Library board nixes trustee’s call-in bid
By Janelle Walker For The Courier-News September 13, 2012 10:18AM
Updated: October 15, 2012 9:50AM
ELGIN — A request from Gail Borden Library District Trustee Randolph “Randy” Hopp to participate by phone from a mental health facility in Tuesday night’s library board meeting was turned down by the board.
Hopp, 62, is being held at the secure Chester Mental Health Center facility. The library trustee was sent there in August after a Kane County jury determined Hopp was unfit to aid in his own defense on felony charges of domestic battery against a person over the age of 60. Those charges stem from a March 2011 incident at Hopp’s Elgin home, where he is accused of assaulting his elderly parents.
There are three reasons, according to the library’s rules, that a library trustee may participate with a board meeting via phone: illness, employment/business trip, or for a family emergency.
Hopp’s stated reason was “out of town,” said board President Rick McCarthy.
“We should follow the guidelines, and that is not one of them,” said Sue Moylan before the unanimous vote to preclude Hopp from the meeting.
In its regular agenda, the board did approve its 2012-13 budget and levy.
The budget calls for a total expenditure of $11.5 million, a 3.65 percent increase over the previous year. With bond payments included, the total budget is about $14 million.
