Will County Gazette

Will County Board Ad-Hoc Old Courthouse Committee met Oct. 2.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

I. CALL TO ORDER 

II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 

Mr. Logan led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

III. ROLL CALL 

Chair Janet Diaz called the meeting to order at 9:38 AM

Attendee Name	Title	Status	Arrived
Janet Diaz	Chair	Present
Julie Berkowicz	District 10 (R - Naperville)	Absent
Daniel J. Butler	District 3 (R - Frankfort)	Absent
Vince Logan	District 7 (R - Joliet)	Present
Sherry Williams	Vice Chair	Present

Present from the State's Attorney's Office: T. Renken

Also Present: K. Fladhammer

Minutes Provided by: S. Ceci

IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 

1. WC Ad-Hoc Old Courthouse Committee - Special Meeting - Sep 17, 2024 10:30  AM 

RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]  MOVER: Vince Logan, District 7 (R - Joliet) SECONDER: Sherry Williams, Vice Chair AYES: Diaz, Logan, Williams ABSENT: Berkowicz, Butler

V. OLD BUSINESS 

VI. NEW BUSINESS 

1. Recommendation to Fund the Park RFP, Fencing and Cordoning 

(Janet Diaz)

Ms. Diaz stated we have money left from the demolition, however on November 30, 2024, that money goes away. If no one decides to do what we requested, we are going to lose that money. However, I had a conversation with Mr. Richmond, he would like us to recommend that $300,000 be moved to the Finance Committee for the Will County Courthouse Park until we come up with a new name.

Ms. Logan said I thought we had $900,000.

Ms. Linko stated the amount is $884,300.

Ms. Diaz said come November 30, 2024, that money is gone, it gets absorbed and then it can be spent on any other project; that is what Mr. Richmond and Mrs. Hamann said. Mr. Richmond said he wants us to just request $300,000. If we move that forward, then he can put that into the budget for next year.

Mr. Logan said then why don’t we ask for the $884,300.

Ms. Williams and Mr. Logan both asked why not the full amount.

Ms. Fladhammer stated you can ask for more if you want; I think that Mr. Richmond’s thought process was that that would be a reasonable request for purposes for starting that project. We all know it will not finish within this year, and that likely hood of having that put into the budget for next year as a capital project would more likely be approved at a rate of $300,000 versus $800,000. The way I understand it and Ms. Diaz correct me if I am wrong, if that $884,300 is not spent by November 30th it then gets absorbed into next year’s budget. If you do not have a plan in place for something in that budget, it’s going to be allocated somewhere else, and you will have no money for your courthouse project. The goal is to have an allocation in the 2025 budget, I believe that you have funds to start that project.

Ms. Diaz said my conversation with Mr. Richmond was the thought we can use that $300,000 for multiple years in a row, so that we can keep fixing and repairing and getting more and more done on this project.

Ms. Williams said so start with the $300,000 and then it would be more likely for them to approve the next time we request.

Mr. Logan said I can see that, but then we will lose $584,000.

Ms. Diaz said we are going to lose it on November 30th anyway, it will be gone. Do we think that the Executive is going to give us the RFQ and do the Fencing and Cordoning before November 30th, it is not looking like it, so we are losing that anyway.

Ms. Williams asked if there is a happy median between the two. Ms. Diaz said I will be okay with that amount for a start.

Ms. Williams said it is fine if that is what Mr. Richmond thinks.

Mr. Logan said then we must find someone to do the RFP and not keep getting the run around. I have a meeting with Mr. Mahoney next week because I believe he is writing the RFP.

Ms. Fladhammer asked did you set a date for that, I know there were some dates thrown out, but I didn’t see a final response from him.

Mr. Logan said it will be October 10th at 1:30 pm; you are on the email so you can confirm that, I didn’t know that they wrote the RFP’s.

Ms. Fladhammer said sometimes they do, and they send them to the State’s Attorney’s Office for review, or on some occasions there is a firm contracted to create the RFP if it is something outside of anybody’s expertise in Will County. For instance, there has been a firm that has been hired that was approved by the County Board with FEMA money to create the RFP for the new website to go out and bid the website. That company gathers all the information about the way things work and then they will write the RFP. This is just like with Kluber and Associates, you hired them to create the RFP for the demolition bids, those are the different ways those things happen.

