Manteno trustees pause proposed remote-attendance ordinance after public raises concerns

The Village public safety committee discussed a proposed amendment to Ordinance 25-38 §10 governing remote attendance for village trustees and heard public concerns that the draft is too vague and lacks operational rules.

Chair opened the agenda item by reading an email from a resident opposing the amendment and urging that trustees be “present, engaged, and accessible” at meetings. During public participation, Cheryl Miller said the draft needs limits and clarity: “I feel you should cap the number of remote meetings a person can attend a year,” she said, and recommended limiting consecutive remote meetings and requiring a quiet, distraction-free background.

Miller also cited a report quoting the village attorney about the requirement that remote participation be contemporaneous, saying, “it has to be contemporaneous. You have to be able to hear, see, and talk with them,” and questioned how audio-only attendance would allow a participant to view visual exhibits.

Trustees and staff discussed how the Illinois Open Meetings Act allows remote participation only under rules adopted by the public body, and several trustees urged that implementing rules — describing how requests will be made, how votes will be taken, how the public will hear discussion, and how the clerk will document attendance — be drafted alongside the ordinance. Trustees referenced examples from nearby municipalities that require 48 hours’ notice, limit telephone participation to a specified number of meetings per fiscal year, and restrict the number of simultaneously remote trustees.

One trustee emphasized a preference for video rather than audio-only participation so the public can see the participating trustee, and staff agreed more detail and guardrails are needed before adoption. Toward the end of the discussion a trustee said they would move to table the ordinance until such rules are drafted; the transcript records the motion being proposed but does not include a formal roll-call vote on the motion in the recorded segments.

The committee directed staff to compile examples and suggested provisions for the next committee meeting and to circulate proposals in advance so members can review a consistent draft.

The committee plans additional discussion at its next committee meeting; no ordinance change was adopted at this session.