Accusations that the city of DeKalb violated the Illinois Open Meetings Act are an over-reaction to an oversight, city officials claim.

Recently a reporter from a local newspaper requested the minutes from closed sessions of the city council. The latest minutes available at the time were from a Nov. 22, 1987, meeting.

According to the Illinois Open Meetings Act, public bodies can hold closed meetings under certain circumstances. However, the minutes of those meetings must be released for public viewing within six months or when it is no longer necessary to keep the information secret.

It was reported the last time the city council reviewed or released closed session minutes was in January 1988. Second Ward Ald. Michael Welsh said, “That was the last time anyone had ever requested to see the minutes (from closed sessions).”

“No one had asked for records since that date,” he said.

“I think the city clerk’s office has compiled the minutes that were requested and should have released them today (Tuesday),” Welsh added.

Welsh said he did not see the incident as a violation of the Open Meetings Act, but only a lack of preparation.

“We aren’t trying to keep anything from the public, it’s just that no one has ever asked for that information before,” said 1st Ward Ald. Amy Polzin.

Polzin said if anyone ever had requested the closed session minutes before, they would have encountered the same problem. “They’re really making something out of nothing,” she said.