===== PDF PAGE 2 ===== [Extraction: embedded PDF text] Draft MEETING MINUTES ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION September 18, 2025, 5:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order Establish a Quorum a. Dave Shah, Staff Liaison, called the meeting to order at 5:12 P.M. b. Members in attendance included Chair Nazree Williams, Commissioner Bob Blaus, Commissioner Victoria Burris, and Commissioner Tyler Kesler. Co-Chair Tom Cherrington and Commissioner Allen Rodriguez were absent. c. Aldermanic liaison present included Alderman Christopher Swiatek. d. Staff liaison present included Assistant Director of Public Works, Dave Shah. 2. Approval of Minutes a. Environmental Commission Meeting Minutes of August 21, 2025 i. Williams made a motion, seconded by Burris, to approve the Meeting Minutes. 1. Voting Yea: Williams, Blaus, Burris, Kesler 2. Voting Nay: None 3. Public Participation/Presentations a. None 4. Items for Consent a. None 5. Review and Discuss the Commission Priority List a. Current List i. Sustainability Plan – Subcommittee Update 1. Single-Use Bag Fee Discussion: Burris shared some estimates of the number of stores in West Chicago that would be affected, plastic and paper bag costs, and potential revenue that could be gained by instituting a single-use bag fee. Some discussion followed regarding City staff’s email to the Commission concerning the implementation of a single-use bag fee, while the State may also implement one statewide eventually. Staff also noted that bandwidth to work on such a project would be extremely limited, and the City is additionally facing many budget cuts due to a $1.4 million budget deficit. Some suggestions for use of potential revenue from a single-use bag fee included investing in wind power, water/pond cleanups, energy audits, or supplementing public works programs such as tree planting. 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: None. b. New Additions or Upcoming Events Page 1 of 2 ===== PDF PAGE 3 ===== [Extraction: embedded PDF text] i. Fall Adopt-A-Highway Event – September 18, 2025, 5:00 PM 1. Location: Water Treatment Plant, 1400 W. Hawthorne Lane Discussion: None. ii. Pumpkin Composting Event – November 8, 2025, 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. 1. Location: New Hope United Methodist Church, 643 E Washington St, West Chicago, IL 60185 Discussion: Shah noted a typo on the original agenda, and the correct date of the event is November 8, 2025. It was also suggested that yard signage be made to advertise the Event in front of the church. Blaus also suggested distributing the business card-sized advertisements to kids along with their candy during trick-or-treating and providing local businesses with copies to give out as well. iii. 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: None. 6. Other Business a. FY 2026 Budget Request Discussion: Shah noted the Commission’s budget request has been submitted. b. Cooking Oil Recycling Coordination with SCARCE Discussion: Shah suggested using flyers and social media to advertise the proposed cooking oil recycling locations when the time comes. Internal discussions with staff are ongoing to discuss the feasibility of the two proposed collection sites. c. Proposal for a Single-Use Plastics Education Campaign Discussion: Kesler believes that education and outreach regarding single-use plastics should be strategically aligned with single-use bag fee implementation. Discussion followed regarding the consultant proposal for education and outreach concerning single-use plastics. Shah noted that City staff believe much of what the proposal entails could be done in-house to save money. Kesler expressed strong support for the proposal. Williams did not find the proposal to necessarily support the Commission’s mission and doubted that staff would approve the proposal if they believed it could be done in-house. Some discussion followed. i. Kesler made a motion, seconded by Burris, to bring the proposal to City staff for approval. 1. Voting Yea: Burris, Kesler 2. Voting Nay: Williams, Blaus 7. Adjournment a. At 6:18 P.M., Blaus made a motion to adjourn, and Williams seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved by voice vote. Respectfully, Ashley Heidorn Public Works Administrative Assistant Page 2 of 2 ===== PDF PAGE 4 ===== [Extraction: embedded PDF text] Draft MEETING MINUTES ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION October 16, 2025, 6:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order Establish a Quorum a. Dave Shah, Staff Liaison, called the meeting to order at 6:02 P.M. b. Members in attendance included Co-Chair Tom Cherrington, Commissioner Bob Blaus, Commissioner David Carlson, and Commissioner Allen Rodriguez. Chair Nazree Williams, Commissioner Victoria Burris, and Commissioner Tyler Kesler were absent. c. Aldermanic liaison present included Alderman Christopher Swiatek. d. Staff liaison present included Assistant Director of Public Works, Dave Shah. Shah welcomed the newly appointed Commissioner Carlson to the group. 2. Approval of Minutes a. Environmental Commission Meeting Minutes of September 18, 2025 i. Rodriguez suggested postponing approval of the Meeting Minutes until the next meeting. There was a consensus to delay approval until November. 