Burr Ridge has changed how public comments are made at Village Board meetings in an effort supporters say will lead to efficiency, but who some claim is aimed at silencing one person.
The board has allowed audience members to make public comment and the beginning and end of meetings. The new plan will allow residents to comment before agenda items are addressed, and later in the meeting before reports of village officials. Non-residents will only be allowed to make comments at the end of a meeting, prior to adjournment or a closed session.
Mayor Mickey Straub said the change is being made to streamline meetings and make them more efficient. Opponents contend the move is to limit the comments of former trustee and La Grange resident Dolores Cizek, who is a regular attendee at Village Board meetings and speaker during audience comments.
Cizek was at Monday’s meeting and contends the ordinance stems from a confrontation she had with Grasso after a recent Village Board meeting. Grasso made no mention of any exchange with Cizek during board discussion of the issue.
Cizek said the Illinois Municipal Code says that governing bodies should allow input from “citizens,” which goes beyond residents.
The change was approved by a 4-2 vote, with the support of trustees Al Paveza, Tony Schiappa, Janet Ryan Grasso and Paula Murphy. Voting against the change were Trustees Guy Franzese and Diane Bolos.
“We started at 7 o’clock; it’s 8:10 now,” Bolos said just prior to the board heading into closed session Monday. “I’d like to see how this new ordinance is going to make us much more efficient.”
Schiappa said the move puts more emphasis on residents’ input.
“We are still granting anyone the opportunity to speak,” he said. “We are just giving residents preferential treatment by hearing from them first.”
Straub said from the research he did on other area communities’ public comment policies, Burr Ridge is one of the most lenient, allowing two audience opportunities for comment, as well as letting audience members speak when individual agenda items come up,.
“We will still be one of the most lenient, even with this change,” Straub said.
The village will also be more strict on its five-minute time limit for individual public comments, officials contend. Oftentimes, the village has allowed individuals to go beyond that set time in their comments to the board.
Franzese said he felt it would be more useful to have speakers stick to items on the agenda.
“From time to time, we have citizens speak on topics not related to village business, like charity events at Notre Dame or historic events from the 1770s … but that will be OK by this ordinance as long as they’re a resident,” Franzese said. “I can’t support that.”
Franzese said he had no problem with the village enforcing the five-minute time limit, but felt moving non-resident comments to the back of the agenda was inappropriate. He suggested a compromise would be to allow non-residents to have an opportunity to speak prior to agenda items just like residents will get.
Bolos said she does not feel meetings drag on because of public comments. She said any citizen, not just residents, should be able to address the board
“This is an unnecessary ordinance, something we are doing because we don’t want to hear opposing views,” Bolos said.
Cizek said having served on the Village Board for 14 years, as well as many years on the Plan Commission, she can provide the board with historic information on issues. She also feels she is a watchdog of village finances and spending.
When told her five-minute time limit was approaching Monday, Cizek responded, “I need more than five minutes to defend my right of free speech.”
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Paveza said the board is not stifling any voices with the agenda format change
“We are not stopping anybody from speaking,” Paveza said “Residents will just be first; and non-residents will be at the end.”
Kevin Beese is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.