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Village Board of Trustees meets tonight

Posted in Agendas, Animal Welfare, Appointments, Audio Recordings, Barbarian Migrants in Busses at the Gate, Big Brother, Big Red, Clown Car, Dumb and Dumber, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, Financial Reports, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Legal Expenses, Mac's Property Management, Minutes, Newsletter, OMA, One Barrington Hills, Open Meetings Act, Plan Commission, Police Pension Board, Police Reports, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Public Safety Committee, Real Estate, Riding Center Advisory Committee, Riding Club Commission, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Unions, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Clerk, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Engineer, Village Government, Village President, Village Treasurer, Zoning Board on April 25, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Village of Barrington Hills Board of Trustees (L-R): JC Clarke, Darby Hills, President Pro Tem/Trustee David Riff, President Brian Cecola, Laura Ekstrom, Thomas Strauss, Jessica Hoffmann

Our Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting this evening beginning at 6:30 PM. Topics on their agenda include:

  • [Vote] A Resolution Authorizing the Issuance of Notice of Award for the 2024 Road Program Project by the Village of Barrington Hills, Illinois Resolution 24 –
  • [Vote] An Ordinance Amending the Village’s Municipal Code Title 8 Police Regulations, Chapter 4 Animal Regulations
  • [Vote] Plan Commission Appointments: 3-year term
    • Curt Crouse
    • Maggie Topping
  • [Vote] Equestrian Commission: 1-year term
    • Jane Clement, for both Chairwoman and Member
    • Jeryl Olson
    • Tricia Wood
    • Jill Zubak
  • [Vote] Police Pension Board Trustee: 2-year Term
    • George Panos
  • [Vote] Zoning Board of Appeals: 5-year Term
    • Arnold Cernik
  • The Land We Love Run – 5K/10K + 2-Mile Walk – Saturday, June 29

A copy of their agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.

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Barrington Area Council of Governments meets today

Posted in BACOG, DARCHED, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Ethics, FUBAR, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Meeting Minutes, New Normal?, OMA, Open Meetings Act, Politics, Property Taxes, Real Estate, School Districts, South Barrington, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Transparency, Village Director of Administration, Village Government, Well Water Quality on April 23, 2024| 2 Comments »

Illinois State Representative Nabeela Syed will be speaking at tonight’s BACOG meeting.

The Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG)  is scheduled to have multiple meets today at the Barrington Hills Village Hall.

The first is a meeting of the BACOG Connectivity Committee originally scheduled for March 20, 2024, but postponed until today we believe at 5:30 PM.  Topics include:

  • Current and Potential Projects, and
  • Coordination with Lake and Cook County 5-Year Road Programs

The BACOG Finance Committee meets at 6:40 PM to cover:

  • (Approval) Minutes of May 23, 2023*
  • Proposed Budget for FY 24-25*
    • Adjustments for FY 2023-24, and
    • Use of Business Partner Contributions

At 7:00 PM, the BACOG Executive Board meets.  Topics on their agenda include:

  • Discussion with Invited Guest Illinois State Representative Nabeela Syed
  • Public Comment
  • (Approval) Minutes of March 20, 2024*
  • (Approval) Treasurer’s Report for April 2024*
  • Committee and Liaison Reports
    • Connectivity Committee (President Rusteberg)
    • Legislative Committee (President Darch)
    • Northwest Water Planning Alliance (President McCombie)
  • Member Updates, and,
  • Director’s Report (Executive Director)

We’d be happy to post copies of these agendas. However, BACOG does not post them on their website. They simply print and tape them to the windows of member offices, despite the following:

“Public bodies that have a website must post the agenda of any regular meetings of the governing body (i.e. County Board, Board of Trustees, Board of Commissioners, School Board, etc.) at least 48 hours prior to said meeting. Any agenda of a regular meeting that is posted on a public body’s website shall remain posted until the regular meeting is concluded.”

Further, the last time BACOG posted any meeting minutes was in January, and:

“Any public body that has a website must post the minutes of a regular meeting of its governing body (i.e. County Board, Board of Trustees, Board of Commissioners, School Board, etc) on the website within 10 days after the approval of the minutes by the public body. Public bodies must approve the minutes of the previous meeting either by the next meeting or within 30 days, whichever is later. These minutes must stay on the website for at least 60 days after their initial posting.”

