Boards Commissions and Committees Member Handbook

Handbook for Members of
Boards, Commissions, and Committees
of the City of Evanston, Illinois
May, 2009

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Reproduction of This Report Was Supported
by the
League of Women Voters Evanston’s
Susan Horowitz Memorial Fund
Special thanks to Sue Brenner, Leslie Murphy, Jan Otwell, Cheryl Schrader-Chukwu,
and Karen Telser for extraordinary assistance
in completing the committee’s review and report.
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The Purpose of This Handbook
This handbook is intended to provide information for members of City of Evanston
boards, commissions, and committees, and for City of Evanston staff members who
support those groups, to assist them in understanding their roles and fulfilling their
responsibilities.
This handbook was created in September, 2008, as a joint effort between the
League of Women Voters of Evanston and City of Evanston staff, in fulfillment of
Objective 9B of the 2006 City of Evanston Strategic Plan: “Provide standardized training
and orientation for members and assigned staff.”
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Table of Contents
WELCOME! ............................................................................................................................................... 7
ABOUT THE CITY OF EVANSTON ...................................................................................................... 8
CURRENT GOVERNMENTAL STRUCTURE ................................................................................... 11
T HE COUNCIL -M ANAGER F ORM OF GOVERNMENT................................................................................ 11
The City Manager ............................................................................................................................... 12
The Mayor........................................................................................................................................... 12
The City Council ................................................................................................................................. 12
Standing Committees of the City Council ...................................................................................... 13
City Council Meetings .................................................................................................................... 13
The City Clerk ..................................................................................................................................... 14
ABOUT EVANSTON’S BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, AND COMMITTEES ................................... 14
W HAT ARE BOARDS, C OMMISSIONS, AND COMMITTEES? ..................................................................... 14
To Whom Are B/C/C’s Accountable?.................................................................................................. 15
GUIDING P RINCIPLES FOR GOVERNANCE ............................................................................................... 15
City of Evanston Code of Ethics ......................................................................................................... 15
Financial Disclosure and Statement of Economic Interests ............................................................... 16
Transparency: ..................................................................................................................................... 16
Open Meetings Act ......................................................................................................................... 16
Freedom of Information Act ........................................................................................................... 16
Minute-Taking ................................................................................................................................ 17
Advocacy and Impartiality.............................................................................................................. 17
Communications ................................................................................................................................. 17
Confidentiality..................................................................................................................................... 17
GOOD “B OARDSMANSHIP”: ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES .................................................................. 17
As a B/C/C Member ............................................................................................................................ 18
As a B/C/C Chair ................................................................................................................................ 19
As City of Evanston Staff..................................................................................................................... 21
APPENDIX................................................................................................................................................ 22
M AP OF W ARDS AND P RECINCTS IN E VANSTON..................................................................................... 23
T ELEPHONE NUMBERS OF CITY DEPARTMENTS ..................................................................................... 24
E VANSTON CITY CODE ........................................................................................................................... 25
CITY OF E VANSTON CODE OF E THICS..................................................................................................... 26
Ordinance 1-10-4: CODE OF ETHICS.............................................................................................. 26
1. 	Impartiality.............................................................................................................................. 26
2. 	Use of Public Property ............................................................................................................ 26
3. 	Conflict of Interest .................................................................................................................. 27
O PEN M EETINGS A CT........................................................................................................................ 29
F REEDOM OF I NFORMATION ACT (5 ILCS 140)...................................................................................... 34
Evanston’s Freedom of Information Act Policy.................................................................................. 35
Denying a FOIA Request .................................................................................................................... 35
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S TRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE CITY OF E VANSTON ..................................................................................... 36
Mission Statement ............................................................................................................................... 36
Vision .................................................................................................................................................. 36
Goals ................................................................................................................................................... 36
Economic Viability ......................................................................................................................... 36
Strengthening Community: Neighborhoods .................................................................................. 37
Strengthening Community: Social Programs................................................................................. 38
Strengthening Community: Partnerships ....................................................................................... 38
Strengthening Community: Governance........................................................................................ 39
Environmental Sustainability: Infrastructure ................................................................................. 39
Environmental Sustainability: Natural Resources ......................................................................... 40
CALENDAR OF CITY-S PONSORED E VENTS.............................................................................................. 41
RELATIONSHIP OF BOARDS , COMMISSIONS, AND COMMITTEES TO CITY COUNCIL............................... 42
E VANSTON’ S BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, AND COMMITTEES, IN BRIEF (2008)......................................... 43
B/C/C APPLICATION F ORM ..................................................................................................................... 45
P ARLIAMENTARY P ROCEDURES, IN BRIEF.............................................................................................. 46
Making a Motion................................................................................................................................. 46
COMMON-S ENSE ADVICE FOR B/C/C M EMBERS.................................................................................... 48
GUIDELINES FOR B/C/C S ELF-ASSESSMENTS ......................................................................................... 50
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Welcome!
