A new amendment now requires that governmental bodies in Illinois record meetings that are closed to the public in either a visual or audio format.

Under the original Illinois Open Meetings Act, all closed-door meetings of officials required only that a clerk be present to take minutes. Once finalized and approved, the minutes then could be released to the public.

DeKalb City Clerk Donna Johnson, who is responsible for taking minutes at all city council meetings, said the new rule is not a favorable one.

Many city clerks statewide are not in favor of the ruling, Johnson said.

“[Clerks] are already there taking minutes; now they want us to record, too,” she added.

When the amendment first was proposed in May 2003, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said it would help keep everyone honest behind closed doors.

“The verbatim record requirement will preserve what actually occurs in the meeting so it can be independently and confidentially evaluated to ensure compliance with the Open Meetings Act,” Madigan said, prior to the general assembly examining the issue.

Johnson said she does not see dishonesty being a problem. She added that there are other people, aside from alderman, sitting in on closed-door meetings, so dishonesty would not go undetected.

Issues discussed behind closed doors usually include ones surrounding land acquisition, union negotiations and pending or imminent litigation.

The tapes from those meetings must be kept for at least 18 months before they are destroyed.

The new ruling does not bother County Clerk and Recorder Sharon Holmes.

Holmes has been making audio recordings of County Board meetings for a few years now, she said.

“I guess I don’t have a problem with it,” Holmes said. The County Board has three to four closed sessions a year, she said.

Michelle Anderson, who handles three to four closed sessions a year as secretary of the DeKalb Board of Fire and Police Commissioners meetings, said she doesn’t mind the change.

“If it’s required, we’ll do it,” Anderson said.

Anderson, as well as Johnson, will be recording meetings with a new digital audio recorder that will allow them to record onto compact disc.