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Village Board of Trustees meet tonight

Posted in Agendas, Audio Recordings, BACOG, Barrington Hills Farm, Big Red, Building Department, Deception, Dumb and Dumber, EJ&E/Canadian National, ePacket Agendas, Ethics, Finance Committee, FPDCC, Horizon Farm, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Mac's Property Management, Mad Cows, Minutes, One Barrington Hills, Pension Funding, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Riding Club Commission, Roads & Bridges Committee, Taxes, 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 December 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »

VBH 11.23Zoom

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] An Ordinance for the Levy and Assessment of Taxes for the Fiscal Year Beginning January 1, 2023 and Ending December 31, 2023 Ordinance 23 –
  • Village of Barrington Hills Annual Appropriation Ordinance for the Fiscal Year Beginning January 1, 2024, and Ending December 31, 2024 – DRAFT
  • [Vote] A Resolution Approving the Execution of an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Illinois Office of the Comptroller to Participate in the Local Debt Recovery Program Resolution 23 –
  • [Vote] A Resolution Approving the Purchase of Emergency Automatic External Defibrillator Equipment from Second Chance Cardiac Solutions, Inc. Resolution 23 –
  • [Vote] A Resolution Authorizing the Purchase of Police-Related Equipment, Software and Services from Axon Enterprise, Inc. Resolution 23 –
  • [Vote] Ordinance Amending Building Code Regulations Set Forth in Section 4- 2-7 of the Village Code Regarding Chamber Septic Systems Ordinance 23 –
  • [Vote] A Resolution Authorizing Execution of an Intergovernmental Agreement Among the Village of Bartlett, the Village of Hoffman Estates, The Village of Barrington Hills, and the Village of Barrington, for the Equally Shared Costs for Work Towards the Recertification of a Quiet Corridor Along the Canadian National Railroad Resolution 23 –
  • [Vote] A Resolution Approving an Adjustment to the Professional Services Rate for John Z. Toscas As Special Counsel for Administrative Adjudication Hearing Officer Services Resolution 23 –
  • Annexation of Contiguous Properties Discussion

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

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Village Board of Trustees meet tonight

Posted in Agendas, Audio Recordings, BACOG, Big Red, Building Department, Clown Car, Dumb and Dumber, Entertainment, ePacket Agendas, Ethics, Finance Committee, Financial Reports, Insurance Committee, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Legal Expenses, Minutes, One Barrington Hills, Pension Funding, Police Pension Board, Police Reports, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Roads & Bridges Committee, Topics Of Interest, Transparency, Trotter & Associates, 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 November 16, 2023| Leave a Comment »

11.16.23 BOT Graphic

11.16.23 BOT Audio

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

  • ENGINEERING PRESENTATION – Trotter and Associates, Inc.
  • Levy and Assessment of Taxes for the Fiscal Year Beginning January 1, 2023 and Ending December 31, 2023 – Draft
  • [Vote] A Resolution Adopting a Regular Meeting Calendar for 2024 Resolution 2 23 –, and
  • [Vote] An Ordinance Regarding the Illinois Paid Leave For All Workers Act Ordinance 23 –

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

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It’s been annoying for years. It’s also a liability.

Posted in Audio Recordings, BCFPD, Board of Elections, Clown Car, Cuba Township Road District, Dumb and Dumber, FUBAR, Illinois State Board of Elections, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Mad Cows, One Barrington Hills, OP/Ed, Politics, Property Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Transparency, Village Board, Village Director of Administration, Village Government, Village President on November 16, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Sound

For many years now, residents have voiced their frustration with the poor sound quality of meetings they’ve participated in remotely. Village officials have also complained, now that they’re allowed to participate in meetings remotely, that communication is often problematic.

Back in May of 2022 we wrote, “What message is the Cecola administration sending residents?,” in an effort to make residents aware of the communication frustrations people were experiencing. Since then, what few efforts staff at Village Hall have put forth to correct the problems have fallen short, and lately we’ve found the recordings of meetings we used to rely on for clarification fail to do so.

Case in point, when we questioned why perfectly sound concrete was being torn up at taxpayer’s expense at the fire station adjacent to Village Hall, we looked to the Village Administrator’s explanation in the October 23 recordings. What we heard was a sometimes barely audible but mostly unintelligible explanation.

The last time we can recall when a Village meeting was clearly documented was New Year’s Eve of 2018 when the Village Electoral Board convened. Even though recording equipment in the Board room was available, a much more dependable court reporter was engaged to document the hearing.

