OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Joliet Pre-Council Meeting - April 6, 2026

Meeting Portal — Monday, April 6, 2026
BodyJoliet, Illinois
SessionMeeting Portal
DateMonday, April 6, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:25:05

Transcript — Verbatim
0:16

That pre-council meeting for Monday, April 6th, 2026 at 5 30 p.m.

0:21

meeting in City Hall Council Chambers.

0:24

Call the roll, please.

0:25

Okay.

0:26

We'll begin with roll call.

0:27

Mayor Darcy.

0:27

Here.

0:28

Councilman Cardinals.

0:29

Councilman Clement?

0:30

Here.

0:30

Councilman Hug.

0:31

Here.

0:32

Councilwoman Abarra?

0:33

Here.

0:33

Councilman Moreno.

0:34

Here.

0:35

Councilman Mudron.

0:36

Here.

0:37

Councilwoman Quillman?

0:38

Here.

0:38

Councilwoman Ruden.

0:39

Here.

0:41

Okay.

0:41

Next we have two presentations.

0:45

I believe Hugh is stuck at a bridge.

0:49

So we are going to have Alison Swisher present the 2026 Water Main Replacement Program.

0:56

Director of Public Utilities.

1:02

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

1:05

We do this presentation once a year about the time that construction starts.

1:09

So I guess with the good weather also comes the construction.

1:13

So this is going to be an update on our 2026 water main replacement program.

1:17

I was going to provide a quick reminder of the background of why we're doing this, talk about the details of the program, and then talk specifically about how we provide communication to our residents.

1:28

So as a reminder, this water main replacement program, we began in 2022.

1:34

The goal is to replace all of water main that are older than 1970s.

1:37

These have been identified as the pipes that have the most leakage.

1:40

It's about about 192 total miles and a cost of about 600 million dollars.

1:46

So just the progress of where we're at today, we're about halfway through the project.

1:52

Over the past four years, we have been we first two years at about 20 miles and then almost double that amount in 24 and 25.

2:01

So this year again, our goals are number one to reduce non-revenue water, and then also to uh reduce a number of customer water outages due to water main breaks.

2:13

So we have a lot of coordination that we do to make this a success.

2:16

A lot of planning and prioritizing has gone into establishing the program.

2:21

Um we do have our funding strategy in place.

2:25

So this has all been funded with SRF, which is the state's low interest loan program, as well as WIFIA, which is the federal low interest program.

2:33

We do a lot of communication with residents, and then we have to coordinate all of this with other programs going on in the city, such as the work being done by public works, the work being done as part of the alternative water source program, and then a lot of coordination with the work that IDOT is doing with the I80 improvements.

2:50

So our 2026 program is about 20 miles.

2:54

Uh construction costs about 53 million dollars.

2:58

The loan funding for this was approved at the last council meeting.

3:02

As you can see on the map there, we have projects in four of the five council districts.

3:08

Uh so councilman hug in district one has most of our newer system.

3:12

So a lot of these uh pro uh replacements are focused in the older part of town, and if you recall from the non-revenue water presentation that we did a few months ago, um this is where we have the highest water loss, is in that um older part of town on either side of the river.

3:29

So also this year we are going to do one of our first um alternative water source program projects.

3:35

This is called uh um AWS P0804.

3:38

This was awarded at the last council meeting, and this is a major transmission main on Morgan Street, so that project will also be a component of the work being done this year.

3:48

Um, also as part of the watermaker replacements, we do do the lead service line replacement.

3:53

I'm very proud of Jolie, it's been very proactive in the lead service line replacement where we do replace the full led service line at no cost to the owner.

4:02

So when we encounter our led service line, we coordinate with the homeowner to get inside the home and do that full service line replacement.

4:11

So our schedule, we have a project that actually started today.

4:15

Um we have a number of these projects on our are on some of our major thorough thoroughfares, such as Larkin, um Larkin Avenue, and also on Clunwood.

