HIGHWOOD CITY COUNCIL’S 11.4.25 MEETING IN A NUTSHELL 

Appointments

  • The city’s Firefighters’ Pension Fund is governed by a five-member Board of Trustees in accordance with the Illinois Pension Code. The Board administers the fund and oversees its investments, determines and pays pension benefits, adopts investment policies, and reports annually to the City Council. It consists of two trustees appointed by the Mayor with the consent of the City Council and three elected by members of the pension fund. The Board continues to operate even though the city no longer maintains an active fire department. The Council voted to approve the Mayor’s reappointment of John Falduto to the Board.

Finance

  • The City Council voted to approve the payment of various bills totaling $421k.

  • State law requires the city to annually conduct and file an independent audit report. The City Council voted to authorize McConnell & Jones to complete the city’s fiscal year 2025 audit at a cost of $62k (an increase of about 4% from fiscal year 2024), with $40k funded by the city and the remainder funded by the Library & Community Center.

  • City staff periodically reviews the rental rates charged by other municipalities and park districts for using their facilities. Following a recent review, staff recommended that the City Council consider increasing some of the rental rates for the Recreation Center and Memorial Park (the “ballpark” on Western Ave.) by $5 to $10 per hour and $20 per game for pick-up basketball and soccer, effective January 1, 2026. The Council voted to adopt the revised fee schedule ordinance.

Parks & Public Spaces

  • City staff reported that the field lighting system at Memorial Park (the “ballpark” on Western Ave.) has reached the end of its useful life and recommended that the City Council consider replacing some or all of the system in the spring. The system consists of 10 wooden poles with metal halide fixtures and an on-site, wired control system. A full system replacement would include removing the 10 existing poles, installing 4 new steel poles with LED fixtures, a new on-site control system with wireless capability, and new underground electrical infrastructure. A partial system replacement would include replacing the existing light fixtures with new LED fixtures while retaining the current poles, control system, and existing underground electrical infrastructure. The preliminary cost estimate for a full system replacement is $216k, while a partial replacement is estimated at $66k, including a $19k incentive from ComEd. The Council directed staff to further investigate why the full system replacement was deemed ineligible for any ComEd incentives and to report their findings back to the Council.

Public Comment

  • A commenter requested clarification about a condition of the approved zoning relief for the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory’s (MYAC) concert hall project (involving MYAC negotiating an agreement with the Town of Fort Sheridan Master Homeowners Association to contribute proportionally to the maintenance and repair of stormwater facilities receiving runoff from the concert hall site, effective on the date the zoning relief was approved). The commenter also suggested the city develop a proactive communication process for notifying the community of project developments.

  • A commenter asked about the process if the Midwest Young Artist Conservatory’s concert hall project is determined to require additional zoning relief. The commenter also asked whether the city could require obsolete business signage at the former Vape312 location to be removed and encouraged the City Council to learn more about kratom.

Waste & Recycling

  • The city is now providing a new optional curbside recycling service. The goal of the service is to divert hard-to-recycle plastics from landfills. Importantly, this new service supplements conventional recycling, it does not replace it. Click here to find a video that animates how the service works and here for additional informational (e.g., where to buy the bags, accepted items). The city is currently offering free starter kits 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 October 21, 2025.

  • The Library & Community Center’s November newsletter is here.

  • The Chamber of Commerce’s November newsletter is here.

  • The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County is supporting pumpkin smash (i.e., pumpkin composting) events at various locations through November 15th; additional information here.

  • The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County’s Holiday Reuse & Recycling Event will be held on November 8th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at Adler Park at the Lodge (1640 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville, IL 60048); additional information here.

  • The Chamber of Commerce’s Bingo at Buffo’s will be held on November 9th from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm at Buffo’s (431 Sheridan Rd.); additional information here.

  • The Chamber of Commerce’s Breakfast before Business will be held on November 12th from 7:30 am to 9:00 am at City Hall (17 Highwood Ave.); additional information here.

  • The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County’s Garden Learning Series (Native Plants A-Z)—which is presented along with the University of Illinois Extension and Lake County Forest Preserves—will be held on November 12th from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm via Zoom; additional information here.

  • The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County’s Shoes, Shred & Seeds will be held on November 15th from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at Wauconda Public Works (302 Slocum Lake Rd., Wauconda, IL 60084); additional information here.

  • Celebrate Highwood’s Elf Invasion Pub Crawl will be held on December 6th from 2:00 pm to bar close at various locations around downtown Highwood (starting point is The Toadstool Pub); additional information here.

Meeting Records

  • A video recording of the Regular Meeting is here.

  • Once approved, minutes from the Committee of the Whole Meeting and Regular Meeting will be linked here.  

    These write-ups are purposefully brief. Please do not hesitate to call or email me if you would like additional details or have questions.

*unless otherwise noted, City Council directives and votes were unanimous.

Next

October 21, 2025