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Record of Proceedings

Naperville City Council Meeting - April 15, 2025: Farewells, Developments, and Key Approvals

City Council — Tuesday, April 15, 2025
BodyNaperville, Illinois
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, April 15, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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1:25

Good evening, welcome to the April fifteenth Naperville City Council meeting.

1:29

This is the final meeting with this current council.

1:32

The next council will be sworn in on a Sunday, May 4th at two thirty PM.

1:37

Roll call.

1:38

Worley.

1:38

Here.

1:39

Hold tower.

1:39

Here.

1:40

Kelly.

1:40

Here.

1:41

Leon.

1:41

Here.

1:42

Long and Bon.

1:42

Here.

1:43

McBroom.

1:44

Here.

1:44

Taylor.

1:44

Here.

1:45

White.

1:45

Here.

1:46

Wilson?

1:46

Here.

1:47

Please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:53

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

2:11

Our first order of business this evening is awards and recognitions.

2:14

We have four items tonight.

2:15

Councilman Wilson will present the first one, and I will present the remaining three.

2:20

Councilman Wilson.

2:22

Thank you, Mayor.

2:33

Office of the Mayor, City of Naperville, Nape City of Naperville, Illinois Proclamation, River Sweep, Twenty Twenty-Five, April 19th, Twenty Twenty-Five.

2:43

Whereas the City, the sorry, the County of DuPage, through the stormwater management department and municipalities, townships and the park districts recognizes the ongoing stream cleaning and restoration as essential for the preservation of waterways throughout DuPage County and Northeastern Illinois, and whereas the DuPage County River Sweep is countywide stream cleanup and restoration event organized by the Conservation Foundation and held in cooperation with the American Rivers National River Cleanup, and whereas the purpose of the river sweep is to encourage citizens and volunteer groups to help sweep our rivers clean by picking up debris in and along our waterway and by participating in stream restoration projects, and whereas the annual stream cleaning efforts have been very successful with more than sixteen thousand volunteers and removing over three hundred tons of debris from DuPage County stream since nineteen ninety-one.

3:45

And whereas the mayor and city council of the City of Naperville congratulate the Conservation Foundation on thirty-four successful years for this event.

3:55

And now therefore I, Scott A.

3:57

Worley, mayor of the City of Naperville, Illinois, do hereby proclaim April nineteenth, twenty twenty-five as River Sweep twenty twenty-five in the City of Naperville.

4:07

And urge all citizens to make a positive change in your local community by helping to clean up and restore our local waterways and participating in River Sweep twenty twenty-five on Saturday, April nineteenth, twenty twenty-five.

5:00

Our next proclamation is honoring Nokia Bell Labs Centennial, April 23rd, 2025.

5:04

Whereas Nokia Bell Labs has been a technology powerhouse, a center of endless innovation for a century, and a mainstay in Naperville since 1966.

5:16

And whereas winning 10 Nobel Prizes, three Emmys, two Grammys, one Oscar, five touring awards, 14 U.S.

5:26

National Medals of Science, 12 U.S.

5:30

National Medals of Technology and Innovation, and many, many more awards.

5:36

And whereas revolutionizing the way humans live and work with the transistor, the solar cell, the laser, the charge coupled device or C C D, the communication satellite, the Unix operating system, the C C programming language, and more, including over 33,000 patents.

5:58

And whereas in Naperville invented and built the one AESS, two ESS, two BESS, three ESS, four ESS, and five ESS toll and local switches, Autoplex, which is our first cellular network system, the IP Multimedia Systems, IMS, which powers today's global IP communication networks, and more.

6:28

And whereas was pivotal in the transformation of Naperville from a small town outside of Chicago into a vibrant modern city that is conveniently consistently ranked in the top five as the best in the nation.

6:44

Now therefore I, Scott Worley, mayor of the city of Naperville, do hereby proclaim April 23rd, 2025 as Nokia Bell Labs Centennial Celebration Day in the City of Naperville.

