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1 VILLAGE OF 2 3 4 KENILWORTH, IL 5 6 Village Board of Trustees 7 Meeting 8 February 17, 2026 9 10 Call to Order 11 12 President Kaz called to order the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Kenilworth at 7:00 p.m. on 13 February 17, 2026. 14 15 Roll Call 16 17 President Kaz requested a roll call, and the results were as follows: 18 19 Trustees: 20 Trustee Tim Ransford Present 21 Trustee Christopher Ottsen Absent 22 Trustee Amy Hannus Present 23 Trustee John Gottschall Present 24 Trustee Matthew Lojkovic Present 25 Trustee Joseph Vitu Present 26 President Cecily Kaz Present 27 28 29 A quorum was present in person. 30 31 Others Recorded as in Attendance: 32 33 Village Officials and Staff: 34 Michael Gagnon Village Clerk 35 Kathy Thake Village Manager 36 Heather McFarland Assistant to the Village Manager 37 David Silverman Village Attorney 38 Donicio Silva Village Police Chief 39 Ryan Glew Police Commander 40 Jordan Schmidt Management Analyst 41 Molly Burns Management Analyst 42 Donald Leicht Superintendent of Public Works 43 V V I L L A G E O F V I L L A G E O F l l a g e o f 1 Others, signing in as displayed in Participant List: 2 3 David Joyce 4 Agustin Carrilero 5 Roseann Goritz 6 Marjorie Zander 7 8 Approval of Minutes 9 10 President Kaz asked if there any questions or comments regarding the following minutes: 11 12 A. Village Board – January 20, 2026 13 B. Special Village Board – January 26, 2026 14 15 Hearing none, President Kaz then asked for a motion to approve the minutes as presented. Trustee Lojkovic 16 so moved, and Trustee Gottschall seconded the motion. 17 18 A roll call vote was taken as follows: 19 20 For: Ransford, Hannus, Gottschall, Lojkovic, Vitu 21 22 Opposed: None 23 24 The roll call tally was five votes in favor, and none opposed. President Kaz declared the minutes approved. 25 26 Village President’s Report 27 28 President Kaz opened her report by highlighting the upcoming delivery of a newsletter for all residents crafted 29 as a year-end review for FY 2025 as well as a presentation of events budgeted for FY 2026. She noted the use 30 of quick response, or “QR” codes, to manage all the information to be made available on the Village website 31 for the interested resident and thanked Village staff for their work in organizing and updating all the 32 information. 33 34 She then went on to introduce a group in which she, as President of the Board of Trustees, will be 35 participating on a quarterly basis: The Village Presidents of the New Trier Township. This group includes the 36 presidents of the villages of Kenilworth, Winnetka, Glencoe, Wilmette and Northfield and is designed as a 37 forum for sharing ideas, information, and possible responses to common issues such as infrastructure, 38 regulations, services, supplies and the use of artificial intelligence. She expressed enthusiasm for the initial 39 meetings as participants offered thoughtful and candid contributions and invited the Board to forward any 40 topics or questions they might want addressed by this group in the future. 41 42 Approval of Warrant List 43 44 President Kaz then asked Trustee Gottschall to report on the Warrant List. He highlighted Class B payments to 45 be ratified as payroll related, and Class A warrant payments to be approved for construction and architectural 46 work related to the ongoing Beach Improvement Project as well as for insurance premiums. 47 Hearing no further comments from the Board, President Kaz asked for a motion to approve the warrants as 1 presented. Trustee Vitu so moved, and Trustee Hannus seconded the motion to approve the Class A warrants 2 in the amount of $613,901.53 and to ratify the Class B warrants in the amount of $152,052.47. 3 4 A roll call vote was taken as follows: 5 6 For: Ransford, Hannus, Gottschall, Lojkovic, Vitu 7 8 Opposed: None 9 10 The roll call tally was five votes in favor, and none opposed. President Kaz declared the warrants approved 11 and ratified. 12 13 Regular Scheduled Business 14 15 President then introduced Regular Scheduled Business beginning with Items for Consideration by Omnibus 16 Vote and reading them aloud as follows: 17 18 A. Items for Consideration by Omnibus Vote 19 1. A Resolution Ratifying Change Order Numbers 2, 3 and 4 for Construction Manager at Risk 20 Services for the Water Plant Repurposing and Lakefront Improvements Project with Bulley 21 and Andrews, Inc. Chicago, Illinois by Increasing the Contract Price by $45,744 for a 22 Guaranteed Maximum Price Value of $7,527,195 23 24 2. A Resolution Ratifying an Employee Leasing Agreement with MGT Impact Solutions LLC of 25 Tampa, Florida for an Interim Police Commander 26 27 3. Appointment of Katherine Dold White to Serve on the Police Pension Fund Board for the 28 Term 02/2026 – 12/2027 29 30 President Kaz then asked whether any Trustees would like to take any item out of Omnibus Consideration. 