Fosterburg Water District Trustee Frederick “Fritz” Aljet’s $14,000 Prohibited Interest in Contracts

FOSTERBURG, IL. (ECWd) –

Fosterburg Water District Trustee Frederick “Fritz” Aljet has reaped at least $14,287.80 in illegal payments for contracts for work of the district or sales of articles to the district, by conducting business between Aljet’s Automotive, Inc., and the Water District.

These invoices and payments, over an 8-year period, are illegal and violated the Public Water District and the Public Officers Prohibited Activities Acts.

The Illinois Public Water District Act, which governs the activities of the Fosterburg Water District clearly prohibits Trustees from being interested in contracts or work for the district. It appears to be written well enough to avoid any misinterpretation:

70 ILCS 3705/4  (previous version here)

No trustee or employee of such district shall be directly or indirectly interested in any contract, work or business of the district or the sale of any article, the expense, price or consideration of which is paid by such district, nor in the purchase of any real estate or property for or belonging to the district.

The Public Officers Prohibited Activities Act (“POPAA”) also prohibits Trustee Aljet from this activity. The POPAA describes violations as Class 4 Felonies. Applicable sections of both statutes highlighted for easier reading (here).

Aljet’s annual Statements of Economic Interest acknowledge he has an interest in Aljet’s Automotive, Inc., and also that he did work for and was paid by the public body he was filling out the SEI for. So his own signature verifies all claims made in this article. Can’t get much better evidence than that.

An SEI does not allow prohibited interests when interests are listed within the statement; it is merely an acknowledgment of the individual public officer that he has an interest. Some public bodies allow certain interests (articulated within the POPAA), but a Public Water District does not, and cannot allow an interest, according to its governing statute.

Such a violation would come under Official Misconduct and could be charged as a class three felony.

Read the checkbook:

Read the Statements of Economic Interest:

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