4:25

So you will definitely notice the construction as you're driving around town.

4:30

Um these projects are all sequenced with different start dates, but the goal for all of them is to be complete in in December.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety███████████████████████████████31%
Personnel Matters████████████████████20%
Procedural█████████9%
Community Engagement█████████9%
Economic Development█████████9%
Transportation Safety████████8%
Budget Equity Analysis█████5%
Water And Wastewater Management████4%
Affordable Housing██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Joliet Pre-Council Meeting - April 6, 2026

The pre-council meeting held on April 6, 2026, at 5:30 PM in City Hall Council Chambers covered presentations on the 2026 Water Main Replacement Program and the Will County Governmental League, followed by discussion of consent agenda items, ordinances, and resolutions. Key topics included a security services contract for City Hall, a safety consulting contract, and a proposed ordinance to allow early hiring of successors. The council also discussed a tax abatement for Hyundai Translead and entered closed session. No formal votes were taken on agenda items; decisions will be made at the regular council meeting on April 7, 2026, except for the motion to enter closed session.

Presentations

  • 2026 Water Main Replacement Program: Allison Swisher, Director of Public Utilities, provided an update. The program, begun in 2022, aims to replace 192 miles of pre-1970s water mains at a cost of $600 million. The 2026 program includes 20 miles at $53 million, funded by state and federal low-interest loans (SRF and WIFIA). Projects are in four of five council districts. Communication efforts include a website, bilingual letters, open houses, and Everbridge alerts.
  • Will County Governmental League: Hugh O'Hara presented an overview of the league, which represents 33 local governments and advocates for regional issues. Joliet's annual membership dues of $25,077.45 were on the agenda as they exceeded $25,000. The league provides legislative advocacy, transportation funding (Joliet is proposed to receive $2 million in 2031 for Theodore Street), and shared services.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent agenda included routine approvals and contracts. Council members discussed several items individually:
    • Safety Consulting Services (Memo 186-26): Councilman Clement asked for clarification on the $485,750 contract with Sheffield Safety & Loss Control. Allison Swisher explained the program began in 2019 after a safety incident and covers safety manuals, training, audits, and lockout/tagout programs. Clement expressed interest in eventually moving safety functions in-house.
    • Security Services at City Hall (Memo 199-26): Councilwoman Quillman questioned the $80,516.37 amendment to the Allied Universal security contract, suggesting using police officers on overtime. City Manager Beth Beatty noted the city has 261 officers (authorized for 302) and cannot spare one. Police Chief Evans stated that the department is understaffed and cannot fill a police detail at City Hall. The council discussed a 30-day out clause and agreed to continue exploring police officer options. The item was included on the consent agenda for the regular meeting.
    • Other consent items were discussed briefly, including the Northpoint development engineering services ($20,000), utilities restoration program ($700,000), and various technology contracts (Tyler Technologies, Xerox).

Discussion Items

Ordinance Amending City Manager Authority for Succession Hiring (Memo 202-26)

  • The proposed ordinance would allow the city manager to post and hire for a position up to six months before an incumbent's irrevocable retirement, rather than waiting until the position is vacant. Council members expressed concerns about the six-month timeframe and the need for council oversight. Some supported a case-by-case approach. Directors from Public Utilities and Public Works spoke in favor, citing difficulties in filling technical positions. The city manager noted that the ordinance would not increase budgets beyond what was approved. The item was discussed and will be voted on at the regular council meeting.

Property Tax Abatement for Hyundai Translead (Resolution 204-26)

  • Doug Pryor (Will County Center for Economic Development) and Sean Kenney (CEO, Hyundai Translead) presented the proposal. The company will occupy the former Lion Electric building at 3835 Youngs Road and the former Caterpillar building at 2200 Shanahan Drive, adding 2.4 million square feet of manufacturing space, creating 2,475 jobs (1,291 at Youngs Road), and investing nearly $350 million. The request is a five-year 50% abatement of the new increment. Council members expressed support, noting the previous Lion Electric abatement never activated. The resolution was discussed and will be acted upon at the regular meeting.

