Chicago City Wire

City of Wheaton City Council Planning Sessions met June 10

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

I. Call to Order

The Wheaton City Council Planning Session was called to order at 7 p.m. by Mayor Pro Tem Barbier. The following were:

Physically Present: Mayor Pro Tem Barbier

Councilman Brown

Councilman Clousing

Councilwoman Robbins

Councilman Weller

Absent: Mayor Suess

Councilwoman Bray-Parker

City Staff Present: Michael G. Dzugan, City Manager

John M. Duguay, Assistant City Manager

Robert Brill, Fire Chief

Dave DiClementi, EMS Manager

Peter Vassios, Assistant Fire Chief

Halie Cardinal, Public Relations Coordinator

II. Appointment of Mayor Pro Tem

Councilwoman Robbins moved and Councilman Weller seconded that Councilman Barbier be appointed Mayor Pro Tem for the evening's meeting.

Roll Call Vote:

Ayes: Councilwoman Robbins

Councilman Weller

Councilman Brown

Councilman Barbier

Councilman Clousing

Nays: None

Absent: Mayor Suess

Councilwoman Bray Parker

Motion Carried Unanimously

III. Approval of Planning Session Minutes – May 13, 2024

IV. Lot 3 Art Wall Presentation

Fine & Cultural Arts Commission Chair Lew Achenbach stated that the City Council tasked the commission with researching options for the Art Wall, located at the northwest corner of Lot 3, at Main Street and the Illinois Prairie Path. He stated that the Art Wall will have a positive impact in the community and will serve as a gathering place due to its centralized location and visual appeal. In April 2024, Chair Achenbach and Commissioner Randy King met with the City Manager and Assistant City Manager to discuss their research, provide suggestions, and receive feedback.

Commissioner King stated that the commission conducted extensive research and communicated with 15-18 various artists regarding the Art Wall. The commission determined that PERU143 would be the ideal artist for this project. He stated that PERU143 is an internationally recognized artist, with clients such as NASA and various municipalities across the globe, whose artwork features geometric shapes and bold colors that create unique patterns and wording. The Art Wall’s mural would have the word “Wheaton” painted in the artist’s signature abstract style.

Phase 1 of the proposed plan involves a painted mural in the existing Art Wall space. Phase 2 of the project involves installing a projection mapping system, which is equipment that projects virtual images onto irregular surfaces. Advantages of the projection mapping system include the ability to update the imagery at any time and the display can incorporate movement. Commissioner King noted that the system features DLP laser imaging technology, which significantly enhances the artwork’s colors, the projection lamps are rated for 20,000 hours before requiring replacement, the equipment is housed in all-weather enclosures, and the City can upload the display’s content using a secure online portal.

In response to Council questions, Commissioner King stated that the lamps’ lighting strength combined with a specialty coating applied to the Art Wall will allow for the projection mapping system’s imagery to cover the painted mural. In terms of the digital artwork to be displayed, the commission suggests working alongside community partners such as the College of DuPage, Wheaton College and CUSD200.

In response to a Council question, Commissioner King stated that the system will have two to three projectors mounted to light poles to fully cover the wall with high-definition images.

In response to a Council question, Commissioner King stated that the quote for the painted mural is $17,000 and the quote for the projection mapping system with three poles is $175,000-$200,000.

In response to a Council question, City Manager Dzugan stated that staff will evaluate the system’s lighting in terms of adherence to existing ordinances.

Commissioner King stated that during the Make Music Wheaton event on June 21 at 8:45 p.m., the commission will have an artist display imagery on the Art Wall utilizing a similar projection system.

Members of the City Council are invited to attend this temporary display to see a demonstration of the system at the actual site.

City Manager Dzugan stated that following the live presentation on June 21, City staff will seek Council feedback on the mural and digital projection ideas at a future Planning Session.

V. Ambulance Service Fee Discussion

Fire Chief Brill provided information on a recommended new methodology for calculating ambulance service fees in a way that is consistent with industry best practices and assists the City in better capturing costs related to providing emergency medical services. This methodology is based on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' cost report (EMT Integrated Disclosure and Medicaid Cost Report).

Fire Chief Brill stated that in terms of ambulance fees, the rate Wheaton charges is significantly below the mean in DuPage County. For the City of Wheaton, the cost for an ambulance service is $2,910. These fees are categorized into resident and non-resident, with non-residents being charged a higher fee. The current cost recovery formula requires the collection of revenue to cover 90% of all direct EMS-related expenses.

Fire Chief Brill stated under the proposed cost recovery formula, the City would also include all support and administrative fees associated with an ambulance service. He noted that Medicare and Medicaid are the two largest payors of ambulance service fees, followed closely by commercial insurers.

In 2019, the State of Illinois adopted the Ground Emergency Medical Transportation (GEMT) program which is a federally funded initiative that provides supplemental funding to publicly operated ambulance service providers registered with Medicaid. In 2021, the City of Wheaton became a participating GEMT provider by signing an intergovernmental agreement with Illinois Health and Family Services.

Staff recommend establishing the fee for all ambulance service users annually based on the EMT Integrated Disclosure and Medicaid Cost Report average trip cost. Applying this calculation to all emergency medical transportation service bills would allow the City to recover expenses closer to the actual cost of services.

Additionally, staff recommend establishing a consistent fee for all levels of service and adopting balanced billing. Under balanced billing, when a Wheaton resident is transported, they will not be billed for any remaining charges once final payment has been received from all insurance providers. Whereas when a non-resident is transported, they shall be billed for any remaining charges once final payment has been received from all insurance providers. Finally, staff recommend removing the service fee for both residents and non-residents. These recommendations would assist the City in recovering costs related to ambulance services.

In response to Council questions, Fire Chief Brill stated that the City’s policy for non-residents without insurance is to not provide another bill.

Fire Chief Brill stated that in comparison to comparable municipalities, Wheaton is below the mean and minimum for ambulance service fees.

In response to a Council question, Fire Chief Brill stated that moving to the new fee structure does not cause an additional administrative burden.

In response to a Council question, EMS Manager DiClementi stated that on approximately 50% of EMSrelated calls firefighters are also dispatched.

City Manager Dzugan stated that staff will provide additional information on the new cost report at a later date.

Council members discussed the benefits of the new methodology and expressed support for staff recommendations.

VI. Public Comment

There were no public comments.

VII. City Council/Staff Comments

There were no Council comments.

VIII. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 8:09 p.m.

https://www.wheaton.il.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/11799?fileID=16612