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Record of Proceedings

Naperville City Council Meeting - March 4, 2025: Financial Report & CART Update

City Council — Tuesday, March 4, 2025
BodyNaperville, Illinois
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, March 4, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Good evening and welcome to the March 4th Naperville City Council meeting and happy birthday to Councilwoman Longenbau on March 4th.

0:13

Roll call.

0:14

Worley.

0:15

Here.

0:16

Coal Tower?

0:16

Here.

0:17

Kelly.

0:17

Here.

0:17

Leong.

0:18

Here.

0:18

Longa bought here.

0:19

McRoon.

0:20

Here.

0:21

Taylor.

0:22

Here.

0:22

White.

0:23

Here.

0:23

Wilson.

0:24

Here.

0:25

Please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:30

Pledge of the flag of the United States of America.

0:34

And to the Republic for which it stands.

0:37

One nation.

0:38

Under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:55

Our first third of our business tonight is public forum.

0:58

As we start the public forum, I'd like to remind everyone of the citizen participation rules in the city's municipal code for speaking at city council meetings.

1:05

Speakers are asked to present their comments in a respectful and courteous manner.

1:09

Speakers should stay on topic and be cognizant of their words.

1:12

Personal attacks on council members, staff, other speakers, or members of the audience are not allowed.

1:17

If inappropriate language or comments are expressed during this meeting, you will be asked immediately to stop commenting.

1:22

Also, for audience members, there's no cheering and no jeering.

1:25

Actions such as applauding, cheering, finger snapping booing, or any other noises during or at the conclusion of any remarks made by any speaker are not allowed.

1:33

This occurs, you will be asked to stop immediately.

1:35

And if it continues to persist, I will recess the meeting until the audience abides by the rules in our city code.

1:41

No speaker should ever feel intimidated by the crowd.

1:44

Audience disruption is meant to intimidate those speaking, and I will not allow it in the chambers.

1:48

Audience members with signs, the signs must not block any other audience members' view.

1:52

Speakers are given three minutes to address the council to help speakers within stay within the three minute time frame.

1:57

We have a timer on the side dais to your right.

2:01

It gives the visual cue when the three minutes are expiring.

2:04

This helps speakers conclude their comments in a timely manner without being cut off.

2:07

The timer will buzz when it hits zero, and we will alert the team the speaker that the time is up.

2:11

If the speaker's name is called and they are not in the room, we will not go back.

2:15

We will move on to the next speaker.

2:17

Mr.

2:18

Schatz, please call the first speaker.

2:20

We have three speakers in public forum.

2:22

The first speaker is Joe Huss, followed by Gina Gedeitas.

2:30

Thank you.

2:33

Thank you.

2:33

My name is Joe Huss.

2:35

Um I'm representing the city's environmentality and sustainability task force, which educates and advises city officials and residents.

2:42

Tonight I'm here to share some good news.

2:44

The U The United States Energy Information Agency, the EIA, released its 2024 data, which shows how quickly the grid is getting cleaner.

2:53

About a quarter of all electricity in the United States today is generated by renewables.

2:58

That's mostly driven by a 23% increase in the total amount of solar that's on the grid.

3:04

And Illinois actually exceeded the national average with 89% in solar generation, basically doubling the amount of solar in Illinois.

3:14

And that trend is going to continue because as you look at the chart, you can see uh over 90% of uh the power added to the grid last year was renewables.

3:24

Renewables now have a larger market share in the U.S.

3:26

electricity market than either coal or nuclear.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Mental Health Awareness█████████████████████████████████33%
Fiscal Sustainability████████████████████20%
Procedural█████████████████17%
Energy Planning███████7%
Public Safety█████5%
Energy Procurement█████5%
Budget Equity Analysis█████5%
Procurement████4%
Capital Projects████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Naperville City Council Meeting – March 4, 2025

The Naperville City Council met on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting lasted approximately 58 minutes, adjourning at 7:58 PM. The agenda included a consent agenda, public forum, and two major reports: the preliminary 2024 year-end financial report and an update on the Fire Department's Community Advocate Response Team (CART) program. All votes were unanimous (9-0).

Consent Calendar

  • Approved 12 of 13 consent items via omnibus vote (motion by Councilman White, second by Councilman Kelly). Items approved include:
    • Minutes of February 18, 2025
    • City Council meeting schedule for March–May 2025
    • Reappointment to the Emergency Telephone Services Board
    • Contract renewals for autobody repairs (CARSTAR Todd’s Body Shop, $200,000), heavy-duty truck repair (Rush Truck Centers, $140,000), generator maintenance (Midwest Power Industry, $125,000), emergency lighting (Fleet Safety Supply, $310,000), and bucket trucks (Altec Industries, $344,020)
    • Positions on state legislation
    • Hot mix asphalt procurement (six vendors, $92,500)
    • Temporary traffic controls for the 2025 Naperville Women’s Half Marathon & 5K (April 13, 2025)
    • Intergovernmental agreement with IDOT for Ogden Avenue/Naperville-Wheaton Road traffic signal improvements
  • Tabled Item I9 (Concrete for In-house Restoration Program, $75,000) to the March 18, 2025 meeting per staff request.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Joe Hus (Naperville NEST & Say No To Coal Alliance) presented U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2024 data, stating that renewables now generate about a quarter of U.S. electricity, with a 23% increase in solar generation. He noted Illinois exceeded the national average with an 89% increase in solar generation and that renewables have a larger market share than coal or nuclear. He expressed support for Naperville transitioning away from coal, citing Iowa's lower electricity costs and progress.
  • Gina Gedutis (Naperville resident) raised safety concerns at 1105 Modaff, requesting clear answers and measurable action on police presence, nuisance abatement, and rental regulations.
  • Zach Plancich (St. Raphael Catholic School & Parish) thanked the Police Chief for additional support at drop-off/pickup times near 1105 Modaff and expressed appreciation for ongoing efforts to resolve safety issues.
  • Director Bill Novak (TED) provided an update: an inspection of 1105 Modaff was conducted with the property owner, who is cooperating to correct any violations and is committed to occupant safety. The investigation continues.

