Absences Leave Litchfield Park Board Short, Two Items Tabled Again

Article Summary: With three of seven commissioners absent, the Litchfield Park District board tabled both of its New Business items on June 3, 2026 — a Little Miss and Mister dance and a fundraiser for a pool diving board — and adjourned 22 minutes after gaveling in.

Board Attendance Key Points:

Four commissioners attended; Christopher Bates, Jaylynn Taylor and Jennifer Cearlock were absent.

Both New Business items were tabled explicitly because too few commissioners were present.

The Little Miss and Mister dance had already been tabled once before and was brought back by request.

The meeting adjourned at 7:22 p.m.; no executive session was held.

LITCHFIELD — Thin attendance shaped the Litchfield Park District Board of Commissioners’ meeting on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, with the board tabling both items of New Business rather than act with three of its seven members away.

The roll call recorded President Jeff Heyen, Vice President Katie Cross, Treasurer Brian Kulick and Commissioner Sherry Bergschneider present, and Commissioners Christopher Bates, Jaylynn Taylor and Jennifer Cearlock absent.

The first item, a Little Miss and Mister dance, has a history with the board. “This item has been previously discussed. At that time, it was decided to table it,” the minutes state. “It has now been requested that we bring it up again. After further discussion it was decided to table it again until more commissioners were available to take action.” The minutes do not record who requested that it return, when it was first tabled, or what form the event would take. The district’s Recreation Fund does carry a dedicated income account for the event, listed on the fiscal-year comparison statement as “Little Miss/Big Mister Little,” which showed $0.00 in both May 2026 and May 2025.

The second item, a possible fundraiser toward replacing the pool’s low diving board, met the same fate. Cross suggested a comedy night at the center; the discussion “was also tabled due to the low number of commissioners attending this meeting.”

The board did act on two items. On a motion by Cross, seconded by Kulick, it accepted the May 6, 2026, meeting minutes “with any spelling errors corrected.” On a motion by Kulick, seconded by Cross, it accepted the district’s financial reports. Both motions carried; the minutes record no vote tally and no dissent.

Committee reports were presented across the full slate of committees, including Park Maintenance, Recreation/Reinvesting and Pool — all three of whose listed chairs were absent. The minutes do not record who delivered those reports.

The agenda listed an Executive Session heading, but the minutes record no motion to enter or exit closed session and no closed-session business. By contrast, the board’s May 6, 2026, meeting did include an executive session, entered at 7:40 p.m. and exited at 8:15 p.m.

The meeting adjourned at 7:22 p.m.