Five days after four trustees voted at a special meeting to bring back attorney Joseph Cainkar, the board met as a committee of the whole for just under an hour and talked about other things. Public Works asked the engineer to price a smaller downtown parking lot on Oak Street, agreed on a bid package for replacing Main Street trees, picked composite tables for the new pavilion, and decided to repair a 2008 truck rather than sell it.
General Government heard that a developer, Paul Torstrick, had pulled his project because of "too much negativity in town," and spent about eight minutes on an email from the forensic auditor asking the Village to accept $225 an hour for "additional work." Nobody at the table said they had asked for it, and the committee agreed no more money would go to the firm. Trustees Barry and Boudreau were absent. The attorney dispute, and the engagement letter Cainkar sent the Village administrator that same day, never came up.
This recording was not written up when it happened. We are adding it to the record now. New here? Start with the two-minute version or the Fact Check.
Graded November 2, 2026 against the recording, the posted agenda, the approved minutes, later Village records and the Illinois Compiled Statutes. A grade is a statement about the evidence, not about anyone's honesty. Nobody named on this page is accused of any wrongdoing.
Public Works opened at 7:00 a.m. (recording, 5:30); General Government at 7:35 (recording, 40:00); adjourned 7:50 (recording, 55:30).
The approved minutes of both committees mark Mayor LaMore and Trustees Crockett, Zimbelman, Gesky and Vaughn present and Trustees Barry and Boudreau absent. Also listed: Administrator Chris LaRocque, Public Works Superintendent Jim Hanley, Treasurer Sheila Martin, Police Chief Al Swinford, Community Relations Director Ashley Peterson, Village Clerk Steven Orth and engineer Bruce Hill of HR Green. Trustee Crockett chaired Public Works; Trustee Zimbelman chaired General Government.
The votes, as the minutes record them:
Public Works minutes of June 2: moved by Gesky, seconded by Zimbelman, 4–0.
Public Works adjournment: moved by Crockett, seconded by Gesky, voice vote, 7:35 a.m.
General Government minutes of June 2: moved by Crockett, seconded by Gesky, 4–0.
General Government adjournment: moved by Zimbelman, seconded by Gesky, voice vote, 7:50 a.m.
On the recording each motion is a quick ⚠ "So moved." "Second." "All in favor?" with no names spoken and no roll call, so the movers and seconders above are the minutes', not the recording's. Neither committee had any public participation.
Sources: recording, 5:30–6:00, 39:30–40:30, 55:30; Public Works minutes; General Government minutes.
Public Works, roughly 6:00 to 17:30. Trustee Crockett put the item on the agenda.
Trustee Crockett, who chairs Public Works, said patrons of the billiards hall, the physical therapist and the gym at the south end of Oak Street overflow into the Tire Tracks lot, which is private, and onto Division. ⚠ "If I'm Tire Tracks, I'm not so sure that I want to provide a parking lot for other businesses," he said, calling a public lot an investment that would help attract small businesses and serve Oktoberfest crowds.
Engineer Bruce Hill said his figure was very preliminary, adapted from what the Village paid to expand the Legacy Park lot, with a 10% contingency and ballpark engineering and testing costs. Asked how many spaces, he said ⚠ "70 to 80 off the top of my head," later settling on about 70. The minutes put the full-block estimate at about $580,000; the dollar figure is on a handout and was not read aloud.
A lot half that size, mirroring the existing lot on the other side of the tracks, would probably come in ⚠ "more towards $300,000 for half the spots, ... 3 350 or something," the engineer said, citing economies of scale. Called on by the chair, Trustee Vaughn asked: ⚠ "How are you bringing more businesses in with the parking?" Others described full lots at the gym, the physical therapy office, and Metra riders taking spaces. The committee agreed to have the engineer draft a design agreement for the half-size lot, designed so it could be expanded later, and aimed for the next board meeting.
Context. All figures are planning estimates, not bids. The $300,000 to $350,000 range for a half lot was spoken, not written. A speaker suggested the money could come from selling the old Public Works building on Oak Street; we have not confirmed that sale or its price.
Sources: recording, 6:00–17:30; Public Works minutes, p. 1.
The July 6 board agenda carried a "PSA Agreement with HR Green for Oak Street Parking Lot-Adams Street to Division Street-Design Engineering." Per the Village's approved July 6 minutes, the PSA and bidding were discussed at $56,800; Trustee Crockett moved and Trustee Gesky seconded; the vote was 3–3, Crockett, Gesky and Zimbelman yes, Barry, Boudreau and Vaughn no, and Mayor LaMore broke the tie with a no. In public comment that night a resident questioned the proposal and why the parking lot "bypassed the planning," per the minutes.
What we can't tell. The agenda title names the full Adams-to-Division block. The July 6 minutes do not say whether the $56,800 design covered the full lot or the half-size lot the committee asked for on June 30.
