Burr Ridge Restaurant Meetings Questioned

BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge's trustees have not violated the state's open meetings law with get-togethers at local restaurants, an official said this week.

At a Village Board meeting, Village Administrator Evan Walter said resident Patricia Davis questioned whether the trustee meetings complied with state law.

The village's bills indicate that four meetings involving trustees occurred in May and June, costing the village $240.

Three of the sessions were labeled "Trustee Breakfast," while another was referred to as "Trustee Meeting."

Three of the four were held at Patti's Sunrise Cafe. The fourth was at Yolk restaurant.

Walter said he meets with trustees on a recurring basis.

"I have about two or three of these meetings with each trustee individually every year," he said. "I can guarantee – and I think the board will also attest – that no more than two elected officials appeared at any of these meetings at any specific time."

Under state law, a board majority cannot meet about public business outside an advertised meeting.

Patch asked Davis, a critic of the village government, for her reaction to Walter's statement.

"I’m not satisfied with Mr. Walter’s answer and neither should Burr Ridge residents," she said. "The trustees and their advisory committees should hold their meetings in public, not behind closed doors with catered breakfasts."

In 2018, a board majority met with a developer, in apparent violation of the state Open Meetings Act. The session came to light three years later.

The meeting was before Walter and Mayor Gary Grasso came to power.