WHY is the Village planning to smash us all into Village Hall and its' tiny lobby for the public March 16 and April 13th meetings? Larger Venues are REQUIRED by the IL Open Meetings Act. Smashing us into a small space is a FIRE HAZARD and an Open Meetings Act VIOLATION. The village KNOWS* that we will ALL be in attendance at these meeting to ensure NO PLAZA ever covers our main artery into, through and around our downtown. WRITE NOW to demand No Plaza and a Larger Venue:

VillageBoard@ClarendonHills.us

The code reads as follows: "an open meeting must be held in a place that is convenient and open to the public, which generally means it must be in a location LARGE ENOUGH to accommodate the anticipated audience. Under open meeting laws (such as the Illinois Open Meetings Act), meetings cannot be held in places that are so small, ill-suited, or unaccommodating that they practically deter the public from attending. 

Here are the key requirements regarding meeting space.

Reasonable Accommodation: Public bodies are required to take reasonable steps to accommodate the public, which may include moving a meeting to a larger venue IF HIGH ATTENDANCE is EXPECTED.

SAFETY and ACCESS: While public bodies can take steps to ensure safety, they cannot use excessive measures (like limiting capacity to a very small number) to prevent people from attending."

*Chicago Tribune article quotes the Village: "With large crowds likely at both the March and April meetings, Mera Johnson, CH Assistant Village Manager, said she is working on creating an overflow space in the Village Hall lobby, with a TV and chairs. "And as always, people can log in online and also comment online," she said."