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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: Wendy McCambridge, City Clerk
DATE: January 24, 2018
SUBJECT:
A Resolution concerning the authorization of the destruction of certain closed session recordings.
PURPOSE:
Council approval to destroy certain verbatim records of the closed session minutes.
BACKGROUND:
The Open Meetings Act allows for municipalities to destroy the verbatim recordings of closed sessions after eighteen (18) months with the permission from City Council and when there is no lawsuit pending on the validity of holding a closed session.
DISCUSSION:
The Council is permitted by the Open Meetings Act to destroy the verbatim recordings of Closed Sessions and best practice is to control the volume of records by regularly adhering to a retention schedule. At the bi-annual meeting to review the release of written minutes the destruction of verbatim recordings should also be considered and acted upon by Council.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
None.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
To approve the resolution for the destruction of the verbatim recordings from Closed Sessions held on the dates in the corresponding Resolution.
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
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A Resolution Authorizing the Destruction of Certain Closed Session Recordings.
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WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, the provisions of the Open Meetings Act require the verbatim record in the form of an audio or video recording of all Closed Sessions of all governmental bodies; and
WHEREAS, the Open Meetings Act permits governmental bodies to destroy the verbatim record of closed meetings without notification to or the approval of a Records Commission of the State Archivist not less than eighteen (18) months after the completion of the meeting recorded, but only after it approves the destruction of a particular recording an approved written Minutes of the closed meeting; and
WHEREAS, the written Minutes of the following Closed Sessions of the City Council have met the requirements of the Open Meetings Act and the audio recordings are now ready for destruction, as follows:
January 13, 2015 January 20, 2015
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows: that the audio recordings of the Closed Session of the City Council from all meetings listed here and held prior to January 20, 2015 be hereby destroyed.