Clarendon Hills has eliminated its special events committee, in favor of an informal group of volunteers who will continue to plan and work at the village’s annual Dancin’ in the Street summer concert series.
The reason for the change is that by making the committee an informal group it eliminates some of the onerous requirements and allows for a more flexibility that reflects the various levels of commitment volunteers are willing to provide, said Zach Creer, assistant to the village manager.
“Overall, the governance and mission of the group will largely stay unchanged,” Creer said.
He said the committee has had no spending authority, as any expenditures have gone through the village manager’s office.
While it was called a special events committee, Dancin’ in the Street, a series of Wednesday night concerts in downtown Clarendon Hills that has been going on for the past 18 years, was the sole focus of the group.
“Who knows? We might just rename it the Dancin’ in the Street Committee,” said Ken Hall, a village board member who has been chairman of the special events committee for several years. “Sometimes, it’s been a struggle getting enough volunteers at a meeting for a quorum, so doing this will allow for the ebb and flow to work in the future.”
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Creer said the change will allow subgroups to meet to discuss different issues and allow for volunteers to provide different levels of service.
Before bringing the idea for the change to the village board, which gave unanimous consensus Monday to support the new structure, Creer said he conducted a small comparable community analysis.
“While some formal committees, mostly in large, event-focused downtowns like Arlington Heights, Des Plaines and Naperville, exist, those also tend to run multiple events and have dedicated municipal staff,” he said. “The vast majority of committees are informal, if existing at all.”
Hall said he will continue to be involved with the new group and suggested anyone interested in participating contact Creer, [email protected].