===== PDF PAGE 1 ===== [Extraction: embedded PDF text] WHERE HISTORY & PROGRESS MEET Approved (01/15/2026) MEETING MINUTES ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION November 20, 2025, 6:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order Establish a Quorum a. Dave Shah, Staff Liaison, called the meeting to order at 6:03 P.M. b. Members in attendance included Chair Nazree Williams, Commissioner Bob Blaus, Commissioner Victoria Burris, Commissioner David Carlson, Commissioner Tyler Kesler, and Commissioner Allen Rodriguez. c. Aldermanic liaison present included Alderman Christopher Swiatek. d. Staff liaison present included Assistant Director of Public Works, Dave Shah. Shah announced a moment of silence for former Commissioner Tom Cherrington, who passed away on November 14, 2025. 2. Approval of Minutes a. Environmental Commission Meeting Minutes of September 18, 2025 i. Rodriguez made a motion, seconded by Williams, to approve the Meeting Minutes. 1. Voting Yea: Williams, Blaus, Burris, Carlson, Kesler, and Rodriguez 2. Voting Nay: None. b. Environmental Commission Meeting Minutes of October 16, 2025 i. Carlson made a motion, seconded by Blaus, to approve the Meeting Minutes. 1. Voting Yea: Williams, Blaus, Burris, Carlson, Kesler, and Rodriguez 2. Voting Nay: None. 3. Public Participation/Presentations a. Prospective Commissioner Matt McClure introduced himself and expressed his interest in learning about the Commission. 4. Items for Consent a. None 5. Review and Discuss the Commission Priority List a. Current List i. Sustainability Plan – Subcommittee Update Discussion: Discussion followed regarding potential tree and milkweed grants, as shared by Commissioner Burris. The milkweed grant requires a minimum of two acres of land to qualify, so Shah will consult with City staff to determine if there is any suitable land available that could be eligible for the grant. Commissioner Burris will provide the milkweed grant details to be shared with the Commission so it can be discussed further at a future meeting. Some also suggested 475 Main Street T 630.293.2200 Daniel Bovey MAYOR West Chicago, Illinois F 630.293.3028 Tia Messino 60185 westchicago.org INTERIM CITY ADMINISTRATOR ===== PDF PAGE 2 ===== [Extraction: embedded PDF text] collaborating with the Park District for the tree grant and/or future tree events. Commissioner Blaus additionally suggested a Water Quality Improvement Program grant through DuPage County. Discussion also included the desire to move forward with the next steps in implementing a future single-use bag fee, especially given that similar attempts to move forward at the State level have stalled. Shah advised that he would revisit the subject with City Administration and report back to the Commission regarding the possibility of next moves and how to ultimately get the subject in front of City Council. ii. Annual Report 1. November 20, 2025 – Present Draft Report at the Commission Meeting 2. December 15, 2025 – Present Annual Report to City Council Discussion: Chair Williams expressed some hesitation in presenting the Annual Report to City Council, given what had been brainstormed and drafted so far. Commissioner Rodriguez expressed his strong support for presenting the Commission’s accomplishments to the City Council and offered to conduct the presentation with Chair Williams at a future date. Following the discussion, it was decided to present the Draft Report to the Commission at the January 15, 2026, meeting and present the Annual Report to City Council at their meeting on February 2, 2026. b. New Additions or Upcoming Events i. Holiday Lights Recycling Event – November 28, 2025, to January 16, 2026 1. Locations: WC City Hall, WC Water Treatment Plant, WC Public Library District, New Hope United Methodist Church of WC, Murphy Ace Hardware, The ARC Center, Jewel Osco Discussion: Shah advised the Commission that he coordinated with Groot to have the recycling totes delivered next week for staff to distribute to the collection sites. Menards did not agree to participate as they host their own light recycling, so the locations remain the same as last year. Shah provided flyers for Commissioners to distribute. ii. Earth Flag Training by SCARCE 1. April 15, 2026, 10:00 AM at Water Treatment Plant Discussion: Shah believes the Earth Flag would be presented at the same time as the SCARCE training, so he encouraged Commissioners to attend. Then the Commission could present its Earth Flag to the City Council as part of the Earth Day Proclamation scheduled for the April 20, 2026 City Council Meeting. 6. Other Business a. Pumpkin Composting Recap – Collected 2.03 Tons Total Discussion: Shah shared that about 51 vehicles came through for the pumpkin composting. Commissioner Rodriguez expressed his gratitude to Shah and his team for setting up and preparing the location for the event. b. Open seat on the Environmental Commission Discussion: Shah noted that in addition to a vacancy on the Commission, there is also an open co-chair position available. Anyone interested should reach out to Chair Williams. c. Cooking Oil Recycling Program Implementation & Advertisement Discussion: Shah shared that the Program started before the holidays and includes a drop-off location at the Wastewater Treatment Plant and one of the City’s Well Houses on Hawthorne Lane. Commercial drop-offs are permitted but only at the Wastewater Treatment Plant site. d. December Meeting Date – December 11, 2025 ===== PDF PAGE 3 ===== [Extraction: embedded PDF text] Discussion: Previous discussion had moved the meeting up to December 11, 2025; however, there are no pressing matters for the December agenda. i. Blaus made a motion, seconded by Rodriguez, to cancel the December Environmental Commission meeting. 1. Voting Yea: Williams, Blaus, Burris, Carlson, Kesler, and Rodriguez 2. Voting Nay: None. e. Police Department Front Entrance Planting Opportunity Discussion: While not on the agenda, Shah shared a potential planting opportunity along with the West Chicago Garden Club to add plantings in front of the Police Department front entrance. The Commission expressed interest in participating. f. Commissioner Blaus Recognized Discussion: Commissioner Blaus shared that he received an Excellence in Recycling Award by the state of Wisconsin DNR for his Regional Recycling Extravaganza held on August 23, 2025. He also spoke with the Mayor, inquiring about any sort of recognition or nomination to honor Good Samaritans who do things to better the community on their own, such as picking up trash. The Mayor advised he had been considering doing something like that on a monthly basis and asked for a write-up of the individual who could be considered. g. Commissioner Carlson Recycling Experiment Discussion: Commissioner Carlson shared his experience with tagging improperly recycled totes in his local alley. Of the 15 total totes he encountered, 6 had plastic bags containing the items or unrecyclable items in them. After tagging those 6 with correct recycling guidelines, only 3 were improperly recycling the following week. After additional tagging, eventually all 15 were following proper recycling practices. He wanted to share his experience as an example that recycling education can make a difference, even on a smaller scale. 7. Adjournment a. At 7:35 P.M., Blaus made a motion to adjourn, and Burris seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved by voice vote. Respectfully, Ashley Heidorn Public Works Administrative Assistant ===== PDF PAGE 4 ===== [Extraction: no text detected] [No text detected on this page; page may be blank, photographic, or graphical.]