Danville, Ill. (ECWd) –
During the December 2025 meeting of the Veterans Assistance Commission of Vermilion County (video here), it was clear the board of commissioners were unfamiliar with conducting meetings in compliance with the Open Meetings Act, and of the powers and duties of the board vs the powers and duties of the Superintendent, and of the Military Veterans Assistance Act. This can be remedied quickly if they so choose.
One point of contention during the meeting was the Superintendent’s hiring of an attorney without obtaining board approval, and the board’s discussion related to approving payment of the legal invoices, which is technically not a power the board possesses, see Section 9(h) of the Military Veterans Assistance Act:
(h) No warrant authorized under this Act may be issued for the payment of money without the presentation of an itemized statement or claim, approved by the superintendent of the Commission and reported to the full Commission membership.
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It is clear, under the Act, that the Superintendent approves the invoice (warrant), reports it to the commission membership, then pays the invoice. There is no requirement nor authorization for the board to vote on the payment. Section 9(a)(5) is subordinate the Section 9(h) when it comes to payment of invoices or warrants because 9(h) is specific to payments where 9(a)(5) is general in nature.
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Another point of contention was the removal of the Superintendent. We understand there were discussions held in closed session and a later vote in open session to terminate her employment. However, the termination may have been improper and did not comply with state laws in the following ways:
1. Prior to removing a Superintendent, there must be a written request from at least three different Veteran Services Organizations asking for the removal, and there must be a vote by the majority of the full commission membership approving the removal. See Section 9(e) of the Veterans Assistance Act:
(e) A superintendent may be removed from office if, after delegates from no less than 3 different veteran service organizations file a written request calling for the superintendent’s removal, there is a vote from a majority of the full Commission membership in favor of such removal.
2. Prior to removing a Superintendent, the removal must be placed on a meeting agenda and voted on in public. See
Open Meetings Act. Any item for action of a board, must be placed on the agenda at least 48 hours prior to a meeting so that the public knows what the board will vote on. Nothing related to the employment or termination of the Superintendent was placed on the Dec 2025 meeting agenda (
here).
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It is our understanding that this will be corrected during the January 8, 2026, VAC meeting where there should be at least three written requests and a public vote for the agenda item that is listed on the agenda for her termination.