6:55

And I have Anne Lee, the site manager from Nokia here to accept this proclamation.

7:12

Thank you so much.

7:18

Thank you so much, Mayor Worley.

7:21

I didn't actually prepare, so but we're very proud in at Nokia Bell Labs to have been here for so many years, almost 60 years now.

7:32

Next year is our 60th anniversary at our site.

7:36

And it's been a great ride.

7:54

So we're very hopeful, and we we look forward to when he comes, we'll invite you as well to meet him.

8:02

But we're just it's just so exciting to celebrate having had all these awards and actually these innovations and inventions and uh discoveries that have profoundly changed the way people live and work in a positive way, and to have this recognized is I'm speechless.

9:06

This is a proclamation from the Office of the Mayor of the City of Naperville celebrating the retirement of William Novak on May 2nd, 2025.

9:14

This will be his last city council meeting tonight.

9:21

Whereas in May 1992, Bill Novak, city engineer and director of transportation, engineering, and development, has served the residents and businesses of the city of Naperville for 33 years.

9:34

And whereas by improving and maintaining the city's roadways, traffic signals, bikeways, sidewalks, bridges, there's a star next to bridges, by the way, river walk, and stormwater systems, he improved the quality of life for all Naperville residents and its visitors.

10:00

And whereas throughout his thoughtful and collaborative leadership, Bill created and maintained trusted partnerships with DuPage County, the Naperville Park District, District 203 School District, District 204 School District, Will County, the Naperville Development Partnership, the Downtown Naperville Alliance, the Chamber of Commerce, our residents, our homeowners' associations, and local builders and developers.

10:17

And whereas Bill is a respected and knowledgeable professional serving as the city's representative at more than six hundred city council meetings, and leading the planning, development, and management of the Naperville River Walk for over 25 years.

10:36

And whereas through his patience, professionalism, and collaborative spirit, Bill has facilitated responsible land use planning and development in Naperville, ensuring a vibrant downtown, dynamic commercial environment, and quality housing, which has resulted in Naperville's many livability accolades and awards.

10:55

And whereas throughout his more than three decade career, Bill has consistently exemplified the city's core values of people, trust, respect, and pride as a trusted partner, mentor, leader, and friend to city employees, his fellow directors.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Personnel Matters████████████████████20%
Public Engagement██████████████████18%
Procedural██████████████14%
Parking Regulations████████8%
Historic Preservation███████7%
Energy Procurement█████5%
Zoning Regulations█████5%
Housing Affordability█████5%
Procurement████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Naperville City Council Meeting – April 15, 2025

The Naperville City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, starting at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting featured recognitions for retiring Director William Novack and outgoing Councilmembers Jennifer Bruzan Taylor and Paul Leong, public forum comments on multiple topics, and votes on a consent agenda, a parking ordinance, two major developments (Charleston Place and Life Time Fitness/Tower Court), and agreements regarding Naper Settlement. The Council also directed staff to review public comment procedures for boards and commissions.

