(A) Conduct of public hearings.
(1) All public hearings shall be subject to the Illinois Open Meetings Act.
(2) The procedure for public hearings shall be as follows:
(a) Call to order and roll call.
(b) The Chair opens the public hearing for the application(s).
(c) The Chair presents a brief explanation of the public hearing procedure and swears in those wishing to give testimony.
(d) The application and any accompanying exhibits are made part of the record.
(e) The applicant presents testimony regarding the petition and associated applications.
(f) Questions are directed to the applicant by the body conducting the hearing and public hearing attendees.
(g) An interested party wishing to ask questions of a witness may, at the time indicated by the Chair, direct questions to the witness. All persons shall state his or her name and address before questioning a witness. This opportunity for questioning a witness shall not be used by the questioner to offer testimony or evidence.
(h) All persons offering testimony at a public hearing shall testify under oath. An attorney shall be sworn if he or she offers testimony, but not if he or she is questioning a witness, summarizing witness testimony, or addressing the board or commission on procedural issues. All persons wishing to testify at the public hearing shall state for the record his or her name and address.
(i) Rebuttals.
(j) Follow-up questions from the body conducting the hearing.
(k) Discussion of evidence gathered by the body conducting the hearing.
(l) Hearing closed or continued by the approval of a motion of the body conducting the hearing. If the hearing is closed, the body conducting the hearing shall not accept any comment regarding the petition from outside parties, except:
1. A staff report based on evidence presented at the public hearing.
2. Any person presenting information in response to a specific question from the body conducting the hearing.
3. Any person presenting testimony that directly rebuts sworn testimony presented at the hearing.
(B) Continuances. The Chair, with approval of the body conducting the hearing, may continue the public hearing. In order to reopen the hearing, no new notice shall be required if a hearing is continued to a date specified, provided that a public announcement of the future date, time, and place of the continued hearing is made at the hearing and placed in the minutes. If the hearing is adjourned, rather than continued to a date specified, in order to reopen the hearing all notices must be given that would have been required for the initial public hearing.
(C) Evidence and testimony.
(1) All interested parties may appear for themselves or be represented by a person of their choosing. Written statements will be accepted prior to the hearing to be entered into the public hearing record.
(2) All testimony and evidence shall be given under oath or by affirmation. Any person may appear at a hearing and submit evidence, upon receiving recognition from the Chair of the body conducting the hearing. Any person may ask relevant questions of other witnesses, but only through the Chair and at the discretion of the Chair.
(3) The Chair, with consent of a two-thirds majority of the body conducting the hearing, may limit testimony to a specific amount of time to provide a reasonable opportunity for all interested persons to testify.
(4) The body conducting the hearing is not bound by strict rules of evidence, but the Chair may exclude irrelevant, immaterial, incompetent, or unduly repetitious testimony or evidence.
(Ord. 929, passed 1-25-11; Ord. 1076, passed 1-23-18)