East Central Reporter

The Attorney General’s Public Access Bureau has issued Binding Opinion #24-010, directing the Village of Dolton to take immediate action to ensure future meetings are accessible and open to the public. The opinion specifies that meetings should be held in locations with adequate space and configured to accommodate attendees. While reasonable safety measures are allowed, the Board is instructed to avoid unnecessary security measures such as street closures, parking barricades, and an excessive police presence that could impede or deter public attendance.

The directive follows actions by village officials that included blocking off parking lots and streets around Village Hall, forcing handicapped and elderly individuals to walk significant distances to attend meetings. Meetings were also held in small rooms despite anticipating large turnouts, excessive police presence was noted, and trustees were reportedly locked out of the building.

“There was no threat to Mayor Henyard,” stated the opinion. “The Board argued, in Chief Lacey’s letter, that heightened security concerns justified such extensive restrictions. This assertion is unpersuasive. Although prior Board meetings had been contentious due to division within the Board and public displeasure with allegations of misconduct against Village officials, the letter mailed from Rhode Island was the only evidence provided in support of these measures. The letter was critical and insulting but did not implicitly or explicitly threaten violence. More importantly, the letter did not arrive until after the two meetings occurred.”