Glen Ellyn trustees are gearing up for a discussion Monday on the future of the village's downtown.

A proposed contract with Town Builder Studios, a Riverside-based consulting firm, likely will be ready for review at the Village Board's workshop meeting, said acting Village Manager Curt Barrett.

"We are preparing a contract proposal," Barrett said last week. "Our village staff and village attorney are working at this point in time."

If the trustees react favorably to the contract, it could be up for formal approval at the Monday, Jan. 28, board meeting.

Town Builder Studios was one of 17 applicants initially vying for the bid to guide Glen Ellyn's downtown business plan.

The winner of the contract will work with Glen Ellyn leaders, store owners and residents to draft a long-term strategy for downtown.

Of the 17, four finalists interviewed before the trustees late last year. Each team of consultants outlined its pitch for the village, and trustees' support was split between Town Builder Studios and Houseal Lavigne Associates, a Naperville-based firm. President Vicky Hase's vote for the former tipped the scales.

The schism, which led to a spirited dispute at the last board meeting before the New Year, has not been publicly resolved, and it could mean further contention at Monday's meeting.

Trustee Pete Ladesic, who voted to negotiate a contract with Houseal Lavigne Associate, said it is likely that the matter will be addressed again.

"I think there will be much discussion," Ladesic said. "I know a number of residents as well as store owners who will be there, because they're just not happy with the current situation."