The weather certainly cooperated for the DMMC Golf Outing on July 11. It was a beautiful day on the course at Village Links of Glen Ellyn for the nearly 100 golfers who attended. Thank you to all our sponsors for making the golf outing possible: Baxter and Woodman, Call One, Capitol Consulting, Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Civiltech, Clarke Dietz, Comcast, Ehlers, Gorski and Good, Holland and Knight, IMET, Klein Thorpe and Jenkins, Prescient Solutions, Restore Restoration, Robinson Engineering, SB Friedman, Ungaretti and Harris, Voorhees Associates, Wight and Company and Wolf and Company. Contest winners for the day were: Jeff O'Dell for Straightest Drive, Brad Wilson for Longest Drive in Fairway, Gary Szott for Closest to the Hole, Rich Veentra for longest putt made and Tim Sexton won the drawing for dunking DMMC Executive Director Mark Baloga in the dunk tank. We hope to see you at next year's outing!

Mayor Bob Iden, Mayor Jeff Pruyn, Manager Evan Teich and Miles Shepp ready to tee off.

The Conference proudly presented the 2012 Intergovernmental Cooperation Award to Addison Mayor Larry Hartwig at the June Conference Business Meeting. Mayor Hartwig's many contributions to intergovernmental cooperation include serving as the President of the Conference from 2004-2006, serving on the Executive Board of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus for 11 years, including as Chair of the Executive Board for one year, and serving as the chair of the Diversity Issues Task Force for the Caucus for six years. Not to be forgotten is Mayor Hartwig's role as landlord to the Conference when the office in Oak Brook was being renovated! The complete press release can be viewed here.

President Craig presenting Mayor Hartwig with his award.

The Conference held its first Coffee Break on June 26, 2012 at the Katherine Legge Memorial Lodge in Hinsdale. During this open house, members spoke informally with many area legislators about issues of mutual interest and importance to DuPage municipalities. Senate President Pro Tempore Don Harmon and Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno were among the legislators who attended the Coffee Break. Thank you to all who participated for helping to make this event a success. The Conference is planning to host its second Coffee Break in September. Further details will be provided at a later date. We hope you will consider joining us for this excellent opportunity.   

President Napoli, Senator Dillard, Mayor Murphy, Sen. Republican Leader Radogno, and President Lalmalani at the DMMC Coffee Break.

The General Assembly has scheduled the 2012 Fall Veto Session for Tuesday-Thursday, November 27-29 and Tuesday-Thursday, December 4-6. It is possible that additional dates may be added to this schedule. The Conference is tentatively planning a small-group Springfield Drive Down for veto session. Further details will be provided at a later date.       

On June 21, the DMMC Intergovernmental-Planning and Regulatory Issues Committees held a joint meeting with ComEd representatives about the utility's rate case with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Previously, ComEd had sought a rehearing after the ICC ruled that the utility must reduce its rates by $169 million. ComEd had originally requested a reduction of $59 million, stating that a $169 million rate decrease would adversely impact its ten-year Capital Plan to repair aging infrastructure and implement a smart grid system. The Conference is following developments in this rate case. In particular, the Conference is continuing to seek details from ComEd about its original ten-year Capital Plan and any potential financial impacts ComEd claims the rate case may have on its budget. 

If your community plans to submit for STP funding for the upcoming federal FY 13-18 program, please consider a project consultation meeting. DMMC staff and its consultant will meet with you and discuss your proposed project and techniques for how it may score the most points with our methodology. Please contact Mike Albin, Transportation Project Manager, at 630-571-0480, ext. 222 to set up your appointment.

On April 30, 2012, IDOT unveiled the state's first multi-modal transportation plan, Transforming Transportation for Tomorrow. The plan combines IDOT's proposed multi-year highway program with the proposed programs for public transportation, rail and aeronautics. The streamlined format of the plan is designed to reinforce the multi-modal nature of transportation in Illinois. The Transforming Transportation for Tomorrow plan is available on IDOT's website. 

A new Strategic Planning initiative has been launched by Metra. It is the most comprehensive evaluation and blueprint for the future that has been pursued by Metra since the early 1990s. This planning process will help Metra evaluate current conditions as well as identify long-term opportunities and challenges. Metra is holding a series of open houses across the region and also is soliciting comments online. An overview of the initiative is presented here.