Chicago Ridge approves bills including $425,732.31 IDOT invoice, hires clerical staff and issues short-term business license

The Village of Chicago Ridge Board on March 3 approved a package of consent-agenda items that included multiple vendor payments, hiring authorizations and a temporary business license. The roll-call vote was unanimous.

The payments listed in the minutes included: Kasperek ($4,218.75 for the 2024 audit and $8,876.25 for consulting and year-end work), Bakertilly ($4,200.00 for the 2024 audit), IDOT ($425,732.31 for the 2020 Ridgeland Project) and Odelson ($4,290.00 for general legal services and $3,100.50 for litigation and labor). The minutes also record aggregate totals referenced in the meeting: "TOTAL ALL FUNDS - $45,559.64," a separate SUR/Board Approved total dated Feb. 18, 2026 of $61,744.67 and a SUR/Board Approved total dated Feb. 25, 2026 of $116,450.79.

The board also approved hiring one part-time desk/clerical employee and one full-time replacement village hall clerical employee. A business license for Hometown Market at 444 Chicago Ridge Mall was approved for March 7–8, 2026 pending applicable inspections. The transcript records these items as part of the consent agenda; no additional debate or detail on hiring terms, wages, or vendor invoice line-item breakdowns appears in the meeting record.

In public comment, Deb Pyznarski, introduced as chair of BOMA, urged the board to consider data centers as a municipal resource and indicated she wanted to discuss possible engagement; no formal action on a data-center policy was taken. Trustees Kowalski and Siegel and audience member Mike Wickman also spoke briefly to publicize the St. Baldrick’s fundraiser on March 7 and solicited donations.

The meeting adjourned after the consent agenda without further action recorded.