Discussion Items

1. Preliminary 2024 Year-End Financial Report (Item O1)

  • Director of Finance Raymond Munch presented the report, noting overall positive outcomes despite some revenue moderation. Key points:
    • General fund: revenues exceeded projections by ~$1 million (0.5%), expenses were ~$3.5 million under budget, resulting in a $5 million surplus.
    • Electric utility fund: cash balance declined for a third consecutive year, now at $7.2 million, due to higher capital spending and the loss of INEOS co-generation credits (a $3.5 million variance). Declining consumption (partly attributed to solar adoption) contributed. Rate increases for 2025+ are intended to stabilize cash.
    • Water utility fund: slightly under budget, with interfund transfers favoring capital fund.
    • Capital project execution improved: 65% of capital budget spent (vs. 50% in prior years).
    • Key revenues: sales tax and home rule sales tax slightly over budget; income tax strong; motor fuel tax flat; ambulance fees down; hotel/motel tax down due to one delinquent hotel; investment income generated $8.5 million in excess.
    • 2025 outlook: monitoring employee compensation, elimination of state grocery tax (2026), capital project costs, federal funding/tariff impacts, and state legislation.
  • Councilman Holzhauer questioned whether the electric fund decline would require higher rate increases than planned. Munch and Director Groth responded that the decline was known and factored into the rate study.
  • Councilman White noted the paradox of solar adoption reducing consumption and asked how to balance the electric budget. Munch explained that rate increases were shifted to fixed charges to ensure cost recovery regardless of consumption.
  • Director Novak reported a slight increase in building permits from 2024 to 2025, with strong concept meetings continuing.

2. Naperville Fire Department CART Program Report (Item O2)

  • Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis presented the update. The Community Advocate Response Team (CART) launched full-time in January 2024, operating 24/7 with one dedicated paramedic unit. Highlights:
    • Responded to 1,488 incidents in 2024; 79.1% were mental health-related.
    • 1,055 patients were treated without transport to the hospital, avoiding an estimated $5 million in hospital costs for residents.
    • Provided 1,536 follow-up services (in-home visits, phone calls, etc.) to ensure continuity of care.
    • Average on-scene time for treat-no-transport is 20 minutes, with some cases up to three hours.
    • Starting January 2026, Medicare will reimburse for follow-up services.
    • Chief noted that CART reduces non-emergent workload on EMS units, allowing them to focus on life-threatening emergencies. He cited positive feedback from patients and families.
  • Council expressed appreciation; no questions were raised.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda approved with one item tabled (9-0 vote).
  • Motion to receive the preliminary 2024 year-end financial report carried 9-0.
  • Motion to receive the report on the Naperville Fire Department CART program carried 9-0.
  • Meeting adjourned at 7:58 PM (motion by Councilman White, second by Councilman Kelly, voice vote).

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to the March 4th Naperville City Council meeting and happy birthday to Councilwoman Longenbau on March 4th. Roll call. Worley. Here. Coal Tower? Here. Kelly. Here. Leong. Here. Longa bought here. McRoon. Here. Taylor. Here. White. Here. Wilson. Here. Please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge of the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation. Under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Our first third of our business tonight is public forum. As we start the public forum, I'd like to remind everyone of the citizen participation rules in the city's municipal code for speaking at city council meetings. Speakers are asked to present their comments in a respectful and courteous manner. Speakers should stay on topic and be cognizant of their words. Personal attacks on council members, staff, other speakers, or members of the audience are not allowed. If inappropriate language or comments are expressed during this meeting, you will be asked immediately to stop commenting. Also, for audience members, there's no cheering and no jeering. Actions such as applauding, cheering, finger snapping booing, or any other noises during or at the conclusion of any remarks made by any speaker are not allowed. This occurs, you will be asked to stop immediately. And if it continues to persist, I will recess the meeting until the audience abides by the rules in our city code. No speaker should ever feel intimidated by the crowd. Audience disruption is meant to intimidate those speaking, and I will not allow it in the chambers. Audience members with signs, the signs must not block any other audience members' view. Speakers are given three minutes to address the council to help speakers within stay within the three minute time frame. We have a timer on the side dais to your right. It gives the visual cue when the three minutes are expiring. This helps speakers conclude their comments in a timely manner without being cut off. The timer will buzz when it hits zero, and we will alert the team the speaker that the time is up. If the speaker's name is called and they are not in the room, we will not go back. We will move on to the next speaker. Mr. Schatz, please call the first speaker. We have three speakers in public forum. The first speaker is Joe Huss, followed by Gina Gedeitas. Thank you. Thank you.

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