HIGHWOOD CITY COUNCIL’S 7.1.25 MEETING IN A NUTSHELL
Appearance
The owners of Pelago Cafe (325 Waukegan Ave.) applied for approval of new business signage. The City Council voted to approve the proposed signage.
The owners of Make Craft Camp (828 Sheridan Rd.) applied for approval of new business signage. The City Council voted to approve the proposed signage, with the condition that the sign’s lower section use dimensional letters instead of an illuminated box sign, as such signs are prohibited by the city code.
Finance
The City Council voted to approve the payment of various bills totaling $148k.
State law requires the city to adopt an ordinance that establishes the salaries of its elected officials. While not legally required, the city’s longstanding practice has been to also establish compensation ranges for its employees within the ordinance. The City Manager then determines the actual salaries of each employee based on various factors (e.g., merit, market), within the established ranges. The City Council voted to adopt the salary and compensation ordinance for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
Governance
City staff provided overviews of several laws governing the conduct of the city’s elected officials, including the Freedom of Information Act and Open Meetings Act.
Infrastructure
The city regularly repairs potholes and other roadway surface distress using either temporary (i.e., cold mix asphalt) or permanent patching (i.e., hot mix asphalt). The City Council voted to accept a proposal from Chicagoland Paving Contractors to complete permanent patching in various locations at a cost not to exceed $70k.
The city prioritizes roadway resurfacing projects based primarily on pavement condition assessments in its street maintenance improvement report. The assessments use a visual survey method and a standard numerical index to rate pavement condition (e.g., new, excellent, very good, good, fair, poor, very poor, failed). Since the report’s last update, the city has resurfaced all of the roadways with the lowest pavement condition ratings. The next group of resurfacing candidates—based on their pavement condition ratings—includes Western Ave., south of Prairie Ave. Western Ave. marks a boundary between Highwood and Highland Park, with each municipality owning part of the street. The City Council voted to authorize an intergovernmental agreement with Highland Park to resurface Western Ave., south of Prairie Ave., this year at a cost not to exceed $150k.
Library & Community Center
Board of Trustees President Lucy Hospodarsky and Executive Director Laura Ramirez provided an update of current initiatives (e.g., asset inventory), previewed their forthcoming annual report, and shared information about a variety of volunteer opportunities.
Public Comment
A resident expressed concern about the desirability of and impacts from proposed or probable new developments on Sheridan Rd.
Waste & Recycling
In 2017, the city became one of the first municipalities in the state to offer curbside organics recycling (i.e., composting). The goal of this service is to divert food waste from landfills, where it accounts for about 20% of the state’s waste—the largest single waste stream in the state. Residents can place food scraps and food-soiled paper or cardboard directly in their organics carts (i.e., the smallest of the three issued carts) or use BPI compostable liners or paper bags (additional guidelines here). The organics carts are collected curbside weekly, alongside trash and recycling carts. The city is offering free in-home compost bins at City Hall (17 Highwood Ave.) on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last.
Other
The City Council voted to approve meeting minutes from June 17, 2025..
The Library & Community Center’s July newsletter is here.
The Chamber of Commerce’s July newsletter is here.
Celebrate Highwood’s Evening Gourmet Market event will be held on Wednesdays through August 27th (excluding July 2nd) from 4:30 pm to 9:00 pm at Everts Park (111 North Ave.); additional information here.
Celebrate Highwood’s Highwood Historical Cocktail Tour event will be held on Wednesdays August 27th (excluding July 2nd) from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at various locations (departure point is the Celebrate Highwood booth at Everts Park/111 North Ave.); additional information here.
The Chamber of Commerce’s Junk in the Trunk event will be held on July 13th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm in the Metra station parking lot (317 Green Bay Rd.); additional information here.
The Chamber of Commerce’s Breakfast before Business event will be held on July 16th from 7:30 am to 9:00 am at City Hall (17 Highwood Ave.); additional information here.
Celebrate Highwood’s Highwood Days Carnival event will be held from July 17th through July 20th at the Metra Station parking lot (317 Green Bay Rd.); additional information here.
Celebrate Highwood’s Taste of Highwood event will be held from July 18th through July 20th at the Metra Station parking lot (317 Green Bay Rd.); additional information here.
Celebrate Highwood’s Highwood 5K Family Run, Walk & Stroll event will be held on July 19th at 9:00 am (start/finish line is the intersection of Sheridan Rd. and Clay Ave.); additional information here.
The Chamber of Commerce’s Bingo at Buffo’s event will be held on July 27th from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm at Buffo’s (431 Sheridan Rd.); additional information here.
Meeting Records