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Residents press trustees on audit transparency, park contamination and plan commission process
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Summary
During public comment residents urged the board for more transparent audit and budget reporting, raised concerns about a potentially contaminated former gas plant site near 47th and Bluff and questioned staff assistance and attorney billing in plan commission applications.
Several residents used the public-comment period to press trustees on transparency and local environmental and procedural concerns.
Al Foreman urged the board to publish current cash and investment reports more regularly and to stream or record budget workshops so more residents can participate. He asked when the draft audit would be presented; staff said the draft audit will be presented at the next meeting.
John Pluto raised historical contamination concerns at a former La Grange manufacturing gas plant site near 47th and Bluff, citing a 1996 EPA letter and soil-bore contamination that he said included benzene compounds and heavy metals. He asked whether the village has accounted for a municipal water line installed in 1964 that runs through the park area and whether coordination with the Park District on remediation is occurring.
Resident and applicant Jonathan Robinson asked the village to record smaller meetings, pointed out an apparent lack of accessible links to the village's new electronic code, and described billing disputes and inconsistent staff interactions related to his plan commission application; he asked for assistance and relief on excessive attorney fee charges he said totaled roughly $2,871 for one project and $4,300 overall. Trustees and staff engaged with Robinson to clarify what relief, if any, might be available and to discuss options for better staff communication.
Trustees acknowledged the concerns: staff confirmed a draft audit will be presented at the next meeting; counsel and trustees said they would consider ways to improve transparency and requested follow-up with the residents who raised process and billing concerns.
The board did not take formal action during public comment but directed staff to present the draft audit and to consider process clarifications for applicants and possible website improvements.