31 They did not. Hearing no clarifying questions from either the Board or the public, President Kaz asked for a 32 motion to authorize the resolutions as stated and make the appointment. Trustee Gottschall so moved, and 33 Trustee Ransford seconded the motion. 34 35 A roll call vote was taken as follows: 36 37 For: Ransford, Hannus, Gottschall, Lojkovic, Vitu 38 39 Opposed: None 40 41 The roll call tally was five votes in favor, and none opposed. President Kaz declared the resolutions authorized 42 and the appointment made. She then took time to welcome Commander Ryan Glew to his new position on 43 the Kenilworth Police force for an interim period. 44 45 President Kaz then moved to Items for Discussion by reading agenda items B4 a. & b. aloud. 46 47 B. Items for Discussion 1 4. Discussion on the Following Items Pertaining to Water Service Lines: 2 a) An Ordinance Approving an Amendment to Kenilworth Code of Ordinances 3 Chapters 50 and 150 Concerning the Illinois Plumbing Code 4 b) An Ordinance Establishing the Village of Kenilworth Lead Water Service Line 5 Replacement Cost Sharing Program 6 7 President Kaz alerted the Board to activity by the Public Works Committee (PWC) of the Board around the 8 Village’s response to state legislation requiring the replacement of lead pipes used in the delivery of water to 9 residents and then asked Management Analyst Jordan Schmidt to present on this item. Framing his remarks 10 by stating there would be no vote taken on these measures presently, Mr. Schmidt began his informational 11 update by reviewing the history of PWC meetings during FY 2025 which culminated in recommendations for 12 the Village to address this state mandated upgrade to water service lines. Those recommendations included 13 updating the Village code, adopting a cost-sharing program with affected residents, and offering parameters 14 for the program they felt were attractive to both the Village and those residents. 15 16 He then reviewed the history of the Illinois Lead Service Replacement and Notification Act (ILSR&N Act, the 17 “Act”) adopted in 2021 which instigated this activity for the Village. It required the Village to prepare and 18 maintain an inventory of all its service lines with subtotal designations for pipe line material such as lead, 19 copper, Cast/Ductile Iron, or plastic, as well as the number of service lines with pipeline material yet to be 20 designated and the number of service lines that have been replaced during a given fiscal year. He presented 21 figures for each of these categories for fiscal years 2021 to April of FY 2025, as well as current estimates which 22 showed the progress made to date and the number of lead service pipelines still in need of replacement. 23 24 The ILSLR&N Act also required the Village to have a plan for addressing the replacement of all existing lead 25 service lines in place by April 15, 2027. The PWC recommendations being made presently are part of that 26 process. The final requirement of the Act is that once the replacement plan is adopted, to complete the full 27 replacement of all lead service lines by FY 2042. Mr. Schmidt then presented a map of the Village depicting 28 the location of households with lead service lines. Trustees clarified depictions on the map and the source of 29 information used to determine the service line pipe material. Mr. Schmidt addressed these concerns to the 30 Board’s satisfaction. 31 32 Turing his attention to the recommendation by the PWC regarding the plan to be implemented by April 2027, 33 Mr. Schmidt reviewed the history of Service Line Ownership. He described the delivery of water from the 34 general source to the individual household as having component parts: The Village’s Water Main, a “B-Box” 35 which was placed on public land but attached to the delivery line used by every individual household from the 36 Water Main, and the remaining water line, on private property, from the B-Box to the water meter located 37 inside the household. Historically, households were responsible for the maintenance and replacement of the 38 entire line from the Water Main to the water meter, but in 2014 the Village updated its policy by taking 39 ownership of the service line from the Water Main to the B-Box, shifting the households’ responsibility for 40 maintenance and repair to just the line from the B-Box to the water meter inside the household. To codify 41 this arrangement more clearly and to correct some portions of the 2014 policy language that had been 42 unintentionally removed in a subsequent code update, the Board will be asked to approve a change to the 43 Village zoning code in the coming weeks. 