Other Resolutions

  • Resolution 205-26: Property tax incentive with Supermercados El Güero (housekeeping for 2019 abatement).
  • Resolution 206-26: Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement with Joliet Park District for security cameras.
  • Resolution 207-26: Easement agreement with Plainfield Park District for water facility construction.
  • Resolution 208-26: Grant of public utility easement from Burton Place Apartment for Larkin Avenue water main improvements.
  • Resolution 209-26: Encroachment stipulation letter with Kinder Morgan for Glenwood and West Acres water main improvements.

Other Memos

  • Memo 197-26: Approval of Amendment No. 1 for 2027 Water Main Rehabilitation Program detailed design services to Baxter & Woodman ($1,323,900).
  • Memo 198-26: Payment of Will County Governmental League annual membership dues ($25,077.45).

Key Outcomes

  • The council reviewed all consent agenda items and will vote on them at the regular council meeting on April 7, 2026. The security services contract was discussed at length, but no separate vote was taken; it remains on the consent agenda.
  • The ordinance on succession hiring will be voted on at the regular meeting.
  • The resolution approving the Hyundai Translead tax abatement will be voted on at the regular meeting; council members expressed strong support.
  • A motion to enter closed session to discuss personnel, collective bargaining, land acquisition, and litigation was made by Councilwoman Ibarra, seconded by Councilman Moreno, and approved unanimously (9-0).
  • The meeting adjourned after closed session.

Meeting Transcript

That pre-council meeting for Monday, April 6th, 2026 at 5 30 p.m. meeting in City Hall Council Chambers. Call the roll, please. Okay. We'll begin with roll call. Mayor Darcy. Here. Councilman Cardinals. Councilman Clement? Here. Councilman Hug. Here. Councilwoman Abarra? Here. Councilman Moreno. Here. Councilman Mudron. Here. Councilwoman Quillman? Here. Councilwoman Ruden. Here. Okay. Next we have two presentations. I believe Hugh is stuck at a bridge. So we are going to have Alison Swisher present the 2026 Water Main Replacement Program. Director of Public Utilities. Good evening, Mayor and Council. We do this presentation once a year about the time that construction starts. So I guess with the good weather also comes the construction. So this is going to be an update on our 2026 water main replacement program. I was going to provide a quick reminder of the background of why we're doing this, talk about the details of the program, and then talk specifically about how we provide communication to our residents. So as a reminder, this water main replacement program, we began in 2022. The goal is to replace all of water main that are older than 1970s. These have been identified as the pipes that have the most leakage. It's about about 192 total miles and a cost of about 600 million dollars. So just the progress of where we're at today, we're about halfway through the project. Over the past four years, we have been we first two years at about 20 miles and then almost double that amount in 24 and 25. So this year again, our goals are number one to reduce non-revenue water, and then also to uh reduce a number of customer water outages due to water main breaks. So we have a lot of coordination that we do to make this a success. A lot of planning and prioritizing has gone into establishing the program. Um we do have our funding strategy in place. So this has all been funded with SRF, which is the state's low interest loan program, as well as WIFIA, which is the federal low interest program. We do a lot of communication with residents, and then we have to coordinate all of this with other programs going on in the city, such as the work being done by public works, the work being done as part of the alternative water source program, and then a lot of coordination with the work that IDOT is doing with the I80 improvements. So our 2026 program is about 20 miles. Uh construction costs about 53 million dollars. The loan funding for this was approved at the last council meeting. As you can see on the map there, we have projects in four of the five council districts. Uh so councilman hug in district one has most of our newer system. So a lot of these uh pro uh replacements are focused in the older part of town, and if you recall from the non-revenue water presentation that we did a few months ago, um this is where we have the highest water loss, is in that um older part of town on either side of the river.

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