Pastor Blasts Heights City Council's 'Restrictive Practices': Letters to the Editor

Chicago Heights Patch is accepting letters to the editor, which will be posted on the site as received.

The following letter was submitted to Patch by the Rev. Leona Tichenor of the Olympia Fields United Methodist Church.

Tichenor is a Chicago Heights resident who attended the April 18 city council meeting. In the letter, Tichenor expresses her opinion of the procedures the Chicago Heights city government uses (or doesn't use) when introducing an ordinance to be voted on.

If you're interesting in submitting a letter, send an e-mail to christopher.paicely@patch.com.

Top Secret in Chicago Heights

One of the urban legends municipal lawyers sometimes accept as true pertains to the public distribution of pending ordinances before city councils.  According to this legend, all manner of confusion and chaos will unfold if the public is allowed to look at a draft of a pending ordinance before the City Council passes it.  Therefore, pending ordinances must be squirreled away in folders marked “Top Secret” prior to their approval lest the public have an opportunity to comment before they are passed.  Pity the poor lawmakers in Washington and Springfield who have to contend with a whole firestorm of public comment and criticism every time they introduce a bill!  Thankfully, local officials are protected from such nuisances by the gullibility of their corporation counsels who believe the urban folktale.  With paternal fervor, they protect the public from finding out what is going on until after the vote.

Last night (April 18) the Chicago Heights City Council voted on a number of amendments to the lengthy Chapter Four of city ordinances pertaining to the regulation of alcohol within the city.  It was apparent from the comments of one alderman, that members of the City Council had little foreknowledge that this group of amendments was coming.  According to corporation counsel, the purpose of the ordinance was to permit one additional liquor license for Walgreens and to comprehensively clean up language so the Chapter as a whole is more coherent.  Whatever the merits of the proposed legislation, the problem is no member of the public could obtain a copy of the legislation for review prior to the passage and still cannot read what was passed until ten days hence.  Is this any way to run a city?

Neighboring communities have long adopted a far different approach in making proposed ordinances available at City Hall prior to public meetings and welcoming comment from the community.  In the Village of Olympia Fields drafts of the ordinances are available at Friday noon on agenda items to be acted upon the following Monday evening.  In the Village of Homewood, the entire board packet (except for closed session materials) is available for public inspection at both Village Hall and the Public Library as soon as the materials are released to Village Board members.  Park Forest also makes the packet available for public inspection prior to the meeting. Why does Chicago Heights cling to such a restrictive practice?

Chicago Heights needs more sunshine at City Hall, It is time to abandon legal folk tales and secrecy and begin making proposed ordinances available to the public at the same time they are released to City Council members for review.

-Leona Tichenor