Plainfield Violated Open Meetings Act

Photo: Plainfield Mayor Michael Collins

The Illinois Attorney General’s Office ruled that the Plainfield Village Board violated the Illinois Open Meetings Act by denying a resident a chance to publicly comment on an agenda item, according to a report from The Herald-News.

Plainfield resident Mark Chmura said Mayor Michael Collins denied him public comment on an agenda item during a special board meeting Oct. 13. Chmura wanted to comment on a village agreement to give $129,567.50 to the Hidden River subdivision pavement project.

In its July 21 ruling, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office said Collins denied Chmura the chance to speak on an agenda item and the board didn’t allow him to address members during the meeting.

To remedy the ruling, the office states the board must “establish and record reasonable rules, which encourage rather than discourage public comment, as soon as practicable.”

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