Purpose
The Illinois Open Meetings Act provides that members of the public must be given an opportunity to address public officials at open meetings and provides that public comment may be subject to the rules established and recorded by the public body. Members of the public may address the Library Board pursuant to the rules established and recorded in this policy.
Policy
- Members of the public who want to address the Library Board at a Library Board meeting shall sign up before the start of the meeting identifying themselves by name and indicating whether they want to address the Library Board on a particular agenda item or during public forum.
- During public forum or after the introduction of each agenda item, members of the public shall be called in the order that they signed up.
- The purpose of the public forum is to allow members of the public an opportunity to address the Library Board on issues of concern to them which are not part of the agenda.
- Speakers shall address the Library Board from the podium and state their name for the record before beginning their remarks.
- Any person may be expelled from Library Board meeting room for the remainder of a Library Board meeting by the President or a majority vote of the Library Board if that person violates the guidelines record in this policy.
Guidelines
- The rules shall be posted at the area where members of the public sign up to address the Library Board at a Library Board meeting.
- Speakers shall limit their remarks to no more than three (3) minutes unless additional time is granted by the President or by a majority vote of the Library Board.
- A timer shall be used to notify speakers when the allotted time has expired. Speakers will be informed when their allotted time has expired. Upon the expiration of the allotted time,
speakers shall stop speaking and leave the podium unless additional time is granted or unless there are questions directed to the speaker from Board members. - Public participation during public forum shall be limited to no more than thirty (30) minutes in total unless extended for a time certain by the President or by a majority vote of the Library Board. If there are more speakers signed up to address the Library Board than time will allow, public forum shall be bifurcated and continued at the end of the agenda, prior to new business.
- Groups of speakers should, whenever possible, consolidate their comments and avoid repetition through the use of representative speakers.
- Except during public forum, speakers shall focus and limit their remarks directly to the matter then under discussion.
- Speakers shall address their remarks to the Library Board as a whole and not to any individual Board members.
- Speakers shall not ask questions of individual Board members or a member of the Library staff without first obtaining permission from the President.
- Speakers shall refrain from harassing or directing threats or personal attacks at Board members, staff, other speakers or members of the audience.
- Board members may, but need not, ask questions of speakers at the conclusion of their comments.
- Members of the audience shall maintain decorum and refrain from noisy outbursts or other distracting actions such as applauding, cheering, or booing during or at the conclusion of any remarks made by any speaker, staff member or Board members.
Approved by the Glenview Public Library Board of Trustees April 15, 2021