Bureau County, Ill. (ECWd) –
Bureau County held a county board meeting earlier this year, in the county courthouse, and when residents attempted to enter the courthouse with their cell phones to attend and record the meeting they were stopped by court security and told they could not enter the building with their phones.
This was purportedly on orders of the Sheriff, and the county board knew, or should have known, this was an issue and that prohibiting any person from attending a public meeting with their cell phones violates the Open Meetings Act.
Violations of the Open Meetings Act are a Class C Misdemeanor.
When I submitted a FOIA request to the Sheriff, his assistant “didn’t know” what happened and was not aware of the issue.
As for the OMA violations, if the county cannot have a meeting in the courthouse AND have people attend that meeting with their cell phones or other recording devices, the county board is legally obligated to find another location to hold their meetings where residents can attend with their cell phones and recording devices. This is not optional.
The Sheriff can permit or prohibit cell phones and recording devices all he wants; however, the board has the obligation to hold their meetings in a suitable and convenient location. If that means no more meetings in the courthouse, so be it.
We reached out to the Bureau County State’s Attorney but have not received a response as of publication.
There is another county board meeting tomorrow night, June 10, 2024.
