City Council Planning Sessions

Monday, December 14, 2020 1. Call to Order The Wheaton City Council Planning Session was called to order at 7:09 p.m. by Mayor Suess following the conclusion of a public hearing. The following were: Physically Present: Mayor Suess Councilman Barbier Councilwoman Bray-Parker Councilwoman Fitch Councilwoman Robbins Councilman Rutledge Councilman Zaruba City Staff Physically Present: Michael Dzugan, City Manager John Duguay, Assistant City Manager Susan Bishel, Public Information Officer Robert Lehnhardt, Director of Finance Joe Tebrugge, Director of Engineering Kristopher Dunn, Stormwater Engineer 2. Approval of November 23, 2020 Minutes The Council approved the November 23, 2020 City Council Planning Session minutes. 3. Public Comment There were no public comments. 4. City of Wheaton Flood Resiliency Investigation - Flood Protection Program Discussion Part 3 Director of Engineering Tebrugge provided an overview of the previous Flood Resiliency Investigation discussions. Part 1, discussed on Mar. 9, 2020, provided a description of the types of flooding, an overview of overland flooding, the frequency in which overland flooding is measured (i.e., 10-year rainfall, 25-year rainfall, 100- year rainfall, etc.), and the types of overland flooding: floodplain areas, flood prone areas, and site-specific areas. Part 2, discussed on Aug. 31, 2020, provided an overview of the plans of actions to address overland flooding, which include buyouts, floodproofing, and capital improvement projects. Preliminary costs to address overland flooding are estimated to cost approximately $21.5 million to address overland flooding through floodproofing projects, $107.5 million to address overland flooding through buyouts, or $42.3 million to address overland flooding through capital improvement projects. Director of Engineering Tebrugge stated that Part 3 would focus on the types of grant funding available and an overview of the process of raising a structure for floodproofing. Structures that are prone to overland DECEMBER 14, 2020 CITY COUNCIL PLANNING SESSION MINUTES flooding where water levels elevate over the top of foundations could be eligible for structure raising. He stated that 35 of the 69 structures within the floodplain and 129 of the 246 structures within the flood prone areas have flooding that occurs over the top of their foundations. Shauna Urlacher of Urban Hydro Engineering presented the 3 main grant funding organizations for flooding: the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). Ms. Urlacher provided an overview of the FEMA grant programs that include the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA), and the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) programs. The HMGP program is only available after a Presidential Disaster Declaration and is used specifically for buyouts with a varying funding limit. The FMA program is an annual program utilized to mitigate flooding of structures with flood insurance and is specifically used for buyouts with an approximate $30 million funding limit. The BRIC program is an annual program for large infrastructure projects that increase community resiliency with an approximate $50 million funding limit. Each program’s process takes approximately 2 years to be awarded funding before construction can begin, and projects need to be completed within 3 years. FEMA would provide up to 75% of the funding for a project and local funding would be responsible for the remaining 25%. In response to questions from Council, Ms. Urlacher stated that $3 million to $5 million would be a more realistic goal for BRIC funding, as projects need to be completed within a 3-year period and larger infrastructure projects will require more time to complete. She stated that the City could reapply for the grant annually. She stated that the maximum funding amount changed this year and the amount of funding available fluctuates based on the Federal Government’s revenues. In response to questions from Council, Ms. Urlacher stated that the process for acquiring grant funding begins with a notification of approval of the application, a thorough review of the application, awarding of grant funding, and then construction. In response to questions from Council, Ms. Urlacher stated that buyouts are voluntary, so residents can not be forced to leave their properties. She stated that the valuation of houses is typically based on the assessed market value or pre-disaster assessment. Ms. Urlacher provided an overview of the IEPA grant programs that include the 319 Grant program and the Green Infrastructure Grant Opportunity (GIGO) program. Both programs can be utilized to address water quality issues through infrastructure projects. Maximum funding for each program is typically less than $1 million. The 319 Grant program will provide up to 60% of the funding for projects, with local funding being responsible for the remaining 40%. The GIGO program will provide up to 75% of the funding for projects, with local funding being responsible for the remaining 25%. Each program’s process takes approximately 1 year to be awarded funding and projects would then need to be completed within 2 years. Ms. Urlacher provided an overview of the IEPA grant programs that include the 319 Grant program and the Green Infrastructure Grant Opportunity (GIGO) program. Both programs can be utilized to address water quality issues through infrastructure projects. Maximum funding for each program is typically less than $1 million. The 319 Grant program will provide up to 60% of the funding for projects with local funding being responsible for the remaining 40%. The GIGO program will provide up to 75% of the funding for projects with local funding being responsible for the remaining 25%. Each program’s process takes approximately 1 year to be awarded funding then projects need to be completed within 2 years. DECEMBER 14, 2020 CITY COUNCIL PLANNING SESSION MINUTES Ms. Urlacher provided an overview of the IDNR grant program that can be solely used for buyouts of substantially damaged properties or properties that incur repetitive loss. Funding for this program is typically less than $2 million and the program will provide up to 100% of the funding. The program process takes approximately 1 year to apply for and be awarded funding, then projects need to be completed within 2 years. In response to questions from Council, Ms. Urlacher stated that this year’s IDNR application process is closing. She stated there is typically 2 to 3 times more funding than applicants for the funding and the application process is simple. She stated that the program is primarily utilized by smaller communities without the resources to complete larger infrastructure projects, and assessed property values are typically lower. In response to questions from Council, Ms. Urlacher stated that the presented grant programs cannot be applied for individually by residents. Ms. Urlacher recommended the