Sources: Village of Manteno July 6 agenda, item 10E, and July 6 minutes, pp. 2 and 4.
Public Works, roughly 17:30 to 31:30.
The engineer said he had not brought the agreement yet but guessed ⚠ "ballpark somewhere around $15,000" for a location map, a tree detail, three chosen species and a scope of work to remove the old trees and plant new ones. He asked to widen each planting area from about five feet to about ten by taking two and a half feet of stamped sidewalk north and south of each tree, to give roots a better chance against stone, curb and clay, and to pull old root balls rather than grind stumps. He also wanted someone from his firm to approve the nursery trees the winning contractor tags. Nobody objected. Mulch would replace the artificial turf now around the trees, which a speaker said may add heat, and a speaker cautioned against lindens because of bug problems. The minutes record the cost as $15,000 and the committee's agreement.
Context. On June 15 the board approved, over the mayor's veto and 5–1 with Trustee Barry voting no, an estimate from Scenic Landscaping of $9,350 to replace nine trees on Main Street. The bid package discussed June 30 would cost more than that estimate. The records we have do not say whether the bid process replaces the Scenic estimate or covers different trees. The tree project came back as "Tree Project RFP" on the July 28 committee agenda.
Sources: recording, 17:30–24:00; Public Works minutes, pp. 1–2; June 15 board minutes; July 28 committee agenda.
Superintendent Hanley brought several Polywood composite designs. The committee chose the first: a table with four armless chairs that can be pushed together for families and stacked when the pavilion is cleared for a band, and which a speaker said was the cheapest of the options. The material needs no staining or power washing. Hanley is to bring color samples. A request to switch to the more expensive stone that matches Legacy Park was dropped after Hanley said the cheaper stone, chosen at the previous meeting, was already ordered. The per-table price was on the handout and was not read aloud.
Sources: recording, 24:00–29:00; Public Works minutes, p. 2.
The truck has been sitting at the repair shop. A figure for the transmission was read as ⚠ "16,14308," that is, about $16,143; the minutes say about $16,000. Truck dealers valued it at about $3,000 as is, per the minutes (the captions render the range as "$300 to $5,000"), and perhaps $15,000 to $18,000 repaired, Hanley said, adding that its engine and transmission make it unpopular. A trustee summed it up: spending $16,000 to get $15,000 on a trade makes no sense, and selling for about $2,000 does little good, so fix it and keep it. Hanley expects the new truck in spring 2027.
Context. On June 2 Hanley told the committee this transmission would be the truck's third, at about $14,000 to $15,000; Trustee Vaughn suggested repairing it while four other trustees favored buying new, per the June 2 minutes. On June 15 the board approved a 2027 F750 dump/plow truck from Lindco Equipment Sales for $199,247, 4–2, with Barry and Vaughn voting no. On June 30 the committee chose to do both. ⚠ "I guess I'm kind of with Peggy," one trustee said.
Sources: recording, 29:00–31:30; Public Works minutes, p. 2; June 2 Public Works minutes; June 15 board minutes.
Public Works, roughly 31:30 to 39:30.
Pavilion: still waiting on ComEd for a permanent connection, running on a temporary hookup, with mini-split air conditioners going in that day. Asked about vandalism, Hanley said the thermostat is inside the mechanical room and the wall units sit about seven feet up. The turf installer was waiting on sidewalk work. Trustee Vaughn suggested another coat of sealer, per the minutes. Heritage Park shed: trusses and purlins up.
Motor Fuel Tax resurfacing: HR Green had marked patching, curb and sidewalk work around town, with pink squares on the pavement, and work was to start the next week once IDOT returned approved contracts. The contractor has 25 working days, and it should be done before school starts. A trustee said residents were asking whether their street was on the list; the committee asked for the list to be posted on the Village website (an action item for Hanley, per the minutes).
Sources: recording, 31:30–35:30; Public Works minutes, p. 2.
Trustee Gesky, per the minutes, said he had looked into the planned I-57 overpass and that ⚠ "we're probably 3 to 5 years out. It's been pushed," because another project took priority, and that the county is working on the 9000 road in preparation. We have not checked this against IDOT's current multi-year program.
Sources: recording, 37:30–38:00; Public Works minutes, p. 2.
Spruce and Eagles Landing will not both close. Engineers on the road project west of I-57 proposed closing both at once; the fire department and the Village objected, and the engineers agreed to keep one open at all times. The minutes tie this to the 9000 Road project. (Recording, 35:30–36:30.)
Weeds: a trustee (Gesky, per the minutes) suggested spraying rather than pulling; Hanley said crews do both and two workers were spraying that day. Legacy Park: benches overlooking the pond go to the next parks committee; the ball field "looks terrible" and was sprayed the week before; a metal trash can will replace a plastic one the wind keeps blowing off the pier. (Recording, 36:30–39:30.)
