By: Diane Benjamin
Illinois Open Meetings Act Law:
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=84&ChapterID=2
Monday night the Bloomington City Council is approving minutes dated between 1998 and 2009. http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=12450
Not approving minutes as required by law isn’t just something the City did a long time ago. Here is another example from April 11, 2016:
September 21, 2015 just happens to be the meeting where the 1% Sales Tax increase was passed! Included in the minutes are the comments made by the aldermen. See the minutes here: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=10138
These minutes would still be hidden if a citizen hadn’t sent a FOIA request for them when he noticed they were missing.
Obviously LEGAL works for the City, not for citizens or legal would demand laws be followed. David Hales is allowed to hide the City history, most of the Council and Mayor Transparency happily comply.
The September 21, 2015 example is part of a pattern. The clerk is told to hold the minutes while Hales hopes nobody notices.
Jeff Jurgens’s Springfield law firm is paid $60-70,000 a month. One would think he could take 5 minutes to explain to all City employees what the law says.
Jurgen’s might also explain to the guys that did the new website that MANY links to agenda and packets STILL don’t work. Maybe the Illinois Policy Institute will re-grade Bloomington – transparency is back to an F.
Did the City get a new website just to hide information?
Mayor Transparency?
I urge all readers to send a copy of of this news article to the Illinois Policy Institute along with a note asking them to recind the Mayors award for Transparancy. Send your email and attachment to John Tillman CEO, Illinois Policy Institute at [email protected]
Home Rule. As Renner says, “We can do anything we want.” Anyone who is interested can go on the City website and search through the YouTube videos. He has said it many times.
It isn’t true, but that would require a prosecutor and we don’t have one.
Sarcasm. Transparency is an issue, no doubt.