.

Mrs. Traynere stated work is beginning on Weber Road. I noticed the staging area is full of equipment and Jersey barriers. The other day a lane was blocked and traffic was moving slowly.

Mr. Moran stated the bridge will be the bottleneck. On Weber Road they will build the outside lanes first and there should not be reduction of lanes. Once the construction gets started, people find alternative routes.

Mr. Brooks introduced Mayor Tim Balderman of New Lenox, County Executive Appointment for the Metra position.

Mayor Balderman introduced himself and gave a brief summary of his background. I hope I can count on your support. I am very nonpartisan as a Mayor and work with everybody. I believe in good government service, regardless of party affiliation, I am about getting the job done. If my appointment is approved, I will make myself accessible to all of you. I intend to represent the County well.

Mrs. Traynere asked what are you doing with the salary for this position, if you are approved?

Mr. Balderman explained his pension, how it was reduced and the Village had to pay a settlement e because they had improperly approved. The statute requires me to give up my mayor’s salary, currently $18,000, if approved for Metra. I give my mayor’s salary to the Mayor’s Assistance Program for residents who cannot afford their water bill or health bill. The Metra salary is $15,000 I will supplement that with $3,000 from my own pocket and continue to give to people needing assistance. Currently, I get the mayor’s pay and I write checks to people who need financial assistance. I pay from my private account and pay withholding taxes. I give the money directly to the residents, because if I did not take a salary, I would not be able to decide how the money is spent. Now, the Village will keep the $18,000 and the taxpayers will save. Since I don’t want to stop this program to help people, I will take the Metra dollars, supplement it with my own $3,000 and continue to the program.

Judicial Committee:

Mr. Marcum reviewed the presentation by Ms. Julie McCabe on the NACo specialty courts award.

Public Health & Safety Committee:

Mr. Brooks stated the Sunny Hill van is in the parking lot. After the meeting take a look.

Legislative Policy Committee:

Mrs. Traynere asked for an update on the puppy mill or gun shop legislation.

Mr. Marcum indicated the puppy mill legislation had been pushed to next year.

Mr. Moran added there is now federal legislation and that will override anything the State does on the puppy mills. The gun dealer bill passed the Senate yesterday.

Mrs. Traynere asked has there been any movement on the quarry bill?

Mr. Brooks replied there are on-going discussions and it was part of our Federal Agenda.

Mr. Moran stated during the Legislative Committee there were reports on the DC trip. We also talked about the FAA reauthorization bill. The bill has passed the House and needs to go to the Senate.

Capital Improvements Committee:

Mrs. Winfrey reviewed the Capital Committee Meeting and Resolution. This afternoon we have a meeting with Kluber for the Health Department.

Executive Committee:

This item was discussed after the Appointments.

Appointments:

Mr. Brooks led a discussion on the appointments.

Executive Committee:

Mrs. Staley-Ferry reviewed the IGA with Kankakee County for the RVJC.

Mr. Moran stated I have questions on the solar farm decommissioning. The decommissioning cost listed in the Ordinances for labor and time seems out of line. The labor rate is listed as $35.60 per hour. If that is wages and benefits it is not the labors’ rate in Will County. It is listed to remove the panel takes one minute. Nothing takes one minute. These numbers are not reasonable.

Ms. Janine Farrell stated we get updated costs when they come to the decommissioning. The numbers will change in 40 years. A review of the condition for decommissioning was read.

Mr. Moran asked is there anything saying it will be paid at prevailing wage rates?

Ms. Farrell stated these are private contractors and developers.

Mr. Moran stated they are also asking us to allow them to be installed in the county and we can make any demands we want.

Ms. Farrell suggested the State’s Attorney’s Office review any conditions requiring prevailing wage on a SUP. We don’t do that with any other private development.

Mr. Moran asked are they getting any public money or public supplement?

Ms. Farrell replied they received federal tax incentives.

Mr. Moran stated if there are tax incentives the Illinois Department of Labor will require it to be done based on the prevailing wage.

Mr. Olson stated this was all part of the FEJA bill; the incentives will be there for 15 years.

Mr. Moran asked does the FEJA bill require prevailing wage?

Mr. Olson answered I don’t believe so; we cannot dictate to a private entity the wages they have to pay.

Mr. Moran continued we are agreeing to a rate for the wage costs and it is too low.