As it turned out, this was fortuitous since some alleged perjury took place at that meeting, and if legal action had been taken, the transcript would have been required by the court.  Today we have nowhere near that recording quality to rely on, and with more Village officials participating with flawed remote technology, it will no doubt get exponentially worse.

Considering this, and the fact much of the equipment currently in use is beyond its’ intended shelf life, it’s time to purchase new equipment including visual communications hardware. If we have the money to unnecessarily replace perfectly good tile at Village Hall, then we surely have the money to bring our communications technology to levels addressing our current needs.

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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, Audio Recordings, Big Red, Building Department, Clown Car, Conflict of interest, Deception, Elections, ePacket Agendas, Finance Committee, Financial Reports, FOIA, FUBAR, Legal Expenses, Mac's Property Management, Minutes, Pension Funding, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, Roads and Bridges, Taxes, The New Normal?, Transparency, VBHPD, Village Board, Village Engineer, Village Government, Village President, Village Treasurer on November 17, 2022| Leave a Comment »

11.22 BOT

Our Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting beginning this evening at 6:30 PM. A copy of their agenda can be viewed and downloaded here, however residents should take special note of their draft 2023 Budget, particularly as it relates to Roads & Bridges where at least one expense is up over 100%.

By far one of the largest increases is in, “Road Maintenance Contracts.” This year’s budget is $661,000. But the proposed amount next year is $1,059,200. That’s an increase of $398,200.

“Mowing/Cleanup Contracts,” is going from $70,00 this year to more than double that in 2023 at $150,000.

In an effort to understand the underlying reasons for these and other increases, we listened to the recordings of the nearly two (2) hour November 8th Special Meeting of the Roads & Bridges Committee yesterday.   What we found revealed largely incoherent rambling (as usual) by the chair.  As of this posting, the audio now states, “Unsupported audio,” as seen in this link, unfortunately, but some who heard the recording might consider this a blessing.

Hopefully this evening we’ll learn why such exorbitant roads increases are being proposed, but beforehand we’d like to share some advice with the Roads & Bridges Chair in the form quote from a famous Thanksgiving movie that goes, “…when you’re telling these little stories, here’s a good idea. Have a point. It makes it so much more interesting for the listener!”

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August Board of Trustees meeting recordings released

Posted in Audio Recordings, Barrington Hills Country Club, Cook, Countryside Elementary School, County, ePacket Agendas, Lake, One Barrington Hills, Politics, Resident Spotlights, Roads & Bridges Committee, Uncategorized, VBHPD, Village Board, Village Government, Village President on September 2, 2022| 1 Comment »

County Line Road 1

Road signs on Haegers Bend Road let drivers know which way to turn when driving in Barrington Hills or Algonquin.

The August Board of Trustees meeting was brief.  It lasted less than half an hour, but that was more than enough time to cause continued disappointment with the Cecola administration.

For example, why has the phone-in system to Board of Trustee meetings not yet been fixed yet?  Is it intentional to discourage resident’s attendance or does it just reflect incompetence on the part of those responsible for getting the job done?

Next, Laura Ekstrom, Roads & Bridges Committee Chair, provided an update on resurfacing work and detours taking place on, “Lake Cook Road,” in our Village. President Cecola, former committee chair, and Bryan Croll provided their perspectives on, “Lake Cook Road,” work.  The problem is, there is no road named, “Lake Cook,” in Barrington Hills.

County Line Road, named decades before Barrington Hills was incorporated, runs from Haegers Bend Road all the way to Hart Road. Trustee Riff, who actually lives on County Line Road, joined in the road work discussion yet made no effort to correct the record.  Given the fact he wrote on his Facebook site, “I was swarm into office as a Barrington Hills, Illinois Trustee,” he may not be as bright as some had hoped.

Some will say we’re picking at nits here.  But ask the employees or residents of the Barrington Hills Country Club, Countryside Elementary School or the Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House what their address is, they will all say County Line Road. Other might say, “Come on, you know what they meant,” however, one must then question what else Trustees say versus what they meant.

The best point we can make in rebuttal is if you Google, “300 W. Lake Cook Road, Barrington Hills, IL,” instead of a map leading to Barrington Hills Country Club, you’ll see a map of downtown Buffalo Grove.

We elected Trustees relying on their intelligence and experience.  Live up to those expectations.

Recordings from the August 22nd Board of Trustees meeting can be found here.

