LaSalle County board upholds chairs email-notice interpretation in close procedural vote

LaSalle County Board held an extended appeal and roll-call vote Nov. 3 over whether an emailed notice satisfied the board-rule requirement that the county board chairman must "notify all board members in writing" within 10 days if the chair does not approve an ordinance, resolution or motion. After debate the board voted to uphold the chairs interpretation that an email met the written-notice requirement; the roll-call result was recorded as 14 yes and 11 no, and the chairs ruling carried.

County legal counsel (identified in the transcript as Mister Herman) advised the chair that an email constitutes a written notice in his view, provided a county email address is available to members. Board members opposed to that view argued the rule language meant paper or signed written notice and that not all members reliably receive email; supporters countered that the board has adopted email usage and county addresses and that email is a reasonable modern form of written notice.

The boards vote on the appeal had the practical effect of leaving the previously passed ordinance in effect because the statutory ten-day window for the chairs objection had passed. Several members said the rules should be revised by the legislation and rules committee to explicitly add or remove email as an accepted form of written notice in the future.

Provenance: Debate began at 01:40:32 and the roll-call appeal concluded at roughly 01:49:57; the transcript records questions and multiple legal clarifications.