Awards and Recognitions

  • River Sweep 2025 – Proclaimed April 19, 2025 as River Sweep 2025, honoring the Conservation Foundation’s 34-year event that has removed over 300 tons of debris from DuPage County streams with more than 16,000 volunteers since 1991.
  • Nokia Bell Labs Centennial – Proclaimed April 23, 2025 as Nokia Labs Centennial Celebration Day, recognizing the site’s nearly 60 years in Naperville and its innovations including the transistor, Unix, and the C programming language.
  • Retirement of William Novack – Proclaimed May 2, 2025 as William Novack Day. Novack, Director of Transportation, Engineering, and Development (TED), served the city for 33 years and attended over 600 city council meetings. The population grew from 86,958 to 150,688 during his tenure.
  • Recognition of Outgoing Council Members – Mayor Wehrli presented commemorative items to Councilwoman Jennifer Bruzan Taylor and Councilman Paul Leong, both serving since 2021. Councilman Leong was one of the first two Asian Americans on the council.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the following items with removal of I‑7, I‑32 through I‑34, and I‑35 through I‑43 (all other items passed unanimously by voice vote):
    • Cash disbursements for March 2025 totaling $29,253,407.63
    • City Council meeting minutes of April 2, 2025
    • Meeting schedule for May, June, and July 2025
    • Appointment of Andy Hynes, City Engineer, to the Riverwalk Commission
    • Year-to-date budget report through March 31, 2025
    • Emergency procurement for North Avenue Storm Sewer Pipe Replacement ($40,471)
    • Option Year #1 for Citywide Camera Replacement ($128,000)
    • Option Year #1 for Brush Collection Services ($262,500)
    • Sole Source Procurement for Electric Service Center Office Furniture ($138,708)
    • Cooperative Procurement for Water Service Truck Replacements ($226,602)
    • Bid for 2025 Pavement Patching ($542,825 plus 3% contingency)
    • Bid for Storm Sewer Rehabilitation ($750,000 plus 3% contingency)
    • Bid for HVAC and Dehumidification Services ($243,680 for one year)
    • Bid for Salt Conveyor Replacement ($342,500 plus 5% contingency)
    • Bid for 2025 Crackfilling Program ($546,975.32 plus 3% contingency) and corresponding IDOT resolution
    • Supplemental IDOT resolution for Washington Street Bridge Improvement ($300,000 local share)
    • Supplemental IDOT resolution for North Aurora Road Underpass ($817,469.32 local share)
    • Resolution authorizing RTA grant application for Ride DuPage to Work program
    • Collective bargaining agreements with F.O.P. Lodge #42 and I.A.F.F. Local #4302
    • Ordinance for 2025 Memorial Day Parade temporary traffic controls and permits
    • Ordinance deleting weight restriction on Washington Street Bridge
    • Ordinance extending temporary parking facilities at Calamos Headquarters and CityGate Centre
    • Ordinance approving Third Amendment to Tower and Vault Sublicense Agreement with SMSA Limited Partnership for cellular antennae on Millennium Carillon
    • Ordinance amending Title 6 (Zoning) regarding banks and financial institutions in Downtown Core (B4) district
    • Ordinance removing requirement for city-conducted BASSET training for alcohol servers (requires six votes)
    • Ordinance updating the Overnight Parking Program (requires six votes)
    • Ordinances establishing overnight parking exemptions for Foxcroft Condos and Coach Houses of Old Sawmill (requires six votes each)

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Paul Leong Leadership Build-up – Hairong Huang, Yulen Chen, Wien Dai, Arista Wang, May Liang thanked Councilman Leong for his service.
  • Three minutes with NEST – Joseph Huss (Naperville) argued that IMEA reliability is determined by PJM, not IMEA, and that IMEA power is more expensive: average $79/MWh vs. market $57/MWh over the past 10 years, suggesting $300 million in potential savings. He thanked the council for not extending the IMEA contract.
  • Sidewalk repair, IMEA timeline, Boards/Commissions – Marilyn Schweitzer (Naperville) expressed concerns about the elimination of the 2025 sidewalk cost‑sharing program without public input, the lack of a timeline for IMEA contract decisions, and the need for revised procedures for boards and commissions to allow public submissions.
  • Ethics ordinance – Phil Aderton (Naperville) urged the city to reinstate the ethics ordinance, citing the need for transparency and criticizing campaign finance.
  • IMEA extension support – Tim Ferritto (Naperville) supported extending the IMEA contract, stating the Public Utility Advisory Board (PUAB) made a sound decision, described Prairie State as a clean coal plant with 85% NOx reduction and 98% SO2 reduction, and warned of increasing power prices due to plant retirements.
  • Palestine – Jasmine Amimi-Pronger (Naperville) discussed genocide concerns.
  • Arab American Heritage Month / Public transportation – Nicole Pronger (Naperville) urged the city to focus on all residents, improve public transit, and support Arab American Heritage Month.

