City Council Planning Sessions

Monday, May 11, 2026 I. Call to Order The Wheaton City Council Planning Session was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Suess. The following were: Physically Present: Mayor Suess Councilwoman Bray-Parker Councilwoman Brice Councilman Brown Councilwoman Robbins Councilman Weller Absent: Councilman Clousing City Staff Present: Michael G. Dzugan, City Manager William Kolschowsky, Assistant City Manager Robert Lehnhardt, Director of Finance Princeton J. Youker, Police Chief Van Dillenkoffer, Deputy Police Chief Robert Brill, Fire Chief Susan Bishel, Public Information Officer Erik Berg, Management Analyst II. Approval of Planning Session Minutes – April 13, 2026 The Council approved the April 13, 2026, Planning Session minutes. III. Police Station Renovation and Fire Station 39 Replacement – Scope and Budget Discussion Assistant City Manager Kolschowsky provided an overview of the progress on the design of Fire Station 39’s replacement and the Police Station renovations. He stated that the designs were informed by the 2024 Facility Condition Assessment (FCA), the revenue enhancements approved by Council in 2026, and the services of BKV Group and Studio G.C. for Fire Station 39 and the police station, respectively. He provided an overview of the two projects, seeking the Council’s direction on proceeding with further design, noting that after this stage, changes in scope become more difficult and potentially more costly. Fire Station 39, built in 1972, has been deemed in the BKV Group space needs study as “functionally obsolete.” Key features of the replacement would be a decontamination space for equipment, a mezzanine for storage, and gender-neutral facilities to accommodate the changing demographics of Fire Department staff. The new facility is separated from the adjacent Water Division facility in anticipation of future storage requirements. Preliminary cost estimates project the cost of fire station construction, along with design and restoration of the water building façade, at approximately $13.2 million. CITY COUNCIL PLANNING SESSION MINUTES Monday, May 11, 2026 The Police Station, built in 1990, requires substantive rehabilitation of the brick and limestone exterior. Renovation of the Station was delineated into three priorities. Priority 1 would rectify the exterior issues, add a training and community room, and renovate the adjacent lobby and records area. Priority 2 includes all Priority 1 improvements along with additional interior remodeling of the evidence room, patrol, and administrative areas. Priority 3 includes the items from the previous two priorities with extensive interior renovations of the administrative spaces, lounge, fitness areas and expansion of the women’s locker room. Assistant City Manager Kolschowsky discussed the financial outlook. Preliminary cost estimates for both projects, including items such as design contingency and cost escalation, total approximately $31 million. The City’s financial advisor prepared three projections for bond issuances of $25 million, $30 million, and $35 million. The annual debt service payments would be $1.8 million, $2.1 million, and $2.5 million, respectively, assuming level debt service payments. The City’s financial forecast incorporates the 2026 revenue enhancements, reflect increased costs in personnel, pension, and health insurance costs, and assume no service level changes, a flat property tax levy, and no General Fund transfers to the Capital Projects Fund. Absent the projects, in 2028, operating expenditures are projected to exceed revenue growth. With increasing debt issuances, annual debt service payments increase and the General Fund’s fund balance decreases. Staff’s recommendation is to proceed with the replacement of Fire Station 39 and Priorities 1 and 2 for the Police Station renovation project. A $30 million debt issuance would fund these priorities as well as additional generator replacements. Following Council’s direction to move forward, he stated that staff would begin schematic design and value engineering for both facilities and provide further analysis of operating revenues, expenditures, and capital funding strategies for the 2027 budget discussions. Councilmembers discussed the assumptions within the financial projections, specifically the underlying property and sales tax revenue assumptions, the potential effects of debt issuance on the City’s budget and credit rating, and the possibility of accelerating the project timelines. In response to a Council question, City Manager Dzugan stated that, because of the variability of project scope and costs, the City retained an independent cost estimator for these projects with experience in municipal facilities. He added that he anticipates the estimates to become more accurate with further detail but cautioned that they could fluctuate with time. In response to a Council question, Director of Finance Lehnhardt stated that while it would be premature to assess the impact of debt service on the City’s credit rating, the bond would still fit within the City’s existing debt policy of 5% of EAV, and currently, the City has a relatively small amount of outstanding debt. In response to a Council question, Police Chief Youker stated that while Priority 1 would expand the locker room to accommodate current staff, Priority 3 would further expand the women’s locker room to accommodate future female sworn officers. He stated that, currently, locker rooms are near capacity. Nikki Bridges, Associate Principal for Studio G.C., added that expanding the women’s locker room without increasing space would encroach upon existing rooms.  CITY COUNCIL PLANNING SESSION MINUTES Monday, May 11, 2026 Council directed staff to proceed with design of the replacement of Fire Station 39 and Priorities 1 and 2 for the police station and provide additional financial analysis to the Council at a future Planning Session. IV. Public Comment There was no public comment. V. Council/Staff Comment. There was no Council comment. VI. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:46 p.m. Respectfully, Erik Berg