TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF MAY 15, 2008
COMMITTEE ON STATE LEGISLATION AND RULES
Mr. Richard Lanyon, General Superintendent
Title
Adoption of Amendments to the Rules of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
Body
Dear Sir:
In December of 1977, the Board of Commissioners adopted the Rules of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (“Rules”) to govern all of its regular and special meetings. These Rules have been amended from time to time with the last amendments adopted on February 20, 2003. A copy of these Rules is attached.
In accordance with a directive from the General Superintendent, the Department Heads were instructed to propose new rules in order to maintain and preserve security due to several unfortunate incidents occurring at governmental meetings throughout the country, most notably, the City of Kirkwood case in Missouri, as well as to maintain proper decorum during public meetings. The Law Department reviewed the current Rules governing the Board of Commissioners’ meetings along with the suggestions from the other departments.
The following are the proposed amendments to the Rules. The revisions have been bolded. The deleted provisions have been stricken.
SECTION 5.5 - Duties of Presiding Officer
The presiding officer shall preserve order and decorum, may speak to points of order in preference to other Commissioners and shall decide all questions of order, subject to appeal. In case of any disturbances or disorderly conduct, the presiding officer shall have the power to require the chamber boardroom to be cleared or the person(s) causing the disturbance to be removed from the boardroom. Refusal to leave shall subject that person to arrest.
SECTION 5.6 - Decorum at Meetings
While any person is speaking, no Commissioner or staff member shall hold any private discourse or pass between speaker and the Chair. No food or alcoholic beverages shall be permitted in the meeting room during meetings. The general public shall not be allowed to bring food and/or beverages into the boardroom.
SECTION 5.27 - Limit on Public Speakers
Any person desiring to speak at a meeting of the Board or its committees shall submit a Speaker’s Request setting forth his/her name, address and the organization he/she represents, if any, and a description of the topic he/she wishes to discuss to the Clerk of the District Such person shall District’s Public Information Coordinator at the back of Affairs Manager or her/his designee located near the entrance inside the boardroom. It is within the presiding officer’s discretion whether or not to allow members of the public to speak. Such person shall address a meeting of the Board or a committee by leave of the members for a period not to exceed three minutes, unless otherwise permitted by the Board. If a request to speak is granted, the speaker shall have three minutes unless more or less time is allowed by the presiding officer. Members of the public may request permission from the presiding officer to speak on any subject relevant to the business of the Board of Commissioners. The presiding officer may rescind such permission instanter where the speaker is determined by him/her to be disruptive or otherwise acting in a manner which unreasonably prevents or interferes with the orderly conduct of the business of the Board of Commissioners.
SECTION 5.29 - Conduct of Visitors in the Boardroom
Except as allowed pursuant to the Open Meetings Act, meetings of the District’s Board of Commissioners are open to the public.
All visitors must sign in and surrender a picture I.D. prior to entering the boardroom. Visitors must also go through the metal detector and shall be subject to search including all briefcases, backpacks, bags, purses and other personal belongings. Visitors must remove all of their personal effects from the boardroom when they leave the boardroom for any reason.
Based upon safety and security considerations, the total number of people allowed into the Board Room boardroom shall not exceed the number of seats available or the posted maximum occupancy as allowed by the Chicago Fire Department. No one will be allowed to stand during the meeting except when called upon to come to the speaker’s podium. Members of the general public in attendance at a meeting of the Board of Commissioners shall not leave their seats, stand, or move about the room.
Members of the general public shall not sit in the first two rows of the permanent seating in the boardroom, which are reserved for District employees. No members of the general public shall move about the boardroom during meetings. Members of the general public will not be allowed to leave their seats, stand or make comments, engage in discussions, commentary or any other verbal communications during a Board meeting or other committee meeting, except as permitted by the Rules of the Board of Commissioners of the District or upon leave granted by the presiding officer.
No placards, flags, posters or other signs which obscure the vision of other visitors, or which are of unreasonable size or weight, or which otherwise present a safety or security hazard, will be allowed into the Board Room boardroom.
No megaphones, amplifiers or other means of voice amplification will be allowed into the Board Room boardroom. Cell phones and/or pagers are to be turned off in the Board Room. The use of cell phones, pagers, laptop computers, or other electronic devices which emit sound during the meetings is prohibited, and such devices must be turned off before entering the boardroom.
Members of the general public will not be allowed to make comments, engage in discussion, commentary or any other verbal communication during a Board Meeting, except as permitted by the Rules of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.
Member of the general public will not be allowed to loiter in the lobby or any other portion of the District’s premises.
Any loitering, disorderly conduct or other conduct on District property during Board meetings which creates loud or unusual noise or a nuisance; which unreasonably obstructs the usual use of the entrance, foyer, lobbies, corridors, offices, elevators, or stairways; which otherwise impedes or disrupts the performance of official duties by District employees; or which prevents the general public from obtaining the administrative services provided on the property in a timely manner, is prohibited.
If any member or members of the general public shall fail to conduct themselves in accordance with this Section, or any other applicable Sections of the Rules of the Board of Commissioners during a meeting of the Board of Commissioners, or other committee meetings, they will be escorted from the meeting.
Accordingly, it is requested that the General Superintendent recommend to the Board of Commissioners that it authorize and adopt the amendments to the Rules of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago; it is further requested that if adopted, a condensed version of the new Rules be developed for handout and posting during Board meetings.
Requested, Frederick M. Feldman, FMF:LAG:MLD:ldl
Recommended, Richard Lanyon, General Superintendent
Respectfully Submitted, Debra Shore, Chairman Committee State Legislation and Rules
ORDERED passed by affirmative roll call vote of a majority of the Commissioners present this May 15, 2008. Approved, President Terrence J. O’Brien