The Illinois Open Meetings Act, enacted in 1957, and amended in January 1995, states, “that public bodies exist to aid in the conduct of the people’s business and that the people have a right to be informed as to the conduct of their business.” Therefore it “is the intent of this Act to ensure that the actions of public bodies be taken openly and that their deliberations be conducted openly.”

The Act is a governing order that promotes public participation in local government. It requires public bodies to hold open meetings, to provide the public with notice of meeting times so that the citizens may freely attend, and to keep records of public meetings.

WHAT IS A PUBLIC BODY?

Public bodies include all “legislative, executive, administrative or advisory bodies of the state” also agencies, committees, boards, municipalities, city councils, village boards, and school districts, including any subsidiary committee supported by or expending tax revenue.

Although citizens do not have the right to speak at the meetings, MOST public bodies hold a public comment session during their meetings.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE OPEN?

Public bodies are required to give notice of their regularly scheduled meetings by making a schedule public with the dates, times and location of meetings.

The public body must also post an agenda at least 48 hours prior to each regular meeting.

WRITTEN MINUTES

All public bodies must keep written minutes of their meetings, whether open or closed meeting. Minutes are open to the public within 7 days of the public body’s approval of the minutes. Public bodies must also review minutes from closed meetings at least every six months to make a determination in open session of whether those minutes still require that confidentiality.

CLOSED MEETINGS

Public bodies may hold closed meetings provided that they state in an open session the reasons for holding a closed session.

Closed meetings may be held for :

1. The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body, including hearing tesitimony on a complaint against an employee.

2. Collective negotiating matters between the public body and its employees or their representatives.

3. The selection of a person to fill a public office, including a vacancy in a public office, or the discipline, performance or removal of the occupant of a public office when the public body has the power to remove such occupant under law or ordinance.

4. Land Investment Deals

5. Security Matters

6. Student Records

7. Litigation-Legal Claims

and other exceptions as stated by the Act. The Public Body must state in open session why it has closed the meetings and must take all final actions in open session.

Source: Illinois Attorney General office