AG: Open Meetings Act twice violated by Urbana mayor, city council

URBANA, Ill. (WAND) - A report from the Illinois Attorney General's Public Access Counselor said Urbana's mayor and city council violated the Open Meetings Act twice.

The complaint alleges that on Nov. 9, 2020, Mayor Diane Marlin used content-based restrictions to limit two speakers' comments after they criticized a decision of the mayor and said the names of city employees. She's then accused of interrupting a speaker on Nov. 16 by saying she was giving an opinion instead of facts before cutting off her microphone.

The AG's opinion stated "such rules (for public comment) must tend to accommodate, rather than unreasonably restrict, the rights to address public officials." The opinion added the first amendment tightly restricts the government's power, "even in a limited public form like city council meetings."

The office requested Urbana's city council have its officials no longer apply "rules imposing content-based restrictions" at future meetings for "comments that do not disrupt its meetings or impede the Council from conducting orderly meetings."

The Edgar County Watchdogs report Urbana's city council may vote to ament public comment policy at its next meeting. They report similar issues are involved in an Open Meetings Act lawsuit that was filed against the city.

Click here to read the full opinion from the attorney general.