So much for compliance and transparency.

* Attachment follows the agenda

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Village Board of Trustees meet tonight

Posted in Agendas, Barbarian Migrants in Busses at the Gate, BCFPD, Board of Health, Building Department, Clown Car, Conflict of interest, Cuba Township Road District, Deception, Dumb and Dumber, ePacket Agendas, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, Financial Reports, Insurance Committee, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Legal Expenses, Mac's Property Management, Minutes, OMA, OP/Ed, Pension Funding, Plan Commission, Police Pension Board, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Riding Club Commission, Roads & Bridges Committee, Topics Of Interest, Transparency, Unions, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Clerk, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Engineer, Village Government, Village President, Village Treasurer, Zoning Board on January 22, 2024| Leave a Comment »

VBH Nov23Jan Zoom

Our Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting this evening beginning at 6:30 PM. Topics on their agenda include:

  • PUBLIC HEARING: Village of Barrington Hills Annual Appropriation Ordinance for the Fiscal Year Beginning January 1, 2024, and Ending December 31, 2024 Appropriation Ord FY 2024 – Draft.pdf
  • [Vote] Annual Appropriation Ordinance for the Fiscal Year Beginning January 1, 2024 and Ending December 31, 2024 Ordinance 24 –
  • [Vote] Resolution for Use of Motor Fuel Tax Funds on Snow Removal 2024 Resolution 24 –
  • [Vote] Ordinance Amending the General Penalty of the Village Code Adjusting the Maximum Fine Ordinance 24 –
  • Annexation of Contiguous Properties Discussion

The fourth item on the list amending the amount(s) of, “General Penalty of the Village Code,” reads:

“Any person convicted of or found liable for a violation of any section of this code shall be fined in a sum not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) and not to exceed seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00) two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500.00) for any one offense, excepting any specific section of this code wherein the maximum fine is limited to a lesser amount.”

Both amounts are too low, especially the $100.00 amount. By the time all the costs, from start to finish, are aggregated to collect $100.00, the Village will likely lose money (and no doubt has been for many years).

A copy of their agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.

Related: “A matter of trust,” “December Board of Trustees meeting recordings released,” “Change.org petition posted: ‘Why Barrington Hills should not annex Sutton and the Penny Road Properties.’”

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Village Board of Trustees meet tonight

Posted in Agendas, BACOG, Big Red, Building Department, Conflict of interest, Deception, Entertainment, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, Finance Committee, Financial Reports, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Mac's Property Management, Minutes, OMA, One Barrington Hills, Pension Funding, Plan Commission, Police Pension Board, Police Reports, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, Taxes, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Clerk, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Engineer, Village Government, Village President, Village Treasurer, Zoning Board on October 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

VBH Entrance

Our Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting beginning at 6:30 PM. Topics on their agenda include:

  • [Vote] A Resolution Authorizing the Acceptance of a Quote for Repair of the Cement Driveway on the Grounds of the Village Hall for the Village of Barrington Hills Resolution 23 –
  • [Vote] Resolution Adopting the 2017 McHenry County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan by the Village of Barrington Hills Resolution 23 –
  • [Vote] Remote Participation Rules (Primarily applies to Strauss and Hills)

A copy of their agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.

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Village Board of Trustees meets tonight

Posted in Agendas, Big Red, Building Department, Entertainment, ePacket Agendas, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, Financial Reports, Minutes, OMA, One Barrington Hills, Plan Commission, Politics, Property Taxes, Roads & Bridges Committee, Unions, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Clerk, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Engineer, Village Government, Village President, Village Treasurer, Zoning Board on July 24, 2023| Leave a Comment »

7.23 BOT Meet

Our Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting beginning at 6:30 PM. A copy of their agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.

