AG: Cannot Restrict Public Comment Time When No Rules Are Established Or Adopted –

Will Co., (ECWd) –

In just one of a few Open Meetings Act Requests For Review filed against the Veterans Assistance Commission of Will County (“VACWC”) last year when 9 out of the 10 alleged executive committee members were unlawfully holding the office, the Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor (“PAC”) has issued a determination that the VACWC violated the Open Meetings Act (“OMA”) by enforcing a 3-minute per person time limit during public comment at its August 29, 2022, meeting when it had never adopted or established a public comment policy.

The overwhelming majority of the offending members during this meeting are no longer occupying a seat on this commission, and this determination should not reflect anything negative on the current members of the commission – except for Amanda Koch, who is still there.

You can watch it starting at the 9 minute, 41 second mark on video, below:

The other complained of action was that the executive committee refused to permit their Judge Advocate to attend a closed meeting and was determined by the PAC to not be a violation because the board has the authority to permit or refuse attendance of a closed session meeting to any person not a member of the board. I added the Judge Advocate in the original complaint because at the time it was wrongly assumed she was an appointed delegate or alternate to the Commission. Turns out she was not, and the PAC made the correct determination on this issue.