Nine residents spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting. The comments were evenly split between the topics of 911 consolidation and the politicization of the LeCompte Kalaway Cup event special use permit extension.
During the one-hour finance discussion, payment of a portion of the temporary Village Counsel’s fees was again denied, though no Trustee could or would profess to any issues with the services provided by either Patrick Bond or Mary Dickson. It should be noted the fees outstanding due to Bond Dickson are now approaching $60,000.
Trustee Harrington read a prepared “ten reasons” list for not paying our legal bills, and cast blame once again on President McLaughlin. We believe anyone who needs ten reasons obviously doesn’t have one legitimate one to stand on, thus the unnecessary list.
What Harrington repeatedly neglects to mention is that McLaughlin allowed him and other Board members to vet more than ten other law firms for seating as permanent Village Counsel in a failed selection process that led to no clear-cut choice for recommendation. Furthermore, since that time, neither Harrington, nor any other Trustee, has recommended any other qualified firm to be considered by the full Board, yet he and others balk at paying a temporary firm providing quality, timely services.
The ongoing discussions of 911 consolidation consumed nearly the entire one hour and twenty minute Public Safety portion of the March meeting, concluding with a vote to migrate the village’s 911 services to QuadCom. Though it is a long recording, we recommend any readers who are concerned about migration listen to it, since many fictional tales circulating through the Village during the recent political campaign were dispelled.
Trustees Gohl, Meroni and Selman voted against consolidation despite reassurances from not only the consulting group engaged by the Village, but also our own police chief, Rich Semelsberger. The vote can be heard here.
With regard to the LeCompte Kalaway Cup special use permit extension that was “killed” at the March Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, the Board passed the extension by a unanimous vote. The recording of that discussion can be heard here.
The topic of extending the lease agreement with BACOG (Barrington Area Council of Governments) was also discussed, but not voted on, during the Health, Environment, Buildings and Grounds section, despite the fact the current BACOG lease doesn’t expire until the summer of 2016.
According Janet Agnoletti, Executive Director of BACOG, the Village of Barrington is wishing to provide them space in the “White House” currently under renovation on Main Street in downtown Barrington. While this location might be better suited and more centrally located, Agnoletti expressed her desire to continue renting office space at our Village Hall under a multi-year lease extension for the 220 square feet they currently occupy. The recording of that discussion can be accessed here.
It is our sincere hope that, with the elections behind us, these Board meetings will become more tolerable for residents to either attend or listen to in these recordings. There has been entirely too much unnecessary, time-consuming political rhetoric heating the McArthur Room at Village Hall for the last year, and it’s high time this practice comes to an end.
The link to the edited audio recording segment menu from the March meeting can be accessed here.