[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6174528,"mediaKeyId","5366410-4ebfa265cc8e53de8ac1ca09dba6500d","parentId",5366410,"title","County staff outlines citizen-led Climate Implementation Teams and next steps","audioSeconds",377,"startMs",5302000,"endMs",5679000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5366410-4ebfa265cc8e53de8ac1ca09dba6500d&start=5302&end=5679","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5366410-4ebfa265cc8e53de8ac1ca09dba6500d/thumbnail_5302000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6174528/Kane-County/Illinois/County-staff-outlines-citizen-led-Climate-Implementation-Teams-and-next-steps","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6174528-ed1de3ab9c485570622e2e026e8e07d8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770569026&Signature=b4d-6gfJvW58A8WFmoaIvb-oBMIFBGAbodHqvlv4Vdu21OEJ-HewtKC6cv-0DaKocm2Pk1bw4KBPxNhXPd7gPoRVrb5OV86TNkuTYOlSUmoFsvz3I4UwOH9y-DT5q15wHOloYYmH-L0pw8zLMpzsURdWk0ciV56myHMHMJYBhc8gZ1cL9TXyF980bil-LBTfXI-SkMOTzxGHbvgTAPIu~94OP0s4gY75WibyxtMx2VnN0dF~1KRTPGImSEDadVtOFTnQ8atNgZzzghPT74RytVBa8avsvwptGI5VEbp2r5lYvdj7s41BxtmnekaHgGwuBpXJg0raih2s7xxDfB46kA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kane County, IL","date","2025-07-11T13:55:53Z","article","County staff told the Energy and Environmental Committee on July 11 that citizen-led Climate Implementation Teams have completed two cycles and will pause to synthesize findings and prepare for a third cycle.

Austin (staff) said the teams, launched after the county adopted its Climate Action Implementation Plan, ran two cycles (Aug–Nov last year and Mar–Jun this year) and covered about 30 plan actions with roughly 42 participants overall. Teams were organized by sector — buildings and energy, transportation, green space and trees, water and wastewater, waste management, climate economy and health and safety — and each team worked on a subset of actions with departmental liaisons.

\"We've gone through about 30 actions from the Climate Action Plan thus far,\" Austin said. Staff plan to compile the teams' analyses into a single document, meet with departmental liaisons to prioritize implementation, and relaunch a third cycle in two to three months. Staff also plan a publicly accessible tracking page to show progress on actions and a transparency dashboard.

Why this matters: the teams are intended to translate the county's adopted climate plan into actionable projects by combining staff liaisons with citizen expertise and targeted questions that teams then research and answer.

Next steps: staff will synthesize team work, meet with liaisons to develop implementation priorities, post a tracking page and reconvene teams for a third cycle in the fall.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","KC Energy and Environmental Committee Meeting July 11 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Staff reported progress from citizen-led implementation teams carrying out actions from the county's Climate Action Implementation Plan: 30 actions reviewed, 42 participants engaged, and a pause to synthesize results before the next cycle.","taxTitle","Kane County, Illinois","taxId",12845,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6174533,"Staff briefed on Illinois EPA—s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant and potential local opportunities",583,3900000,4483000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5366410-4ebfa265cc8e53de8ac1ca09dba6500d&start=3900&end=4483","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5366410-4ebfa265cc8e53de8ac1ca09dba6500d/thumbnail_3900000.jpg","/articles/6174533/Kane-County/Illinois/Staff-briefed-on-Illinois-EPAs-Climate-Pollution-Reduction-Grant-and-potential-local-opportunities","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6174533-df78466f403832547470a87bbc80e88e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770569026&Signature=GjTBqhcLDCjIxp-BC6eo4w1f0nc6CUvE2~EHkgrgsUdY3Qa1CzBLmLylbSbXTJBXYTflrLlwKzKoKRIKWkSzhY8rRd9r0pUCi~g5CUIb1l6Sq0lBeeZNMpR9pb8t2NgGrllbFwHczKhJeSFOGftPft05DuhsDRNPM01000qrEXcnnB2XwdWItl6BfsahpRjvIQZdbTCDMMXtsPa~5vg6djfnRgBnKJloAAbku3uO7ddYJoT586FoBDrp11M-SZfqukm0a7s1eZQfBShGqyg6dTQbiwPsQn2E9R02WZb-HwUiVYCPhaF35F0Vo1Wfg-uyy3L-iE5anN8eaW1BLiokJA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","County staff briefed the committee on July 11 about the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) phase-2 funds and possible opportunities for local governments.

