Portage Council eyes replacing city's utility board
Post-Tribune
February 21, 2017
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-portage-ordinance-st-0222-20170221-story.html
The Portage Common Council may be getting into the sewer business, at least temporarily.
Council President Mark Oprisko, D-at large, said the council will hear an ordinance at a special meeting Thursday calling for the council to replace the Portage Utility Services Board.
Oprisko also said the council will consider dropping its charge to keep Mayor James Snyder from collecting $30,000 as the utility board's chair.
"We're not going to be the kind of people who are going to take a big stick and keep beating (Snyder) with it," Oprisko said. "But, I also think it's illegal (for Snyder) to even make the $30,000 on that board."
The council essentially will become the board for six months, leaving the door open for the utility board to become a citizens council again.
Snyder could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
In a special meeting nearly two weeks ago, the council voted to strip Snyder of the $30,000 salary after unanimously voting to remove him as a member of the utility services board two days earlier.
Snyder's position on the two ordinances affecting his role and salary on the board remained unclear Tuesday.
Oprisko said council members are open to taking over the utility board following concerns with Snyder's use of board funds. Oprisko, who is the utility board's vice chair, also said the mayor's efforts last September to get the utility board to pay $93,000 of legal expenses he incurred while under federal investigation riled council members.
Snyder was federally indicted on public corruption charges in November, a fact that hasn't been far from council members' minds in trying to take over the utility board.
Councilman Collin Czilli, D-5th, said he approves of the council, in effect, becoming the utility services board for six months or longer if necessary -- and now giving Snyder the $30,000.
"I hate that we have to (replace the utility board), but we've been put in a position where we need to have strong oversight of that board in order to feel like we know exactly what's going on with some of the actions the mayor's taken over at utilities," he said.
"And, as for the $30,000 salary, from the beginning, I think the actions we took to remove the mayor from the utility services board were never meant to be punitive, but they were meant to be corrective.
"To me, the mayor makes $83,000, with his utility services board money, and, I believe the mayor should continue to see the same pay he was receiving."
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