2025-09-29 - Village Board Civics Forum - Agenda Packet
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AGENDA
BUFFALO GROVE VILLAGE BOARD
Regular Meeting: September 29, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Jeffrey S. Braiman Council Chambers, Village Hall
50 Raupp Blvd, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
1. Call to Order
a. Pledge of Allegiance
b. Roll Call
2. Special Business
a. 2025 Civics Forum (Clerk Sirabian, Christopher Stilling)
3. Public Comment
Public Comment is limited to items that are not on the regular agenda. In accordance with Section
2.02.070 of the Municipal Code, discussion on questions from the audience will be limited to 5
minutes and should be limited to concerns or comments regarding issues that are relevant to
Village Board business. All members of the public addressing the Village Board shall maintain
proper decorum and refrain from making disrespectful remarks or comments relating to
individuals. Speakers shall use every attempt to not be repetitive of points that have been made by
others. The Village Board may refer any matter of public comment to the Village Manager, Village
staff or an appropriate agency for review.
4. Adjournment
The Village Board will make every effort to accommodate all items on the agenda by 10:30 p.m.
The Board does, however, reserve the right to defer consideration of matters to another meeting
should the discussion run past 10:30 p.m.
The Village of Buffalo Grove, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, requests that
persons with disabilities who require certain accommodations to allow them to observe and/or
participate in this meeting or have questions about the accessibility of the meeting or facilities, contact
the ADA Coordinator at 847-459-2500 to allow the Village to make reasonable accommodations for
those persons.
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AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
BUFFALO GROVE VILLAGE BOARD
Regular Meeting: September 29, 2025
AGENDA ITEM 2.a.
2025 Civics Forum
Contacts
Liaison: Clerk Sirabian
Staff: Christopher Stilling
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends discussion.
Recommended Motion
N/A
Summary
Students from Buffalo Grove High School and Stevenson High School will participate in the
2025 Civics Forum. The following departments will be making presentations:Police Department
1. Fire Department
2. Police Department
3. Public Works Department
4. Finance, Communications and Community Development Departments
Strategic Alignment
Guiding Principle
Principle 5: Partnership with Local Districts
Principle 6: Engages Our Residents
Principle 7: Builds Our Community
Goal
Goal 3: Strengthened Buffalo Grove community identity and pride
File Attachments
1. Civics Forum 2025
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DATE: September 29, 2025
TO: Village Manager Dane Bragg
FROM:
Director of Community Development, Nicole Woods
Director of Finance, Chris Black
Director of Communications, Molly Gillespie
SUBJECT: Request for Expenditure – Approval of Funds for a Multi-Touch Monitor
BACKGROUND
In recent years, the Village of Buffalo Grove has been at the forefront of technology, and innovation. The
Community Development, Finance and Communications Departments would like to continue to boost
collaboration and efficiency through the purchase of a new 75-inch Multi-Touch Monitor.
Building on the successful launch of our new website
and online permit portal for all building permits, the
Community Development, Finance, and
Communications Departments are asking to use this
year's Civics Forum fund to purchase a Multi-Touch 75”
Monitor. This monitor would be installed in the Trustee
Conference Room and would benefit all Village
departments. As a powerful tool for visual
collaboration, it will allow staff to display and modify
digital documents, presentations, and data in real-time.
Some practical applications for this new tool could
include large scale development plan review, site planning with developers, real time mark-up/notating
on presentations during QTMs, white board brainstorming for Village projects, and so much more!
Why We Need a Touchscreen Monitor:
• Offers a large, high-resolution screen for team discussions and decision-making, enabling staff to
review development projects, communication strategies, and budget information on a large,
interactive display.
• Touchscreen functionality allows staff to zoom, pan, and annotate plans and documents quickly
and intuitively.
• Ensures no detail is overlooked—big or small—by enhancing visibility and precision during
reviews and discussions.
MEMORANDUM
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• Enables real-time collaboration between all departments, serving as a shared workspace for all
stakeholders.
REQUEST
The Community Development, Finance, and CommunicaTons Departments are requesTng $2,000 to
purchase a MulTTouch 75” Monitor. Having a large touchscreen will enable our staff to use this powerful
tool for visual teamwork. We can display, explain, and change digital documents, presentaTons, and data
in real-Tme to improve collaboraTon between departments, increase accuracy, and make our Tme more
efficient which is Smart. With Heart!
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DATE: September 17, 2025
TO: Chris Stilling, Deputy Village Manager
FROM: Lawrence Kane, Fire Chief
Shawn Collins, Deputy Fire Chief
SUBJECT: Life Safety Rope and Associated Hardware
BACKGROUND
The Buffalo Grove Fire Department provides special rescue opera8ons for the por8on of the state of
Illinois that is generally north of the Chicago area. These special rescue services include technical rescue
which includes such areas of specializa8on including high angle, below grade and trench collapses. All
these areas of specializa8on include the use of life safety rope to affect a successful and efficient rescue
opera8on.
The Buffalo Grove Fire Department provides these services through 7 specialized team members and the
remaining department members being trained at the opera8ons level. This means that the Buffalo Grove
Fire Department has the capabili8es to begin a rescue opera8on prior to receiving assistance from
neighboring communi8es. The weak link in this process is our current life safety rope in rela8on to the
new, revised safety standards. The rope used by the Buffalo Grove Fire Department is ½” rope and the
new standards being taught and used for specialized rescue are based on 11mm rope. This rope is
smaller in diameter than what the fire department currently carries. In addi8on, area specialized rescue
teams and departments have transi8oned to the new size rope.
