Each month, our Village posts agendas for various board, committee and commission meetings via their website calendar. The Observer regularly posts agendas for the Board of Trustees and Zoning Board of Appeals as soon as they are available. When topics of notable interest to residents are to be discussed by other Village bodies, we publish those as well.
In general, the Village does an adequate job of informing residents of what generally is planned for discussion during these meetings. Where the Village falls short, however, is providing more timely detail of what was actually considered and discussed during Board of Trustees meetings after they have occurred. There is a simple way that the Village can remedy this without cost. As a matter of fact, it will save the Village time and money each month.
Each month, Trustees submit agenda topics and documents prior to a Village Board meeting to Village staff, based on their respective responsibilities (for a list of Trustee assignments, see Village Directory). Concurrently, the staff prepares ePackets based on this Trustee input and distributes those packets to Village Board members via email. These ePackets contain pertinent meeting information, including each Trustee’s reports, proposed resolutions and ordinances (included as hyperlinks to PDF document files) which they may review in order to prepare for the next meeting.
Shortly after those meetings occur, the ePackets are published on the Village’s FOIA site after some of the links to documents, including seemingly benign reports, are disabled and are not available for public viewing. The January 2012 ePacket, for example, excludes links to reports on Plan Commission and Zoning Board activities, as well as appointments to volunteer commissions, committees and boards. Proposed resolutions and ordinances also appear to be omitted from view.
It’s assumed that the staff member who originally populated and enabled the hyperlinks in the Trustees’ original ePackets had to go back and disable the links prior to posting on the FOIA site. This seems to be an unproductive exercise, since anyone who wishes to read these (and other) reports that don’t pertain to legal issues or personnel matters can simply file a FOIA request to obtain them, and that can only lead to further administrative burdens on our Village Hall staff.
The Observer believes that the more our Village officials strive to share information with its residents, the more likely residents are to take interest in matters that affect our Village and our way of life. In this spirit, we recommend that future public ePackets be posted as close to the original form as practical while recognizing that a few reports (legally related) must remain confidential.
– The Observer
An excellent commentary providing not only the substance of a problematic issue but also a way in which to resolve the issue. Thank you Observer. My fear is that all will fall on deaf ears – much like the live video streaming and recording of the BOT meetings and commissions. The reaction at the village level will be all telling. Perhaps now residents will clearly see the intentions of our president and trustees – and respond accordingly at election time.
How afraid of democracy are these boards? Don’t make it easy for the voters to see what we’re doing.
I don’t think you understand – this President and at least 5 Board Members believe matters before them are “their” business, not “our” business. Don’t expect any changes until after next election. No suggestions for improvement are ever considered, only what comes down from the child at the head of the table.
The Observer’s proposals sound reasonable and efficient, but, then, when did Abboud and Trustees support anything reasonable and efficient. Nick and Nora, Whoa, DJ, we’re all on the same page. It’s frustrating waiting for the next election. Meanwhile, as we organize and grow, we can take heart in the prophesy that power and vanity have been the undoing of the despot.
Here Here! We agree with all of the above! For such a small Village it’s amazing how Byzantine our “government” is.
Your analysis of the problem is superb and well thought-out. Abboud has fought hard for his power and often times left many individuals “under the bus.” He now has his people in charge of the village and also the Park Board. People will wake up only when their billfolds are in danger so watch for a sudden increase in the next levy for both entities. The Village’s legal bills are so incredibly huge for such a small municipality and the Riding Club of Barrington is looking for some major up grades to our park. I predict that the “spin” for these increases will be creative.
Thanks for the ‘enlightenment’ Mamamia!