City utilize funding from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) or the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) program for a buyout program, or utilize the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program to complete larger infrastructure projects. In response to questions from Council, Ms. Urlacher stated that the City could be potentially competing against DuPage County for grant funding and stated that the County typically approaches funding to address unincorporated areas. In response to questions from Council, Director of Engineering Tebrugge stated that anyone can apply for and receive flood insurance. He stated that that flood insurance only pays for damages associated with a structure’s functionality, and aesthetic features, such as drywall, are not covered. Tom Tristano of Prairie Forge Group presented the process of creating and completing structure elevation project. Mr. Tristano reviewed that background of the City’s site information, project communication protocols, and an organization chart consisting of a potential project team. Mr. Tristano reviewed the process for a Base Flood Elevation (BFE) project. The process begins with a rapid assessment for initial review followed by civil, soil, architectural, and structural assessments to determine if sites are eligible for a BFE project. A consultation with key stakeholders is conducted and initial schematic design options are provided upon completion of the assessment portion. Design options are then further developed and preliminary budgets are generated. During final engineering, construction documentation is finalized, and projects are sent out to bid. The final phases include the receiving of bids, permit review, construction, and project close out. He stated that the lifting process includes cutting a hole through a foundation then lifting the structure through hydraulic jacks placed below the foundation. Mr. Tristano stated that all elevation projects need to be aligned with FEMA codes and guidelines and the types of structures that can be lifted include slab-on-grade foundations, two-story houses, houses with crawl spaces, tri-level houses with finished lower levels, and hybrid houses. Mr. Tristano provided a sample pre-planning schedule and stated it takes approximately 30 weeks to complete a single lift from project start up to project completion. He stated that completing multiple structures within a similar geographical area can be done more quickly and be less expensive. He stated that the average cost per house ranges from $175,000 to $275,000 based on complexity. DECEMBER 14, 2020 CITY COUNCIL PLANNING SESSION MINUTES In response to questions from Council, Mr. Tristano stated that damage to elevated structures is typically minimal. He stated that the assessment prior to proceeding with lifting a structure assists in evaluating if a structure aligns with FEMA’s benefit cost analysis ratios. He stated that the primary reasons for structures not being eligible for a BFE project include lot distances being too close to one another, the cost for a BFE on a property is too high, and elevator or ramp systems on the property. Jeff Gutowsky of WT Group stated that conditions that would prevent a project from proceeding include existing structural damage throughout a residence or antiquated foundations such as cinder block and stone foundations. Director of Engineering Tebrugge stated that next step in the process would be to develop a flood protection program based on a single decision/solution framework to address the different types of overland flooding throughout the City. The decision/solution framework could be applied to the different flood study areas and provide the best solution for each through the evaluation of deciding factors that include storm frequency, benefit cost analysis and the ability to obtain grant funding. He stated that City staff would bring details for Council review by February 2021. In response to questions from Council, Director of Engineering Tebrugge stated the data from the City's flood studies provide more information than what FEMA provides. FEMA only provides flood elevations to the 10-year, 50-year, 100-year, and 500-year rainfall levels, where the City’s Flood Prone Studies show all rainfall frequencies from a 2-year through a 500-year rainfall. He stated that when reviewing the available information, the flooding in the floodplain may appear less severe than it really is. He stated that it is true that the City experiences more frequent flooding in flood prone areas than in the floodplain and flooding in the site-specific areas is more frequent than that in the flood prone areas, although there are not studies to prove that out. In response to questions from Council, Director of Engineering Tebrugge stated that the potential program would prioritize those who receive the most frequent damage. In response to questions from Council, Director of Engineering Tebrugge stated that the benefit cost analysis is allocated to properties by FEMA, and the City does not need to use the benefit cost analysis as part of the decision/solution framework. In response to questions from Council, Director of Engineering Tebrugge stated that previous flood proofing estimates were based on $100,000 per BFE project and estimates will need to be readjusted to accommodate for the additional cost. He stated BFE projects would not be a feasible option based on new projected potential floodproofing costs for grant funding opportunities. The Council requested that City staff discontinue investigating options of floodproofing structures through BFE projects. The Council requested that City staff base the program’s decision/solution framework to protect structures from a 100-year rainfall frequency. In response to questions from Council, Director of Engineering Tebrugge stated that sites would be defined by the different overland flooding types: floodplain areas, flood prone areas, and site-specific areas. DECEMBER 14, 2020 CITY COUNCIL PLANNING SESSION MINUTES In response to questions from Council, Director of Engineering Tebrugge stated that the benefit cost analysis is based by area and not by individual property. The Council requested that City staff exclude benefit cost analysis from the program’s decision/solution framework. The Council requested that City staff provide specific public infrastructure projects that can emphasized currently. 5. City Council/City Staff Comments Public Information Officer Bishel encouraged residents to go out and view the entries within the City’s Light Up Wheaton decorating contest and vote for their favorite entries on the City’s Facebook page. Mayor Suess expressed his appreciation to staff for the work with the Light Up Wheaton event and was happy with the participation of City residents in this year’s event. 6. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 9:21 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Daniel J. Peck