Burr Ridge Police Return $7,500 Donation

BURR RIDGE, IL — Burr Ridge is being asked to approve permanent special uses for a truck sales business on a property that historically has been the site of restaurants.

But the business, M&T Truck Sales, was late by two months in giving the village $10,000 in lieu of sales taxes that it was required to pay. At the same time, it donated $7,500 to the police department, which later returned it.

In 2020, the Village Board unanimously voted to allow the business at the property in question, which is at the northeast corner of Frontage Road and Madison Street.

As part of the negotiations, M&T's owner, Michael Criscione, agreed to make an annual contribution of $10,000 to the village in lieu of sales taxes. M&T is licensed at a Madison Street address a couple of blocks away, which is in unincorporated Burr Ridge, and sales must be registered at that address, according to village documents. The $10,000, officials said, is far more than what the village collected from the restaurants at the site in question.

At a meeting in 2020, Criscione told the board he was looking for a more "opulent" environment where to close deals. According to the village's agreement with M&T, no more than 14 truck cabs could be parked on site at any time. And none could be stored for more than seven days in a row.

On Monday, the village's Plan Commission is set to hear M&T's case for permanent permits for special uses.

The village notified M&T in November to make the $10,000 payment by Dec. 1.

On Dec. 13, Criscione made a $7,500 donation to the Burr Ridge Police Department. In a letter a day later, Police Chief John Madden thanked M&T for the contribution, saying it would be spent on future equipment for the department.

But on Jan. 19, Madden returned the check.

"I do appreciate your support on behalf of the men and women of the Burr Ridge Police Department," he said. "However, I am returning your check; unfortunately, we cannot accept your donation at this time."

Madden did not explain why. Patch asked Village Administrator Evan Walter, who is in charge of finances, for a reason, but he did not respond to that question.

Walter said earlier this week that village staff spoke with Criscione about the $10,000 payment. He said the village was told the payment would be made before the Plan Commission meeting.

"Mr. Criscione is traditionally out of the country for an extended period of time over the winter and long planned to make the payment when he returned from out of country," Walter said.

By Friday, the money was paid.

Criscione couldn't be immediately reached for comment.

Patch found out about M&T's payment situation through public records obtained by former village Trustee Zach Mottl, who lost his bid for re-election in April. Patch filed a public records request of its own.

For months, village trustees have complained about the number of Mottl's records requests, saying they are hampering village operations.

"We have to respond as a village. It is costly. It is a waste of money," Mayor Gary Grasso said at a meeting last month. "None of these requests have any real issues with the village."