Thank you for agreeing to serve on one of the City of Evanston’s boards, commissions, and committees
(B/C/C’s). Our city is greatly enriched by the work of the many volunteer B/C/C members who
contribute their time, effort, and expertise to help improve the quality of life for all residents.
Your appointment by the Mayor, with confirmation by the City Council, is a reflection of their confidence
in you as someone who has demonstrated an interest in the well-being of our community as a whole and a
special interest in a specific area; and who has a certain competency or other quality that will be of
particular value to the B/C/C on which you will serve. This appointment is a vote of confidence in your
abilities and character.
Service on a B/C/C is both an honor and an important responsibility. It will provide a unique opportunity
for you to contribute to the vitality of our community, while enjoying the satisfaction of applying your
talents and experience to meaningful public work. And it assumes a commitment of time and dedication.
The directors and staff of Evanston’s City departments value highly the efforts and recommendations of
boards, commissions, and committees. Those departments support the work of B/C/C’s by contributing
the time and expertise of staff personnel, clerical and other services, and meeting facilities.
You are sure to discover that, as you work with your B/C/C, your skills as a contributor will become
enhanced. You will learn more about your own particular board, committee, or commission; about the
structure and processes of City of Evanston government; about fair and impartial decision-making; and
about working as a team with a common goal. Your focus will broaden, helping you better appreciate and
understand the needs of the larger community.
Congratulations, and best wishes for an enjoyable, growth-filled, and richly satisfying experience.
Mayor’s signature 	City Manager’s signature
Mayor 	City Manager
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About the City of Evanston
A Brief Time-Line of Evanston’s History
Pre-History 	Ancient tropical oceans covered the area, depositing the remains of sea creatures that would become
limestone, the region’s bedrock. Glaciers scoured the land, depositing a layer of impermeable clay as they
retreated. The glacial melt formed a huge lake. When water found outlets to the Mississippi, the lake
receded. The successive beaches of the receding lake became the ridges that today parallel the Lake
Michigan shoreline: Grosse Point Road, Ridge Avenue, and Chicago Avenue.
1600s-1700s The native peoples whom the French explorers, missionaries, and traders first encountered were the
Algonquin-speaking Pottawatomie, Illinois, Fox, and Chippewa.
1795-1833 	U. S. government, through a series of five treaties, divested the Pottawatomie of all their land in this area.
1818 	Illinois joined the Union. The population was concentrated in southern Illinois.
1836 	First permanent European settlers of the area that became Evanston were Major Edward Mulford and his
wife Rebecca. He bought 160 acres at $1.25 an acre. They built a large log house, which served as their
home and as a tavern, the Ten-Mile House, where travelers on the Green Bay Trail could stop overnight.
Mulford was appointed as the first Justice of the Peace. The first court in Cook County was held in his
tavern, near the current site of Saint Francis Hospital.
1840 	The census reported 330 people living in the Grosse Pointe Territory; 154 were under the age of 15.
1842 	Henry Clarke deeded a half-acre on the ridge at Greenleaf, for the first school.
1848 	Opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, which connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and
turned Chicago into a strategic location. The area, which included all land north of Irving Park Road, was
referred to as the “Grosse Point Voting District.”
