Special Village Board Meeting

SPECIAL VILLAGE BOARD MEETING MINUTES February 21, 2024 at 6:00 PM Kronenwetter Municipal Center - 1582 Kronenwetter Drive Board Room (Lower Level) 1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER President Voll called the special meeting to order at 6:00 PM. A. Pledge of Allegiance Those in attendance recited the pledge of allegiance. B. Roll Call PRESENT Village President Chris Voll Trustee Ken Charneski Trustee Tim Shaw Trustee Sean Dumais Trustee Alex Vedvik Trustee Chris Eiden Trustee Kelly Coyle STAFF PRESENT Administrator Leonard Ludi Clerk Bobbi Birk-LaBarge Fire Chief Theresa O'Brien Finance Director Lisa Kerstner SPECIAL GUEST Village Attorney Lee Turonie 2. PUBLIC COMMENT Please be advised per State Statute Section 19.84(2), information will be received from the public. It is the policy of this Village that Public Comment will take no longer than 15 minutes with a three-minute time period, per person, with time extension per the Chief Presiding Officer’s discretion. Be further advised that there may be limited discussion on the information received, however, no action will be taken under public comments. Guy Fredel - 2240 Ruby Drive - Fredel addressed the Board, presenting evidence and documents pertaining to Item "D" on the agenda. Fredel highlighted discrepancies between a previous meeting's official notice and the agreed resolutions concerning the fire department's equipment purchase discussions. Emphasizing that the presented documents were approved minutes, Fredel graciously insisted on their consideration as the Board moved forward. Joel Straub - 860 W Nelson Road - Was part of the governing body that approved the purchase of the fire truck and was there to provide support from the perspective of a governing body member active during the time in question, if necessary. 3. NEW BUSINESS C. Discussion and Possible Action: Report from Village Treasurer on How the Loan for the Ladder Truck did not make it on the 2024 budget. A discussion took place regarding the report from the finance director concerning the ladder truck loan that was overlooked during the 2024 budget planning. The Board contemplated how the payment for the ladder truck did not appear in the budget despite previous approval for purchase. Questions revolved around the timeline in which the board was informed of the financial obligation and why it had been neglected during financial planning. It was established that the issue arose between November and December but was not caught until later due to lack of communication and reporting. D. Discussion and Possible Action: Related to Documents used to obtain Financing from CoVantage Credit Union for the Ladder Truck. There was a thorough exploration of the complexities associated with the financing documents provided to CoVantage Credit Union for the ladder truck. It was highlighted that staff inadvertently provided false documentations leading to financial procurement, implying a potential charge of fraud. Concerns were raised regarding the cause of the issuance of erroneous documents and the potential risks associated with them, including incorrect resolutions signed with false information and the possible need to repay the loan if the mistakes are not rectified. The Village's attorney weighed in to clarify the legal implications, noted that the issue could likely be resolved through amendments to the motions and assured that it is a fixable paperwork error. The Village Administrator will be responsible for overseeing corrections with the bank. Motion #1: Motion to direct staff to contact CoVantage to correct the resolution as well as the Administrator performs a third-party neutral investigation as to what happened, how it happened and what the cause of it was so it can be corrected and implement so it does not happen again. President Voll requested clarification from Trustee Dumais. Clarification by Trustee Dumais to have a third party conduct an investigation (31.24) so nobody is involved and it can be up to the Administrator of who he uses as a third party. Trustee Dumais states that would be the Administrators purvey, not the boards. Trustee Vedvik suggested there be two separate motions. Trustee Dumais made motion #1 to direct staff to immediately work with CoVantage to get the document situation corrected. Motion made by Trustee Dumais, Seconded by Village President Voll. Motion carried 7:0 by roll call vote. Motion #2: Trustee Dumais made a second motion to direct the Administrator to initiate a third-party investigation as to the root cause of how this happened and to implement something to make sure this does not occur in the future and report back to the board with his findings. Trustee Charneski questions the investigation. Trustee Charneski questions if the investigation will show how this happened, how it was left off of the radar, how the resolution got signed when it was never approved and the documents were signed with false information. Trustee Charneski asks Trustee Dumais if his questions are all part of the investigation. Trustee Dumais states the root cause is to determine how the whole situation occurred. Trustee Charneski stated he understood. Trustee Vedvik stated there should not be chaos between staff and the board and he believes staff turnover had to play a big part. President Voll agrees. Motion made by Trustee Dumais, Seconded by Trustee Coyle. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Charneski, Trustee Shaw, Trustee Dumais, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle Motion carried 7:0 by roll call vote. E. Discussion and Possible Action: Disbursement of Village Funds for the Ladder Truck The board deliberated on the illegitimate authorization and inappropriate disbursement of village funds for the ladder truck payment. The matter of prior payments made without board consent was also addressed. F. Discussion and Possible Action: The Authority of Village Board Members Specifically Related to Directing Staff Actions  Debate ensued regarding the appropriate level of authority Village Board members hold over staff actions, emphasizing the establishment and adherence to proper governance processes to ensure legal and ethical operations within the Village's administration. 4. ADJOURNMENT Motion made by Village President Voll, Seconded by Trustee Coyle to adjourn. Voting Yea: Village President Voll, Trustee Charneski, Trustee Shaw, Trustee Dumais, Trustee Vedvik, Trustee Eiden, Trustee Coyle Motion carried 7:0 by voice vote. Minutes Prepared by: Clerk Bobbi Birk-LaBarge Minutes Approved on: March 11, 2024