ANALYSIS
Although the fire department currently has rope to start a rescue, the rope does not meet the standard
of those responding from our neighboring teams that will help support the rescue opera8on. This would
mean that the fire department, which currently has the capability to set up a rescue opera8on, would
have to stop the opera8on once other specially trained team members from neighboring communi8es
arrive. The loss of 8me in ceasing opera8ons could result in minutes which could impact a vic8m’s
survival.
Should the department not change its rope and associated hardware to the new standard, safety of the
rescuer could be compromised resul8ng in safety devices not capturing their emergency stops and
rescuers poten8ally slipping a further distance which could result in injury.
MEMORANDUM
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FINANCIAL IMPACT
Staff request $2,000.00 to allow for the purchase of 11mm rope and associated rescue hardware to meet
the current safety standards as well as crea8ng a uniform standard of rescue equipment throughout the
response area to allow for safe and efficient department and team opera8ons.
REQUESTED EQUIPMENT
CMC G11mm Lifeline Rope $272.00 x 2
hVps://elevatedsafety.com/products/cmc-g11-life-line-rope/?sku=283133.200
CMC 11mm Clutch (Mechanical Advantage Device, Progress Capture Device) $789.00 x 2
hVps://elevatedsafety.com/products/cmc-clutch/
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DATE: September 10, 2025
TO: Deputy Chief Brian Spolar
FROM: Tara Anderson, Deputy Chief, Officers Baker and Cholewa
SUBJECT: Equipping Police Officers with AirPods Pro 3 for Live Translation
This proposal recommends the purchase of Apple AirPods Pro 3 for the Buffalo Grove Police
Department to enhance multilingual communication with the public. Leveraging Apple’s new
Live Translation feature, officers will be able to communicate in real-time with non-English
speakers, fostering trust, improving clarity during interactions, and promoting equitable access
to services.
Purpose
To enable real-time, on-ear translation during police interactions where language barriers exist—
particularly during emergency calls for service or community engagement. This aligns with modern
policing priorities that emphasize transparency, fairness, and cultural responsiveness.
Technology Summary
• Device: AirPods Pro 3 (3rd Generation)
• Feature: Live Translation via “tap-to-activate” mode using Apple Intelligence
• Languages at Launch: English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese
• Coming Soon: Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese
Budget Allocation $2,000
Item: AirPods Pro 3 (MSRP) Quantity: 8 pairs Unit Cost: $249 Total: $1,992
• 7 pairs for officer use; 1 pair reserved for backup or citizen use
Implementation Plan
1. Device Setup & Training: Quick session on pairing, usage, and translation protocols.
2. Deployment Focus: Assigned to patrol officers and community liaisons.
3. Backup Protocols: Clean, recharge, and maintain rotation.
4. Privacy Considerations: Conversations are processed on-device; no recordings stored.
Note: If one party does not have AirPods, an iPhone can be utilized for a translated transcript.
MEMORANDUM
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Expected Outcomes
• Improved Communication with non-English speakers in diverse communities
• Faster Resolutions in the field without waiting for translators
• Increased Community Trust through inclusive, respectful interactions
• Data-Informed Policy: Optional tracking to assess language needs over time
Conclusion
With a modest investment under $2,000, this initiative positions the Buffalo Grove Police
Department as a forward-thinking, community-centered agency embracing responsible use of AI
and translation technology. The AirPods Pro 3's translation capabilities will support safer, clearer,
and more inclusive communication for all residents.
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DATE: September 17, 2025
TO: Dane Braggs , Village Manager
FROM: Chris Krase, Public Works Superintendent
SUBJECT: Public Works Civics Forum Submission – 3D EnviroScape
Drinking Water/Wastewater & Watershed Educational Model
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends that the Village authorize the purchase the 3D Drinking Water/Wastewater &
Watershed Educational Model by EnviroScape in the amount not to exceed $2,000.00.
BACKGROUND
The Village invests substantial resources to maintain and improve sustainability efforts, resource
protection, and asset management. Strategic decisions affecting surfaces like streets and
sidewalks are readily apparent, but it can be difficult to grasp how underground utilities function
and affect our daily lives. Despite the best efforts of staff regularly presenting at schools and
community events, we currently lack the capability to effectively demonstrate larger scale, often
less tangible topics like sewer and water systems and water resources.
Furthermore, recent regulatory changes have added additional pressure for qualitative and
quantitative community education efforts concerning these larger topics as part of unfunded
mandate required of municipal governments.
CONCLUSION
The proposed display is a hands-on, interactive educational tool which demonstrates complex
topics and systems in a manageable and interesting way. Concepts including stormwater runoff,
groundwater protection, and potable water/wastewater transport are all incorporated into a
tabletop sized model illustrating how important our infrastructure is to our daily lives.
The model can be utilized for a wide range of community interactions including school visits, Public
Works’ annual Open House, the Green Fair, and events hosted by organizations such as the 4C
STEM Club and the Buffalo Grove Environmental Action Team. The display is portable and is
designed for repeated use, maximizing the value to the Village. Its interactive design draws the
MEMORANDUM
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interest of children and adults alike, making it an effective tool for strengthening connections
between the Village and the community.
By augmenting our continued outreach and educational activities with a hands-on display, Public
Works can help our community members connect the importance of infrastructure and
environmental systems with the Village’s actions and plans in a way that resonates with even our
youngest community members.
https://www.enviroscapes.com/product/drinking-water-wastewater-treatment-education-
model/hands-on-models
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