Charity can't solicit donations at busy intersection
An organization that has held fundraisers in Carpentersville for years has been denied this year because of safety concerns.
The village board on Tuesday - or two of the four trustees present - voted against allowing You Can Make It to solicit donations from motorists at two of the busiest intersections in the village.
Trustees Keith Hinz and Judy Sigwalt said the intersection of Huntley Road/Main Street and Route 31 is just too dangerous for both pedestrians and drivers who sometimes struggle with the steep grade of the road.
Although trustees Bradford McFeggan and Patricia Schultz voted in favor of letting the charity collect donations, the tied vote resulted in the item failing. Both Hinz and Sigwalt said they were not opposed to the charity asking for money, but the location was the main concern.
The village board will reconsider an ordinance that determines where charities are permitted to solicit donations. Sigwalt said she would also like to add a clause limiting the number of times a year a charity can hold fundraisers.
The refusal of the request for You Can Make It came about a month after the board permitted the fire department to hold a fundraiser at the same intersection, as well as at the intersection of Lake Marian Road and Route 25. Fire Chief John Schuldt offered to pull the plug on collecting money at Huntley Road/Main Street and Route 31 to prevent any perceived favoritism.
Discussions postponed: The Carpentersville board tabled the final discussions of the new public works facility given the absence of three trustees.
The board was set to consider final plat and planned unit development submissions from Williams Architects, which would signal the final approval before work can begin. Trustees will likely consider the items at its next board meeting on Tuesday, July 20.
They're keeping the money: Over in East Dundee, the dispute over the repayment of funds from a computer reimbursement program is over.
The village board on Tuesday rescinded its request for the repayment of about $1,200 from four trustees.
The three former and one current board members were given about $300 each as part of a program the village board introduced in 2007 to help some trustees purchase a laptop computer to conduct village business. The trustees could then also use the laptop for personal use.
Earlier this year, the board sent a letter to former trustees Jim Carlini and Kathleen Mahony, as well as former Village President Dan O'Leary and current trustee Jeff Lynam for the repayment of the monies. All four refused.
Village President Jerry Bartels argues the money should have been considered compensation and not reimbursement because payments were backdated about three months before the program's inception.