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Village Board of Trustees meets tonight

Posted in Agendas, Audio Recordings, Big Red Whipped, ePacket Agendas, Financial Reports, Minutes, Plan Commission, Police Pension Board, Roads & Bridges Committee, Roads and Bridges, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board on June 27, 2022| Leave a Comment »

6.22 BOT

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] A Resolution Accepting a Grant of Scenic Easement and Conservation Right (Mitchell) Resolution 22 –
  • [Vote] A Resolution Approving an Adjustment to the Professional Services Rate for John Z. Toscas as Special Counsel for Administrative Adjudication Hearing Officer Services Resolution 22
  • 5K/10K The Land We Love Run – JULY 2
  • Barrington Hills Fall Festival 2022

A copy of the agenda can be viewed and downloaded here. 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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Village Board of Trustees meets tonight

Posted in Agendas, Audio Recordings, Cuba Township Road District, Deception, Ethics, Land Use, Mac's Property Management, One Barrington Hills, Politics, Property Taxes, Roads & Bridges Committee, Topics Of Interest, Transparency, VBHPD, Village Board, Village Clerk, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Engineer, Village President, Village Treasurer, Zoning Board on February 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »

2.22 BOT

The Village Board of Trustees will be holding their monthly meeting this evening at 6:30 PM. The meeting will include a public hearing on the 2022 Annual Appropriations Ordinance. A copy of the 2021 Appropriations Ordinance can be viewed here for comparison.

A copy of the agenda can be viewed here. Those wishing to listing in on the meeting can phone 508-924-1464.

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Village Board meets tomorrow

Posted in 220, Animal Welfare, Audio Recordings, Barrington Hills Park District, Cook, Countryside Elementary School, County, Deception, Entertainment, ePacket Agendas, Financial Reports, Fox River Valley Hunt, FRVPC, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Illinois State Board of Elections, LeCompte/Anderson Commercial Horse boarding amendment, Lighting Ordinance, Plan Commission, Politics, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Roads & Bridges Committee, School Districts, Unions, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Clerk, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Engineer, Village Government, Village President, Zoning Board on January 23, 2022| Leave a Comment »

1.24.22 Agenda

Our Village Board of Trustees meets tomorrow evening at 6:30 PM.  Some of the topics on their agenda include:

  • [Vote] An Ordinance Granting an Amendment to an Existing Special Use Permit to Allow an Addition to Countryside Elementary School, 205 W. County Line Road Ordinance 22 –
  • [Vote] A Resolution Adopting an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Cook County Assessor’s Office to Facilitate Access to GIS Data Resolution 22 –
  • [Vote] Plan Commission Appointment: Maggie Topping, term expires 2024

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

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Village Board meets tonight

Posted in 220, Agendas, Audio Recordings, Building Department, Conflict of interest, Countryside Elementary School, Deception, Ethics, Finance Committee, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, New Normal?, Plan Commission, Real Estate, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, School Districts, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Engineer, Village Government, Village President, Zoning Board on December 16, 2021| Leave a Comment »

BOT 12.14.21

Our Village Board of Trustees meets this evening at 6:30 PM.  Some of the topics on their agenda include:

  • [Vote] An Ordinance for the Levy and Assessment of Taxes for the Fiscal Year Beginning January 1, 2021 and Ending December 31, 2021 Ordinance 21 –
  • [Vote] An Ordinance Amending Driveway Permit and Design Regulations as set Forth in Title 10 of the Village’s Municipal Code Ordinance 21 –
  • [Vote] An Ordinance Amending Sections 5-2-1, 5-3-9, 5-3-13, 5-5-2 and 5-5-11 of the Village’s Zoning Regulations Ordinance 21 –
  • [Vote] An Ordinance Granting an Amendment to an Existing Special Use Permit to Allow an Addition to Countryside Elementary School, 205 W. County Line Road Ordinance 21 – (72 Hours after the ZBA approved it)
  • [Vote] An Ordinance Adding Requirements for Road Access Permits Amending Title 4, Building Regulations of the Village’s Municipal Code Ordinance 21 –
  • [Vote] An Ordinance Approving a Final Plat of Re-subdivision: Shah Consolidation: 41 & 45 Hawthorne Lane Ordinance 21- (48 Hours after the PC approved it)
  • [Vote] A Resolution Approving the Execution of an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for Maintenance with Cuba Township Road District
    Resolution 21 –

It bears mentioning that two of the items the BOT may be voting on tonight were approved just this week by the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Plan Commission.  Since audio recordings and minutes are not yet available from these two meetings, the board members will not have the support of that documentation if votes occur.

The complete 179-page agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.

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