Audio recordings of Tuesday evenings Board of Trustees meeting have been posted to the Village website. To access the recordings, click here.
Archive for the ‘Legal Expenses’ Category
July 21st Board of Trustees meeting recordings released
Posted in 220, Board of Education, Deception, Entertainment, Ethics, Heritage Fest, Land Use, Legal Expenses, Politics, Property Taxes, Real Estate, School Districts, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Code, Zoning Board on July 27, 2020| 1 Comment »
Village issues (another) “InZone” update
Posted in 220, Land Use, Legal Expenses, Politics, Press Release, School Districts, Village Code, Zoning Board on July 22, 2020| Leave a Comment »
“The Village has received multiple requests, concerns and comments regarding InZone and the property occupied by Terrance Wallace. The Village is in the process of investigating the proposed use and is gathering additional information regarding any such use.
The Village has retained special counsel, Ancel Glink, to assist with the InZone inquiry as well as pending zoning applications for approval of non-residential uses. The Village’s counsel has been in contact with Mr. Wallace and is attempting to schedule a meeting to discuss InZone’s proposed uses. An initial meeting was scheduled with Mr. Wallace to review his proposed use of the property. However, Mr. Wallace requested that the meeting be cancelled.
The Village’s counsel will continue its efforts to meet with Mr. Wallace to obtain additional information to evaluate the proposed use of the property under the applicable local ordinances including but not limited to the building codes, safety codes, and zoning codes. All properties in the Village must adhere to the Village Code.”
Village issues update regarding “InZone”
Posted in Legal Expenses, Politics, Topics Of Interest, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Code, Zoning Board on July 1, 2020| 1 Comment »
Dear Barrington Hills Residents:
As you may be aware, the Village of Barrington Hills has received media coverage and social media posts regarding a proposal by the InZone Project and Mr. Terrence Wallace. Various comments and concerns about the proposal have been shared with the Village Board and Village Administration. The Village acknowledges the importance of ensuring that any project, including this proposal, complies with all applicable ordinances, laws, and regulations.
Recognizing that this proposal has generated significant community interest, the Village has retained Special Counsel to work directly with InZone and the Village to determine the most appropriate course of action for this proposal. We ask the community to be patient and understand that the Village is taking the steps necessary to ensure that this proposal satisfies all health, safety, and other standards. Compliance with these standards is in the best interests of the community regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, creed, religion, or any other individual self-identified status or immutable characteristic.
Have a nice day!
Posted in Crime, Deception, Ethics, Legal Expenses, OP/Ed, Politics on April 10, 2020| 6 Comments »
The Barrington Hills Bulletin Board claims to be, “AN ALTERNATE RESOURCE OUTLET FOR LOCAL BARRINGTON HILLS RESIDENTS TO READ, COMMENT AND REACT TO NEWS AND TOPICS WITH THE INTENT TO EDUCATE, PROVIDE AWARENESS, TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY TO RESIDENTS IN A UNCENSORED FORMAT.”
The Barrington Hills Bulletin Board posts fabrications, typo-ridden incoherent ramblings and now offers a new feature to their minimally followed blog; censorship of comments that are posted on Facebook (“…some comments may have been filtered out”).
As for the offensive comment that was, “filtered out”?
“Paragraphs and proper grammar and punctuation would be nice.”
So much for transparency.