1849 	Illinois Township Act allowed residents to organize and name their township. In 1850 the Grosse Point
Voting District – Central Street in Evanston to Irving Park Road in Chicago – became “Ridgeville.”
1850 	Census reported that Ridgeville had 441 persons – 93 families in 91 dwellings – English, Scottish, Irish,
and German immigrants. Nine men (ministers, attorneys, businessmen, and a physician) gathered in May
to form a university, originally proposed for Chicago. Key leaders were physician John Evans;
commodities broker Orrington Lunt, and attorney Grant Goodrich.
1851 	Northwestern University was granted a charter by the Illinois legislature. Clark Hinman, on the
Northwestern Board, objected to the Chicago location. He proposed an alternative location, outside of
Chicago, where they might build a village as well.
1853 	The University’s original charter was amended by the Illinois legislature. Liquor sales were prohibited
within four miles of the university. Evanston remained dry until the first liquor license was granted, in
1972.
1854 	First Northwestern University building was erected, at the northwest corner of Davis Street and Hinman
Avenue. John Evans, merchant Philo Judson, and lawyer Andrew Brown submitted to the county judge a
plat for the town they expected would grow around the university, to be named after John Evans – Rush
Medical College physician, inventor, real estate entrepreneur, and Chicago alderman. The men joined
efforts with the Ridgeville pioneers to address the fundamental task of making the swampland habitable.
The two communities also shared church services in the log schoolhouse on the ridge at Greenleaf Street.
1855 	Northwestern University opened its doors to 10 students; Clark Hinman was the first President. Garrett
Biblical Institute, founded in 1853 and headed by preacher John Dempster, opened with 4 students.
Northwestern Female College opened with 84 students, including Frances Willard.
1857 	The town of Evanston was named.
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A Brief Time-Line of Evanston’s History
Mid-to-Late
1800s
Evanston was a busy lake port, with piers at Davis and Dempster Streets, which handled excursion and
cargo boats. A 1200-foot pier was built at the end of Davis Street. The railroads also pushed through and
the population doubled.
1860 	300 people perished when the Lady Elgin, an excursion boat, foundered off the Evanston shore.
1864 	Daniel Garnett, a shoemaker, became the first African American to move his family to Evanston.
Civil War:
1861-1865
Evanston was an intensely abolitionist town. Methodist Bishop Matthew Simpson, Evanston resident,
delivered fiery sermons against human bondage. Evanston citizens responded to Lincoln’s call for
volunteers to defend the Union.
Post-Civil
War
Evanston evolved from a village that had been a secondary product of Northwestern University, into a city
in its own right. There was a significant migration of Chicago residents after the great fire (1871), and
northerly migration of former slaves.
1860-70 	Population quadrupled to 831 in 1860. In the 1870s, most immigrants were from Sweden and Germany;
other European immigrants arrived from Ireland, Norway, Italy, Greece, and Poland.
1869 	Evanston College for Ladies was formed. Frances Willard, later an enormously influential educator,
suffragist, and Temperance advocate, was president.
1870 	Frances Willard’s political activism began with the women’s suffrage issue.
1871 	Evanston Public Library opened. Much of Chicago was destroyed by fire, causing instant growth in
Evanston. The population tripled over the subsequent 20 years.
1872 	Evanston residents petitioned the government to build a lighthouse. The first local newspaper, The
Evanston Index, was published.
1873 	South Evanston became organized, with its own business district, lower taxes, and more working-class
residents. The first water-treatment plant along Lake Michigan was built in Evanston. Evanston College
for Ladies merges with Northwestern Female College.
1874 	Evanston Board of Health was formed, three years before the Illinois Board of Health was created.
Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was founded; Frances Willard was President of the
Illinois Chapter, where liquor sales and women’s right to vote were addressed. Willard was the national
WCTU president from 1879 until her death in 1898. She formed the International WCTU in 1883 and was
hailed as “the most influential woman of the age,” next to Queen Victoria.
