When Leonard Black replaced George Chance as mayor of Caseyville last spring, he made a host of changes.

Gone were the village attorneys, the zoning administrator, all three police commissioners, the zoning board of appeals, the treasurer, the computer repairman and the hotel/motel inspector, among others. Some were replaced quickly. Some, positions like the treasurer and now, an attorney to handle Tax Increment Finance issues, took nearly a year to fill.

Caseyville Village Board meeting Oct. 16, 2013 / Photo by Roger Starkey

The appointment of a new hotel/motel inspector has made an appearance on an agenda, but has not been discussed since John Aiple was dismissed soon after Black took office.

When a motion was made to appoint Stephen Kernan as the TIF attorney, Black immediately said he had no objection to the Kernan, but suggested his appointment could be delayed until developer Adam Hill was a little further in his negotiations with Collinsville Unit 10 School District about reviving the Forest Lakes subdivision project.

Black previously told The Metro Independent that Rick Casey Sr is working with the village, making “maybe $200 or $250 per check,” on some TIF projects, including an attempt to revive the Forest Lakes subdivision.

“He’s been meeting with the developer and others on that,” Black said. “I think people are going to be real happy with that project.

Casey was removed as the TIF administrator, and subsequently resigned as Village Treasurer, in Oct. 2008, after questions were raised about projects being worked by KMC Contracting, owned by his wife Kathy Casey. He later sued the village for wrongful termination. That case was dismissed by a federal judge. Caseyville filed a countersuit, which it dropped in July 2013.

Black’s suggestion that the appointment of a TIF attorney could be further delayed while Hill conducted meetings with Unit 10 officials sparked a heated discussion as Trustees noted that they had never been told by the mayor that the meetings were taking place.

Trustee Wally Abernathy said he was told Hill was offering the school district $1 million out of the TIF II fund.

“He has no authority to negotiate on behalf of the board because he was not given authority,” Abernathy said.

Black said Hill was negotiating on his own and not for the board. Hill, he said, had three plans.

Trustee Kerry Davis then asked if Black was part of the meeting. After Black acknowledged participating in the meeting the day before, Davis said no negotiations should have been taking place because the Board had not been involved.

Trustee G.W. Scott was at the meeting, Black said. Scott is a member, but not the chairman, of the Board of Trustees’ TIF Committee. School Board President Garry Peccola, who was present in the May 20 meeting, would later say that Scott was “drug out of his garden” to attend the meeting.

Village Attorney John Gilbert said Hill is still in the process of designing a proposal.

“From what I’ve seen, he’s still designing a proposal that he may want to bring to the Board,” Gilbert said.

Davis said the Board, and the chair of the committee, Brenda Williams, needed to be included early in the process and not brought in later.

Collinsville Unit 10 Superintendent Bob Green said he was surprised when the May 20 meeting, which he thought was about the area on the east of Illinois Route 159, turned to Forest Lakes.

“He just threw that out also,” Green said. “(Hill) talked about what he might be able to do if he were able to get control of the land.”

The Board approved a $7.765 million redevelopment agreement on Oct. 16 for the area along the east side of the highway.

The meeting with Unit 10 and the Caseyville representatives ended with no offers made, Peccola said.

“I did tell them that the one thing that would get their attention is money for classrooms,” Peccola said.

Green said the only specific item mentioned was that Hill would want the existing TIF agreement extended.

For now, no future meetings are scheduled between the School Board and anyone representing Caseyville, Peccola confirmed.

In other business at the meeting Abernathy requested board members be given itemized bills from the attorneys because the bills are being paid from funds he thinks may not be appropriate. Abernathy cited money being taken from the Water Fund to help payment of an attorney. Scott said no attorney fees should have been taken from that fund.

Gilbert informed the Board that he does send itemizes bills.