August 28th Board of Trustees meeting agenda posted
Posted in Agendas, Algonquin Rd, Barrington Hills Farm, Board of Health, Building Department, Cell Towers, Cellular Service, ePacket Agendas, Finance Committee, Financial Reports, Heritage and Environs Committee, Heritage Fest, Insurance Committee, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Disconnection, Land Use, Legal Expenses, Longmeadow Parkway, Minutes, Pension Funding, Police Pension Board, Public Safety, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, Topics Of Interest, Uncategorized, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Code, Village Government, Village President, Zoning Board on August 26, 2017| Leave a Comment »
June 26th Board of Trustees meeting agenda posted
Posted in Agendas, Building Department, ePacket Agendas, Finance Committee, Financial Reports, FOIA, Heritage and Environs Committee, Legal Expenses, Minutes, Police Pension Board, Police Reports, Roads and Bridges, Uncategorized, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Code, Village Government on June 24, 2017| Leave a Comment »
May 23rd Village Board meeting ePacket Agenda available
Posted in 220, Accidents, Agendas, Appointments, BHPD, Board of Health, Crime, ePacket Agendas, Equestrian Commission, Financial Reports, Heritage and Environs Committee, Insurance Committee, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Legal Committee, Legal Expenses, Minutes, Pension Funding, Plan Commission, Police Pension Board, Police Reports, Public Safety, Public Safety Committee, Riding Club Commission, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, Roads and Bridges, School Districts, Uncategorized, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Code, Village Government, Village President, Zoning Board on May 21, 2017| Leave a Comment »
The ePacket agenda containing links to documents to be discussed during Tuesday evening’s Village Board meeting has been posted. To access the ePacket link, click here.
November Flashbacks
Posted in Building Department, Commercial Horse Boarding, Conflict of interest, Ethics, Horse Boarding, Legal Expenses, OP/Ed, Resident Surveys, Taxes, Village Attorney, Village Board on November 30, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Following are some of the articles published by The Observer in November in the last few years. These articles, gathered from various publications and editorials, are noteworthy for residents in that they remind us of where we’ve been as a community.
Despite changes, horse boarding controversy continues – 2011
Embattled horse farm owners say they have been complying with the Village of Barrington Hills zoning code and its president agreed, though neighbors still insist the farm is operating illegally and should be shut down.
Benjamin and Cathleen LeCompte, owners of Oakwood Farms in Barrington Hills, and Village President Robert Abboud said the farm has changed a few operation standards, and has been in compliance with the village’s Home Occupation Zoning Ordinance since February.
Read the TribLocal article published five years ago here.
An economic proposal to control horse boarding businesses – 2011
This Monday evening, November 14, 2011, the Zoning Board of Appeals will again take up the controversial subject of large-scale commercial horse boarding in our Village. Numerous proposals have been floated, rejected, and then floated again in recent memory. Who knows what will come out of Village Hall after Monday’s meeting. Here is an idea: If large horse boarding businesses are going to be allowed in our Village, at the expense of our quiet residential character, they should pay fees and taxes as businesses.
Read the original Observer editorial here.
Barrington Hills 2012 Resident Survey Results – 2012
On October 22, 2012, The Observer published the Barrington Hills 2012 Resident Survey. Readers and subscribers participated, as did many of the more than eight hundred residents who received an invitation to take the survey via email. By the time the survey period closed on Sunday October 28, two hundred twenty-six residents had completed the survey, and eighty-four of them chose to provide their own personal comments and insightful observations based on their years living in the Village.
Revisit the Village survey results from four years ago here.
Better safe than sorry – 2014
Last month during a special Village Board meeting, the Board of Trustees had the opportunity to ask questions of three law firms who were invited to present their qualifications to serve Barrington Hills. Board members asked representatives of Zukowski, Rogers, Flood & McArdle their opinion on whether the Village should undertake legislation changing our Village Code related to horse boarding [Anderson II] when there is active litigation occurring between two private parties if such legislation might affect one party over the other.
David McArdle, a partner with the firm, responded, “We wouldn’t recommend that you pass a rule, pass a law, that favors one party over another.” When asked again in a different way, he stated, “We wouldn’t recommend that.” (A link to the recording of that discussion can be accessed here).
Read more here.
Season’s first snow is Chicago’s largest November snowfall in 120 years – 2015
The season’s first snowfall dropped as much as 17 inches across Chicago’s northern suburbs, and the total of 11.2 inches at O’Hare International Airport made it the largest November snowfall in 120 years.
Read more from the Chicago Tribune here.
