The Manteno Village Board met on Monday, May 5, with all the members present. Public speakers opened with an audience of 17 present. Included in the public speakers was Greg Olejarz, a concerned citizen asking about the proposed outdoor gun range to be built behind the Manteno Village of Public Works Department building. The range would be outdoors and within village boundaries.
Trustee Joel Gesky and fellow trustee CJ Boudreau made the proposal months back and agreed to table it at the March 8 board meeting due to concerns from the public. Olejarz asked if any further plans were made, and Trustee Gesky stated not at the present time. Other speakers included: Francine Fatima, Sandy Chiz, Bob Forsyth, and Paul Motel.
The meeting atmosphere was subdued. Beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance and followed by a prayer led by Rev. Jack McCormick, of Manteno Church of the Nazarene, board members got down to business. The pace immediately picked up.
Mayor LaMore says No More
In a motion to approve village minutes from April 21, Mayor LaMore vetoed the proposed motion presented by Trustee Gesky to approve contracts for Village Administrator Chris LaRocque, Superintendent of Public Works Jim Hanley, and Chief of Police Alan Swinford.
At the April 21 meeting, Trustee Gesky motioned to approve the three contracts stating the contracts give those individuals some protection until the mayor might choose to appoint someone else.
“This isn’t a ploy to steal an appointment from the mayor,” said Gesky. “It allows them to continue doing the jobs they’ve been doing for this whole time until the time of a new appointment and ratification is made.”
LaRocque, Hanley, and Swinford currently are working without contracts and are known as “at-will” employees. In an “at will” employment relationship, an employer can terminate an employee at any time, for any reason, as long as the reason isn’t illegal. Trustee Gesky and Trustee Crockett presented a contract on Easter weekend, at which there was no discussion or information discussed prior to the April 21 board meeting. Included in that one-year contract was the stipulation to give them three months’ severance. That would mean that LaMore could terminate their contract at any time; but the members would receive the three-month severance package, regardless.
During the April 21 meeting, Mayor LaMore stated she wanted to get to see more specifics regarding this motion and asked to have it tabled until the next meeting. That motion was defeated 4-2 along party lines. At Monday night’s meeting, she was met with applause as she vetoed the measure and asked for more insight and time.
LaMore was adamant in stating this wasn’t a personal measure; there was just too much at stake to vote on this until more information was clarified. One concern was the stipends that were included. Currently, the salaries for Swinford are $124,381; Hanley, $127,381 and LaRocque, $132,974, plus a $30,000-per-year stipend for doing the code enforcement job. LaMore said going forward a more detailed, articulate, and reasonable time is required to approve or deny the contracts.
“It isn’t that I have any problem with any of the gentlemen presented in this contract; I just want more information to clarify the exact wording,” she stated.
Ordinance No. 25-01 Unanimously Passed
In other news Ordinance No. 25-01 was unanimously passed. That ordinance amends Title 8, Building Regulations, Chapter 1, Building Code, By Amending Sections 8-1-4, Permits; 8-1-5, Appeals; 8-1-7, Fees; 8-1-9, Contractor Registration; 8-1-10, Address Numbers; 8-1-11, Mailboxes and Matching Monuments; 8-1-12, Certificate of Occupancy; 81-13, Technical Codes; and 8-1-14, Exterior Wall Coverings, of the Municipal Code for the Village of Manteno. The next Planning and Zoning Committee Meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 27, at 7 a.m., in the village board room. The next Plan Commission Meeting is on Tuesday, May 13, at 6 p.m., in the village board room.
Finance Committee Approves Bill Payment:
The finance committee unanimously approved the payment of bills in the amount of $81,938.76. Their next meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 14, at 7 a.m., in the village board room.