At least since I’ve been attending.
At least for ones when the trustees showed up.
I got there late, walking through all the halls of the Huntley Park
District Recreation Center before I thought to read the public notice near the entrance.
Grafton Township Trustess Gerry McMahon and Better Zirk sit to the left of newly-appointed Township Clerk Harriet Ford with Turstees Barb Murphy and Rob LaPorta to her left.
And, miracle of miracles, the township trustees attended a meeting called by Supervisor Linda Moore.
She seems to have called the meeting to get approval to post the township budget for next year. That got approved before I arrived. State law says it has to be posted for a month ahead of passage and passage must be before the end of June.
Patrick Coen, the Grafton Township Road District’s attorney, explained that the proposed intergovernmental agreement prepared by Ancel Glink did not include paperwork pledging the township would lease office space from the Road District.
Since it’s May 27th, the township board was cutting it close.
The second major subject Moore put on the agenda was paying back the loan to the township road district (a separate governmental entity), which was ordered Shortest Grafton Township Meeting on Record by the electors at the Annual Town Meeting on April 13th.
Apparently the lawyers for the road commissioner and the township trustees had not had time since the May 13th regular board meeting to get together.
Patrick Coen, Jack Freund’s attorney, pointed out that the intergovernmental agreement prepared by Ancel Glink Partner Keri-Lyn Krafthefer did not contain the lease-back document attached.
Krafthefer did not attend the meeting.
Neither did a stand-in.
When I arrived Coen was pointing out the problems with the Ancel Glink paperwork.
Grafton Township Supervisor Linda Moore and Grafton Township Road Commissioner Jack Freund sat next to each other Thursday night.
Moore then read a statement telling the trustees that Freund had agreed to a short-term loan to the Town Fund from Road District money so the loan could be repaid the bank.
“We do have the money to pay the Road District $600,000 immediately,” Moore said. She pointed out there is $702,000 in the Town Fund and $366,000 in the Road Fund.
“Every single outstanding bill must be paid first,” Trustee Gerry McMahon insisted…repeatedly.
Moore has refused to pay bills that she did not sign the paperwork for. That includes the one approaching $10,000 for computer experts Forensicon to determine who took what records off the township computer and bills that Township Administrator Pam Fender authorized. Moore, of course, contends that Fender has no right to employment, let alone authority to spend township tax dollars.
Unhappy to be attending a Thursday night meeting, Trustee Gerry McMahon expressed himself forcefully, as usual.
“I did not force you to sell the building,” McMahon stated. “All this is a money grab!”
Trustee Betty Zirk, the longest serving member and strong advocate of building a new township hall, stated, “We said we would bring this up at our regular June meeting.”
“You understand that it’s costs the Road District $100 a day?” Moore asked.
Grafton Township Road Commissioner Jack Freund explained how he had just received a bill from the bank for $15,000 interest on the loan which the Township Electors ordered repaid April 13th.
Trustee Barb Murphy concurred with delaying the vote, as did Trustee Rob LaPorta. He argued for “correspondence between the two attorneys.”
“I just got the bill from the bank this month,” Road Commissioner Freund revealed. “It’s $15,000.”
Moore ruled something McMahon was saying was not “germane.”
“When I talk, it’s germane,”
he retorted forcefully.
LaPorta moved to table the discussion “because the Road District doesn’t agree with the intergovernmental agreement.”
Freund pointed out that with the agreement of the township to lease office space, “you guys could say, ‘Good-bye.’”
I think it was Road District Attorney Coen who pointed out that without the leaseback’s inclusion in the intergovernmental agreement, it “doesn’t comply with the electorate (passed) resolution.”
“It will be taken care of by the attorneys,” LaPorta said.
“It’s just another bill,” McMahon asserted.
“I want to make a motion to adjourn,” Zirk interjected.
“It’s bad enough I have to be here…” McMahon said loudly, to which Murphy told him to “Shut up and…” I didn’t catch the rest.
“Have you looked at my budget,” Freund wanted to know before adjournment. “You’ve had it for over a month.”
McMahon spoke negatively of it, the second meeting I have noticed that he is antagonistic toward Freund.
“I haven’t had a chance to go through it,” Zirk said.
The meeting adjourned as Moore was offering to show any trustee who wished to see the township books, which were on her computer being projected on a screen behind her.
As Grafton Township Clerk Harriet Ford and Trustees Rob LaPorta and Barb Murphy leave, they had to pass the screen on which Supervisor Linda Moore had project township financial data. No trustee took up her offer to look at the information.
The meeting was over in a half an hour.
Less for me, since I got lost getting there.
I have to question the motive of Linda Moore “projecting” the township books on a screen. Didn’t Linda recently admit to removing all of the financial data from the township computers right after the trustees ordered an audit of the township finances? How does anyone know if Linda’s record keeping and numbers are REAL? Wouldn’t an honest, forthright and transparent person say “bring it on” with regards to an audit? I know I would. What is Linda Moore trying to hide? I also recall a budget meeting of a few months ago where Linda could not be bothered to bring any financial records with her. Why the turn-a-round? Even better, could’t Linda have simply made copies of the financials for the trustees? As they say “Something is fishy in Denmark” and it aint the trustees.
More is less (Rob LaPorta) what are you trying to hide?
Why would anyone want to waste there time on Moore’s half assed attempt at book keeping.
Would it appear where the (trustees) if you want to call them that when not wearing oversize shoes and rubber noses are making their plans somewhere else? They come in with their demands and then finish shortly after that. The only good that comes out of this is the taxpayers see the antics of the guy from sun city. Why are they not selling cotton candy and peanuts?
Cledottis- Inuendo is so easy-can you point to specific numbers?
Cadman knows clowns all to well he see one everytime he looks in the Mirror 🙂
To all the “Supervisor” Moore supporter, please read the latest on FEN and explain the actions of “someone” who installed an Eraser program on the Township computers the day BEFORE Pam Fender started her job.
Let me guess, the Township gremlins installed that right? It couldn’t have been the angelic Linda Moore I’m sure.
Hope she enjoys orange because if justice prevails, she’ll be wearing it a lot in the future.
Re: First Post
in·dite /ɪnˈdaɪt/ Show Spelled[in-dahyt] Show IPA
–verb (used with object),-dit·ed, -dit·ing.
1.to compose or write, as a poem.
2.to treat in a literary composition.
3.Obsolete. to dictate.
4.Obsolete. to prescribe.