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Residents press board on hydrant repairs, traffic safety and a culture of bullying
Summary
Public commenters urged the board to fix nonworking hydrants, add sidewalks and crosswalks, improve transparency and address what speakers described as a culture of bullying by some officials; several residents praised DPW staff and asked the board to act.
During the public-comment portion of the meeting, multiple residents urged the village board to prioritize fire-hydrant repairs, traffic-calming and improved meeting transparency, and several speakers criticized the board's tone and behavior.
James Kiernan (S20) opened public comment by urging the village to address recurring service issues including hydrants, speed limits and sidewalks and to "stand up against bullying in all its forms." He said the village should protect its reputation and treat residents respectfully in public and online.
Jose Hernandez (S11) described taking personal responsibility for a nonworking hydrant in his neighborhood and called the hydrant issue a safety problem: "This is a safety issue. This is not an issue that we need to litigate... We need to go here, we need to go there. So I'm in in closing..." He thanked DPW staff for their work and urged quick action.
Several commenters raised financial questions: one resident asked where an alleged $900,000 referenced in prior discussion was held and whether funds were in an account, and another speaker asked about an outstanding $30,000 item and who had possession of the money. Trustees acknowledged those questions and said follow-up was needed; specific accounting answers were not recorded in the transcript.
Other comments asked the board to share early-voting locations so seniors would not be displaced, to add crosswalks and to form a citizen-inclusive budget committee. Some residents praised the DPW and volunteers for park and event work and expressed frustration at repeated postponement of agenda items.
The board set a CDBG public hearing for June 16 and agreed to bring several procedural and budget items back for future meetings; several residents asked that internal meeting-procedure discussions and budget-work-session dates be placed on the calendar.
