Local News
Special meeting canceled at last minute
ST. ELMO — A special meeting of St. Elmo City Council was canceled Wednesday night about an hour prior to the meeting to avoid a violation of the Open Meetings Act.
Anticipating a large crowd would attend the meeting to discuss the President riverboat project on Tower Lake, the special meeting was scheduled to be held at the Phillips Building, instead of St. Elmo City Hall.
The meeting agenda was posted at City Hall, online and sent to area media outlets, but it was not posted at the Phillips Building. City Clerk Lynne Helsel said a citizen launched a complaint that the agenda not being posted at the meeting place was a violation of the Open Meetings Act and threatened to sue the city if the meeting was held.
Mayor Larry Tish contacted Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office for advice, who informed him by e-mail that not posting the agenda at the location 48 hours in advance of the meeting would indeed be a violation of the Open Meetings Act.
“We would advise a public body that finds itself in such a situation to avoid the potential violation by postponing the meeting in order to properly post the notice,” Assistant Public Access Counselor Amanda Lundeen said in her e-mail to Tish.
Helsel posted the cancellation notice at the Phillips Building around 6:30 p.m., 30 minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin.
Several people had already shown up at the building for the meeting and expressed disappointment at not getting to discuss the riverboat project. The meeting has not been rescheduled.
The council was to discuss a motion to support the President riverboat project the council passed in a 4-2 vote earlier in the month. Mayor Tish later vetoed that action. Also on the agenda was discussion of a grant for Tower Lake.
Angie Faller can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 131 or angie.faller@effinghamdailynews.com.
- Local News
-
-
A dream come true
The Early Learning Center in Effingham has two new additions to its playground this year, and it’s not shiny new slides or colorful jungle gyms.
-
T-town village donates to school programs
Teutopolis hasn’t had a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program for more than a decade, but the village still had a fund for donations that had been made to the program.
-
Alcohol sales stir up extra revenue
Since voters allowed liquor sales in Farina earlier this year, village officials and store owners have noticed a change — and it’s positive.
-
Police release 'person of interest' sketch in Schmitt murder investigation
Effingham police released a sketch Tuesday of a "person of interest" in the June murder of Effingham resident Jack Schmitt.
-
Elderly couple escapes burning house thanks to neighbor
An elderly Shumway couple was able to escape a house fire unharmed Sunday night thanks to a neighbor who alerted the fire department and came to the aid of the husband and wife.
-
Giving Back
In many ways, Autumn Worton is like many other 21-year-old women.
-
Making a Difference
Mack Myers of Kinmundy has lived with a hereditary neurological disorder his entire life, and he credits the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) for helping him cope with the disorder that’s affected him since 1947.
-
Area unemployment inches higher
Unemployment rates increased in nearly every area county last month, according to monthly statistics released this week by the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
-
Local historians want to preserve, relocate bowstring bridge
The old Flensburg bridge is a rare glimpse into days gone by, though the modern-day resident has to use some imagination to see the bridge’s historical significance.
-
Drug checkpoint questionable
Motorists traveling southbound on Interstate 57 near Kinmundy Tuesday morning drove through a drug interdiction checkpoint — the first-ever in Marion County — even though the U.S. Supreme Court has taken a dim view of similar efforts.
- More Local News Headlines
-
