C'Ville village president blasts 'secret' meetings

A pair of Carpentersville trustees have improperly used a village meeting space for the past year to meet with members of a group supporting a crackdown on illegal immigration in the village.

Carpentersville Trustees Paul Humpfer and Judy Sigwalt convene with members of the Fox Valley Citizens for Legal Immigration on Fridays before board meetings to go over the upcoming village board agendas.

The trustees now are under fire for what the village president calls "secret and deceptive" meetings.

About a year ago, the trustees applied to use the conference room at Fire Station Three to meet with constituents, not an organized group.

Village President Bill Sarto now alleges the group assembles to plot ways to disrupt board proceedings by coaching people what to say during public comments.

"They have been working to undermine the laws that they themselves voted for, to adopt an order of procedure," Sarto said. "We all voted that public comments would only be allowed if it concerned village business. They are encouraging residents to violate their own rules."

Village Manager Craig Anderson said trustees can use village meeting spaces for free. However, Anderson said since Humpfer and Sigwalt are meeting as part of an organization, the group must meet certain criteria, pay a fee and provide proof of insurance.

Also, at least 50 percent of attendees must be village residents. For use of the fire department meeting room, residency within the fire district served by Carpentersville is deemed the same as residency within the village.

The village allows only charitable and nonprofit organizations like homeowners associations and the Lions Club to use meeting facilities.

A $25 security and maintenance deposit is needed, as is general liability insurance in the amount of $100,000 per meeting.

"We would have to put a stop until that time that they put forward an application as that group," Anderson said.

"We have received a complaint this other group might be meeting there. Certainly, Fox Valley Citizens can apply for meeting space, but no one has submitted that application or met that criteria."

An application was included in Sigwalt's packet for next Wednesday's meeting, Anderson said.

Though the meetings are of the Fox Valley Citizens for Legal Immigration, anyone is welcome to attend, Humpfer said.

The organization formed in support of Humpfer and Sigwalt's push to penalize landlords and business owners who rent to or hire illegal immigrants.

"This no different than a homeowners association meeting," Humpfer said. "Even though it's different people, the questions are the same -- what is the village doing with this? Why did the trustees decide that? People just want to know what is going on in their village."

The trustees deny Sarto's allegations that residents -- and visitors -- are told what to say during public comments.

"We do not prepare speeches. That is his suspicious mind working overtime," Sigwalt said of Sarto. "We don't tell anyone what to say. This is a free country, and people have their own thoughts, and they are all adults."

Sarto said he would meet with Anderson and the attorney next week to discuss the legality of the meetings.

Anderson said legal issues would arise if three trustees attended a meeting -- constituting a majority of a quorum -- which would require the meeting to comply with the state's open meetings act.

Additionally, Sarto and Anderson said confidential material could land in the wrong hands since material regarding items discussed in executive session often are included in board packets.

"The only problem might be that people outside of the board might see information on confidential items like litigation or personnel issues," Anderson said. "That is included in board packets and given to staff, but that's as far as it goes."