Villa Park board hires outside counsel for employment probe, tables remote-attendance and manager-extension measures

The Village Board of Trustees of Villa Park met in special session July 6 and approved retaining an outside law firm to conduct an employment investigation with costs capped at $30,000, after the board entered executive session. The board tabled consideration of a remote-attendance policy to a date-certain of July 13 and also tabled a proposed extension of Village Manager Mike Rivas’s contract to 2029. Trustees instructed the human-resources manager to draft handbook revisions on disciplinary procedures and asked for a briefing before advancing a binding referendum on whether the clerk should be appointed rather than elected.

The meeting opened at 7:02 p.m. with President Patrick explaining that he had missed prior meetings because his father died and that he convened the special session to get clarity after an earlier executive session he had not attended. Dozens of residents spoke during public comment; several business owners and longtime residents read letters or offered testimony in support of Manager Mike Rivas. “I want a guy like that that is character…that’s why I decided Villa Park is why I want to live here,” Dr. John Javetz said in support of the manager. Several public speakers also pressed for more information about a prior forensic audit and asked that future remote-attendance approvals be documented in the record.

The board first considered a motion to go into executive session early in the meeting; that motion failed on roll call. Trustees then debated the proposed remote-attendance resolution (item 4a). Trustees raised concerns about allowing remote participation in executive sessions because remote participants might not be alone off-camera, and asked whether safeguards such as a camera-on requirement or documented reasons could be added. An amendment was proposed to limit remote attendance to special meetings only. After additional discussion Trustee Cordova moved to table the remote-attendance resolution to July 13; that motion carried by roll call.

Trustees next moved to table item 4b, a resolution that would extend the village manager’s contract through April 30, 2029. Multiple public commenters had said a long extension could bind future boards; Trustee Christine Murphy warned that as a non–home-rule municipality the village could not legally tie future boards’ hands and urged caution.

Trustee Constados moved and Trustee Cozart seconded a resolution to appoint outside counsel to conduct an employment investigation (item 4c), amended in the motion to cap the expense at $30,000. The board approved that appointment by roll call. The resolution as read into the record referenced an outside law firm whose name appears variably in the transcript (the record contains several spellings). Legal counsel advised the board that the motion was made under 5 ILCS 120 (the Illinois Open Meetings Act) provisions that permit executive-session discussion of employee-employment matters and the appointment of counsel to handle investigations.

After reconvening from executive session at 10:23 p.m., trustees also voted to instruct HR Manager Jackie Pierce to draft proposed updates to the employee handbook related to disciplinary procedures and to circulate the handbook to trustees for review. On item 5b — a proposed binding referendum to make the village clerk an appointed position effective in 2029 — trustees voted to table the matter and requested a workshop or outside presentation (IML or outside counsel) explaining clerk duties and the ordinance implications before placing the question on the ballot.

The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn at 10:33 p.m.; Trustees scheduled the next meeting for July 13 at 7 p.m. and a Council of the Whole at 6 p.m.

Votes at a glance: - Executive session (motion early in the meeting): failed on roll call (no formal action taken). - Table remote-attendance policy (4a): motion to table to July 13 — approved by roll call. - Table manager-extension resolution (4b): motion to table — approved by roll call. - Appoint outside counsel for an employment investigation (4c): motion approved; expense not to exceed $30,000 (roll call recorded as all voting yes). - Instruct HR to update employee handbook (5a): approved by roll call. - Table binding referendum on clerk (5b): motion to table and request for explanatory briefing — approved by roll call.

Why it matters: The board’s decision to hire outside counsel marks a formal escalation of efforts to investigate personnel-related allegations raised in prior meetings and public comments. Tabling the remote-attendance policy and the manager-extension postpones binding decisions but leaves several high-profile governance questions on the July 13 agenda.