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AN ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE 1, CHAPTER 5, SECTION 8 OF THE ORLAND PARK VILLAGE CODE REGARDING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT MEETINGS OF THE VILLAGE BOARD AND ANY OF ITS COMMITTEES, COMMISSIONS AND ADVISORY BOARDS
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WHEREAS, the Village President and Board of Trustees of the Village of Orland Park (the “Village”) have the authority to adopt ordinances and to promulgate rules and regulations that pertain to its government and affairs; and
WHEREAS, the Village President and Board of Trustees welcome public comment and public participation at meetings of the Village Board and its committees, commissions and advisory boards; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary and appropriate that there be rules in place to provide for respectful public comment at public Village meetings so that there is opportunity for all attendees to have their views known.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of Orland Park, Cook and Will Counties, Illinois, a home rule municipal corporation, as follows:
SECTION 1
The above recitals are incorporated herein by reference as though fully set forth herein.
SECTION 2
Title 1, Chapter 5, Section 8(9) is amended in its entirety to provide as follows:
“(9) The Board of Trustees, herein defined to include its Committees, Commissions and Advisory Boards, of the Village of Orland Park welcomes public participation and will hear any interested individual pursuant to the guidelines outlined in this policy. Therefore, at the “Non-Scheduled Citizens and Visitors” portion of the Agenda of each meeting, a period of time not to exceed 30 minutes will be devoted to concerns presented by the public. Before appearing before the Board, the members of the public are urged to seek solutions to their concerns through administrative channels. If there are no members of the public wishing to address the Board, the Board may continue with its meeting.
The following rules shall govern speakers who address the Board:
1. Members of the public wishing to speak are asked to call the Village Manager before 4:30 p.m. on the day of the meeting and provide their names, addresses and topics on which they wish to speak. Individuals wishing to speak may also make this desire known in writing to the Village Clerk before seven o’clock (7:00) p.m. of the night of the meeting. If applicable, the individual will provide the name of the organization or association with which he or she is affiliated. NOTE: Members of the public will not be allowed to discuss individual personnel issues or confidential resident matters, and the speakers’ concerns or comments should be limited to Village business. No public comments shall be heard on behalf of or opposed to a candidate for public office nor on any matter that may be subject to discussion by the Board in closed/executive session in accordance with the Open Meetings Act.
2. The time allowed for each person to speak will be five (5) minutes. Speakers are asked to strictly adhere to time allocated.
3. Speakers must identify themselves and their topic(s) before speaking.
4. Speakers may provide written copies of their concern to the Board.
5. Groups are asked to designate a single spokesperson.
6. Board members will generally not respond to comments from speakers. The Village President or other presiding officer may respond as appropriate and, for example, direct speakers to the appropriate staff member for assistance. Issues requiring possible action by the Board may be added to a future agenda. Issues that may need to be addressed by the administration will be duly noted.
7. Abusive language and/or personal attacks will not be permitted and shall promptly be ruled out of order by the Village President or other presiding officer.
8. Speakers at special meetings shall limit their topics to matters appearing on the special meeting agendas.
9. Individuals addressing the Board must at all times adhere to the Village policies and other rules as may be necessary for the efficient and orderly conduct of the meeting.
10. The thirty-minute time limit and/or five minute maximum per speaker may be extended by the Village President or other presiding officer.
The Board vests in the Village President or other presiding officer, the authority to terminate the remarks of speakers who fail to adhere to the above rules.
All public comment shall be addressed to the Board as a whole and no comments shall be addressed to individual members of the Board, Village staff or other members of the public.
There shall be no debate on any matters raised during public comment. The Board may, however, refer any matter of public comment to the Village Manager, Village staff, an appropriate agency for review, or may place the matter on a subsequent agenda for discussion.
No final action may be taken on any public comment or concern which requires an ordinance, resolution, or written contract, or which has the effect of approving any expenditure of funds. The Board may, however, direct that any matter raised on these subjects be set for a future agenda, including the preparation of ordinances, resolutions or other documents for consideration at such time.”
SECTION 3
If any section, paragraph, clause or provision of this Ordinance shall be held invalid, the invalidity thereof shall not affect any of the other provisions of this Ordinance. All ordinances in conflict herewith are hereby repealed to the extent of such conflict.
SECTION 4
This Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its adoption and publication in pamphlet form as provided by law.