Jersey County May Buy Back Tax Sale Property

JERSEYVILLE - The Jersey County Board Offices Committee held a meeting in an interior office space at the county annex building on August 21. 2018. Conspicuously absent was County Board Chair Don Little.

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The committee considered a buyback of property sold at a tax sale and making sure one of the county websites is ADA compliant.

Little, the previous evening, had ejected the only media representative from a Personnel Committee meeting before the meeting started. Little became agitated when he realized the media representative was there and said they were not supposed to be there as this was a closed session meeting. When reminded that the meeting needed to be conducted first as an open session, Little interrupted, started raising his voice and kept repeating "goodbye". The person being ejected asked Little if he was sure he wanted to do this and Little once again responded with "Goodbye!"

Little then minutes later came outside and advised the person that they would now hold an open session. Little then disappeared and no meeting could be located. Others in the building had no idea where the committee members were and were looking for them as well. Eventually the members streamed out of an interior office that had the door shut with no indication of activity and when asked if they were now going into open session, Little responded that they had just had that portion of the meeting and now it was going into closed session. When told that they had violated the Open Meetings Act, Little responded with, "The door was unlocked". Little also refused the media request to notify them when the closed session was over and instead said that he might answer a question of he could when everything was over.

Little waited until he was the last one to leave the building and when questioned angrily debated his actions. He ended the conversation by saying, "Deal with Ben", making a reference to Jersey County State's Attorney Ben Goetten. He then entered his vehicle and slammed his door closed.

Under the Illinois Open Meetings Act, all public bodies must follow strict guidelines if any part of a meeting is to be undertaken during a closed session. Little violated numerous sections of the act, including ejecting a person before the meeting began as well as not holding an open session and then conducting a vote to go into closed session. Open sessions are supposed to immediately follow the closed session as well.

There is a 60 day window to file suit if the Open Meetings Act has been violated.