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Aurora Committee of the Whole adds dozens of items to consent agenda, holds closed session on personnel/negotiations/litigation
Summary
At the Dec. 16 Committee of the Whole, the council moved into closed session under Open Meetings Act Sections 2(c)(1),(2) and (11) (personnel, negotiations, litigation), voted 12–0 to recess, and returned to add numerous infrastructure, procurement, grant and personnel items to the consent agenda (airport fuel fee increase, BNSF bike-path/right-of-way work, MS/IT purchases and multiple design/engineering contracts). A public commenter urged stricter ethics rules.
The Aurora Committee of the Whole recessed to closed session on Dec. 16 after a motion by Alderwoman Smith, seconded by Alderman Franco, invoking the Illinois Open Meetings Act for personnel matters (Section 2(c)(1)), collective negotiating matters (Section 2(c)(2)) and litigation (Section 2(c)(11)); the clerk recorded a roll-call vote of 12–0 in favor of the motion. The meeting returned to open session at 7:55 p.m.
Before the closed session, public commenter Rick Lawrence used his allotted three minutes to criticize a proposed ethics ordinance and campaign-donation rules, saying state law already covers donations but that the “side stuff” — gifts, free event tickets, vacations — creates opportunities for corruption. Lawrence alleged past correlations between $5,000 contributions and contract awards and urged limits on the use of ward funds and free tickets.
After returning to open session, committee chairs summarized items approved in committee and recommended for placement on the consent agenda. Notable items added to…
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