Government Center

719 S. Batavia Ave., Bldg. A

Geneva, IL 60134

Kane County

KC Energy and Environmental

Committee

Meeting Minutes

BATES, Tarver, Allan, Kious, Penesis, Strathmann, Young, ex-officios Roth (County Vice

Chair) and Pierog (County Chair)

Friday, February 21, 2025

9:00 AM

County Board Room

2025 Committee Goals

• Pursue funding to improve energy efficiency in Kane County Government-owned

buildings

• Upon passage of the Tree Protection Ordinance, develop budget and implementation

strategy for the Ordinance and an educational program to promote Tree Protection

• Develop Client Action Implementation teams and assist team in prioritizing action items

and development strategies

• Increase education and improve overall recycling in Kane County buildings

• Community outreach to education about the CAIP

_______________________________________________________________________

Call To Order

Co-Chairman Tarver called today's meeting to order at 9:00 AM.

Roll Call

Board Member Bill Tarver

Board Member Deborah Allan

Board Member Chris Kious

PRESENT

ABSENT

Board Member Ted Penesis

Board Member Cherryl Strathmann

Board Member David Young

Ex-Officio County Board Vice Chair Bill Roth

Board Member Mavis Bates

Ex-Officio County Board Chair Corinne M. Pierog

Also present: Co. Bd. members Gripe, Lewis; Environ. & Water Res. Dir. Wollnik;

Recycling Coordinator Ryan; Sustainability Mgr. Hinshaw and staff Powell; ITD staff

Peters; and members of the press and public.

Remote Attendance Requests

There were no remote attendance requests for today's meeting.

Approval of Minutes: January 17, 2025

RESULT:

MOVER:

APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT

Chris Kious

Public Comment (Agenda Items)

Committee Member and Kane County resident David Young referenced the National

Clean Investment Fund. He stated that the fund was announced on the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) website in April 2024. He indicated that this fund is $20B for

clean energy solutions. He mentioned that three days ago, on February 19, the

Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.) discovered that the Biden EPA

awarded $2B to a firm linked to Georgia Democrat Staci Abrahams. The $2B award

was given to a company called "Power Forward Communities," in the same month it

was founded which was October 2023. Young expressed his concerns on the

coincidental timeline the company was founded and the same month the company was

awarded the $2B grant from the EPA.

Environmental (J.Wollnik)

Kane County Monitoring Well Network

Environ. & Water Res. Dir. Wollnik provided an update on the Kane County

Monitoring Well Network. The project is establishing and monitoring well

networks throughout Kane County. This allows drought monitoring for the

shallow aquafir systems to track and analyze water level data within the county.

(Committee Member Allan arrived at 9:06 a.m.). Once the American Rescue

Plan (ARPA) funding is complete, there will be a total of fifteen monitoring wells

as of December 2026. Wollnik addressed questions and comments from the

Committee. Much discussion ensued.

Recycling/Solid Waste (C. Ryan)

Supporting State Legislation Amending and Reauthorizing the Consumer

Electronics Recycling Act

KC Executive Committee

RESULT:

TO:

MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE

KC Executive Committee

Chris Kious

MOVER:

Cherryl Strathmann

SECONDER:

Bill Tarver, Deborah Allan, Chris Kious, Ted Penesis, Cherryl

Strathmann, and David Young

AYE:

Mavis Bates, and Corinne M. Pierog

ABSENT:

2024 in Review, Part 1

Recycling Coordinator Ryan provided an update on the Household Hazardous

Waste (HHW) Program. She highlighted that these materials are unwanted

residuals of chemical-containing products purchased for household use. These

products fall under the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

(RCRA) household exemption. Ryan highlighted the three household hazardous

waste outlets for Kane County residents. One is located in Naperville with a

drop-off facility. The second outlet is the Home Pick-Up Program that is

managed by Kane County Recycles department. The third outlet is the Hauler

and Municipal Services, which is an on-call pick up site available through waste

haulers in Elgin and Maple Park. Ryan stated that there were 2,386 Naperville

drop-offs by Kane County residents in 2024. There were a total of 135,524

pounds of material was disposed, which is the equivalent weight of four large

school buses. There were 468 program uses at the Kane County Home Pick-up

facility, which is a 44 percent increase from 2023. There was over 30K pounds

of material collected, 37 percent of the material was recycled, and 63 percent

was incinerated. Ryan addressed questions and comments from the Committee.

Much discussion ensued.

Sustainability (S.Hinshaw)

Supporting State Legislation Incentivizing the Use of Finished Compost and

Digestate on Commercial and Specialty Farm Operations

KC Executive Committee

RESULT:

TO:

MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE

KC Executive Committee

Cherryl Strathmann

Deborah Allan

MOVER:

SECONDER:

Bill Tarver, Deborah Allan, Chris Kious, Ted Penesis, Cherryl

Strathmann, and David Young

AYE:

Mavis Bates, and Corinne M. Pierog

ABSENT:

CEJA Workforce Hub Updates

Sustainability Coordinator Powell provided an update on the Climate and

Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) Workforce Hub. The goal of the CEJA Workforce

Hub is to transition to a 100% carbon-free power sector by 2050. He highlighted

a key feature that was created called the Clean Jobs Workforce Hub that will

prepare people for entry-level clean energy jobs. There are thirteen workforce

hubs across the state, with one located in Aurora. Aurora's Workforce Hub starts

on Monday, March 3, 2025. The program is 176 hours of Bridge Training,

including an introduction to sustainable and clean energy practices, basic safety

and first aid certifications, core construction certification, electrical basics, and

essential skills. Participants are paid $13 an hour, and are offered access to

childcare, transportation assistance, food support and more. There are currently

three job positions for students interested at the Aurora location, available

positions include a Solar PV Associate, Weatherization Specialist, and a HVAC

Technician. Much discussion ensued.

New Business

None.

10.

11.

Chairs Comments

None.

Reports Placed On File

RESULT:

MOVER:

APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT

Ted Penesis

12.

13.

Executive Session (if needed)

None.

Adjournment

RESULT:

APPROVED BY VOICE VOTE

Cherryl Strathmann

David Young

MOVER:

SECONDER:

This meeting was adjourned at 10:03 a.m.

Rachel Santora

Recording Secretary