Decap trustees debate office relocation options, recess into executive session to discuss property lease or purchase

Trustees spent a lengthy portion of the May 19 meeting discussing options for township office space. The conversation covered confidential realtor contacts and several candidate properties (details withheld from the public packet as noted by staff), potential interior reconfiguration of the current building, file storage needs, and the costs of moving.

Assessors and supervisors described space constraints: the clerk’s and general assistance file storage is crowded, the file room may need to remain secure, and some archived records will likely remain on site under records-retention rules even if scanned. One participant proposed an in-house reconfiguration that would relocate township staff into currently underused assessor office space; others noted accessibility, parking and long-term suitability concerns.

After discussion the board voted to recess the regular meeting at 7:44 p.m. and enter executive session under the real estate exemption (5 ILCS 120/2(c)(5)) to discuss the possible purchase or lease of property; the public session was recessed for the executive session.

Trustees asked staff to continue vetting options and to return with updates at the June meeting; some trustees emphasized that any long-term decision should balance space needs, costs for renovation, ADA access and parking.