Title
Consideration of Procedures to Streamline Village Board Meetings
History
The Village’s legal counsel from Ancel Glink reviewed recent Village Board meetings to identify opportunities to improve efficiency and streamline meeting processes. Multiple meetings were reviewed with the goal of identifying procedural adjustments that could reduce the overall meeting length while maintaining compliance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act (OMA) and ensuring transparency to the public.
The Open Meetings Act requires that posted agendas clearly set forth the general subject matter of items to be considered for final action and that the public be adequately informed of the business being conducted.
Following their review, legal counsel provided recommendations intended to maintain compliance with the law while reducing repetitive language during meeting proceedings.
CONSENT AGENDA
One of the primary observations from the review involved the manner in which items on the Consent Agenda are introduced. While the Open Meetings Act requires public recital of items, the current practice of reading full titles into the record is not required. Legal counsel advises that agenda items may be summarized without compromising compliance.
For example:
• Full title: Riveria County Club located at 8801 143rd Street, Due Diligence Professional Services Contract Award
• Summarized title: Riviera Country Club Professional Services Contract Award
Village staff will also be directed to be more cognizant of the length of agenda titles when drafting items to support this effort.
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PROPOSED MOTIONS
Similarly, Trustees currently spend a significant amount of reciting lengthy motions not included on the Consent agenda.
To improve efficiency, Trustees may utilize shorter more concise motions such as:
• “I move to approve the ordinance as presented.”
• “I move to approve the resolution as presented.”
• “I move to approve the contract with [vendor] in an amount not to exceed [$ amount].”
Example 1
Proposed Motion:
I move to approve a contract for professional services with Company X located in Hometown, Illinois in an amount not to exceed $200,000 for ABC building located at 123 Main Street, and authorize the Village Manager to execute all related contracts subject to Village Attorney review.
Shortened Motion:
I move to approve the contract with Company X in an amount not to exceed $200,000.
Example 2
Proposed Motion:
I move to adopt Ordinance 6095, entitled: ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE 1 (ADMINISTRATION) CHAPTER 16 (PROCUREMENT) SECTION 1-16-7 (CONSTRUCTION BIDDING AND CONTRACTS) ESTABLISHING CRITERIA FOR THE DETERMINATION OF A RESPONSIBLE BIDDER FOR VILLAGE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.
Shortened Motion:
I move to approve the ordinance as presented.
Full motion language will continue to be included in agenda materials prepared for the Board, and also available to the public through the Village’s Legislative Information Center.
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POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS
Village staff currently prepares presentations for agenda items requiring a more detailed overview. To improve meeting efficiency, staff will develop condensed versions of these presentations for use during meetings. While the full presentations will continue to be made available to the Village Board and the public in advance, staff will focus on highlighting key points rather than presenting the material in its entirety. Members of the Village Board are encouraged to review the complete presentations prior to each meeting.
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Implementing these procedural adjustments is expected to reduce time spent on individual agenda items while maintaining transparency and compliance with the Open Meetings Act. While each change is minor, the cumulative impact across multiple agenda items could significantly streamline Village Board meetings.
Recommended Action/Motion
Discussion Only