Politics & Government

Evergreen Tour Sparks Open Meetings Act Review

Lisa Madigan's office reviewing allegations that Feb. 27 tour by Joliet City Council members violated the act.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is reviewing a complaint alleging that members of the Joliet City Council violated the Open Meetings Act when they toured the city's Evergreen Terrace apartment complex in February.

Joliet resident Joanne Sautkus of Burbank requested the review after City Council members Larry Hug, Bob O’DeKirk, Jim McFarland and Terry Morris toured the complex on Feb. 27. 

According to the Bugle newspaper, Assistant Attorney General Shari L. West sent a letter to Joliet City Clerk Christa Desiderio last month saying that Sautkus "(alleged) that the Joliet City Council … violated the provisions of (the Open Meetings Act) by having a meeting that was not open to the public at Evergreen Terrace."

Madigan's office determined that further inquiry was warranted, the letter said.

The Open Meetings Act defines a meeting as a gathering of a majority of a quorum of a governing body, whether in person or electronically. In the case of the nine-member Joliet City Council, three members would constitute a majority of a quorum.

In addition to the four city council members, the Bugle reported that members of the St. John’s and St. Peter’s Neighborhood Organization and the Cunningham Neighborhood Council also went on the Feb. 27 tour.

The City of Joliet has been embroiled in a nearly 10-year battle to acquire Evergreen Terrace through a condemnation suit and redevelop the site.

The city has pledged that if it wins the lawsuit, it will provide relocation help to any subsidized renter who wants to stay in Joliet and that a community center or daycare facility will be set up to benefit those Evergreen Terrace residents who remain.

A report released last month by Joliet Police claims that crime at the apartment complex is more than three times the city's average.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here