Mayor grumbles after Island Lake budget meeting canceled

The cancellation of a budget discussion has given Island Lake officials something new to disagree about.

The village board’s finance committee was scheduled to meet Tuesday night to talk about the long-overdue budget for the 2012 fiscal year, which began June 1. But the meeting was called off earlier in the day by Trustee Laurie Rabattini, the three-member committee’s leader.

Rabattini canceled the meeting because “many trustees” were unable to attend, she explained in an email to village leaders and the media.

The change didn’t sit well with Mayor Debbie Herrmann, who has feuded with Rabattini over numerous issues since 2009, when she was named mayor and Rabattini joined the board.

That squabbling escalated this year when Herrmann sued Rabattini and three other current or former trustees over what she claims are efforts to reduce her executive powers.

With the budget already weeks overdue, Herrmann wasn’t pleased about the cancellation.

“We need to have this meeting,” she said. “We need to move forward.”

In her brief email, Rabattini did not specify who was going to miss the session. She could not be reached for comment.

Separately, trustees Donna O’Malley and Connie Mascillino confirmed they could not attend the session. Additionally Trustee Thea Morris was expected to be absent, too, officials said.

Trustees Shannon Fox and Chuck Cermak had said they intended to attend the meeting until it was canceled.

The finance committee consists of Rabattini, Mascillino and Fox. In Island Lake and other villages, all trustees are invited to attend budget review sessions, not just those on the finance committee.

Budget discussions are important round-table sessions, Herrmann said. She would’ve preferred the meeting be held even if all the trustees couldn’t attend.

“You’re not going to accommodate everybody,” she said.

Rabattini will try to reschedule the meeting, she said in her email.

Last week, Rabattini expressed hope the full board would adopt a budget in July or early August.