Park Ridge City Council Committee of the Whole Meeting - August 3, 2026

The Park Ridge City Council met as a Committee of the Whole on Monday, August 3, 2026, beginning at 8:00 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 505 Butler Place, Park Ridge, Illinois. Alderperson Sanchez was absent and Alderperson Muno participated remotely. All nine action items passed by 6-0 roll-call votes. The council approved leases and contracts, received a police station feasibility study, heard a status update on the citywide comprehensive plan, and adjourned to closed session.

Consent Calendar

• No consent calendar was used; every action item was considered and voted on separately.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No non-agenda comments were heard during the formal opening public comment period.
• Later discussion referenced a resident who spoke about rat control and a Chicago resident who raised concerns about accessible parking in Uptown and proposed preferential parking for veterans. Staff said the accessibility issue was already being handled through the city's ADA process.

Finance and Budget

• Action Item: Approved an agreement between the City of Park Ridge and Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC for the lease of the cell tower premises at 930 N. Dee Road (Dee Road Train Station). Staff explained that the city took possession of the tower after stalled negotiations with Crown Castle. The new lease includes an $85,000 upfront payment, $65,000 in first-year rent, 5% annual increases, a 10-year term, and an option for another 10 years. The previous lease paid about $14,500 per year. Passed 6-0. Staff said leases for the other carriers on the tower are expected soon.

Administrative Services

• Action Item: Approved a lease with Midwest Doughboys, LLC for space at the Uptown Train Station. The city received two RFP responses; staff recommended the bagel and coffee shop over a vending lease because an on-site vendor provides a regular presence, reduces vandalism risk, and allows the full station to be open from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. Base rent is $5,400 per year. Passed 6-0. A council member said the lease was a win for the city and thanked staff.
• Department Head Report: The Volunteer Appreciation Event is scheduled for Tuesday, September 1, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Pennyville.

Public Works

• Action Item: Approved a contract with RC Topsoil Inc. for aggregate material delivery and debris hauling in the amount of $218,860. The bid opening was held July 15; three bids were received and one was non-responsive. The contract covers black dirt, stone, sand, and hauling leaves, spoils, and street sweeping debris. Passed 6-0.
• Action Item: Approved the Sidewalk Grinding Program with Universal Concrete Grinding, LLC in an amount not to exceed $30,000. The July 21 bid opening produced three bids ranging from $43.71 to $50 per grind. The program will address approximately 650 trip hazards. Passed 6-0.
• Action Item: Approved a one-year extension with Superior Road Striping, Inc. for thermoplastic pavement marking in the amount of $30,000. This is the second of three optional extensions under the suburban purchasing cooperative; it covers approximately 17,000 linear feet of lines and 30 square feet of letters and symbols. Passed 6-0.
• Department Head Report: Dee Road construction is projected to be complete in late August or early September and is reported on schedule.

Public Safety

• Police Action Item: Approved a comprehensive feasibility and space needs study for the police station with Cordogan Clark Architecture, Engineering and Construction for $38,500. An RFP was issued April 23, 2026; eight proposals were received. The study will evaluate current conditions, future needs, and options including the existing site or other properties. Passed 6-0.
• Police Discussion/Department Report: National Night Out will be held the next evening, August 4, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at City Hall.
• Fire Action Item: Approved a final one-year contract extension with On Time Embroidery, Inc. for Fire Department uniforms in the amount of $40,000. The city will go back out for an RFP next year. Passed 6-0.
• Fire Action Item: Approved a purchase order for an SCBA compressor and fill station with breathing air storage and cylinder rack at Station 35 from Air One Equipment of South Elgin, Illinois, in the amount of $80,940. Staff noted the budget was $80,000 and the additional amount funds replacement of aging cylinders and tanks. Passed 6-0.
• Fire Department Head Report: Des Plaines has notified RED Center that it will withdraw in September; Des Plaines represents about 20% of RED Center's budget. Staff said the dispatch transition is expected to be mostly seamless, with possible 30-to-60-second delays in mutual aid. Wheeling and Wilmette had already left, and no new municipalities have joined. The Station 36 RFP is expected in the next month or two.

Procedures and Regulations

• Action Item: Approved a one-year contract extension with Willdan Engineering for building plan review and inspection services. Staff said Willdan has performed well and kept the same terms and pricing. A council member reported receiving resident compliments about contract inspectors and voted in favor. Passed 6-0.

Discussion Items

• Citywide Comprehensive Plan: Staff presented a status and existing-conditions update. The plan was launched in October; consultants conducted outreach at the farmers market, Market After Dark, the Taste, and public workshops; completed an existing land use map and parcel inventories; and focused on eight subareas, mostly commercial districts. The next steps are an executive summary to a future Committee of the Whole, goals and objectives in August and September, a draft plan in October, a public road show in autumn, and formal adoption proceedings in winter. Staff said the project remains on schedule.
• Rat Control: In response to a resident's comments, staff described current measures, including site visits, a professionally printed door-hanger education campaign, external resources, and dedicated funding. Council members requested a future Procedures and Regulations discussion item to explain current practices, consider ordinance changes and education, and take changing compost policies into account.
• Accessible and Veterans Parking: Staff confirmed that a formal ADA complaint about accessible parking in Uptown is being processed with the city attorney. Council discussion on preferential veterans parking raised enforcement and license-plate questions, and the proposal was generally deferred until the broader parking study is underway.

Key Outcomes

• All nine action items passed 6-0, with Alderperson Sanchez absent.
• Council moved to closed session by a 6-0 vote under 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(5) (real property acquisition or lease) and 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(11) (litigation).
• No new business was considered before the closed session.
• Future items noted by staff include additional cell tower leases, an affordable housing plan package for a future Committee of the Whole, a Station 36 RFP, and a rat-control discussion item under Procedures and Regulations.