1881 	While Chicago’s typhoid rate was second highest among the nation’s largest cities, Evanston’s rate was in a
rapid decline, as a result of water treatment efforts.
1882 	Evanston established a public high school, at a time when the rest of the country educated citizens only
until the 8th grade. The first Evanston Township High School class had 80 students.
1880-1890 	Evanston experienced huge population growth, from 4,400 in 1880 to 13,059 in 1890.
1891 	North Evanston was organized.
1892 	Evanston and South Evanston merged; then North Evanston merged with them. Evanston’s status changed
from “Village” to “City.” Evanston opened its first kindergarten and began to build more modern
elementary schools, under the leadership of Homer Kingsley and Fredrick Nichols. Garwood’s drug store
created the ice cream sundae as a “respectable treat.”
1893-1920 	7,000 apartment houses were built, more densely along transit lines.
1895 	Evanston was the destination of the (purportedly) first automobile race in the United States. Two of the six
cars made the round trip between Midway Palisades on Chicago’s South Side, to Davis Street in Evanston,
in 10 hours.
1900 	Population was 19,259, of whom 96.1% were of European descent and 3.8% were of African descent.
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A Brief Time-Line of Evanston’s History
1911 	Evanston became the first city in the nation to disinfect its water source by adding chloride.
1914 	Dr. Arthur Butler and Dr. Isabella Garnett (first female African-American physician in Illinois) opened the
Evanston Sanitarium in their house at 1918 Asbury. It was the only hospital between Milwaukee and
Chicago serving African Americans.
World War I:
1914-1918
Evanstonian Charles Gates Dawes became first Director of the U. S. Bureau of the Budget. He shared the
1925 Nobel Peace Prize, for the “Dawes Plan” to restore and stabilize the German economy, and to allow
for gradual payment of reparations by Germany to former enemies. He later served as Vice President under
Calvin Coolidge, and then ambassador to Great Britain. His home is now the home of the Evanston History
Center.
Roaring ‘20s Building, manufacturing, and retail boomed. Large manufacturers included Youngstown Steel and
Tinkertoy. Many Chicago retailers opened branches in Evanston, making it a retail hub for the suburbs.
1921 	Evanston was the first city in Illinois to take advantage of a state law allowing municipalities to regulate
land use – zoning. Leaders predicted a future population of 400,000.
Great
Depression
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration (WPA) program hired local unemployed
residents to build new post office on Davis Street
1930 	Population was 63,338, of whom 92.1% were of European descent and 7.8% were of African descent.
1931 	Edwin Bush Jourdain became Evanston’s first African-American alderman, serving until 1947.
World War II:
1939-1945
Naval College Training Program was located at Northwestern University; almost 50,000 were trained. 227
residents and 300 Northwestern University students sacrificed their lives in this war.
1952 	City Manager form of government adopted, replacing Mayoral form. Good job market returned after the
Depression, and Evanston became “Headquarters City.” The first Latinos arrived in Evanston, many of
whom had traveled from the poor villages and cities of Guanajuto, Mexico.
1960 	Population was 79,283, of whom 88% were of European descent and 11.5% were of African descent.
1971 	In response to an influx of Spanish-speaking students, two bi-lingual teachers were hired in District 65.
1975 	The Evanston Preservation Commission was established, to ensure that historic and architecturally
significant buildings would be protected. The Illinois Historic Structures Survey designated 276
“significant structures” in Evanston, which was more than any other community in Illinois.
1980 	On April 4, eleven members of the Puerto Rican separatist terrorist group “Fuerzas Armadas de Liberacion
Nacional” (FALN) were captured in Evanston. Nine were apprehended as the result of a citizen’s tip
regarding suspicious activities. Despite the numerous weapons recovered in this incident (shotguns, rifles,
automatic pistols, revolvers), no shot was fired and no one was injured.
1990 	Population was 73,233, of whom 70.7% were of European descent, 22.7% of African descent, 4.9% of
Asian/Pacific-Island descent, and 3.2% of Latino descent.