44 Mr. Schmidt then turned the discussion to regulations affecting the timing of replacement activity. The Illinois 1 Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) prohibits the reconnection of a lead service line to a water main line 2 once it has been disconnected. This comes into play when water mains are replaced in the course of regular 3 maintenance. After touching on the history of replacements since FY 2021 when the ILSLR&N Act took effect, 4 he outlined the location of upcoming water main replacement activity, reviewed the service line replacement 5 timing requirements to be met by residents under this regulation, illustrated what portion of the total number 6 of lead service lines to be replaced would be completed and detailed how the cost of service line replacement 7 was shared by both the Village and the resident under present policy. Other circumstances where lead service 8 lines might be disconnected included service line breakage, residence reconstruction, or voluntarily by the 9 property owner. This pace of replacement activity under these circumstances was deemed insufficient to 10 address the FY 2042 deadline for full conversion set by the ILSLR&N Act and PWC engaged in developing a 11 cost sharing program designed to incentivize an increase in the activity of voluntary replacements by 12 residents. 13 14 Mr. Schmidt introduced a comparison of cost sharing program decisions made by the neighboring 15 communities of Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Northbrook, Northfield, Wilmette, and 16 Winnetka as well as research provided by the 2025 Northwest Municipal Conference Survey of 19 additional 17 respondents which influenced the PWC cost sharing plan recommendation. Among three options considered 18 most viable by the PWC, it was recommended that the Village, having made zoning code changes that would 19 clearly establish the potion of water service line responsibilities of both the Village and the property owner, 20 would assume responsibility for the Village’s portion of replacement cost as well as up to $3,000 of the 21 property owners cost to incentivize more voluntary replacement activity. 22 23 After reviewing some details regarding different replacement scenarios, Mr. Schmidt presented a cost analysis 24 of the program to the Village, based on assumptions for average cost to replace a service line, estimated 25 number of replacements per years to meet completion deadlines, estimated cost of the Village portion of the 26 replacement activity and inflation, under selected scenarios including the PWC recommendation, providing a 27 comparison of Low Range and the High Range of costs for each alternative. 28 29 Mr. Schmidt then turned to funding considerations identifying local funding sources such as the Water Fund, 30 the Capital Fund, the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Fund, and the issuance of Bonds, noting that there are 31 significant water system capital projects expected in the coming years that would compete for Water Fund 32 resources. State and Federal Government sources were identified but not recommended due to grant 33 restrictions and funds availability 34 35 Mr. Schmidt concluded his remarks by outlining the next steps to be taken. He asked that the Board confirm 36 their agreement with the parameters of the recommended cost-sharing program and authorize the execution 37 of the required zoning code changes with an intent to adopt both items at the next Board meeting, 38 committed staff to a continuing review of available funding sources for the program, and asked that a pilot 39 program be initiated during FY 2026 to help prepare for implementation of a full program by April of FY 2027. 40 41 Trustees clarified the assumptions used for the Low Range and the High Range under each scenario, how 42 program participants would be prioritized, how the cost estimates were prepared, how vendors would be 43 paid, restrictions related to certain replacement scenarios, how vendors would be hired, how to mange the 44 ebbs and flows of demand for replacement activity, how the unpredictability of demand will affect budgeting 1 efforts, and the legal guidelines facing the property owner and the Village relative to compliance. 2 Superintendent of Public Works Leicht responded to these concerns to the Board’s satisfaction. 3 4 Hearing no further questions from the Boad, President Kaz opened the floor to the public on this item. Boy 5 Scout Agustin Carrilero asked for clarification of the legal responsibility on the property owner under the 6 selected scenarios presented. Mr. Schmidt responded to his satisfaction. Resident Roseann Goritz asked for 7 clarification of the impact of new construction on the recommended program and the placement of b-boxes. 