Discussion Items

  • I‑7 – Parking Restrictions on Main Street – Tim Messer (Naperville) supported the new 15‑minute spots but requested enforcement. Councilwoman Taylor noted the Downtown Naperville Alliance endorsed the plan. Councilman Kelly preferred a first reading to get more input, but a motion to waive first reading passed 7‑2 (Kelly and Longenbaugh nay).
  • I‑32 through I‑34 – Charleston Place (1103 Aurora Avenue) –
    • Speaker Amanda Arnold (Naperville) raised concerns about the development not being age‑restricted senior living, drainage issues (80% impervious surface claim was later corrected to less than 80%), safety on Aurora Avenue, and density. She urged making it a showcase.
    • Petitioner’s attorney Vince Rosanova stated it is age‑targeted, not restricted, designed for ages 55–75 with first‑floor bedrooms, smaller lots, and association‑maintained landscaping. He noted that age restriction would require waiving school/park fees; the development will pay those fees and taxes.
    • Engineer Jim Kaniff explained the detention system bridges old and new ordinances and uses a concrete storm trap system used elsewhere in the city (e.g., Main Street Promenade).
    • Director Bill Novak confirmed two access points (eastbound left‑turn lane and right‑in/right‑out west entrance) and sidewalks along Aurora Avenue connecting to downtown.
    • Councilman Holzhauer praised developer Eric Van Summeren for adding a $200,000 riverwalk path in a prior project. Councilwoman Longenbaugh secured commitments to discuss visitability with buyers, store a ramp at the HOA, and consider accessibility in future projects.
  • I‑35 through I‑43 – Life Time Fitness and Tower Court Residences –
    • Troy Butler (Naperville) spoke in favor, describing how the development would allow his friends and him to live independently near familiar places.
    • Cheryl Butler (Naperville) thanked the council for supporting housing for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), noting the on‑site support from Ray Graham.
    • Written comments: Donielle Deering (Naperville ACTF) expressed strong support.
    • Councilmembers praised the project as a landmark achievement for inclusive housing.
  • L‑1 & L‑2 – Naper Settlement Agreement and Museum Board Amendment –
    • Marilyn Schweitzer (Naperville) opposed the agreement, stating it restricts the definition of Naper Settlement to 13 acres, does not fund preservation or access beyond the site, allows sale of historic items without city consent, and does not give the Museum Board authority to ensure accessibility.
    • Bill Simon (Naperville Preservation Inc.) supported the agreement, emphasizing that Naper Settlement is the keeper of Naperville’s history.
    • City Attorney Mike DiSanto explained the agreement modernizes the nearly 50‑year partnership, focusing on governance, transparency, financial management, and roles of the city, Heritage Society, and Museum Board.
  • M‑1 – Personal Computers Procurement – Councilman Holzhauer requested staff prioritize local vendors over Amazon when possible.
  • New Business – Councilman Holzhauer directed staff to review and standardize how boards and commissions accept public comment, with a report to a future council.

