when you get to this page, click on June 25 Agenda
A word about the agenda
Item #3, Approval of board policies
I'm a Trustee being asked to vote on this policy, yet, I only received the two page document last night via e-mail. I am not aware of any public discussion of this written policy by this newly elected board (or the previous board to my knowledge) yet, once again, an item is up for a vote the same night it is being introduced publicly. This does not afford the Trustees ample time to review the policy, ask questions, get answers and possibly have additional questions answered.
Unfortunately, the policy has not been posted for public view on the village website but has been posted below for your review. If given a choice, I would support posting this policy and all other policies and/or ordinances up for vote or consideration on the village website prior to a vote and provide full disclosure to the public. It is my opinion that even though much of this policy is board-related, it is vital that the public be aware of how their government operates. Below is an unedited version of the Village Board policies up for a vote.
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A. Meeting attendance
1) When unable to attend a
2) In the event of an emergency making it impossible for the trustee to attend the meeting, the Mayor should be notified as soon as possible.
3) When a Trustee is not in attendance at a meeting, the Clerk will place the documents from his/her meeting packet in the Trustee’s mailbox.
4) It is the responsibility of the Trustee to retrieve these documents and take the necessary steps to make certain he/she is familiar with what transpired at the meeting from which he/she was absent.
5) It is also the Trustee’s responsibility to take appropriate action on any matter that would fall under his/her assigned committee that would be the result of a decision made by the village Board in his/her absence.
6) Trustees will receive documents relative to the upcoming meeting agenda in their mailboxes. It is the trustee’s responsibility to retrieve these documents in a timely manner so as to have time to review them before a meeting.
B. E Mail
1) E mails regarding village business between two board members must be copied to the clerk.
2) See “
3) E mails between the village attorneys and village officials and village employees are to be held in confidence.
C. Contacting Village Attorneys
1) E mail or phone contacts to the village attorneys are to be made only by
the Mayor, Clerk, and Chairman of the Committee to which the question relates.
2) Should a Trustee need legal advice on a matter relating to a committee he/she is not a member of, that Trustee is to contact the Trustee Chairman of that committee, clearly relate the question and ask that the attorney be contacted.
3) If a member of a committee has a legal question about that committee, he/she is to contact the committee chairman, clearly relate the question, and ask that the attorney be contacted.
4) For answers to nonspecific or general in nature legal questions from Trustees, the clerk is to be contacted, given the specifics of the question, and asked to contact the attorneys.
5) Those contacting the village attorney via e mail will follow the policy Referred to in B.1. above.
6) Should the attorney be contacted by phone, the contact person is to notify the Mayor and Clerk of the nature of the phone call.
7) By the nature of their position, The Mayor and Clerk are not obligated to notify board members of a attorney contact that is deemed by the attorney and themselves to be confidential .
8) When the Clerk or Committee Chairman is asked by a trustee to contact the attorney, he/she is to make that contact as soon as possible, notify that trustee the attorney has been contacted, and relay the answer to that trustee as soon as he/she received it. If the attorney contact notification and answer are relayed via e mail, B.1. applies.
9) The Clerk or Trustee may inform the requester that the legal issue in question has previously been addressed and forward that information to the requester without contacting the attorney.
D. Public Comment at Board meetings
1) When a member of the audience poses a question or requests
information, the Mayor will ask that person their contact information and assign responsibility for replying to the person to the trustee who chairs the committee most relevant to the subject.
E. Meeting agendas
1) All requests to have a item placed on a Village Board meeting agenda
or Committee of the Whole meeting agenda from trustees, clerk, or trustees acting as chairman of a committee, are to be presented to the Mayor for inclusion on the agenda. The request must be received by the Mayor prior to posting of the agenda for the particular meeting.
