Villa Park trustees approve overhaul of advisory commissions amid public pushback

Villa Park trustees voted July 28 to dissolve several existing advisory commissions and create new commissions intended to realign volunteer work with the village’s strategic priorities.

The board approved ordinances to replace the Economic Development Commission with the Villa Park Growth Commission, to dissolve and reconfigure the Parks & Recreation and Environmental Concerns commissions into a Garden Village Commission and a Community Recreation Commission, to split the Planning and Zoning Commission into a Plan Commission and a Zoning Board of Appeals, and to dissolve the Traffic & Safety Commission, the Video Production Commission and the Special Events Review Committee. The votes followed nearly three hours of public comment and extended debate among trustees.

Why it matters: Trustees and the village president said the restructuring is intended to modernize how volunteers advise the board and to better align commissions with the village’s comprehensive plan. Opponents say the process was rushed, will discard institutional knowledge, and was implemented without an open volunteer application and transition timeline.

At the start of the public-comment period dozens of residents urged the board to delay or revise the proposals. Ivan Figueroa, who described himself as a former junior commissioner, told the board that dissolving the Environmental Concerns Commission would “erase the voices of young and communities like mine.” Jason Jarrett, chair of the existing Planning and Zoning Commission, urged a delayed effective date so current cases could be concluded: “If the board is dead set on passing this ordinance as it appears to be, I would recommend the board set an effective date that allows the current planning and zoning commission to conclude its current business.”

Trustees debated multiple amendments and scheduling requests during the meeting. Trustee Vicki Alfano successfully moved an amendment delaying the effective date for the planning-and-zoning ordinance until after a public hearing scheduled for Aug. 14; the board approved that amendment by roll call. Trustee Mahum Kumar and several public speakers asked for a sunset or transition window, voiced concerns about losing long-serving volunteers, and criticized the consultant white paper used to support the changes as an imperfect comparison to Villa Park.

Village President Kevin Patrick defended the changes and the appointments that followed, saying the new commissioners were "qualified residents committed to service." Patrick said the reorganizations were part of an effort to fix operational problems and modernize governance. At the meeting he also responded to critics who had been publicly harsh, calling some comments “cruel” and urging the community to move past the controversy.

After the ordinance votes concluded trustees moved to appoint chairs and membership for the new commissions. The board confirmed initial commissioners for the Villa Park Growth Commission, the Garden Village Commission, the Plan Commission, the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Community Recreation Commission; several appointees were named chair of their new bodies.

What’s next: Several trustees and public speakers asked staff to prepare written procedures governing commission roles, terms, and transition plans. Trustee Kumar requested that rules and expectations for advisory bodies be returned to the board for discussion. Trustee Jason Jarrett and community members asked the board to allow existing commissioners to finish pending public hearings (the board amended the planning-and-zoning ordinance schedule to accommodate that request).

Votes at a glance - Ordinance to dissolve Economic Development Commission and create Villa Park Growth Commission (Ordinance 10a): Passed by roll call. Motion to approve made by Trustee Cozart, second by Trustee Sabri. Recorded roll call (as read at the meeting): Trustee Alfano — Yes; Trustee Cordova — No; Trustee Cozart — Yes; Trustee Kumar — Yes; Trustee Sabri — Yes. Outcome: approved.

- Ordinance to dissolve Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission and Environmental Concerns Commission and create the Garden Village Commission and Community Recreation Commission (Ordinance 10b): Motion to approve made by Trustee Cozart, seconded by Trustee Sabri; an amendment to remove the dissolution of the Environmental Concerns Commission failed. Final roll call (as read at the meeting): Trustee Alfano — No; Trustee Cordova — Yes; Trustee Cozart — Yes; Trustee Kumar — No; Trustee Sabri — Yes. Outcome: approved.

- Ordinance to dissolve Planning & Zoning Commission and create Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals; amendments to planning/development code (Ordinance 10c): Trustee Alfano successfully moved an amendment postponing the ordinance’s effective date until after the Aug. 14 public hearing; the amended ordinance later was approved by roll call. Motion to approve originally made by Trustee Cozart, seconded by Trustee Sabri. Roll-call votes were recorded during the meeting (see official minutes for full tallies and wording). Outcome: approved (amended effective date).

- Ordinance to dissolve Traffic & Safety Commission, Video Production Commission, and Special Events Review Committee (Ordinance 10d): Motion to approve made by Trustee Cozart; the ordinance passed by roll call. Excerpts recorded at the meeting show mixed public comment about the value of these bodies; the board approved the ordinance.

- Ordinance creating the office of Deputy Village President (Ordinance 10e): Motion to approve made by Trustee Sabri and seconded; the board approved the ordinance by roll call. The board later appointed Trustee Kareem (Kareem Carey Alfano) as deputy village president.

Appointments - The board confirmed the first slate of commissioners and chairs for the new and reorganized commissions at the meeting (full list of named appointees recorded in the minutes and below under actions). Several trustees said appointment recommendations came from the village president and staff and will now require the new commissions to develop procedures and priorities.

Public response and next steps Residents and most current commissioners who spoke at the meeting urged a slower, more participatory process, with open applications and a clear transition schedule. Trustees who supported the ordinances said they wanted to broaden participation and align volunteer work with strategic goals. Several trustees asked legal staff and management to prepare written rules on terms, attendance expectations and reporting procedures for an upcoming board meeting. The board directed staff to finalize appointments and to bring additional procedural materials back to the board for review.

Reporting note: This article summarizes motions, roll-call statements and the appointments as read aloud in the July 28 meeting. For precise ordinance text, effective dates and the official vote record, see the published meeting minutes and the village clerk’s official roll-call record.