The Finance Committee is responsible for the financial administration.  This Committee are stewards to the following; review of the monthly invoices, examination of the Treasurer’s Report completed by the accounting services of Sikich LLP, review the expenditures against the budget and deliberate on the audit findings and summarization received by the Sikich LLP Auditors. The Finance Committee provides financial recommendations to the Village Board based on their evaluation of the information.

The Finance Committee meetings occur the third Tuesday at 6:00 pm every month at the Hilton Garden Inn, Maple Room. Please reference their agendas to better under their current projects. Finance Committee Agendas

Committee:
Chairman Trustee John Maier, [email protected]

Members:
Trustee Sweb Smolic, [email protected] 
Trustee Tim Towne, [email protected]

Documents:

• Treasurer’s Reports
• Budget
• Audit Reports

What types of projects fall under the Finance Committee?

• Approval of Accounts Payable
• Approval of the Tax Rebate Ordinance
• Approval of the Fiscal Budget
• Approval of the Fiscal Audit
• Treasurer’s Report
• Approval of Loans
• Reporting of the Real Estate Transactions

The mission of the Parks and Recreation Committee is to manage the Village’s open space properties.  This Committee facilitates the development and improvement of the Village’s parks and open space parcels. This task encompasses over 200 acres of open space. Please reference the Open Space Listing for locations.

The Village is currently updating the Strategic Plan which includes land use.

The Committee’s goal is to preserve Mettawa’s natural areas by restoring open spaces and clearing invasive species such as buckthorn from Village parcels. Once a parcel has been cleaned, the trees on site are inventoried and a few new trees are planted to maintain the characteristic of the lot. The Village Parks that include trails also include an array of native plantings, along with a few benches to enjoy the chorus of the morning birds or the various butterflies visiting for the day. The Committee ensures the annual maintenance at the park trails receive the limestone required for any washout areas due to the heavy rains. As the trails from  connected, Whippoorwill Park and MacLean Preserve at Oasis Park are the two locations that can connect your bike ride through the Lake County Forest Preserve trails from one town to another with a stop for a picnic too.

The Parks and Recreation Committee meetings occur the second Wednesday of each month at the Hilton Garden Inn, Cottonwood Room A. This Committee meets immediately after the Public Works Committee meeting. Please reference their agendas to get the scope of their current projects. Parks and Recreation Committee Agendas.

Committee:
Chairman Trustee Wendie Clark, [email protected]

Members:
Trustee Carol Armstrong, [email protected]
Trustee Debra Pelech [email protected]

What types of projects fall under the Parks and Recreation Committee?

• Installing or Replacing Open Space and Parks Signs
• Buckthorn Removal on Open Spaces
• Maintaining Park Trails
• Planting Plants and Trees
• Removing Parks Dead Trees
• Maintaining the Tree Inventory for Open Spaces
• Treating the Park Trees
• Mowing all Open Spaces

This mission of the Public Works Committee is the enhancement of safety and quality of life for both the residents and businesses that travel the village roads and those that depend on the stormwater system infrastructure to flow properly throughout the village.  Maintaining the roads from pot holes and clearing them during the winter is vital, however, adding the necessary material to the shoulder areas to maintain additional capacity for service trucks, is also crucial as our village roads are one lane. Just as the Parks and Recreation Committee maintains their park trails areas, Public Works also ensures the trails are being packed with necessary material from the heavy rainfall washout. Mettawa trails are not only utilized by residents, the business center employees, visitors but also by horse riders. Public Works is also committed to performing environmental preservation to the Village’s culverts and ditches to ensure the stormwater infrastructure drains appropriately.

This Committee works closely with James Anderson Company, our engineering company. on the issuance of permits, resident zoning requests, engineering projects and a collaboration on all future projects.

The Public Works Committee meeting occurs the second Wednesday of every month at the Hilton Garden Inn, Cottonwood Room A. Please reference their agendas to be aware of their current projects. Public Works Committee Agendas 

Committee:
Chairman Trustee Sweb Smolic, [email protected]

Members:
Trustee Debra Pelech [email protected] 
Trustee Wendie Clark [email protected]

What types of projects fall under the Public Works Committee?

