Western Springs Secrecy In Question

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – Western Springs on Monday declined to release key records related to its recent payment dispute with BNSF Railway.

However, a watchdog group said the law requires the village to disclose the documents.

On Monday, the village released emails on the dispute between the village and the railroad. But it did not divulge two email attachments the entities sent just before the village made its final payment of $409,569.

One attachment was a June 7 letter from the village's attorney, Michael Jurusik, to the railroad. The other was dated June 15, from a railroad project manager to the village.

After Patch followed up to request the attachments, the village declined to release them. It said the village's assistant attorney, Mallory Milluzzi, was responsible for the denial.

She cited the exceptions under the state's open records law for preliminary notes and communications between a public body and its attorney.

John Kraft, co-founder of the Paris, Illinois-based Edgar County Watchdogs, said neither exception applies to the documents in question.

"They should release them. It's not an opinion between the attorney representing the village and the village. It was sent to an outside party," Kraft said in an interview Tuesday. "Therefore, it's public record."

He said a communication from the railroad about payments was also subject to disclosure.

Patch left messages for comment with Jurusic, Village President Alice Gallagher and Village Manager Ellen Baer.