Ms. Farrell stated we are not holding fast to the wage rate as it stands right now. In 40 years the wage rates will change and they have to provide us updated costs at the time of decommissioning. The scrap values of the materials will also change overtime. This is an estimate of the decommissioning costs. You are voting on a decommissioning plan. This says this is what will be done and how it will be done.

Mrs. Traynere stated this is the responsibility of the company when they pull the plug on the project. They are getting an incentive, but it is their property.

Discussion of how the number in the Ordinance was provided took place.

Mr. Dale Hoekstra stated if you are going to install solar panels at the Prairieview Landfill, you will have to be signatory and use Local 150 Operators Union. Those wages are much higher than the Ordinance.

Mr. Olson stated the solar projects proposed several years ago was all labor. It fell through because we wanted to make sure it was union labor and prevailing wage. Any contract we bring would have prevailing wage. I don’t know if we can dictate what a person does on their property.

Mr. Meyers stated as a matter of course, this is not different than a person asking for a variance on their setback; you cannot tell the homeowner what they have to pay for labor on the project.

Mr. Moran continued $35.60 an hour is not enough money to pay a laborer with benefits.

Mr. Meyers reiterated you cannot set the rates.

Mr. Brooks asked how did they come up with the rate?

Ms. Farrell stated is was based on the firms used to install or remove the panels.

Ms. Samantha Bluemer replied what is your feeling it should be?

Mr. Moran replied it should be the prevailing rate.

Ms. Bluemer stated this is a private development. Do we require private developments to pay prevailing wage?

Mr. Moran replied no, but this number is unreasonably low.

Mr. Palmer asked what is the purpose of the reporting in this agreement?

Ms. Farrell replied it was an estimated value, they would tell us the cost of decommissioning and this is where the numbers come from.

Mr. Palmer asked does it impact the approval?

Ms. Farrell stated the purpose in getting the numbers is to know it is a substantial cost to decommission and basically it is worth their while to take the equipment out and reuse or recycle them rather than leaving them at the site. This is to show these are worth money not just junk.

Mrs. Traynere asked are they required to put money in escrow to pay for the cost?

Ms. Bluemer replied not according the zoning ordinance approved in January.

Ms. Farrell stated there were discussions of whether the county be involved in holding the financial surety and requiring it between a landowner and a private developer. It ended with this is a private agreement and should be left to the parties. We are doing our part by requiring a redacted lease which stipulates the decommissioning plan to show they are required to decommission the panels. We do not require a bond in case they are not decommissioned.

Mrs. Traynere asked are we involved in the decommissioning if and when it happens?

Ms. Farrell replied yes, it will require a demolition permit. They apply for the permit, we will make sure it is completed in accordance with the plan and we will go out and inspect.

Mr. Moran stated the prevailing wage for a laborer in Will County is $73.67 per hour. If it was a union contractor bidding they would bid it based on $73.67 per hour. The $35.60 is not the average rate in Will County.

Ms. Bluemer stated without benefits it is $41.00.

Mrs. Summers stated the biggest issues who will take care of this, if the developer walks away.

Ms. Bluemer stated if they decommission, they are saying that is their cost, based on the resources they are using at that time. We are asking them to show us the plan. If the County was has to decommission, we would pay prevailing wage to those individuals.

Mr. Meyers stated the issue is they are required to provide by the Ordinance these numbers. It is not a requirement they pay any particular amount.

Mr. Palmer stated you are doing a decommissioning plan because of the objections. We are trying to get solar arrays in Will County. Concerns were raised that people will just walk away, so they asked for a decommissioning plan. It was discussed at Committee and this is what they came up with. The incentives for installation does have a requirement for prevailing wages if you are using federal or state incentive money.

Ms. Bluemer stated we have never seen a solar farm get decommissioned in the U.S. because of the age of the technology. However, 99% of the solar developers I have had conversations with use union labor in construction and decommissioning and that was mentioned in their presentations.

VII. Other New Business

Mr. Harris indicated he had a list of Clergy to give the invocation and if someone has a hard time finding someone, reach out to him.

VIII. Public Comment

IX. Executive Session

X. Adjournment

1. Motion to Adjourn at 9:32 am

Result: Approved [Unanimous]

Mover: Denise E. Winfrey, Member

Seconder: Mark Ferry, Member

Ayes: Brooks Jr., Staley-Ferry, Ferry, Harris, Marcum, Moran, Summers, Traynere, Winfrey

Absent: Rice

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