Electronic Meetings Policy
The Board of Library Trustees of Normal Public Library believes it is in the best interest of its residents and taxpayers that the fullest participation and attendance by board members in all board meetings be achieved whenever possible; and
The use of electronic conferencing for meeting attendance and voting requirements, at least in some governmental meetings, is permissible so long as the meeting is conducted in accordance with the Open Meetings Act; and
The Open Meetings Act has been amended to allow attendance at public body meetings through audio-conference, video-conference, or by any other electronic conferencing without physical attendance; and
The Board in all of its regular, special, and committee meetings complies and intends to comply with the provisions of the Open Meetings Act.
The Board of Library Trustees, having considered the aforesaid matters, hereby adopts this policy to be used when needed, to make use of the capabilities for conferencing by electronic means or any other type of conferencing for its meetings as more specifically set out in this resolution, and to adopt, establish, and set forth the rules of the board applicable thereto:
1) All pertinent provisions of the Open Meetings Act must be complied with, including specifically the proper notice of any regular or special meeting, the proper record keeping or minutes of each meeting, and the appropriate agenda preparation for each meeting, which in addition shall be posted along with the notice of the meeting; in particular, any use of closed sessions shall be in compliance with the provisions of the act.
2) That sufficient security and identification procedures be employed, either at the outset of any meeting or at any time during the meeting as appropriate, to ensure that any and all members attending for discussion or voting purposes are in fact an authorized member with the right to speak and vote.
3) Pursuant to the Open Meetings Act, a quorum of members of the board must be physically present at the location of the meeting. Only additional members, i.e., those members not part of the required physically present quorum, may attend by video and/or audio conferencing or by other electronic means. In the case of emergencies, when a disaster has been declared including our area, the rules and provisions regarding electronic attendance under section 7(e) of the Open Meetings Act [5 ILCS 120/7(e)] shall apply instead of the provisions of this Policy.
4) All board members attending meetings by electronic conferencing shall be entitled to vote as if they were personally and physically present at the meeting site so long as a physical quorum is present, but their votes shall be recorded by the secretary as done by electronic attendance.
5) A board member who attends a meeting by video or audio conference must provide notice to the recording secretary or clerk of the board at least 24 hours prior to the meeting unless such advanced noticed is impracticable.
6) A board member may attend a meeting through electronic conferencing if his or her physical presence at the meeting is prevented due to (i) personal illness or disability; (ii) employment purposes or the business of the board; or (iii) a family or other emergency; or (iv) unexpected childcare obligations.
7) As soon as it becomes apparent to the Board that a meeting will include electronic conferencing, all subsequent notices of the meeting shall indicate that one or more board members will or may be attending by electronic means. In the event that the notice of the meeting has already been disseminated and posted, a follow-up notice indicating the above shall be placed as soon as possible. In the event any news media have filed the annual request for notice of meetings, they shall receive an updated notice in the same manner as given to all members of the board.
8) The meeting minutes shall include, but need not be limited to; (i) the date, time, and place of the meeting; (ii) the members of the board who were either present or absent from the meeting and whether those members in attendance were physically present or present by audio conference, video conference, or by other electronic means; and (iii) a summary of discussion on all matters proposed, deliberated, or decided, and a record of any votes taken.
9) This policy shall not be construed to mean that conferencing by electronic means shall be regularly used or used at every meeting of the board but shall be used only as necessary to allow the participation of board members who are unable to attend in person due to such circumstances listed in provision 6 of this policy.
10) The location of the meeting included on the notice shall be equipped with a suitable transmission system (e.g. a speakerphone) in order that the public audience, the library members in attendance, and any staff will be able to hear any input, vote, or discussion of the conference and that the member attending by electronic means shall have a similar capability of hearing such input, vote, or discussion.
Approved by the Board of Trustees of Normal Public Library, September 25, 2019. Amended December 20, 2023.