Roughly 40:00 to 55:30. Trustee Zimbelman chaired.
The chair said Mr. Torstrick had reached out the day before and asked to be removed from the agenda because he wants to put the project on hold, ⚠ "because there's too much negativity in town for us to invest that much money in his project right now." Asked for comments, a voice at the table said: ⚠ "It's not surprising." The minutes say the committee had no further discussion.
What we don't know. Neither the recording, the agenda nor the minutes says what the project was, where, or what was being asked of the Village. The caption's "us" leaves unclear whether the investment meant was his or the Village's. We have not found an earlier agenda item under his name. If you know, the form below reaches us.
Sources: recording, 40:30–41:00; agenda; General Government minutes, p. 1.
The chair said the administrator received an email from the auditor and forwarded it to the board on June 15. Read aloud, it said: ⚠ "we have been contacted to perform additional work which is beyond the scope of our engagement. This work will be invoiced to the village at an hourly rate of $225 an hour," and asked the Village to acknowledge it would be responsible for the charges. ⚠ "I'm just asking like who requested this and what are we requesting them to look into?" the chair said.
Nobody claimed it. One voice said, ⚠ "I have no idea what it was about. I just got an email." Another: ⚠ "I haven't asked for anything." A trustee said any redacted report should be covered by the original price and ⚠ "I wouldn't be in favor of paying him, you know, another dime." The committee closed with ⚠ "we're not paying them any additional money," and someone agreed to call the firm. The minutes record the outcome as "concluding that no further work was requested," with Mayor LaMore to contact the audit company.
Still open. The email does not name who made the request or what the work was. A month later the July 28 committee took up "Forensic Audit Invoice/Back-Charges," and its minutes say the committee discussed "the costs associated with the Village's changing of bank accounts and the review charges for Attorney Cainkar." Whether those charges are the same work the June 15 email described is not established by any record we have.
Sources: recording, 41:00–42:00, 45:00–46:00, 49:00–49:30; General Government minutes, p. 1; July 28 General Government minutes, pp. 1–2.
Per the minutes, Administrator LaRocque said the Village had not received the 12 bound copies of the final, redacted report and exhibits. On the recording, a speaker said that when the auditor presented the preliminary draft he asked how many copies they wanted, ⚠ "Sheila and I both looked at each other and said 12," and that three emails since had said the same. For copies to the board, staff, a public copy and the annual auditor, the speaker said, ⚠ "I think 12 is a reasonable number for $168,000." Everything so far had come as PDFs, and staff had gone through ⚠ "literally a box of paper" printing them. ⚠ "I think he's just done a horrible job," the same voice said.
Asked when the public would see the report online, a speaker said account numbers had been redacted but signatures were still visible and had to be removed, because they could be lifted for fake checks.
Context. The $168,000 figure matches the engagement approved August 4, 2025, on a 3–3 tie broken by the mayor; findings were presented May 20, 2026 (see The Forensic Audit). The Bourbs obtained the report under FOIA 26-106. At the July 6 board meeting a resident asked again for the audit to be posted, per those minutes.
Sources: recording, 42:00–44:30, 46:00–46:30; General Government minutes, p. 1; July 6 minutes, p. 1.
Asked ⚠ "Did you not vet this person when you picked him out?", a speaker answered ⚠ "You guys picked him. I didn't," and explained: ⚠ "I put out an RFP ... I sent it out to five companies. We got two quotes and the board made the decision, not me. I don't have the authority to spend $168,000. You guys do." Another voice: ⚠ "I think we went with the lowest bid, didn't we?" The minutes record that the selection "was through a bidding process and was the lowest cost to the Village."
Context. The board did make the decision, and Greene was the low bidder. The vote, as reported by The Daily Journal, was a 3–3 tie among trustees that the mayor broke with a yes (see The Forensic Audit). The captions do not identify who put out the RFP; we have not confirmed the five invitations or two quotes.
Sources: recording, 46:30–47:30; General Government minutes, p. 1; The Forensic Audit.
Asked whether the auditors had been slow-walked on records, a speaker said no: on the first day staff walked them to the safe and said every document was there, and the delay came because the firm expected to finish in January and was likely busy with tax season, which the speaker called ⚠ "my assumption." Another voice added: ⚠ "when they came they expected four or five bank accounts. They never expected to find 40."
What we checked. We have not counted the accounts the report reviewed against the "40" figure. The July 28 committee minutes refer to costs "associated with the Village's changing of bank accounts." Nobody is accused of anything by this exchange.
Sources: recording, 47:30–49:00; July 28 General Government minutes.