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Village Board of Trustees meets tomorrow evening

Posted in Agendas, Audio Recordings, BACOG, Board of Elections, BOHICA, Building Department, Clown Car, Conflict of interest, Deception, ePacket Agendas, Ethics, Finance Committee, Financial Reports, FUBAR, Insurance Committee, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Mad Cows, OMA, Police Pension Board, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, Roads and Bridges, TMI, Transparency, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Clerk, Village Director of Administration, Village Engineer, Village President on February 26, 2023| Leave a Comment »

BOT Feb 23

Our Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting tomorrow beginning at 6:30 PM. Some of the topics on their agenda include:

  • Village of Barrington Hills Annual Appropriation Ordinance for the Fiscal Year Beginning January 1, 2023, and Ending December 31, 2023. 2.5. Ord – 2023 Approriation.pdf
  • [Vote] Village of Barrington Hills Annual Appropriation Ordinance for the Fiscal Year Beginning January 1, 2023, and Ending December 31, 2023 Ordinance 23 –
  • [Vote] Ordinance to Internally Commit Road & Bridge Fund Reserves to Bridge Restoration Ordinance 23 –
  • [Vote] A Resolution Approving A McHenry County Crimes Against Children Task force Agreement with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office Resolution 23 –
  • [Vote] A Resolution Approving a Memorandum of Understanding Between the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and the Village of Barrington Hills Resolution 23 –
  • [Vote] Resolution Authorizing Execution of the 2023-2026 Collective Bargaining Agreement Between the Village of Barrington Hills and the Metropolitan Alliance of Police Barrington Hills Police Union #576 Resolution 23 –

A copy of the agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.

Editorial note: Since the proposed 2023 Annual Appropriation Ordinance represents a 11.4% increase over the 2022 Appropriation, we’ll be sharing our thoughts on the largest contributor to that increase tomorrow.

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Village Board of Trustees meets tonight

Posted in Agendas, BACOG, Big Red, BOHICA, Building Department, Conflict of interest, ePacket Agendas, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, Financial Reports, FUBAR, Mac's Property Management, Minutes, OMA, Organizations, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, Transparency, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Clerk, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Engineer, Village Government, Village President, Well Water Quality on October 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Oct 24 Meeting

Our Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting beginning this evening at 6:30 PM. Some topics on the agenda include:

  • [Vote] A Resolution Authorizing the Purchase and Installation of Tile Flooring by the Village of Barrington Hills Resolution 22 – 12
  • Meeting Calendar 2023 – Draft
  • BACOG’s Private Well Water Testing Summary

Also, for those who’ve endured the deplorable sound quality when phoning in to attempt to participate in board meetings conversations, a new phone number appears on tonight’s agenda. What’s just swell about this new number is an eleven (11) digit meeting ID is required to participate on the call.

One can only assume this added aggravation will result in significantly improved sound quality.  We’re looking forward to being pleasantly surprised.

A copy of the agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.

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Better (decades) late than never

Posted in Appointments, Better Government Association, Big Red, Board of Health, BOHICA, Building Department, Conflict of interest, Contests, Crain's Chicago Business, Cuba Township Road District, Deception, Elections, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, Illinois State Board of Elections, LeCompte/Anderson Commercial Horse boarding amendment, Mac's Property Management, OMA, One Barrington Hills, OP/Ed, Politics, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, The New Normal?, The Other Half, Transparency, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Code, Village President, Village Treasurer on September 30, 2022| 1 Comment »

ethics

Last Winter, the Village of Lake Barrington published the following in their seasonal newsletter:

“Lake Barrington’s Ethics Commission

Did you know that the Village has an Ethics Commission? The independent commission adds to the overall transparency of our government and serves to investigate complaints alleging violations of the Ethics Chapter of the Village Code. We are proud to report that this 3-member Commission has never once had to meet regarding a violation!”

Their Municipal Code actually devotes a chapter to ethics, and the main page of their website contains a link to, “Report a Concern.”

As previously chronicled in this publication, if one searches our Village Code, keying in the word “ethics,” the result reads, “No Matches Found.”

Our Village needs an Ethics Commission.  How else could parties involved in complaints present their respective cases to determine if ethics violations did, or did not, occur? Listed below are typical practices that might arise in our Village, and in our opinion, may warrant investigation, understanding that there are no implications as to guilt or innocence of any on the list:

  • Should expensive legal battles, possibly precipitated by actions of elected and appointed Village officials, be investigated?
  • Should the hiring and retention of Village paid staff positions by elected family members be investigated?
  • Should contracts with vendors who maintain personal and professional relationships with elected Village officials and their families be investigated?
  • Should the solicitations of funds and hand selection of vendors by family members or close friends of elected Village officials, absent oversight by appointed Village committees, be investigated?

For these and other reasons, our Village needs to appoint an Ethics Commission to act as ombudsmen, when any question of potential maladministration or ethics violations is considered or occurs.

