Kane County Reporter

Village of Elburn Committee of the Whole met May 5

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

Members Present: President Jeff Walter, Trustees: John Bolger, Addam Gonzales, Chris Hansen, Megan Mussano, Luis Santoyo, Matt Wilson

Board Members Absent:

Staff Members Present: Village Administrator John Nevenhoven, Asst Village Administrator Chris Ranney, Finance Director Doug Elder, Village Attorney Bill Thomas, Police Chief Nick Sikora; Building Commissioner Tom Brennan; Public Works Director Phil VanBogaert; Village Engineer Julie Morrison

Others Present: Kane County Chronicle reporter Susan O’Neill; numerous family members and friends of officials who were sworn in the Village Board meeting; Parks Commissioner Rob Reilley; Planning Commissioner Chris Mulvihill

1. Call to Order – Mayor Walter called the meeting to order at 8:04 PM.

2. Roll Call – A roll call ensued.

3. Public Comment – Parks Commission representative Rob Reilley advised “Movie in the Park” will be starting up soon, and this will be the fifth Run the Rails Walk/Run during Elburn Days weekend. It is hoped that the rehab of Prairie Park will be completed in time for Run the Rails and Elburn Days. Planning Commissioner Chris Mulvihill thanked Mayor Walter and the Trustees for his reappointment.

4. Discussion:

a. Resolution 2025-07 Authorizing the Village Administrator and Chief of Police to Approve Change Orders for the VH/PD Expansion Project up to the Not to Exceed Amount – Village Admin Nevenhoven presented. With the Village Hall/Police Department expansion underway, it is anticipated that there will be deadlines and potential change orders that may require a quick resolution. Staff requested approval of an amendment to the Village’s Purchasing Policy to allow the Village Administrator and Police Chief the ability to approve change orders of greater than $20,000 for the project, as long as the total amount of the change orders does not exceed the total contingency line item of the project’s budget. Any change order above $20,000 will be presented to the Village Board at the next scheduled meeting. A scenario where the Chief would approve such a change was requested. Nevenhoven stated the Police Department expansion is much more technical than the Village Hall expansion, and Chief Sikora has been the most involved and has the most knowledge should there be a change order. The Board directed that the Chief should consult the Village Admin before approval of any changes. It was confirmed that this resolution is for the Police Department/Village Hall Expansion project only and will not exceed the total contingency line item of the project’s budget. Nevenhoven stated best case scenario, we won’t have to use it, but we want the authorization in place just in case. All were in favor of moving forward with the resolution. Nevenhoven said the resolution will be reworded per tonight’s discussion and will be brought back to a future Village Board Meeting for approval.

b. Prairie Park Update – Nevenhoven stated there is a lot of activity going on at Prairie Park. The Village received an OSLAD grant for the park, and the construction is underway. The project packet included in the Board packet was highlighted. Blackberry Township made a $25K donation toward the project. The project should be completed by the end of July in time for the Run the Rails race and Elburn Days. The playground equipment is for all age groups. So far, the project is running on schedule. The pond at Prairie Park, as well as all Village ponds, have been stocked with fish for a number of years. When asked how the bandshell can be reserved, Nevenhoven advised calling Village Hall.

5. Other Business – Mayor Walter thanked the Lions Club, which donated use of their facility for tonight’s meeting.

6. Adjourn – Trustee Gonzales moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:19 p.m. The motion was seconded by Trustee Mussano and passed by a unanimous voice vote. 

https://www.elburn.il.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2025-0505-COW-Minutes.pdf