ONARGA, IL. (ECWd) –
John Bank, who has been President of the Onarga Community Library District Board of Trustees for the past 17 years, sent a response to an email I CC’d the library on, where I filed a request for review with the Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor on the library’s failure to properly post agendas.
Bank’s response was that since the library is not open 24 hours a day, it’s not their fault people cannot read the agenda.
It is their fault, they never properly posted it.
He points to the last sentence in Section 2.02(c) of the Open Meetings Act, which states (emphasis ours):
“If a notice or agenda is not continuously available for the full 48-hour period due to actions outside of the control of the public body, then that lack of availability does not invalidate any meeting or action taken at a meeting.”
Great point, but no cigar…
If he had bothered to actually read that sentence, and understood what it said, he would know that the hours the library is closed are actions within the control of that public body.
This sentence does not absolve the library of properly posting an agenda where it is continuously available for the entire 48-hour period before a meeting.
They certainly have no problems posting other notices and letters on the front doors of the library building, taping an agenda there should not be a problem…unless they simply don’t want people knowing about library board meetings.
Frankly, I can’t believe he signed his name to such a miserable excuse.
John Kraft response 5-15-19 page 1
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