Hinchoff (staff) summarized the program background: the Illinois EPA received an implementation award of about $430,000,000 and intends to fund projects across five categories including clean buildings, clean transportation (with a focus on heavy vehicles and freight), industry decarbonization, agriculture, and clean power. The staff presenter said the Illinois EPA estimates the program could avoid roughly 57,000,000 tons of greenhouse gases over 25 years.

Committee members asked which entities can apply and how much will be reserved for local governments; the presenter said distribution details and eligibility (municipalities, utilities, nonprofits, or others) are not yet fully specified and that the agency has started a navigator program for technical assistance. The presenter noted that some early solicitations have already gone out for heavy-vehicle projects and that the agency intends to use a mix of technical assistance, possible revolving funds and other mechanisms to continue work beyond the initial five-year funding window.

The presenter encouraged staff and local governments to remain on the Illinois EPA’s contact lists; committee members asked staff to circulate questions and answers from Illinois EPA presentations to committee members for follow-up.

Why this matters: the CPRG funds are large and could provide technical assistance and implementation dollars that municipalities and public utilities could pursue for clean energy, building efficiencies, and agricultural practices, but final eligibility and application rounds are still being defined.

Next steps: staff will circulate the Illinois EPA Q&A and monitor application windows; committee members asked to be kept on the distribution list for opportunities and to coordinate with regional groups on potential submissions.

","The committee received an update on the Illinois EPA's Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program, which awarded $430 million for implementation; staff said some funds will support municipal clean-building initiatives and freight/transportation decarbonization and that details on eligibility and distribution remain incomplete.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6174538,"County launches smart-irrigation pilot to track residential water savings",912,4380000,5292000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5366410-4ebfa265cc8e53de8ac1ca09dba6500d&start=4380&end=5292","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5366410-4ebfa265cc8e53de8ac1ca09dba6500d/thumbnail_4380000.jpg","/articles/6174538/Kane-County/Illinois/County-launches-smart-irrigation-pilot-to-track-residential-water-savings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6174538-3262f77ab47e5d14b3a7d2366395e642/orig.mp4?Expires=1770569026&Signature=DlPM37vi9OxmuNeCNiNGMHn61ekU~XwVJDeT4RpWly9f0OZX5Xt62EuiU~QcSsfFeIFrVhgUmgSeiI4T1f7Yj24lVMozx4tYqpFFtK1J4TqTZRdszlnTC8w7c2IbSPK7v19wJTtfz-IcYcUzRjKt1GEy4ucw6BL5H79fCOXgoWDVU3QuCfPSijQqAG~CSDrFmi8u70pXCewdni7XWesu~39jGwNEnVdW8au6gqVCa7BbtHMdIGI3fGs9wL31EA66aDXCIhTB3MzudwONljsRZO9tiC~Rr5YF5bZo5f7N2KxyP79ognlEeoUs-QYWmUxCrJ8mavZqKXPt1TrJ-uHFGw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kane County staff told the Energy and Environmental Committee on July 11 that the county is launching a pilot study of smart irrigation controllers intended to reduce outdoor water use and measure bill savings.

The presenter said the pilot uses internet-connected irrigation controllers that adjust schedules by soil, sun exposure and weather. \"The thing that I like the most is they have rain delays,\" the presenter said, noting examples of rain-triggered watering suspensions that can keep systems off for multiple days after rain events.

Staff said the pilot will use ARPA funds allocated to the county’s water conservation program and will ask participants to provide six months of historic water usage data available from their utility accounts. The program aims to collect yard size and zone information, deploy the devices and track usage over a one-year period to document actual savings. The presenter cited vendor data that similar systems can reduce irrigation water use by about 47% in some installations.

Staff have begun outreach through municipal newsletters and sanitation districts and said early targets include households served by the Wasco sanitary district that show high outdoor-water usage; initial lists of high-use accounts showed monthly bills in the hundreds to thousands of dollars for top users. The pilot is residential at present, though staff said business or larger commercial opportunities could be explored later.

