Roscoe trustees fail to override president’s veto on downtown mural; board hears public comment and exchanges over use of public funds

Trustees of the Roscoe Village Board on Sept. 2 debated whether to overturn Village President Gustafson’s veto of Resolution 2025‑R‑35, a measure tied to replacing or repainting a downtown mural. After public comment and statements from several trustees, the motion to adopt the resolution “notwithstanding the veto” failed.

A written statement provided by Trustee Saima and read into the record argued the board had prioritized community input and private funding for a new mural and criticized the president for the veto and for acting unilaterally. The statement said, in part, that the board was “deeply disappointed by President Gustafson’s decision to veto the board’s 5 to 1 vote to repaint the downtown mural” and asserted the board would pursue a privately funded redesign with meaningful resident input.

President Gustafson responded that the “central issue is, are you going to spend taxpayer money?” and urged trustees to focus on whether village funds should pay to repaint a privately owned building. That position drew both support and opposition among trustees during the roll call discussion. Trustee Bridal defended the board’s prior 5–1 vote and described the veto as a surprise to the trustees; Trustee Ebrahim said he opposed using village funds to repaint privately owned property.

Public comment reflected similar divisions. Lucy Karchak, who identified herself as a Roscoe resident attending her first meeting, said the mural was unattractive but that she opposed using tax dollars to repaint it: “there’s no way that I feel that public my tax dollars or public money should go to repainting it,” she said. Other residents urged greater outreach and noted plans for a privately funded mural design process.

Trustees also considered and approved a slate of routine business during the meeting, including:

- Approval of minutes from the Aug. 19 meeting (motion carried). - Approval of bills and payroll totaling $671,734.90 (motion carried); the board was presented expenditures of $563,903.87 in bills and payroll of $107,831.03. - Approval of Resolution 2025‑R‑40 declaring certain equipment and personal property surplus (approved). - Approval of Ordinance 2025‑20‑15 granting a variance to waive perimeter‑landscaping and setback requirements for a parking expansion at 13548 Metric Road (approved). - Approval of Resolution 2025‑R‑41, the tentative and final plat No. 3 for Glenwood Estates (approved). - Approval of Ordinance 2025‑20‑16, a text amendment relating to land divisions and residential district regulations (approved). - Approval of Ordinance 2025‑20‑17, a text amendment on accessory structures and accessory buildings (approved). - Approval of Resolution 2025‑R‑42, a revised hourly wage scale for part‑time public‑works summer employees (approved). - Approval of Resolution 2025‑R‑43, a lease agreement for fleet replacement and a transfer of a leased vehicle to the police department (approved).

The board attempted a two‑step process at the start of the discussion: first a motion to reconsider the adoption of 2025‑R‑35, which was recognized; then a motion to adopt 2025‑R‑35 despite the president’s veto. After discussion, the motion to override did not get the support required to pass and was declared failed by the chair.

No new appropriations were made specifically for the mural at the meeting. Trustees who opposed spending village funds emphasized fundraising or private fundraising as the appropriate approach for any repainting or redesign on a privately owned building. The board asked for more transparency around outreach and funding plans if proponents return with a privately financed proposal.