As the Glen Ellyn Board of Trustees voted to discount the amount of money owed it by the owners of a preschool, residents who live near the school expressed their continued disappointment with the way the village has treated the school’s critics. 

The board passed an ordinance, Monday night, that authorizes a payment agreement with Ronald and Elizabeth Repking for expenses incurred after they applied for a special-use permit to move  a Montessori preschool into a vacant church at 625 Hillside Ave.

When someone petitions the village for a special-use permit, the village’s out-of-pocket expenses from processing of the application are placed in an escrow account. The petitioners  eventually must reimburse the village for the account’s balance.

The escrow account balance connected to the Repking's petition was $43,754. The ordinance passed Monday night reduces that amount by $18,750 and leaves the Repkings with a balance of $25,004.

"I would say that the ($18,750) should go to resolving problems for the neighborhood, rather than forgiving this sort of debt," said resident Chuck Reiss.

The village chose to reduce the debt because it had to hire an unusually high amount of consultants to help with the permit's application process.