Why this matters: outdoor irrigation is a major component of residential water use; county-collected, local pilot data will provide an evidence base for incentives or broader programs and may shape future conservation and ARPA-funded investments.

Next steps: staff will recruit participants, deploy devices, track water usage and report aggregated results and potential incentive proposals to the committee.","Kane County staff described a smart-irrigation pilot using networked irrigation controllers to reduce household water use; the pilot will use ARPA funds, collect six months of usage data from participants and promote results to residents and local chambers.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6174542,"County recycling review: custodial training, locked dumpsters and gaps at the judicial campus",5333,721000,6054000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5366410-4ebfa265cc8e53de8ac1ca09dba6500d&start=721&end=6054","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5366410-4ebfa265cc8e53de8ac1ca09dba6500d/thumbnail_721000.jpg","/articles/6174542/Kane-County/Illinois/County-recycling-review-custodial-training-locked-dumpsters-and-gaps-at-the-judicial-campus","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6174542-090df2df75031b438294ccd7dc1c8527/orig.mp4?Expires=1770569026&Signature=Qx6OeeLTE9qwQiz~bOGStnj1gDxr-kcE6G4N5Zuszn~flo~CZQTbrynGY-UIfC1QTjtZlL-nlJt6OmBw8K6BxFuzWEuXJqC3bqwg6qqR4NqOnrgbxHM4HOWn5DYXxS4JukClpUnGI4nvrkZqj1gWoMhof4jh2RiJ6TnPN83EAdHi3A74TypjW8~-cqJxJaVYWN5cHS~gnE7IIbog3WHqEGduR2yG~H6ZMnVxhMtOLp94kAUhqY6BLYnmKxEj79bb-pyim-djAgc9uZH6Q8old4ENTOdkGkEF5E98sJq8GwDRhbF~BmWSxVhXabkYMA34ew-COTQxaiJT3feD5Kun6Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Claire Ryan, a county waste/recycling staff member, told the Energy and Environmental Committee on July 11 that county recycling in buildings is a mix of established diversion efforts and ongoing operational gaps.

Ryan said the county redirects electronics, batteries, toner cartridges, lamps and other hard-to-recycle materials through existing vendor programs and a county collection point, and has recently added a print-consumables collection and paint-recycling coordination. \"There is no more paperwork and there is no additional checks at this point, and that's why we're bringing it to you,\" Ryan said when explaining the current community-solar billing analogy for other programs — in this case, explaining that some recycling credits and program flows now appear on regular vendor billing rather than as separate county payments.

On single-stream recycling (the mixed paper/plastic/metal stream collected from blue bins), Ryan described roles: building occupants must place clean recyclables in interior blue bins; custodial staff consolidate unbagged material into outdoor containers; and the county’s contracted hauler (Waste Management) collects and markets the material. Ryan explained that Waste Management may assess contamination fees when truckloads contain bagged recycling, large blocks of styrofoam, electronics or other contaminants. She told the committee contamination fees accounted for about 8% of costs since the current contract began in 2023 and said an account of January training coincided with a drop in fees.

The committee spent substantial time on the Judicial Campus, where Ryan reported almost no recycling is occurring because only one recycling dumpster remains on that campus. Ryan said the county’s own recycling ordinance requires institutional generators to recycle and that the lack of containers and space constraints at the Judicial Campus have hampered compliance. Roger Fonstock of IT and building management told the committee he will work with building management and staff to revisit placement of dumpsters and improve controls to reduce fly dumping.

Other recommended steps from staff included: an audit of campus containers and material streams, clearer signage and bin color consistency (commercial containers were replaced with yellow-lidded units this year), Spanish-language training for custodial teams, clarifying who holds padlock keys for locked containers, and exploring performance incentives or incorporating recycling tasks into custodial evaluations. Ryan said custodial training and new materials coincided with fewer contamination fees after January’s guide and training.

Why this matters: contaminated recycling increases county costs and undermines diversion goals; restoring recycling service at the Judicial Campus would bring county operations into compliance with its own ordinance and could recover recyclable materials now lost to landfill.

What’s next: staff will perform follow-up audits, work with building management and Waste Management on container placement and training, and report progress to the committee. Roger Fonstock said he will follow up with Kevin Harris and building teams to evaluate dumpster placement at the Judicial Campus.