3. Public Participation/Presentations a. None 4. Items for Consent a. None 5. Review and Discuss the Commission Priority List a. Current List i. Sustainability Plan – Subcommittee Update Discussion: None. 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: Rodriguez requested that the draft be shared with everyone on the Commission to collaborate. He also requested that Williams be able to present the report at the beginning of the December 15 City Council meeting if possible. Shah noted pictures taken throughout the year would also be shared for possible inclusion in the report. Rodriguez additionally suggested incorporating a PowerPoint presentation at the December 15 meeting. b. New Additions or Upcoming Events i. Pumpkin Composting Event – November 8, 2025, 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. 1. Location: New Hope United Methodist Church, 643 E Washington St, West Chicago, IL 60185 Discussion: Rodriguez suggested printing flyers to distribute to shoppers at Jewel and said he could deliver them to management for distribution. Rodriguez raised a concern regarding the risk of ICE Page 1 of 2 ===== PDF PAGE 5 ===== [Extraction: embedded PDF text] targeting the event. Blaus noted that most attendees trickle in, and there is not typically a large group in attendance at once. Rodriguez suggested reaching out to the host church to determine their protocol if ICE showed up at their property. ii. 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: Rodriguez suggested adding Menards to the list of drop-off locations and asked Commissioner Carlson if he could make contact to facilitate this. 6. Other Business a. Cooking Oil Recycling Program Coordination i. Program implementation by mid-November 2025 Discussion: Shah confirmed two locations have been selected for drop-off sites – one at the Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant and a pilot location near the water tower on Hawthorne Lane, which would be available 24/7. Some discussions followed regarding logistics, accessibility, and signage. Rodriguez noted that this program should be used towards earning SCARCE’s Earth Flag. b. November & December 2025 Commission meetings Discussion: Commissioners agreed to keep the November 20 meeting as normally scheduled and reschedule the meeting in December to December 11, 2025. c. SCARCE Training Discussion: SCARCE requires staff training as part of the requirements to earn an Earth Flag. The Commission suggested scheduling this training for February, if possible, so the Flag can be earned in the first quarter of 2026. d. September 2025 Commission Meeting Recap Request Discussion: While not on the agenda, Rodriguez requested a summary of discussions regarding single-use bag fees from the September meeting he was unable to attend. Summarization by the Commission followed, which recapped the previous meeting’s discussions. Rodriguez commented that Williams and Kesler may want to meet with the Mayor regarding these topics as well. e. Jacket Presentation – Rodriguez presented the Commissioners with City logo jackets as a gift to represent the City and show his appreciation of their efforts. f. Recycling Discussion: Carlson shared some thoughts on recycling education and shared an example from Australia where they would tag improper recycling on residents’ bins. He also expressed interest in focusing efforts on educating children about responsible recycling practices. 7. Adjournment a. At 7:31 P.M., Rodriguez made a motion to adjourn, and Cherrington seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved by voice vote. Respectfully, Ashley Heidorn Public Works Administrative Assistant Page 2 of 2 ===== PDF PAGE 6 ===== [Extraction: embedded PDF text] WEST CHICAGO HOLIDAY LIGHT COLLECTION Strands of incandescent and LED holiday lights, and extension cords, may be dropped off at designated bins at the following locations from Friday, November 28 through Friday, January 16. • West Chicago City Hall I 475 Main Street • New Hope United Methodist Church I 643 E. Washington Street • Murphy Ace Hardware I 319 S. Neltnor Boulevard • West Chicago Water Treatment Plant I 1400 W. Hawthorne Lane • West Chicago Public Library District I 118 W. Washington Street • The ARC Center I 201 W. National Street • Jewel-Osco I 177 E. Roosevelt Road This program is open to West Chicago Residents, businesses, clubs, churches and organizations, and is made available through the coordination of the City of West Chicago, the City of West Chicago’s Environmental Commission, SCARCE, and Groot. ===== PDF PAGE 7 ===== [Extraction: embedded PDF text] WEST CHICAGO RECOLECCIÓN DE LUCES NAVIDEÑAS Las luces navideñas incandescentes y LED, así como los cables de extensión, se pueden depositar en los contenedores designados en las siguientes ubicaciones desde el 28 de noviembre viernes, hasta el 16 de enero. viernes, • West Chicago City Hall I 475 Main Street • New Hope United Methodist Church I 643 E. Washington Street • Murphy Ace Hardware I 319 S. Neltnor Boulevard • West Chicago Water Treatment Plant I 1400 W. Hawthorne Lane • West Chicago Public Library District I 118 W. Washington Street • The ARC Center I 201 W. National Street • Jewel-Osco I 177 E. Roosevelt Road Este programa está abierto a los residentes, empresas, clubes, iglesias y organizaciones de West Chicago, y se ofrece a través de la coordinación de la Ciudad de West Chicago, la Comisión Ambiental de la Ciudad de West Chicago, SCARCE y Groot.