Village committee OKs ordinance to expand remote attendance for trustees

The General Administration and Personnel Committee approved May 12 an ordinance to amend Chapter 2, Article 2 of the Hoffman Estates Municipal Code to clarify and expand remote participation rules for elected officials.

Under the approved changes, as long as a physical quorum is present (corporate authority of seven means a quorum of four), up to three members may participate remotely if they meet one of the exceptions allowed under the Illinois Open Meetings Act (for example, illness or employment obligations). The ordinance requires remote participants to notify the mayor and the village clerk in advance and adds a required vote at the start of the meeting to permit remote participation, as the Open Meetings Act requires.

The revision also removes a local requirement that every vote during meetings with remote participants be taken by roll call; voting will follow normal procedures unless the board directs otherwise. Staff said the village’s upgraded Zoom integration is hardwired into the council chamber and can support multiple remote participants.

Committee members discussed past ad hoc limits and asked staff to confirm whether any self‑imposed limits on number of remote appearances should remain; staff said the prior subsection limiting remote participation had been struck and that the ordinance would bring local code into alignment with state law.

The committee approved the ordinance by roll call.