County Board Violates Open Meetings Act- Approves Settlement Without Public Recital

The Vermilion County Board approved a “settlement agreement” Tuesday night. On the Agenda the item was number 13- “Action on Proposed Settlement Agreement for Napier v. Vermilion County, EEOC Charge No. 440-06386.”  No supporting documentation was given to the public or media. Prior to the item being called for a vote, Chair Steven Miller excused himself  as he did not intend to stay for the balance of the meeting. The Vice Chair took over and then moved to go into closed session and asking the public and several employees of the County to step out. After a very lengthy discussion behind closed doors, the public meeting was reconvened.  The Vice Chair read the item number 13 verbatim as written and a vote was taken without discussion or explanation to the public about what item 13 concerned. Even after the vote, the Vice Chair said he could not comment and the assistant state’s attorney present for the meeting waived me away when I attempted to question this procedure. Both the Illinois courts and the Attorney General Public Access Counselor have long held that before a vote is taken there must be a public recital to summarize the matter for the public. While sometime the degree of detail can be debatable, giving no information whatsoever is a clear violation of the Open Meetings Act. There was no summary of what the settlement contained, any cost or payment, and the issue involved that caused a settlement. The vote to approve was contested and the public and media were left in the dark.