How much public money village officials can spend on travel will be the subject of a special Downers Grove village council meeting Monday, and one commissioner believes the debate is being moved out of the public eye.
Most council meetings stream on the village website and are broadcast on public access TV, but Monday’s will be held away from the cameras at the Downers Grove Park District Golf Course. Notice was published in a Jan. 27 report by the village manager, billing the meeting as a “council retreat” and an agenda was posted to the village website Friday.
“It’s a special meeting, with an agenda, that should be a public discussion,” said Commissioner Bill Waldack. “We’re doing it by meeting minimal Open Meeting Act requirements.”
Mayor Martin Tully and Commissioner Bob Barnett both dismissed suggestions that officials were trying to keep the meeting quiet.
“As much as I’m a fan of having everything broadcast to the world, you are limited in how you can sit because you are dealing with microphones and cameras,” Tully said. The “retreat” is meant to be relaxing and informal – a contrast to the buttoned-down, suit-and-tie decorum of village hall.
“It’s more of a human interest type of thing, rather than brick and concrete and budget items,” Tully said. “I don’t know why it comes to the surprise of anyone.”
Mayor Martin Tully said commissioners will debate how much money is appropriate spend on travel to conferences and seminars. He said these events educate elected officials and “make us better representatives.”
Last year Tully and Commissioner Marilyn Schnell traveled to Arizona for a National League of Cities conference, which cost each about $1,500 out-of-pocket, according to records. Part of the trip was paid for with $3,500 budgeted travel in the 2011 budget, though it is unclear how much of the trip was financed with public money.
Barnett questions the value of such trips under current budget limitations.
“It’s not a commentary of the value of what’s going on at (conferences), it’s just a question of … the limited resources available,” Barnett said. “A couple years ago we made a conscious decision to eliminate all those things. Add up all the costs of the meals and meetings and Springfield trips and pretty soon it equals real money.”
Tully said conferences like the one he attended are beneficial for elected officials because they draw leaders and experts from around the country to share ideas about better governance.
The Downers Grove village council held a retreat last summer at Emmett’s Ale House, a practice intended to ease tension between commissioners following a period of discord.
Waldack said he is not opposed spending money on travel, but thinks the council should talk about the issue during Tuesday’s regularly scheduled council meeting at village hall.
“Doing things less publicly especially after you brag about your transparency disturbs me,” Waldack said. “It’s not only less transparent, but almost deceptive.”
bslodysko@tribune.com
