During the contentious June 15 board meeting the board spent more time doing and undoing actions, rehashing the rebate, and disagreeing over the remote attendance policy and the tree replacement the mayor vetoed at the last meeting.
Remote Attendance Ordinance Redo
“Since this is duplicated here, I know that you are wanting to challenge my veto,” Mayor Annette LaMore opened up the first veto-redo.
“I vetoed it because this is to be used for emergencies, not for business, not if you own your own business or you have a business that you’re going to somewhere else in another location and you don’t want to attend our meeting — that’s not considered an emergency,” LaMore said.
“I think we all got voted to be elected officials so that we would be present here to have our discussions and that people could ask us questions and we could respond in person, which is so much better than being on the television screen. But tonight you’re asking to override my veto,” LaMore continued, but not without a chime-in from Trustee Todd Crockett.
“We also got voted to consider things as a board and not as a dictatorship,” Crockett sniped.
Trustee Mike Barry, who had been quiet in the meeting, chimed in.
“There was a discussion in there about the maximum amount of times this could be used and now this thing is, once again, like every other ordinance that we have in this town, is open-ended,” Barry said.
Barry said it should stipulate a maximum number of times it could be used and how it could be used. He affirmed that he is in favor of a remote attendance policy, but it needed to be more explicit.
“Right now, the way that this ordinance sits, is I can go and say that I’m gone for the next year and a half and get on a TV,” Barry said.
Barry added that he didn’t want to have to go back and amend it, and it’s another example of a policy being “ramrodded” into place.
Trustee Joel Gesky disagreed and pointed to various opportunities to provide input, adding he felt that no particular board member got exactly what they wanted.
LaMore said she hoped it could mirror what was used in Bradley, which has stipulations for when and how it could be used.
Boudreau said the voters should decide in two years if they felt it was abused.
Trustee Annette Zimbleman, who has not been named as the impetus but is ultimately at the center of the ordinance due to the number of her absences, at that point said, “I don’t think anyone in this room is going to abuse this policy.”
Then things went off the rails when LaMore referenced Bradley’s policy, with Boudreau, Gesky, and Zimbleman each making quips about being run by Bradley.
They went through with the voting process, and the remote attendance policy passed. LaMore did not make any comment following the vote, so it’s anyone’s guess whether the newest vote will get vetoed at the next meeting.
The next item for a vote was another one LaMore had previously vetoed: a vote to replace nine parkway trees. Again, the discussion was contentious, and again, the veto was overturned.
Tax Rebate Re-Do
Those who thought the possibility of a tax rebate was over were in for a surprise when Barry proposed creating a 50 percent rebate instead of a full rebate. LaMore called out Gesky, who had changed his mind and would be in favor of it being up for a vote again.
During trustee comments, Gesky said he was confident the village would find new revenue sources to help fund things like the rebate.
Boudreau pushed back, citing the village’s deficit, but Barry said there was money that could be moved.
The board passed the 50 percent rebate with LaMore casting the tie-breaking vote.
Other Old New News
After significant discussion, the board approved the controversial park benches, which also somehow became controversial, as well as a new dump truck for public works, also subject to similar debate.
The board managed to vote unanimously on a few items. They updated the village’s investment policy to comply with current state statute, approved a contract for the resurfacing program, which uses MFT funds, and declared the removed turf surplus for donation to the school.
During some heated trustee comments, Gesky tried to keep the boat afloat with some normalcy, acknowledging the retirement of the school resource officer, the Heroes, Hogs and Hot Rods event. He also inquired of Administrator Chris LaRocque about an email from the auditor requesting payment outside the scope of the contract.
LaRocque said he had no idea what it was about, which was why he sent it to the board.
No one else seemed to address the new invoice, and Gesky then asked Treasurer Sheila Martin whether the village had finished establishing new accounts because she said the forensic auditor had made the bank account information public.
Martin said it is a lengthy process, and they are still in the process of doing it. Gesky said they should deduct it from the total amount still owed to the auditor.
Earlier in the meeting, Martin’s husband spoke during public comment, again addressing the audit and the board.
“All I see is vengeance, and it’s ruining our town,” Pat Martin, the treasurer’s husband, said during public comment.
“It’s just a shame that we can’t blend and work together a little better than what we are,” Mayor Annette LaMore said.
Annette Zimbleman provided no comment.
“I have nothing to say, this is just ridiculous,” Peggy Vaughn said.
“We’re all trying to do something correctly. We might not agree with it, but the comments from board members to the mayor, I think, are unacceptable. I wouldn’t if I talked to my mother like that, I talked to my wife like that, I wouldn’t be walking around,” Barry said.
Despite the few moments of cooperation, disputes over municipal authority and tension among the board members seem to be a staple, and there’s no sign of anything changing soon.