A speaker said it may have been their idea: ⚠ "if we're videotaping all of our other meetings, why not the planning commission?" The administrator, per the minutes, put the cost at about $200 a meeting; the commission meets monthly, roughly $2,400 a year. Trustee Gesky, per the minutes, questioned spending it on an advisory body whose recommendations come to the board anyway. Later in the exchange a voice at the table said it was ⚠ "not one of those things that I'm willing to fight about." Another voice: ⚠ "We're here to serve the public and the public has a right to know what we discuss." The minutes record that Mayor LaMore "stressed the need for openness to the public." A speaker estimated board meetings draw 500 to 1,000 YouTube views; we have not checked that. One closing line drew the town's divisions into it: ⚠ "if we get back on track and start doing the right things, that's very, very boring and nobody's going to want to watch."
What happened next. No vote was taken. The Village's 2026 meetings index links no video for the April 14, May 12 or June 9 Plan Commission meetings, and does link one for July 14. See our July 14 write-up.
Sources: recording, 49:30–52:30; General Government minutes, p. 2; Village meetings index, checked November 2, 2026.
The mayor, per the minutes, relayed a resident's complaint about an unmaintained backyard pool breeding mosquitoes. The administrator, per the minutes, said he cannot look over a six-foot fence without permission, but would knock and ask, and could set a deadline and fine if there is a problem; he said the house has had weed, grass and fence issues before. On spraying, a staff member said: ⚠ "We haven't sprayed for mosquitoes in 16 or 17 years, maybe," because fogging hits pollinators and blows away in wind over five miles an hour. The Village uses a larvicide in standing water, ponds and storm basins, and has dropped tablets into pools at foreclosed homes.
Context. This is the staff member's account of Village practice; we did not check purchasing records. We are not naming the resident or the address.
Sources: recording, 52:30–55:30; General Government minutes, p. 2.
Five days after the June 25 special meeting.
Nobody on the recording mentioned the June 25 special meeting, Mr. Cainkar, Mr. Vasselli, either law firm, the removal, or the threat of litigation. The agenda listed nothing on it, and the minutes record nothing.
According to the Village's July 10 emergency motion against four trustees (Case No. 26CH21), on June 30, five days after the special meeting, Cainkar transmitted an unsigned engagement letter to Administrator LaRocque at $250 an hour; it is Exhibit B to that filing. Mr. LaRocque attended this meeting, per the minutes. The recording does not show whether the letter had arrived by 7 a.m.
Sources: recording, full; agenda; both sets of minutes; Village of Manteno emergency TRO motion, filed July 10, 2026, and Exhibit B (see The Lawsuit).
Both sets of June 30 minutes mark "Steven Orth, Village Clerk" present and close "Minutes respectfully submitted by Steven Orth Village Clerk." The captions cannot confirm who was in the room.
Context. Per the Village's posted June 25 minutes, Orth gave notice on June 23; his formal resignation letter is dated July 14 and he served through August 28. Trustee Barry's sworn affidavit in the lawsuit says that on June 25 "the Village had no sitting Clerk." The June 30 minutes show Orth still acting as clerk five days later. We note the records side by side; how a court would treat the clerk's status on June 25 is not decided by either.
Sources: Public Works minutes; General Government minutes; Affidavit of Trustee Barry (TRO motion, July 10, 2026); main record.
The Open Meetings Act says: "A public body shall approve the minutes of its open meeting within 30 days after that meeting or at the public body's second subsequent regular meeting, whichever is later. The minutes of meetings open to the public shall be available for public inspection within 10 days after the approval of such minutes by the public body." Both committees approved the June 30 minutes on July 28, 4–0, which is 28 days later.
Context. The Village's web server reports both minutes files as last modified October 5, 2026, which may reflect a re-upload; we cannot tell when they first appeared. The statute's separate website-posting rule (10 days after approval) applies to "the minutes of a regular meeting of its governing body," so it does not clearly reach committee minutes. The 10-day public-inspection rule does apply.
Sources: 5 ILCS 120/2.06(b), read November 2, 2026; July 28 Public Works minutes; July 28 General Government minutes; HTTP headers for both June 30 minutes files, November 2, 2026.
Not yet requested.
On the auditor: the June 15 email from the forensic auditor to the administrator, any reply, who requested the "additional work," and any invoice for work beyond the engagement.
On parking: HR Green's preliminary Oak Street estimate handed out June 30, and the $56,800 design agreement voted down July 6.
On trees: the draft bid-package agreement and its relationship to the June 15 Scenic Landscaping estimate.
On the withdrawn project: whatever Mr. Torstrick submitted to the Village.
If you were in the room, or hold any of these documents, the form below reaches us directly.
If a verdict here is wrong, if we have put a quote in the wrong mouth, or if you hold any document referenced at this meeting, we want to see it. Name and email are optional.