Oak Forest council’s Sunday meeting a rarity — and likely a marathon

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Oak Forest Ald. Charles Toland

Updated: January 29, 2012 12:03PM

While Sunday has long been reserved as a day of rest after a hard week of work, aldermen in Oak Forest have a different idea.

They’re planning to spend a good chunk of their Sunday this weekend mulling over the city’s capital improvement needs in what one alderman predicted could be a marathon session.

The special city council meeting, starting at 10 a.m., might last eight to 10 hours, Ald. Chuck Toland (4th), said in an email Friday to the SouthtownStar.

It’s a rarity, although not unheard of, for a government body such as a city council or village board to hold a weekend meeting, according to Ed Paesel, executive director of the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association.

Normally, Oak Forest’s city council meets on a Tuesday evening, but Toland said that if the council tried to tackle the agenda at a regular meeting “it would take days to get it all done.”

He said the city has a capital improvement “wish list” that totals $25 million, and much of the discussion Sunday will focus on whittling that down to a more budget-friendly sum.

“We have to figure out exactly what is needed now, what can be put off for a while and how we can fund it,” Toland said in an email announcing the meeting.

The way he makes it sound, council members should plan on packing a lunch.

“We will stay there until we are done,” his email warned.