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, July 11, 2025

9:00 AM

County Board Room

Call To Order

Chairman Bates called today's meeting to order at 9:00 AM.

Roll Call

Board Member Mavis Bates

PRESENT

Board Member Bill Tarver

Board Member Deborah Allan

Board Member Cherryl Strathmann

Ex-Officio County Board Vice Chair Bill Roth

Board Member Chris Kious

Board Member Ted Penesis

Board Member David Young

REMOTE

ABSENT

Ex-Officio County Board Chair Corinne M. Pierog

Also present: Co. Bd. members Gripe*,Juby*, Lewis, Molina*; 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

Chairman Bates announced the remote attendance requests for today's meeting. She

asked the Committee if there were any objections to Committee Members Kious and

Penesis attending remotely. There were no objections.

Approval of Minutes: June 13, 2025

RESULT:

MOVER:

APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT

Cherryl Strathmann

Public Comment (Agenda Items)

None.

Environmental (J.Wollnik)

Recycling/Solid Waste (C. Ryan)

Internal Recycling Program & EEC Goal Progress

Recycling Coordinator Ryan provided information on the Internal Recycling

Program.(Committee Member Allan arrived at 9:36 a.m.) She reviewed the

materials that are difficult to recycle, and how each department can divert them.

Ryan explained the single stream recycling roles of each department. All county

employees and visitors know what is and what is not accepted as recyclable. All

recyclables need to be clean and empty. Custodial staff consolidate recycling

from each bin separately from trash and deposit it in the correct outdoor

receptacle. Kane County's waste hauler company, Waste Management (WM),

specifies what is and is not accepted as recyclable based on sorting and

equipment and markets. Ryan stated that there is almost no recycling at the

Judicial Campus. The Juvenile Justice Center is the only building on that

campus with a recycling dumpster. The recycling container was removed in

January 2022. Building management staff has expressed reservations and

concerns about the contamination fees. However, Ryan noted that the Kane

County Recycling Department is not in compliance with the Countywide

Recycling Ordinance, which requires all commercial and institutional entities that

generate recyclables to recycle. There have been indications that when

contamination fees are incurred, custodial staff are being directed to either stop

recycling, or to only recycle certain material. Waste Management frequently

suggests to commercial customers with contamination fees to reduce recycling

efforts to only cardboard. Lastly, Ryan reminded the Committee that the

Recycling Extravaganza will take place on Saturday, July 19, 2025, from 8:00

a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Randall Road in St. Charles. There will be collections of

several items including electronics, books, bikes, paint, and aerosols. Further

discussion ensued.

Sustainability (S.Hinshaw)

Illinois EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Updates

Sustainability Mgr. Hinshaw provided information on the Illinois Environmental

Protection Agency's (IEPA) Climate Pollution Reduction Grant. The IEPA was

awarded $430M to implement the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Plan

(CPRG). She reminded the Committee that this grant provides funding for states

to develop and implement climate action plans that aim to reduce greenhouse

gas (GHG) emissions. This grant will also fund several projects in five priority

areas. This will reduce more than 57M tons of greenhouse gas emissions over

the next twenty-five years. Hinshaw noted that most of the clean transportation

for the CPRG focuses on freight and have duty electrical vehicle (EV) chargers.

Clean building concierge identify opportunities for large-scale clean buildings

projects, and work with building owners to implement them. At this time, it is

unclear who is eligible for the upcoming grants. Lastly, Hinshaw stated that

programs have started a Navigator program for technical assistance for clean

buildings. It is currently unlikely local government will be eligible for all funding.

Hinshaw anticipates funding for some programs will continue after funds run out.

Much discussion ensued.

Smart Irrigation Systems - Pilot Project

Sustainability Mgr. Hinshaw provided information on the Smart Irrigation

Systems Pilot Project. The plans strategy is to promote increased water

conservation and wastewater generation community-wide with a targeted

reduction of 5% by 2030. Hinshaw stated that an established program will be

promoted to support installation of low-flow water fixtures in residential homes

and commercial businesses. This action will help customers better understand

and reduce their water and energy consumption. The goal will be to achieve 500

households and 40 businesses upgraded annually. Hinshaw explained that a

smart irrigation system uses technology to optimize water usage in irrigation

systems. Sensors and controllers are used to automatically adjust watering

schedules based on real-time data, such as weather conditions and soil

moisture levels. She reached out to B-Hyve Technology and met with Orbit for

information on watering decisions based on ecological needs. To date, B-Hyve

has helped conserve over 100B gallons of water around the world. B-Hyve offers

an XR Smart Indoor and Outdoor Sprinkler Timer which features set up

parameters for types of landscapes in each zone such as turf, flowers, root

depth, soil type, and shade. It was estimated that using a smart controller can

eliminate 47% of watering's and save over 100K gallons each year.

Climate Action Implementation Plan Team Updates

Sustainability Coordinator Powell shared information on the Climate Action

Implementation Plan (CAIP) Team. (Committee Member Tarver left at 10:25

a.m.) These teams are lead by participating citizens in the different sectors listed

in the CAIP. The first cycle started in August 2024 and ended in November. The

second cycle was conducted in March 2025 and ended in June. Throughout the

two cycles, there were 30 actions, 42 total participants, and three to four people

attending. Powell reviewed the actions of each sector from the second cycle.

The next steps for the CAIP will be to review and refine all research collected

from cycle #2, and meet with internal staff members to review actions and

strategize next steps. Further discussion took place.

New Business

None.

10.

11.

Chairs Comments

Chairman Bates thanked her staff for all the work they continue to do.

Reports Placed On File

RESULT:

APPROVED BY VOICE VOTE

Bill Roth

MOVER:

Cherryl Strathmann

SECONDER:

12.

13.

Executive Session (if needed)

None.

Adjournment

RESULT:

APPROVED BY VOICE VOTE

Bill Roth

MOVER:

Deborah Allan

SECONDER:

This meeting was adjourned at 10:38 a.m.

Rachel Santora

Recording Secretary