October Village Board meeting recordings posted
Posted in Algonquin Rd, Audio Recordings, Building Department, Financial Reports, Heritage and Environs Committee, Legal Expenses, Longmeadow Parkway, Plan Commission, Police Pension Board, Roads & Bridges Committee, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Zoning Board on November 18, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Audio recordings from the October 24th meeting of the Board of Trustees have been posted to the Village website, and the menu of edited recordings by agenda topic can be accessed by clicking here.
Two residents made public comments regarding Longmeadow Parkway and interior decorating of Village Hall. Those can be heard here.
The treasurer reported FOIA and OMA expenses have been $44,220 for the first nine months of 2016 during the finance report. Trustees requested a breakdown of those expenses by requestor, and a report will be presented at their next meeting.
It should be noted that not all FOIA and OMA requests require legal review, however those that do represent about one-third of the total expenses year-to-date from Bond Dickson, attorneys for the Village. The discussion of these expenses can be heard here.
The treasurer also reported the Police Pension Board had met that morning, and they were going to be reviewing the performance of the investment manager they have been using, which we applaud considering the underperformance of their funds compared to market averages.
The Roads & Bridges report included an update on the McHenry County Council of Government’s (MCCOG) transportation plan to continue their support of Longmeadow Parkway and the widening of Algonquin Road/Route 62 in Barrington Hills for 2017. The Board of Trustees refused to sign off on MCCOG’s 2016 plan due to their support of Longmeadow Parkway, and a review of the steps the Village has taken in the last three years to meet with residents on both Longmeadow and Algonquin Road issues was provided. The recording of that discussion can be heard here.
The balance of the meeting was fairly routine, but it was mentioned new paint and floor coverings will be coming to Village Hall soon after years of deferral.
September Village Board meeting recordings available
Posted in Audio Recordings, Barrington Hills Farm, Building Department, Financial Reports, Heritage and Environs Committee, Legal Expenses, OMA, Police Pension Board, Police Reports, Roads & Bridges Committee, Roads and Bridges, VBHPD, Village Board, Village Code, Zoning Board on October 10, 2016| 6 Comments »
Audio recordings from the September 26th Village Board of Trustees regular monthly meeting are available for review on the Village website. To access the menu of edited recordings by agenda topic, click here.
One resident made remarks during public comment regarding the condition of a property at the corner of Braeburn and Spring Creek Roads, which can be heard here.
The board then spent roughly twenty minutes reviewing the minutes from their prior meeting. Most of the discussion related to how detailed the minutes should be, since audio recordings are kept in perpetuity as backup for details of what transpired in any given meeting, but it seems some (or one board member) prefers their statements be as detailed as possible in the minutes as can be heard here.
Moving on to Finance and approval of the monthly bills, discussion revealed legal and managerial expenses related to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests were high again. Oakwood Farm, LLC and Barrington Hills Farm contributed to the increased expenditures again last month coming in well over $9,000.
Additionally, a former member of the board also added to the legal financial burden with his requests for Open Meetings Act (OMA) investigations filed with the Illinois Attorney General’s office. When the response to his first request did not meet with his satisfaction, he apparently filed an appeal, further adding to our legal expenses.
Citing this and other instances, attorney Patrick Bond was then asked by Trustee Konicek at what point the requestor might be required to pay for the expense rather than the taxpayer being saddled with the outlay. Konicek’s questions and Bond’s responses can be heard here.
Later in the meeting the board took up a recommendation for amended codes from the Heritage & Environs Committee (HEC) pertaining to how trash must be contained in their “Refuse Lid Ordinance (RLO).” Their recommendation would require all refuse to be placed in containers with hinged lids. Failure to comply will result in a fine of $50.
The intention of the HEC proposal was to alleviate trash being strewn along Village roads when plastic garbage bags either fail or animals tear into them before pickup. A copy of their proposal can be viewed here.
Trustee Gohl motioned to approve the proposed HEC ordinance. When asked how it would be enforced, Gohl stated, “Well, you have obviously the trash Nazi running up and down the road,” as can be heard here.
After some discussion, board members decided to survey residents prior to moving forward, and they tabled the proposal to a later meeting. The recording of the full discussion of the HEC proposal can be heard here.
The next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for October 24th.
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