Ms. Diaz said it is not that I don’t want to have the $884,300, but if this is what we know what we can get on the 2025 budget, I think we should do that and if the Executive then decides we should spend the remaining money, then it is good for us.

Mr. Logan said that money was allocated for the demolition so why would we not use that $884,300 and then ask for another $300,000 next year.

Ms. Fladhammer said because you are not going to spend that between now and November 30, 2024, so when it is not spent it gets absorbed into the 2025 budget and then gets reallocated.

Ms. Williams said there is no way that it would be reallocated.

Ms. Fladhammer stated it would not be reallocated to you unless there is a line item in the budget saying that it is allocated to this project. Currently there is nothing in the 2025 budget for that purpose.

Mr. Logan said that is not such a bad thing because the budget is $235 million, and we are trying to cut $1 million so that $500,000 would cut half of that right there.

Ms. Fladhammer said that it is probably Mr. Richmond’s thinking that in the balancing of it you could still have $300,000 for your purpose.

Mr. Logan said that makes more sense, I always like the idea of cutting down the budget.

Ms. Diaz said I need a motion to put forward $300,000 to the Finance Committee for the building and design of the new park at 14 West Jefferson Street.

Ms. Renken asked, is this a recommendation to the Executive Committee to put it forward.

Ms. Fladhammer informed the committee that you do not need to do that, in my opinion you don’t need to make a recommendation anywhere from this committee. It can be addressed by the two of you who are on the Finance Committee at the next Finance Committee next week, and it is then put into the budget. The meeting is next Tuesday.

Ms. Renken said for clarification this was just a discussion for that to be brought up by the Finance Committee or will there be a motion here.

Ms. Fladhammer said no you don’t have to make a recommendation, you are asking the Finance Committee Chair to please put this on his agenda for next week, and that is what you will be doing so that it goes on that meeting. Recommendations from the Ad-Hoc committees go directly to the Executive Committee based on the County Board Rules. This is not necessarily a recommendation, this is an ask, that you guys are asking for this to be considered for the budget for next year, it is not a recommendation.

Ms. Renken said I don’t think you necessarily need a motion to ask for something to be put onto the agenda, it is just a matter of you having a discussion and if everyone agrees then you could just ask if it is added to that agenda without needing a vote on anything.

Ms. Fladhammer said you would only need to vote on these things that are on your agenda today if you were going to try to fund it for this year; but if your goal is to have it funded with the $300,000 for next year and the $500,000 remaining being absorbed in, that is not a vote here. Does everyone understand that your discussion is that you would like to request that the Chair of the Finance Committee include it in the 2025 budget.

Ms. Diaz stated that I will do that, so we are good.

Ms. Fladhammer asked so you don’t need to vote on anything else, that is your decision to do it that way.

Mr. Logan said it does say on the agenda, a Recommendation to Fund the Park RFQ, Fencing and Cordoning.

Ms. Fladhammer said that is what was put on in case you chose to address it within the 2024 budget, you would need to have a vote, but because you are not, you are making a request of the Chair of the Finance Committee to have it included in the budget, it is not a vote to move it forward.

Mr. Logan said okay, so who pays for the RFP coming up, how is that paid or is that paid for next year.

Ms. Fladhammer stated that it is what you are funding, all that next year at your capital request.

Mr. Logan said so it doesn’t go to Capital Improvements then.

Ms. Fladhammer stated that is just a formal phrase for the portion of the budget where this would be included as a project.

VII. OTHER OLD BUSINESS 

No other Old Business

VIII. PUBLIC COMMENT 

IX. ANNOUNCEMENTS/ REPORTS BY THE CHAIR 

X. EXECUTIVE SESSION 

XI. ADJOURNMENT 

1. Motion to Adjourn @ 9:52 AM 

RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]  MOVER: Vince Logan, District 7 (R - Joliet) SECONDER: Sherry Williams, Vice Chair AYES: Diaz, Logan, Williams ABSENT: Berkowicz, Butler

XII. NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING TO BE DETERMINED

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