• Assessment of Road Conditions
• Mosquito Abatement Program
• Address Right-of-Way Signs
• Complete Right-of-Way Mowing
• Maintain Culverts and Ditches
• Perform Shoulder Maintenance
• Maintain Right-of-Way Trees
• Contract Snow Plowing Service
• Water Engineering

The Safety Commissioner monitors the safety of the Village.  The Village partners with Howe Security’s two members, Rick Eckensthaler and Tony Raymon, to form Mettawa Public Safety.   The two members support the residents in various ways, including performing house watches.  Mettawa utilizes the Village of Lincolnshire to provide traffic enforcement.  In July of 2023, the Village Board approved a contract with the Village of Lincolnshire to monitor traffic violations on Village streets, in efforts to reduce speeding and create safer roads for the residents. The Village also receives assistance from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office as they respond to all 911 calls.

Trustee Towne oversees the incidental reports made by Mettawa Public Safety. Mettawa has also invested in an emergency alert system, Finalsite (previously known as Blackboard Connect). This website system enables the village to send emergency communications via text, phone call and email within a short period. This Commission does not hold meetings.

Commissioner:
Trustee Tim Towne, [email protected]

Items a Safety Commissioner monitors.

• Reviews the Traffic Signal Speed Data
• Contact for Mettawa Public Safety
• Receives Updates from Lincolnshire
• Determines is an Emergency Communication Should be Sent

This Commission’s responsibility is to review matters regarding zoning and land use planning in the Village.  The Commission is a fact-finding body and makes a recommendation to the President and Board of Trustees based upon the testimony presented at a public hearing.  A public hearing is held when the Commission has received a zoning application for a request of a special use permit or variance to the zoning ordinance. Once the case has been heard by the Zoning, Planning and Appeals Commission they issue a Finding and Facts Report of their recommendation to the Board. The President and Board of Trustees review the ZPA’s recommendation and make the final decision on all public hearing cases.  

Commission:
Chairman, Liz Leonard, [email protected]

Commissioners:
Karen Carruthers, [email protected]
Pam Fantus, [email protected]
Mark Meluso, [email protected]
Phil Palmer, [email protected]
Orren Pickell, [email protected]       
Matt Witten, [email protected]

The Zoning, Planning and Appeals Commission meetings occur the first Tuesday of every month at the Hilton Garden Inn, Cottonwood Room. Please be sure to check the online calendar as some dates are modified due to the holidays. Zoning, Planning and Appeals Commission Agendas 

How is a zoning application handled?

• A zoning application is submitted to the James Anderson Company, the Village’s Engineering firm. The Zoning Administrator reviews the application and provides the property owner feedback if their submittal is complete or if site plans/architectural review require alterations. Once the property owner has met the Zoning Administrator requirements for their case to be heard, the Village Attorney receives the zoning application and its supporting documents.  
• The Village Attorney reviews the submittal and determines if the case is in order and if a public hearing meeting date can be scheduled. Upon confirmation that the documentation is in order a ZPA meeting date is determined.
• The Village Administrator will than send the zoning applicant and their architect a public hearing cost estimate listing. This estimate includes; an application fee, a court reporter, newspaper publication of the meeting, attorney and engineering fees along with a Lake County recording fee based on the request. 
• The applicant will receive two items from the Village Administrator. The first is a PDF of the public hearing notification to be published in the Daily Herald by the village. The second will be a listing of property owners and business owners that are within 1,000 square feet of the property pertaining to the case to be heard. A copy of the public hearing notification will need to be mailed to all the impacted addresses via certified mail. This will ensure the surrounding properties have received communication of the upcoming public hearing.  The applicant will be required to provide the village the green cards as proof of mailing, the day of the hearing.  
• The applicant will be asked to provide the village 12 copies of all the documentation being presented to the Zoning Chairman and Commissioners prior to the public hearing.