","Kane County staff presented a multi-part review of in-house recycling including 'hard to recycle' streams and single-stream challenges; the committee heard that contamination fees have fallen after targeted training but that the Judicial Campus lacks adequate recycling dumpsters and compliance with the county recycling ordinance.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6174548,"Committee authorizes chair to sign community-solar subscriptions after limited RFP responses",317,402000,719000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5366410-4ebfa265cc8e53de8ac1ca09dba6500d&start=402&end=719","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5366410-4ebfa265cc8e53de8ac1ca09dba6500d/thumbnail_402000.jpg","/articles/6174548/Kane-County/Illinois/Committee-authorizes-chair-to-sign-community-solar-subscriptions-after-limited-RFP-responses","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6174548-0b5829616c76f463116c7c58cf8a15db/orig.mp4?Expires=1770569026&Signature=RxpzcyfmM-vgt4DGS0v3Ze0z9YLcd2jIIJn-0In9efoHdQ88vT2eOA1YZ1twcJPdoXBFwsHZHOgmy4tvrdKpoJwiok4CUONCtwlgL-D9bumlRHAD09Uifj-NpVxPwMPobxiQ3W0ytWcmBGNcJD3Y1PPBR1Ibqazx3PrwF4f6-4jm2eboLmt2HipePYs~0IPmHH6Xja8yBZDHl-j3CNlkpiG7a1Muvac8cr-5JlRR0t2avt0zl4LqtNhR0rnw8yAUJaKodqU3ElFNdbrCvtcAAl7LU1XP4IbLFVjGnv2Lg6IRsFKj9leDdbjsPo-qAC8nDAeIw0ENuoNfFIwMUre61g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Kane County Energy and Environmental Committee on July 11 authorized the chairwoman to sign community-solar subscription agreements and delegated review of individual subscriptions to county counsel and the committee’s electrical consultant.

Committee members approved the measure after staff reported that a formal request for proposals (RFP) produced only one response and that community-solar providers typically sign customers up through subscriptions rather than competing by RFP. \"As Arnie explained, it's basically 90¢ on the dollar, if we are able to sign up for community solar subscriptions,\" the staff presenter said, summarizing the expected billing credit model for county accounts.

The committee heard that community-solar subscriptions credit an account rather than requiring up-front county payments. The presenter told members the state's attorney's office requested an RFP; county staff and an outreach effort with Progressive Energy and the county’s consultant Arnie Schrammel produced only a single bid that did not meet the 10% credit benchmark staff hoped to see. \"So there's no money going out from the county. We're just receiving that credit on our bills,\" the presenter said.

Members discussed whether to set a minimum savings threshold in the authorization. One member urged locking in a minimum saving because of county budget constraints; others observed that any meaningful discount would save the county money. Staff said the county's billing practices have changed and the subscription credit now appears on the existing utility bill rather than requiring separate checks, reducing prior administrative costs tied to issuing payments to providers.

In the formal roll call, Strathman, Tarver, Roth and Bates voted yes; the motion was approved. Committee members said staff will return to the committee after executing agreements with reporting on actual savings from each subscription.

Why this matters: county facilities that subscribe to community solar could see ongoing electric-bill credits without up-front county capital outlay, but the committee accepted delegation to legal review and consultant vetting because community-solar providers rarely respond to RFPs and pricing varies.

What committee did next: committee staff will review offers with the consultant and the state's attorney’s office and report back to the committee with executed agreements and measured savings.

Background: community solar subscriptions give customers a share of a remote solar array and a corresponding credit on their utility bills; the committee sought multiple bids via RFP but reported only one response and therefore authorized a delegation process to allow subscription signing under legal and consultant review.

","The Kane County Energy & Environmental Committee authorized the chairwoman to sign community-solar subscription agreements, after staff reported only one RFP response and recommended a delegation process with legal review and consultant oversight.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

County staff outlines citizen-led Climate Implementation Teams and next steps

Staff briefed on Illinois EPA—s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant and potential local opportunities

County launches smart-irrigation pilot to track residential water savings

County recycling review: custodial training, locked dumpsters and gaps at the judicial campus

Committee authorizes chair to sign community-solar subscriptions after limited RFP responses