Candidates for this proposed commission could come from existing appointed Village bodies, ones whose objectivity would be unquestioned.

The perfect candidates for this roll are the incumbent members of the Board of Heath.  They are highly qualified, underutilized, and would prove to be an effective force in maintaining ethical governance of the Village of Barrington Hills.

Related: “Our predominantly pusillanimous Village Board (Part 1),” “Our predominantly pusillanimous Village Board (Part 2),” “Better Government Association Commends Passage of Chicago Ethics Ordinance–Sees More to Do,” “What happened to ethics reform in Illinois government? Why watchdogs have some hope,” “Meanwhile, One Barrington Hills makes amends, extinguishes website and turns the volume down,” “Learn from your (big) mistake, Laura, Bryan, Dave and Tom,” “Agreed”

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Village Board of Trustees meets tonight

Posted in Agendas, Building Department, Conflict of interest, Elections, Ethics, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, OMA, One Barrington Hills, Personnel Committee, Plan Commission, Politics, Property Taxes, Roads & Bridges Committee, Transparency, Unions, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Clerk, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Engineer, Village Government, Village President, Zoning Board on July 25, 2022| Leave a Comment »

BACT Officers

Barrington Area Conservation Trust officers

Our Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting beginning this evening at 6:30 PM. Some of the topics on their agenda include:

  • [Vote] Appointment: Matthew Vondra, Plan Commission Chairman Term as Chair expires 04/2023
  • [Vote] A Resolution of Proclamation Appreciating Doctor Pamela Cools for Years of Dedicated Service Resolution 22 –
  • The Land We Love Run Summary

A brief statement of Matthew Vondra’s qualifications for consideration can be viewed here. Without too much detail, we’ll expound on his experience a bit.

Matt is currently Vice President of the Barrington Area Conservation Trust (BACT).  Their President is Brian Croll, who is also a Trustee of the Village of Barrington Hills. The BACT Treasurer is Loren Ekstrom, the husband of Village of Barrington Hills Trustee Laura Ekstrom.

The BACT is responsible for, “…creating the largest permanent land preservation easement in the state of Illinois,” known as Horizon Farm, which is now owned and managed under that easement by the Forest Preserves of Cook County.

A copy of the agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.

Note: For the third month in a row, it’s unknown if the telephony issues that have plagued recent meetings have been remedied yet, so callers might encounter issues again.

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Meanwhile, One Barrington Hills makes amends, extinguishes website and turns the volume down  

Posted in 2021 Elections, Appointments, Building Department, Conflict of interest, Deception, Ethics, FOIA, FUBAR, OMA, One Barrington Hills, Politics, Village Board, Village Government, Village President on May 6, 2022| Leave a Comment »

OBH

Readers may recall we twice bumped the One Barrington Hills (OBH) committee (Brian Cecola, David Riff, Laura Ekstrom and Tom Strauss) pretty hard when they were delinquent in two consecutive filings required be the Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE):

We decided to check in on the committee’s 2022 first quarter reporting (or lack thereof in recent history), and we discovered some very hurried fillings by OBH occurred after our second delinquency post.  The last of those ISBE postings was a long overdue final report submitted and filed by OBH on January 26th, thereby closing their account.

From the time OBH filed their Statement of Organization on February 9th, 2021, to when they submitted their Final Report on January 26th, 2022, they had posted:

  • Two A-1 reports of contributions of $1,000 or more
  • Two D-2 Quarterly reports submitted on time
  • Two D-2 Quarterly reports submitted after the deadline
  • Eight (8) D-2 Quarterly reports submitted with corrections

To view and print a copy of these reports, click here.

Having closed that error fraught chapter in their 2021 campaign, the One Barrington Hills committee expunged all records on their campaign website.  When visiting the former OBH website (click here to attempt), a message appears, either “Warning: Potential Security Risk Ahead” or “This connection is untrusted”.  To view the report, the user must tap, “Accept the Risk and Continue” or “Proceed to (unsafe) site.” Is stonewalling now their new norm?

And just last month, residents reported they couldn’t hear April’s Board of Trustees meeting due to low or no volume when they phoned in, so what are they to make of this?

If the OBH party is sending a less than subtle message to residents, consider it received, Brian, David, Laura, and Tom.  But you’re in for a LONG three (3) more years in office.

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