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Town of Normal, Illinois. Committed to Service Excellence.

Council Meeting Information

The Town Council is interested in the concerns of Normal citizens and welcomes their input on the issues facing our community. In order to provide for an effective, orderly airing of opinion, certain rules have been adopted by the Council on how citizens may make their views known. This information summarizes those procedures which can be found in the Municipal Code of the Town of Normal, 1969, as amended, Chapter 3, Division 1-Meetings of the President and Board of Trustees.

In order to facilitate the orderly conduct of business, an agenda is prepared for each Regular or Special Council meeting. Agendas for each Town Council Meeting and Work Session are available in the Clerk’s office at City Hall, 100 East Phoenix, between the hours of 8:30 am - 5:00 pm on the day of the meeting.

The order of business is as follows:

Award Presentations

Liquor Commission Meetings

Public Hearings

  1. Call to order
  2. Roll call
  3. Pledge of Allegiance
  4. Omnibus Vote ("Consent") Agenda
  5. Items Removed from Omnibus Vote agenda
  6. General orders
  7. Other old business
  8. New business
  9. Concerns
  10. Adjournment

If you wish to present an item for a future agenda, you must contact the City Manager’s Office in writing at least one week in advance of the Council meeting. If you have questions on this procedure or wish to discuss whether you should address the Council, please contact the City Manager, Mayor or any Council Member.

Regular Town Council Meetings (First and Third Mondays)

The Regular Meetings of the Council are held on the first and third Mondays of each month of the year at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Any regular meeting falling upon a legal holiday is held on the next day that is not a holiday.

The purpose of the Regular Council Meeting is to take formal action on all issues affecting the Town of Normal. Some major items of legislation will have already been discussed in work sessions prior to their inclusion as agenda items for the Regular Council Meeting.

During the Town Council Meetings, after each item has been called by the Mayor, the Council may ask questions of staff concerning issues being considered. The Mayor will ask if members of the staff have comments and then the proponents will present their information. At this point, the Mayor may ask if there are members of the audience who wish to address the Council on these issues. On items that are considered to be routine in nature, the Mayor does not typically ask for public input. Therefore, it is prudent to notify the Mayor is advance that you would like to address the Council on a certain item. If you wish to address the Council regarding the issues, the following procedure must be followed:

  1. Secure the recognition of the Mayor and approach the podium. State your name and address for the record, and indicate if you are representing a group or an organization.
  2. Your comments should be addressed to the Council as a whole, not to individual Council members.
  3. Town Council policies recognize the vital necessity of obtaining comments from the public, therefore, your are asked to make a concise statement of your opinions and not try to establish a dialogue with the Council members. This helps prevent lengthy digressions and gives all who desire to speak an opportunity to do so.
  4. Your remarks should concern the issue being considered.
    1. Individuals – Remarks must be limited to three minutes
    2. Groups – If a group wishes to address the Council, a spokesperson should be chosen from the group to address the Council. The spokesperson and the total presentation to the Council must be limited to ten minutes. Further time may be granted by the Council.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

Should you desire a copy of public records, you are required under State law to file an F.O.I.A. request with the City Clerk. You may do so anytime Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at City Hall, 100 East Phoenix.

Public Hearings

The purpose of a Public Hearing is to seek formal input as required by Ordinance or Statute on certain issues; for example, annexation agreements, budget, etc. The Mayor shall announce each item.

The order of the hearing is as follows:

  • Presentation by staff, committee or commission
  • Presentation by applicant
  • Presentation by people in favor
  • Presentation by people in opposition
  • Council questions

During the Public Hearing, the Mayor will ask if members of the audience wish to address the Council regarding the issue under consideration.

If you wish to address the Council, the procedures listed under "Regular Town Council Meeting" should be followed. However, the time limits may be extended during Public Hearings as follows:

  • Applicant – shall have ten (10) minutes
  • Group Spokespersons (for or against the issue) – shall each have ten (10) minutes.
  • Individuals offering testimony shall be limited to three (3) minutes.

The Mayor may set longer time limits than otherwise allowed in order to provide a fair hearing. When there is no further evidence to be produced by the applicant, the opponents or the staff, or when in the opinion of the Council present, sufficient evidence has been presented, the Mayor shall order the Public Hearing closed.

Executive Sessions

Executive Sessions are closed meetings which allow the Council to discuss certain matters of a sensitive nature which affect the Town. Areas which may be discussed in Executive Session are specified in the State of Illinois Open Meetings Act; examples include but are not limited to appointment/employment or dismissal of an employee or officer, land acquisition, collective bargaining/labor negotiations, and pending litigation involving the Town.

When a motion is made to adjourn to an Executive Session, only that specific topic can be discussed and no final action may be taken on it during the closed Executive Session in accordance with the Open Meetings Act.

After the Council has determined that it is no longer necessary to protect the public interest or privacy of an individual, minutes of the closed meeting or session are made available to the public.

Address Council Outside of Meetings

The public is encouraged to communicate questions and concerns to the Mayor and Town Council. You may do so by directly contacting (either orally or in writing) the Mayor or any Council Members. In addition, you may contact the City Manager or any member of Town Staff at City Hall in writing and indicate that this information is to be shared with the Town Council. Copies of the communication will be distributed to the Mayor and each Council Member.

Disturbing Meetings

No person shall interrupt, disturb, or disrupt any Regular or Special Meeting or Work session of the Council. Upon direction of the Mayor, any such person shall leave the Council Chambers and the Town building.

Failure to Observe Procedures

Council may occasionally deviate from the procedures outlined in this information, but failure to strictly observe these rules will not affect the jurisdiction of Council or invalidate any action taken at a meeting that is otherwise held in conformity with law.

This page last modified 05/05/08.