Has anyone noticed how often this item appears on the Agenda? What is this real estate being acquired and with what funds? Why is it confidential? Does anyone know?
Here it is on 5/21 Agenda, for example;
X. EXECUTIVE SESSION:
A. Acquisition of Real Estate
B. Pending Litigation
C. Personnel
dear catherine,
these are three of illinois' statutory (open meetings act) bases for municipalities to convene in executive session. if a basis appears on the public agenda for the public meeting, as these do, then it is supposed to be actually present on the executive session agenda. this requirement is to advance the interest in truly open meetings, and to make illegal the sort of 'blanket' citation of one of the bases by the public body simply to elude open public discussion.
so, the listing of these three bases supposedly means that there is at least one actual item in each of these three categories for the board's private discussion tonight. i do not know to what individual items these citations relate.
sometimes the board's actions in executive session result in a requirement for a public vote, which is to be taken immediately after the session, at a re-convened public meeting. (no final decison is to be taken in an executive session.) if one stays around for that re-convened public meeting, then one can learn immediately something of the particular topic or issue addressesd by the measure requiring a public vote.
otherwise, one must wait indefinitely for the release of the minutes to learn the items discussed.
as for why these are up for private discussion... the 20-odd bases for exec. session are grouped in: employment, legal matters, security / police, business negotiations,
education matters and general. in each of these the general assembly has seen fit to allow private discussions between officials and staff according to certain procedures.
over the last several years, disclosure of executive session minutes has become somewhat more transparent, in that -- i believe - an actual vote must be taken regarding the minutes of executive sessions starting at a set period from the date of the session. so, for instance, as of twelve months from now (if the period is twelve months -- i am not sure what it is exactly) the board will have to take an actual vote to keep the minutes sealed, or else they will become public. on the occasions i have been present when these matters come up, there has typically been a recitation by one of the board members that all of the original bases for the executive session still applied, and thus the minutes could not yet become public.
the vast majority of municipalities i have visited or worked with recess into executive session after most every publicly noticed meeting, because that's how often things come up under one or all of these headings.
i hope this helps,
best,
chris
No. My question is what real estate is the village acquiring and with what funds.
If you were a more frequent visitor here, you would know that I am painfully (to some) aware of the contents of the Open Meetings Act!
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