@CHIdocumenters I’ll be watching remotely. The meeting agenda and video can be found here: https://mwrd.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

The meeting starts on time. Vice-President Barbara McGowan says people she cares about have received unpleasant or threatening messages regarding the first agenda item, amending the affirmative action ordinance. She moves to delete it from the agenda, which is approved.

The first public speaker is a MWRD employee objecting to two water fountains in the lobby. One is for vaccinated people and the other is for non-vaccinated. He refers to them as “segregated” water fountains and objects to employees being forced to vaccinate.

The public speaker goes on to complain about the “wokeness agenda” and “COVID theater.”

No one responds and the board begins meeting as the committee of the whole.

An amendment is proposed to agenda item 13 by commissioner Du Buclet to change the cost of a proposed contract. President Steele begins to call for a vote without discussion, but two commissioners say they don’t understand what they’re voting on.

The vote on the amendment is stopped and Ex Dir Perkovich explains it’s a correction about the cost of a contract for delivering Sodium Hypochlorite. The board defers the agenda item to the afternoon after some discussion about parliamentary procedure.

In response to a question from Corral Sepúlveda, Ex Dir Perkovich explains that agenda item 17 allows vendors to bid separate year by year prices for providing chemicals, due to the price volatility in chemical markets.

Only two agenda items were discussed. The committee of the whole passes everything else on the consent agenda. There’s no executive session and they take a 5 minute break. When they come back, they’ll meet for the regular board meeting.

Legally, agenda items must be discussed and passed by a committee before going to the full board. The Water Reclamation District does this by having a “committee of the whole,” which consists of everyone on the board meeting as a committee.

The MWRD twitter account had one of their most popular tweets yesterday.
https://twitter.com/MWRDGC/status/1521822370222202880?s=20&t=Q7aGbhsxiWu53__rr5fn3w

The Water Reclamation District board comes back from break and discusses the amendment that caused some confusion earlier.

Ex. Dir. Perkovich says it will allow the district “wiggle room” for awarding the contract due to increased costs.

It passes unanimously.

I believe the committee vote on this contract is the first time I’ve seen Chair Steele rush into a vote without the board understanding what they’re voting on.

Next, the clerk reads items into the consent agenda.

Recent storms are a reminder of the Water Reclamation District’s role in managing the stormwater system.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/weather/chicago-area-residents-asked-to-delay-showers-laundry-ahead-of-severe-weather/2821055/

Board Chair Steele wishes everyone a happy Cinco de Mayo and happy Mother’s Day.

Commissioner Corral Sepúlveda says on Mother’s Day she’d recognizes that she was able to make a choice about becoming a mother and hopes that all women will continue to be able to make that choice.

Chair Steele unenthusiastically announces public comment time. The same speaker from earlier opposes the district’s vaccine policy again. Calls the vaccine a “bio-weapon.” Claims the district is forcing employees to “take experimental medical procedures against their will.”

With no other business, the Chicago Water Reclamation District board meeting adjourns. That concludes my live-tweeting for #CHIDocumenters