Public comment at the start of the Nov. 17 meeting was dominated by complaints about transparency, fiscal decisions and recent pay adjustments.

Several speakers criticized recent administrator pay adjustments and the process by which staff decisions on raises have been made. One resident called recent increases 'a slap in the face to the taxpayers' and urged the board to rescind what he called improper merit raises. Another commenter, Scott W, criticized property purchases made after closed sessions and said residents feel sidelined by staff and developers; he announced he will run for Village Board District 1.

Speakers also raised concerns about proposed sidewalk policy changes that would shift snow‑removal responsibility to residents in many areas, and urged more public input and clearer notices to affected properties. John Yazzo, speaking via Webex on behalf of Lake Park West, asked for a public hearing and direct mailings to notify residents and questioned whether residents have the capacity to acquire the equipment required if responsibility shifts.

Emails read into the record echoed these themes: the Schneiders urged timely Flower Source demolition and asked for clearer limits on the administrator’s $5,000 adjustment authority; another email from a resident named Sarah Larson opposed giving the administrator the cap and cited specific prior adjustments to the finance director as concerning.

Trustees acknowledged the concerns during discussion later in the agenda and used the public comments in deliberations about the pay‑adjustment procedures and the sidewalk map.