June 16, 2026 Naperville City Council Meeting: Energy, Block 59, and Storm Response
June 16, 2026 Naperville City Council Meeting: Energy, Block 59, and Storm Response
The Naperville City Council met on June 16, 2026, at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting covered storm recovery updates, a review of the beekeeping ordinance, approval of a 28-item consent agenda (with five items pulled for separate votes), a public hearing continuation, a $1.5 million tree trimming contract, and a detailed electric utility presentation on market participation with asset ownership. The council also debated and approved amendments to the Block 59 Business District plan, adding $1.85 million in recoverable costs contingent on a lease signing. Eight council members were present (Councilman McBroom absent).
Consent Calendar
All consent agenda items were approved by an 8-0 vote, except for items I11, I12, I13, I27, and I28 which were pulled for separate discussion and votes. Key approvals included:
- Cash disbursements of $42,841,680.75 for May 2026.
- Meeting minutes from June 2, 2026, and the council meeting schedule for July–September 2026.
- Appointments to boards and commissions.
- Year-to-date budget report through May 31, 2026.
- Cooperative procurements for pickup trucks ($186,472 to Currie Motors; $401,060 to Sutton Ford) and police evidence room shelving ($133,960 to Bradford Systems).
- Insurance policies (property, cyber, pollution, excess liability) totaling approximately $1.48 million for one-year terms.
- Parking lot maintenance program ($876,551.21 plus 3% contingency) and micro-surfacing program ($359,119.70 plus 3% contingency) with IDOT resolution for $346,241.55.
- Fireworks permit for July 4, 2026.
- License plate reader agreement renewal with Will County.
- Appointment of Raheel Arshed to the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency Board.
- Variance for a deck at 501 Larkspur Court.
- Preliminary/Final Plat for 1180 East Chicago Avenue (Imburgia Subdivision).
- $135,669 to Costco for traffic signal upgrades.
- Temporary traffic controls for Naperville Sprint Triathlon (Aug 2) and Saints Peter & Paul Homecoming Fest (Aug 22).
- General Obligation Bonds (Series 2026) up to $41,000,000 and defeasance of Series 2018 bonds.
- First amendments to Block 59 Business District Plan and Redevelopment Agreement (see below).
Items Pulled from Consent Agenda
Item I11 – Fire Engine Maintenance Change Order: John Doyle (Naperville) questioned the high number of change orders in 2026 (31 projects, 69 changes, $7 million added, 19 years to timelines). City Manager Krieger noted change orders are reviewed individually and are more common in summer. Fire Chief Puknaitis explained the change order cancels a contract to bring work in-house, saving over $100,000 annually. Approved 8-0.
Item I12 – Downtown Streetscape Change Order: John Doyle yielded his time. No discussion. Approved 8-0.
Item I13 – North Central College Riverwalk Park Change Order: Mayor Wehrli and Councilwoman Jain recused due to conflicts. John Doyle yielded time. Approved 6-0 (McBroom absent, Wehrli and Jain recused).
Items I27 & I28 – Block 59 Business District Amendments: These items amended the existing business district to add $1.85 million in recoverable costs for a new tenant (home goods/furniture, not disclosed). Petitioner Rich Dippolito (Brixmor) stated the additional funds are needed for demolition, utility relocation, and infrastructure changes. Written support from Indian Prairie School District 204 Superintendent Adrian Talley (Aurora) highlighted Block 59’s positive fiscal impact on the district. Councilwoman Gibson and Councilman Holzhauer opposed, citing taxpayer burden and affordability. Councilman Kelly proposed a substitute motion to make approval contingent on execution of the lease reviewed by staff. The substitute motion passed 6-2 (Gibson and Holzhauer opposed). The companion redevelopment agreement amendment passed by the same 6-2 vote with the same contingency.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Public Forum (7:00 PM): Six speakers addressed energy and affordability topics. Joe Hus (Naperville-NEST) highlighted solar energy's 12.8% share of U.S. electricity. James Fillar urged IMEA contract renewal for nuclear future. Robert Giese (Affordable Naperville) called for realistic climate assumptions and IMEA renewal. Tim Ferritto discussed CO2's logarithmic warming effect. Ashley Penick advocated for affordable electricity. John Doyle criticized rate subsidies. Darrell Hanson complained about neighbor's beehives 5 feet from his property line, urging ordinance review.
