After an explosive April 14th meeting and then a more tepid April 28th meeting but followed by an arrest of one of their own trustees in an unrelated matter, nerves were calm, yet an uneasiness remained at Crossville’s first May meeting. The gathering only took 20 minutes and everyone in attendance was able to remain cool under the collar.
A spillover topic did remain on the agenda regarding the complaints lodged by residents Lori Cullison and Jordan Ambrous. Trustee Nikki Jacobs had requested it be put on the agenda at the April 28th meeting. With Cullison and Ambrous not in attendance Tuesday, Jacobs used the agenda item to explain to the board why she wanted it on the formal agenda.
So I would like the board to discuss adopting a clear, written complaint policy for the village. My concern is that when residents submit complaints especially those to the mayor or board, there needs to be a consistent process for how those complaints are received, logged, copied to trustees and placed on an agenda if necessary and responded to. It’s not about targeting any one person. It’s about good government, record keeping, and protecting the village. If we don’t have a clear policy, complaints can be handled differently depending on who receives it, who they involve, or whether someone decides to bring them. I believe any written complaint submitted to the mayor and the board should be date stamped and logged for record. Trustees need to be made aware that way we can review to determine what action needs to be taken and filed. A written policy would help prevent confusion, protect residents, employees, the village from claims that complaints were ignored, hidden or selectively hidden.
Village President Rick Kuykendall said it sounded like a good idea and the board agreed to discuss it moving forward.
The only other topics came in open meeting when resident Zack Cotton voiced some concerns. He brought up the new stop sign on Morrell saying he thought it was going to cause more issues. The mayor said they’d be giving it some time, but that it was possible they could change it if it proves to not be helping.
Cotton also says at least one fellow resident tried to run his kids off from playing at the park while she was utilizing the pickleball courts. Kuykendall says the park is public. The pickleball courts are reserved on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, but the park remains available to the public during those times.
Crossville is next set to meet on May 26th.