8 Mr. Schmidt and Superintendent Leicht responded to her satisfaction. Mr. David Joyce encouraged the use of 9 TIF Fund balances for the cost sharing program in the TIF District. President Kaz thanked everyone for their 10 comments. Village Manager commented that she would like further legal review of the code changes by the 11 Village Attorney, and Trustees clarified the goal of the FY 2026 pilot program. It was agreed that more 12 information needed to be gathered but that staff should proceed with preparing for the code update and new 13 programs as requested, do more research with neighboring communities around the obstacles and difficulties 14 they encountered, prepare an in-depth examination of the FY 2026 pilot program providing substantive goals 15 and expectations for the Board to review before formal adoption. 16 17 Having concluded the discussion President Kaz turned to Reports from Staff. 18 19 Report from Staff 20 21 A. Community Development 22 B. Finance 23 C. Police 24 25 Police Chief Siva began his report with a summary of activity for the month of January 2026 focusing on 26 community engagement activities, traffic enforcement, and reviewed crimes that took place. He reminded 27 the Board of some changes he was making to service reporting to reflect activity more accurately. He 28 reviewed activity trends and then highlighted personnel changes that resulted in the addition of Commander 29 Ryan Glew filling a command vacancy. He touched on Commander Glew’s experience and praised his 30 immediate contributions to the Kenilworth Police Department. Trustees clarified the nature of crimes that 31 took place. Chief Silva responded to their satisfaction. 32 33 D. Public Works 34 35 Superintendent of Public Works Don Leicht reviewed the Village’s response to weather events and highlighted 36 the efficiency and economy with which his staff addressed those challenges while still meeting safety goals. 37 He praised his staff’s dedication to duty and gave an update on the Village’s preparedness going forward. He 38 related a resident complaint about snowplow noise during the early morning hours when addressing a snow-39 removal challenge. He outlined the difficulty of avoiding the noise while still meeting the need for snow 40 removal on Village streets by the beginning of the work/school day. 41 42 E. Legal Counsel 43 44 No formal report 45 46 F. Village Manager 1 2 Village Manager Thake gave an update on construction progress for the Lakefront Improvement Project and 3 praised the job Bulley & Andrews, the project construction managers, were doing to keep construction on 4 time and on budget. 5 6 Business from the Public 7 8 President Kaz asked whether there was any business from the public on items not on the agenda. Resident 9 David Joyce cited an entry in the minutes of the Board of Trustees Special Meeting that took place on January 10 26, 2026 regarding the existence of “Finding of Facts” from multiple sources, related to a zoning variance 11 request before the Board. He expressed concern about the relative weight given to these findings by 12 decision-makers. He went on to suggest that some of the sources were more credible than others and 13 decision-makers should take that into account. President Kaz and Manager Thake responded to Mr. Boyce’s 14 concern to his satisfaction. 15 16 Resident Marjorie Zander introduced herself and cited her representation of the Kenilworth Council of Garden 17 Clubs (KCOGC), citing the informal name of this service group as “Beautification”. She described the legal 18 status of the group and recited a bylaw passage: “ to coordinate efforts of the Kenilworth Park District, the 19 Village of Kenilworth and other garden clubs in the area to create and promote civic interest in the 20 beautification of and around the Village of Kenilworth.” She related that she, along with others, will be 21 attending formal meetings of the Kenilworth Park District and the Kenilworth Board of Trustees to encourage 22 these groups to get more engaged with “Beautification" and together, look for opportunities to cooperate. 23 She went on to thank Village representatives who have worked with “Beautification” to date and cited her 24 belief in the intrinsic value of beauty in the Village. President Kaz reminded the Board of efforts by 25 “Beautification” to tend newly added sidewalk planters in the Village in FY 2025, thanking Ms. Zander for the 26 service. 27 28 Resident Boy Scout Agustin Carrilero asked if there were opportunities for service to the Village available. 29 Superintendent Leicht assured him that there were and encouraged him to reach out whenever he was ready 30 to pursue them. 31 32 Having no further business, President Kaz asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Trustee Hannus so 33 moved, and Trustee Lojkovic seconded the motion. 34 35 A roll call vote was taken as follows: 36 37 For: Ransford, Hannus, Gottschall, Lojkovic, Vitu 38 39 Opposed: None 40 41 President Kaz declared the meeting adjourned at 7:58 p.m. 42