Committee approves January minutes as amended; members discuss bill tracking and Meadows Foundation charges

The Franklin Park Open Space and Recreation Committee approved the January meeting minutes as amended and discussed procedures for tracking bills and Meadow Foundation–related expenses.

The committee voted to approve the minutes after a requested correction to page 2 clarifying that Arnie Schmidt asked for a better breakout of financial-report line items specifically for the Meadows Foundation. A motion to approve the minutes as amended passed with verbal "aye" votes recorded during roll call.

The committee also reviewed procedures for town bill payments and record-keeping. A member said Tara can have access to the bills so she can keep exact records of each bill and total before payment. "Tara can have access to all the bills that are getting paid so you can get exact what what each bill and what each total is," a committee member said, adding that bills for the Meadows Foundation should be distinguished from payments the township would otherwise make.

Committee members reiterated that the township's authorization was limited to paying bills the township would otherwise pay itself; expenses specific to the Meadows Foundation—such as the foundation's insurance—remain the foundation's obligation. The committee discussed forming or convening a subcommittee to recommend cost reductions for the Meadows Foundation; the subcommittee has been chosen but had not yet met as of the discussion.

On operational details, the committee noted that seasonal staffing levels and freezing conditions had affected crews’ ability to complete tasks such as tree trimming and pothole repairs. Members were advised to route work-order requests through Tara for tracking and prioritization.

Ending: Members asked Tara to keep records of paid bills for review at the next meeting and said the cost-reduction subcommittee would follow up on Meadows Foundation expenses.