(A) The applicant. The applicant is a participant.
(B) The village.
(1) The village, its employees and staff, and any experts, consultants, investigators or attorneys hired by the village to review, investigate, present at hearing, or otherwise work for the village concerning the petition, are participants.
(2) To the extent the village employees and staff wish to participate in the public hearings outside their roles or employment with the village, they must submit a notice of participation, as do other members of the public.
(C) Notice of participation.
(1) Any person, other than those described in divisions (A) and (B) above, must file a written notification of intent to participate (notice of participation), with the Village Clerk before the start of the first day of public hearing or, after the start and before the adjournment of the first day of public hearing, with the Hearing Officer.
(2) Such notification shall state, at a minimum, the name, address, daytime phone number and, if available, facsimile number of the person filing the notice of participation, whether the person will be participating on his or her own behalf or as a representative/spokesperson of another person or entity (and if on behalf of another person or entity, identify the name of that person or entity), whether the person (or the entity or association he or she represents) will be represented by an attorney during the public hearing, and whether the person intends on providing oral testimony or comment during the public hearing.
(3) A person may not become a participant after the first day of the hearing, except for good cause shown.
(4) The village shall liberally interpret this limitation, if the additional participation will not delay the process or unfairly prejudice a prior participant.
(5) No late participant shall be entitled to cross-examine a witness who has previously testified.
(D) Participant rights. Participants have the right to:
(1) Present sworn testimony and witnesses;
(2) Provide unsworn, oral comment during the public hearing (subject to the Hearing Officer’s judgment and consistent with fundamental fairness); and
(3) Cross-examine or question witnesses who provide sworn testimony or, alternatively, submit to the Hearing Officer written questions to be asked of the witnesses by the Hearing Officer, at the Hearing Officer’s discretion as to whether and how such questions are to be posed.
(E) Attorneys. Any attorneys representing a participant must be licensed and in good standing to practice law in the State of Illinois, or if licensed and in good standing to practice law in another state that is part of the United States, shall be allowed to serve as an attorney for a participant upon motion made to and granted by the Hearing Officer.
(Ord. 2003-07-43, passed 7-21-2003)