Hinsdale Ending Old-Fashioned 'Bill Bag'

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale trustees' system of accountability may seem old-fashioned, but residents like it, officials said.

At every meeting, a trustee is assigned to report on a review of invoices and checks that are contained in what is referred to as the "bill bag."

The duty is rotated among the six trustees.

This long tradition has continued even as more and more business is conducted electronically.

The system goes above what auditors recommend. Most town boards don't go to such lengths.

At Tuesday's Village Board meeting, Trustee Matt Posthuma said residents have told him they like the practice.

But he said the village's staff prefers going online.

"Paper checks are going away. Most payments are being made electronically," Posthuma said. "We've had a request from staff that they not have to copy all of the invoices and checks for the bill bag because of the cost of copying everything and the time it takes to do that."

Trustees generally agreed to continue the reviews by accessing the information online.

In an Aug. 4 email, Village President Greg Hart informed the trustees that the village was phasing out the "bill bag" system. This, he said, followed discussions with village officials.

"I asked staff to transition away from the old 'bill bag' process as part of our ongoing effort to modernize Village operations," Hart said in a statement Wednesday. "Trustees now have the same detailed information in a secure, digital format that’s easier to access, faster to review, and more environmentally friendly."

It's rare that a trustee raises an issue with the contents of the bill bag – at least publicly.

At a January 2021 meeting, Posthuma questioned a $500 payment made to a vendor.

Posthuma said he was "happy to get into this now." But then-Village President Tom Cauley said he would rather not and that the village would look into it.

Through a public records request, Patch found that Posthuma raised the issue of a vendor's relationship with a village employee.