Lake Zurich administrator uses own cash for event tickets

Lake Zurich Village Administrator Bob Vitas has spent his own money to buy tickets to a local business organization's dinner-dance set for Saturday because trustees refused to cover the expense with taxpayer funds.

Despite objections by Mayor Suzanne Branding, village board trustees recently declined to approve spending public money for the $75-a-head Evening of Excellence sponsored by the Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce.

Set for 5:30 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday at Concorde Banquets in Kildeer, the chamber's dinner-dance will include awards in categories such as business of the year, educator of the year and citizen of the year. The Roy Vombrack Orchestra will entertain.

Branding said Vitas spent $150 on two Evening of Excellence tickets for him and his wife late last week. Branding said she also used her own $150 on tickets so she can attend with her husband.

Given Vitas' job responsibilities as Lake Zurich's top staffer, Branding said it would have been appropriate for village money to cover his ticket. She added she understands the financial concerns about spending on the dinner-dance.

At last week's Lake Zurich village board meeting that Branding could not attend, Trustee Jim Johnson read into the record an e-mail from the mayor supporting the spending of taxpayer money for Vitas to be at the chamber event.

Branding said relationships must be maintained between village officials and those with other local governments and the chamber.

“Lake Zurich has hired a professional administrator,” Branding wrote, “and the board is handicapping him by not paying for him to attend the chamber's dinner-dance. Attending this function is part of his job.”

But Trustee Rich Sustich responded that spending on dinner-dance tickets would be questionable in tight budget times in Lake Zurich. He said nothing would prevent village officials from paying their own way to the Evening of Excellence.

“Participation in an event such as this, I think, falls under the category of discretionary spending,” Sustich said.

Vitas did not return messages seeking comment.

Lake Zurich isn't the only suburb where a small expenditure has been placed under a microscope and rejected.

In May, the Round Lake village board declined to contribute $150 in public money to a private foundation that assists the village's park district in sending children to summer camp. Two trustees voiced concern about the message the $150 donation would have sent to municipal employees whose pay was frozen.