The Village of Park Forest will hold its first Special Rules and Regular Meeting of the month at 7 p.m. on President's Day, February 17, at Village Hall.
The agenda currently includes three items, two of which are from the Public Works Department. The third item comes from the Finance Department and involves presenting the audit report. Representatives from the Village's auditing firm, Sikich CPA LLC, will be present to discuss the audit results for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024 (FY 23-24).
The audit presentation will follow the usual format. Assistant Finance Director Sharon Floyd noted in a memo to the Park Forest Board of Trustees that this presentation is part of the financial update marking the beginning of the budget process in February. She believes that, since the Board now receives monthly financial reports, the audit presentation can be streamlined and does not need to take as long as it has in the past.
The fiscal year 2023-2024 audit has been submitted to the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for consideration of the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting (COA) award. The COA is the highest recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting. The Village has received the COA award for 28 consecutive years up to fiscal year 2022-2023.
As mentioned, the other two agenda items come from the Public Works Department. Assistant Director Nick Christie will request additional funding from the Park Forest Board of Trustees for the Residential Water Shut-off (B-Box) Replacement Annual Maintenance Contract with M/J Underground based in Monee, Illinois.
According to Christie, M/J Underground has already replaced 192 B-Boxes for the Village this fiscal year. He mentioned every home and business within the Village has a B-Box, and replacements are always needed. Christie is asking the Board for an additional $100,000 for M/J Underground to continue replacing residential water shut-offs (B-Boxes) through the end of the fiscal year. This funding will allow for the replacement of approximately 75 more water B-Boxes.
Additionally, Christie will request the Board's approval to allow the village manager to sign a purchase order for $33,756.87 to acquire one spare OSEC electrolyzer cell assembly. This amount requires Board approval as it exceeds the village manager's spending authority. If approved, the purchase will be made from the Water Fund, specifically under Supply and Purification – Contractual Equipment Maintenance, where funds have already been budgeted for this expense.
Christie stated that the spare is necessary if the two current electrolyzers become inoperable. According to the manufacturer's representative and experience, the useful life of an electrolyzer is typically 7-10 years, and the current lead time to obtain a new one is 16 weeks. Christie emphasized the importance of producing sodium hypochlorite for water disinfection.
Christie said Public Works remains proactive by ensuring that essential spare parts are readily available to minimize equipment downtime and avoid issues related to water quality, service disruption, and compliance with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) regulations.
To read the agenda, click here.