Key Outcomes

  • I‑7 (Main Street Parking) – First reading waived and ordinance passed 7‑2 (Kelly, Longenbaugh nay). 15‑minute parking spots consolidated to the west side of Main Street.
  • I‑32 – Receive staff report for Charleston Place – Approved by voice vote (9‑0).
  • I‑33 – Rezoning for Charleston Place – Approved 9‑0.
  • I‑34 – Preliminary/Final Plat and deviation for Charleston Place – Approved 9‑0.
  • I‑35 through I‑43 – Life Time Fitness and Tower Court Residences – All nine ordinances approved unanimously (9‑0), including purchase agreements, plat of vacation, resubdivision plat, site development agreement, declaration of covenants, stormwater management easement, and access agreement with Wheatland Township.
  • L‑1 – Naper Settlement Agreement – Resolution adopted 9‑0.
  • L‑2 – Museum Board Ordinance – Passed 9‑0 (waived first reading).
  • M‑1 – Personal Computers – Award approved 9‑0 for $1,139,850 (Amazon, CDS, Insight).
  • M‑2 – Transformers – Award approved 9‑0 for up to $2,000,000.
  • New Business – Council directed staff to standardize boards and commissions public comment procedures.
  • Adjournment – Meeting adjourned at 9:15 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, welcome to the April fifteenth Naperville City Council meeting. This is the final meeting with this current council. The next council will be sworn in on a Sunday, May 4th at two thirty PM. Roll call. Worley. Here. Hold tower. Here. Kelly. Here. Leon. Here. Long and Bon. Here. McBroom. Here. Taylor. Here. White. Here. Wilson? Here. Please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. Our first order of business this evening is awards and recognitions. We have four items tonight. Councilman Wilson will present the first one, and I will present the remaining three. Councilman Wilson. Thank you, Mayor. Office of the Mayor, City of Naperville, Nape City of Naperville, Illinois Proclamation, River Sweep, Twenty Twenty-Five, April 19th, Twenty Twenty-Five. Whereas the City, the sorry, the County of DuPage, through the stormwater management department and municipalities, townships and the park districts recognizes the ongoing stream cleaning and restoration as essential for the preservation of waterways throughout DuPage County and Northeastern Illinois, and whereas the DuPage County River Sweep is countywide stream cleanup and restoration event organized by the Conservation Foundation and held in cooperation with the American Rivers National River Cleanup, and whereas the purpose of the river sweep is to encourage citizens and volunteer groups to help sweep our rivers clean by picking up debris in and along our waterway and by participating in stream restoration projects, and whereas the annual stream cleaning efforts have been very successful with more than sixteen thousand volunteers and removing over three hundred tons of debris from DuPage County stream since nineteen ninety-one. And whereas the mayor and city council of the City of Naperville congratulate the Conservation Foundation on thirty-four successful years for this event. And now therefore I, Scott A. Worley, mayor of the City of Naperville, Illinois, do hereby proclaim April nineteenth, twenty twenty-five as River Sweep twenty twenty-five in the City of Naperville. And urge all citizens to make a positive change in your local community by helping to clean up and restore our local waterways and participating in River Sweep twenty twenty-five on Saturday, April nineteenth, twenty twenty-five. Our next proclamation is honoring Nokia Bell Labs Centennial, April 23rd, 2025. Whereas Nokia Bell Labs has been a technology powerhouse, a center of endless innovation for a century, and a mainstay in Naperville since 1966. And whereas winning 10 Nobel Prizes, three Emmys, two Grammys, one Oscar, five touring awards, 14 U.S. National Medals of Science, 12 U.S. National Medals of Technology and Innovation, and many, many more awards. And whereas revolutionizing the way humans live and work with the transistor, the solar cell, the laser, the charge coupled device or C C D, the communication satellite, the Unix operating system, the C C programming language, and more, including over 33,000 patents. And whereas in Naperville invented and built the one AESS, two ESS, two BESS, three ESS, four ESS, and five ESS toll and local switches, Autoplex, which is our first cellular network system, the IP Multimedia Systems, IMS, which powers today's global IP communication networks, and more. And whereas was pivotal in the transformation of Naperville from a small town outside of Chicago into a vibrant modern city that is conveniently consistently ranked in the top five as the best in the nation. Now therefore I, Scott Worley, mayor of the city of Naperville, do hereby proclaim April 23rd, 2025 as Nokia Bell Labs Centennial Celebration Day in the City of Naperville. And I have Anne Lee, the site manager from Nokia here to accept this proclamation. Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Mayor Worley. I didn't actually prepare, so but we're very proud in at Nokia Bell Labs to have been here for so many years, almost 60 years now. Next year is our 60th anniversary at our site. And it's been a great ride.

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