cover
TO: Mayor John Laesch
FROM: Law Department
DATE: June 18, 2025
SUBJECT:
Authorizing the membership of City officers and employees on the Board of Directors of On Light Aurora, Inc.
PURPOSE:
To authorize the Mayor, the Chief Information Officer, and one member of the City Council to serve as members of the Board of Directors of On Light Aurora
BACKGROUND:
On January 19, 2012, On Light Aurora (OLA) was incorporated under the Illinois General Not For Profit Corporation Act exclusively for charitable and educational purposes to collaboratively assist the development of economic development opportunities within the community through broadband and Internet Access, data centers, and other technology. OLA was formed at the recommendation of then-Mayor Thomas Weisner's Broadband Roundtable and since its inception was intended to be the "private" component of a public-private partnership with the City to promote the City's extensive fiber optic network. OLA's Articles of Incorporation specifically provide that upon its dissolution must be used for charitable purposes or distributed to the City for a public purpose.
In furtherance of this partnership, OLA's 2012 Bylaws provided that the Mayor, Chief Information Officer, and an Alderman of the City of Aurora (selected by the other directors) would serve as members of the OLA board of directors.
Beginning in 2012, the City entered into a series of agreements with OLA wherein OLA was authorized to use and maintain portions of the City's fiber optic network. The most recent agreement was approved by the City Council in 2018.
Since 2010, the Public Officers Prohibited Activities Act as well as Sec. 3.1-55-10 of the Illinois Municipal Code have provided that a municipal officer may hold a position on the board of a not-for-profit corporation that contracts with the officer's municipality to represent the interests of the municipality if the officer is appointed by the governing board of the municipality and the ...
Click here for full text