A. Regular Meetings:
1. The regular meetings of the Board of Trustees shall be held the first and third Thursdays of each month beginning at seven o’clock (7:00) P.M.
2. The regular meetings of the Board of Trustees shall be held in the boardroom of the Village Hall, unless otherwise ordered by the Board. (Ord. 2014-47, 8-14-2014, eff. 9-1-2014)
B. Special Meetings: Upon the request of the Mayor, or of three (3) Trustees, the Village Clerk shall issue a written or printed call for a special meeting, at least twenty four (24) hours previous thereto, to all members of the Board when called by the Mayor and to the members of the Board and the Mayor when called by three (3) Trustees. The call shall state the time and place of holding such special meeting and the purpose for which it is called. Such notice shall be served by any authorized person by delivering to and leaving with each of the persons required to be notified personally at their place of residence, abode or business address, a correct copy of same; provided, such special meeting may be called at any previous regular meeting by a majority vote of the Board without further notice. (1976 Code §2-54; amd. 1991 Code)
C. Open To The Public: All meetings of the Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Village shall be conducted in conformance with the requirements of 5 Illinois Compiled Statutes 120/1 et seq., "an Act in relation to meetings" (commonly referred to as the "Open Meetings Act").
D. Closed Meetings: It is expressly declared to be the legislative intent and policy of the Mayor and Village Board of Trustees that, to the extent that any meeting is permitted to be closed pursuant to 5 Illinois Compiled Statutes 120/1 et seq., "an Act in relation to meetings", the specific subject matter of the deliberations which take place in any such closed meeting shall not be disclosed to nor discussed with any person who was not entitled to attend such closed meeting.
Any member of the Village Board found to have violated the provisions contained in this subsection shall be subject to censure by the vote of a majority of the Corporate Authorities then holding office.
E. Public Inspection Of Minutes: The minutes of the meetings open to the public shall be available for public inspection within seven (7) days of the approval of such minutes by the Mayor and Board of Trustees. Minutes of meetings closed to the public shall be available for inspection only after the Mayor and Board of Trustees determine that it is no longer necessary to protect the public interest or the privacy of an individual by keeping any such minutes confidential. (1976 Code §2-52)
F. Minutes And Recording Of Closed Meetings:
1. A verbatim record shall be kept of all meetings of the Village Board of Trustees of the Village of Woodridge ("Corporate Authorities") and of all meetings of any other boards, commissions or other subsidiary "public body" of the Village of Woodridge 1 which are closed to the public. The verbatim record shall be in the form of an audio or video recording. In addition, written minutes shall be kept of all closed meetings in the manner required by the Illinois Open Meetings Act. Minutes of closed meetings shall be placed before the Corporate Authorities or the subsidiary public body, as the case may be, for approval as to form and content as soon as practicable, but no later than the second subsequent regularly scheduled meeting of that meeting body, following the closed meeting. The Village Clerk, or his/her designee, shall securely maintain, in Village Hall, the verbatim recordings and minutes of all closed sessions of the Corporate Authorities and all subsidiary public bodies of the Village.
2. At the beginning of each closed session, those present shall identify themselves by voice for the audio recording. If the meeting is video recorded, those present shall individually appear on camera and identify themselves by voice at the beginning of the meeting. The presiding officer shall also announce the times the meeting commences and ends at appropriate points on the recording.
3. Semiannually, at a regular Board meeting of the Corporate Authorities, in January and July, the agenda shall include an item that addresses a review of the minutes of all closed sessions and makes a determination regarding which minutes, or portions thereof, may and may not be released for public inspection. Minutes shall not be released unless the Corporate Authorities of the Village of Woodridge find that it is no longer necessary to keep them confidential to protect the public interest or to protect the privacy of an individual. As to any minutes, or portions thereof, not released, the Corporate Authorities of the Village of Woodridge shall find that the need for confidentiality still exists as to those minutes, or portions thereof. The Corporate Authorities may require the Village Attorney's opinion regarding the release or nonrelease of the respective minutes, as well as which minutes should be kept closed indefinitely.
4. Semiannually, at a regular meeting of the Corporate Authorities, the agenda shall include the following item: "Authorization for destruction of verbatim recordings of closed sessions". The Village Clerk shall present a list to the Corporate Authorities of the dates of closed sessions where:
a. A verbatim recording exists,
b. The Corporate Authorities have approved the minutes of the closed meeting, regardless of whether the minutes have been released for public inspection, and
c. At least eighteen (18) months have passed since the date of the closed meeting.
The Corporate Authorities shall consider whether to authorize destruction of the verbatim recordings of those meetings. When ordered by the Corporate Authorities, the Village Clerk shall destroy the recording of that closed meeting in a suitable manner.
5. Unless the Board of Trustees of the Village of Woodridge has determined that a recording no longer requires confidential treatment, or otherwise consents to disclosure, the verbatim recordings of closed meetings made pursuant to subsection F1 of this section shall not be open for public inspection or subject to discovery in any administrative or judicial proceeding other than one brought to enforce the provisions of the Open Meetings Act. In a civil action brought to enforce the provisions of the Open Meetings Act, a recording will be made available to the court for in camera examination for the purpose of determining whether a violation of the Open Meetings Act exists. In the case of a criminal proceeding, a recording will be made available to the court for in camera examination for the purpose of determining what portion, if any, must be made available to the parties for use as evidence in the prosecution.
6. Every subsidiary public body of the Village that conducts closed meetings shall comply with the review procedures set forth in subsections F3 through F5 of this section. (Ord. 2013-46, 9-26-2013; amd. Ord. 2020-37,12-3-2020)
Notes
| 1 | 1. As defined by the Illinois Open Meetings Act, 5 ILCS 120/2 et seq. |