Away from the cameras and microphones at village hall, the Downers Grove Village Council conducted a special meeting discussing how much public money village officials can spend on travel.
“I think we need to be very cautious in terms of how we present ourselves,” said Commissioner Geoff Neustadt, referring to the perception spending public money to travel might cast. “Right now, when we are still in what you could consider a financially burdensome time in our history, we need to be careful how we spend.”
Convening in the clubhouse at the Park District golf course officials hosted a pot-luck dinner, dining on cuts of grilled pork and roasted potatoes while debating the pros and cons of village-sanctioned travel to conferences. Village spokesman Doug Kozlowski said they will not be reimbursed for food costs.
A handful of residents filmed and recorded the gathering using their own equipment, while questioning why the special “council retreat” was held just a day in advance of a regularly scheduled Tuesday meeting.
“Don’t call it a retreat. I have always felt I wasn’t welcome at these,” said resident Marge Earl. “That just implies you don’t want the public there.”
Most council meetings stream on the village website and are broadcast on public access TV. But Monday’s meeting was not, prompting Commissioner Bill Waldack to side with the residents in attendance. He blasted the meeting as an attempt to move a potentially hot-button issue out of the public eye.
“It’s a special meeting, with an agenda, that should be a public discussion,” said Waldack, who supports travel reimbursements. “We’re doing it by meeting minimal Open Meeting Act requirements.”
Mayor Martin Tully and some commissioners bristled at the suggestion they wanted to keep quiet the informal dinner meeting, which was intended to ease tension between commissioners following a period of discord.
The subject of public expenditures for travel was recently raised after Tully and Commissioner Marilyn Schnell were reimbursed for a November trip to the National League of Cities conference in Arizona. The exact reimbursement amount was not immediately available. Tully estimated his expenses were less than $2,000, while Schnell said her reimbursement was around $1,500. The 2011 village budget set aside $3,500 per commissioner to attend conferences and training seminars, according to records.
“We pride ourselves on being (an) innovator, and that usually doesn’t happen in isolation,” Tully said, adding that conferences are beneficial for elected officials because they draw leaders and experts from around the country to share ideas about better governance. Tully said he plans to attend more conferences, even at his own expense.
Tully and Schnell said they notified the council they would attend the conference well in advance, which made Schnell question why the issue was getting brought up months after the fact.
“Everything was up front. Nothing was done behind the scenes. Nobody had a problem with it until we came home,” said Schnell. “I guess I have a problem with the fact that it’s been the focal discussion … everybody knew we were going and nobody said we shouldn’t do it.”
Commissioner Bob Barnett said it wasn’t a question of if conferences are beneficial so much as it is a question of whether the village should be paying for them.
“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,” said Commissioner Bob Barnett, who is opposed to the travel reimbursement, at least until the economy improves. “Add up all the costs of the meals and meetings and Springfield trips and pretty soon it equals real money.”
No vote was taken on Monday, but the matter will come before the council again in the coming months.
bslodysko@tribune.com