- Electric Utility Presentation (O1): Eight speakers commented. John Doyle expressed disappointment over lack of public meetings on energy plans. Joe Hus noted omissions of CEJA and inconsistent timelines in the presentation. William Osowski proposed a "24/7 Solar Skin Water Battery Network." Tim Ferritto contrasted installed vs. actual capacity of renewables. Rich Sternal questioned land requirements for solar. Laura Hois (Downers Grove) urged reopening IMEA negotiations. Larry Kollasch (Naperville-NEST) supported solar PPAs. Catherine Clarkin advocated for behind-the-meter solutions like home batteries and virtual power plants.
Discussion Items
- Storm Response: City Manager Krieger reported storms with 80 mph winds caused initial outages for 3,000 customers (reduced to 1,000 within hours). Public Works received over 600 service requests. A citywide brush collection program is underway. Council stressed clearing storm drains via the Adopt a Drain program.
- Beekeeping Ordinance: Council discussed Mr. Hanson's complaint. Director Louden noted the animal control ordinance covers beekeeping. Council directed staff to review comparable municipal ordinances and bring back recommendations. Deputy Director Mann noted underground lines experienced no outages, unlike overhead lines. Council discussed expanding undergrounding.
- Electric Utility Presentation – Market Participation with Asset Ownership (O1): City Manager Krieger presented Option #2, comparing generation assets (natural gas, wind, solar, nuclear SMR, batteries). Key points: Battery storage costs have dropped significantly, now offering immediate ROI through peak shaving and frequency regulation. The city applied to host an IMEA-owned 5 MW battery and plans an RFP for a battery consulting study. Council discussed the need for an energy management office (14 new staff per Denton, TX example), financial risks, and the importance of starting immediately. Councilman Holzhauer noted batteries could be a win-win. Councilman Kelly requested cost comparisons. No vote was taken; the presentation was received.
- Public Hearing – Bauer Road Duplexes (J1): Mayor Wehrli opened the public hearing at 8:09 PM and continued it to the July 21, 2026 council meeting with no speakers.
Key Outcomes
- Approved all consent agenda items and pulled items as detailed.
- Approved Block 59 amendments with a 6-2 vote contingent on lease execution.
- Received the electric utility presentation and directed staff to continue exploring battery storage and report back.
- Directed staff to review and propose updates to the beekeeping ordinance.
- Continued the Bauer Road Duplexes public hearing to July 21, 2026.
The meeting adjourned at 9:34 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening and welcome to the June 16th Naperville City Council meeting. Roll call. Worley? Here. Gibson. Here. Coltower. Here. Jane. Here. Kelly. Here. McBroom. Cyan. Yep. White. Wilson. Here. Please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. And you're going to be strong. Our first item tonight is public forum. I'd like to remind everyone of the citizen participation rules and 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 be or say 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 is no cheering and no jeering. Actions such as applauding or any other noises during or at the conclusion of any remarks made by any speaker are not allowed. If this occurs, you'll 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. And speakers will be given three minutes to address the city council to help speakers stay within the three-minute time frame. We have a timer on the side dias to your right. If a speaker's name is called and they are not in the room, we will move on to the next speaker, and we will not go back. Speakers are encouraged to remain in council chambers until the conclusion of public form in the event council members want to ask any follow-up questions. Also, when your name is called, please come and have a seat in the first row that will keep us on time with all of our speakers during public forum. Mr. Schatz, please call the speakers. The first three speakers are Derek Adam Hoover, followed by Joe Huss and James Fillar. Joe Huss. We have the eight speakers in public forum after James Fular will be Robert Geese. For the first time in U.S. history, solar energy at twelve point eight percent is generating more electricity than coal. You can see that crossover on this chart. This meaningful reduction in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions is a concrete step toward addressing climate change and the damage it causes. We expect those trends to continue as solar with 60% of the electricity added to the U.S. grid in the first quarter. You can see that batteries are also being deployed at record rates.
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