1991 	Residents voted to reduce the number of aldermen from 2 per ward to 1 per ward (from 18 to 9).
2000 	Population was 74,239: 65.2% of European descent, 22.5% of African descent, 6.1% of Hispanic/Latino
descent, 6.1% of Asian descent, and 3% of mixed descent.
2006-2008 	The Evanston City Council unanimously approved Evanston’s first Strategic Plan. Over 50 senior staff
took advantage of the City’s early-retirement incentive, including the City Manager, Assistant City
Manager, City Clerk, and the Directors of Community Development, Health and Human Services, Law,
Library, and Public Works.
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Current Governmental Structure
The quality of a local government often is determined by the effectiveness of its functioning parts.
Evanston’s system of government has three major components: the citizens, who elect
representatives and serve on advisory boards and committees; the mayor and the city council,
who constitute the legislative arm; and the city staff, headed by a city manager, who heads the
administrative arm.
From This Is Evanston, League of Women Voters of Evanston (2000)
The Council-Manager Form of Government
Prior to 1952 the City of Evanston followed the mayor-council form of government. In 1952 the council-
manager form was adopted. It attempts to balance representative government – popularly elected officials
who must answer to the voters – with a competent professional staff who carry out their duties in a non-
partisan manner.
The chart below illustrates the reporting relationships among governmental units.
City Departments
City Manager
Hires heads of City
departments
Boards, Commissions,
and Committees
City Council
Hires City Manager; approves
Mayor’s appointments to
boards, commissions, and
committees.
Each alderman joins one or
more of four standing
committees. Most B/C/C’s
report to a standing committee;
a few report directly to the City
Council as a whole.
Mayor
Appoints members of
boards, commissions,
and committees
City Clerk
Voting Residents
Elect Mayor,
City Council, and City Clerk
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The City Manager
The City Council appoints a City Manager, the City’s Chief Executive Officer, to execute its policies
and objectives. The City Manager is responsible for –
y 	Remaining politically neutral.
y 	Administering and enforcing all laws and ordinances.
y 	Heading the city’s work force, executing the policies, objectives, and levels of service set by the
City Council.
y 	Preparing an annual City budget.
y 	Supervising the City’s day-to-day operations.
y 	Attending all meetings of the City Council, taking part in discussions but not having a vote.
The City Manager can be removed from office at any time, by a majority vote of all Council
Members.
The Mayor
Voters elect a Mayor every four years. The Mayor –
y 	Represents the City at official functions.
y 	Presides over meetings of the City Council, casting a vote in the case of a tie vote, or when a
greater-than-majority vote is required.
y 	Can veto any ordinance or resolution passed by the City Council. (The City Council can override
a mayoral veto by a two-thirds vote.)
y 	Is an ex officio member of all City Council committees.
y 	With the approval of City Council, makes appointments to City boards, commissions, and
committees.
The City Council
Nine elected aldermen sit on the City Council, one from each ward. (Prior to 1991, two aldermen
represented each ward.) All aldermanic terms expire simultaneously, every other odd-numbered year,
at which time an April election is held. The City Council is responsible for –
y 	Adopting legislation.
y 	Setting policy.
y 	Approving the annual budget.
y 	Giving advice and consent regarding mayoral appointments.
y 	Hiring a City Manager (when applicable).
y 	Serving on at least one standing committee (described below).
The City Council holds two “regular” meetings a month, usually on the second and fourth Mondays,
in Council Chambers at the Civic Center. “Special” meetings are held, when necessary, to consider a
proposed budget, hear presentations, or deal with issues that cannot be considered during regular
Council meetings. Since June, 1984, meetings have been broadcast live on cable television.
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Standing Committees of the City Council
After an aldermanic election, all aldermen are assigned to at least one of four standing committees,
according to the aldermen’s requests and the need for a balance of incumbents and freshmen.
Committee chairmanships rotate; thus, no alderman can exercise prolonged control over a
committee’s agenda. An alderman may chair only one committee at a time.
Administration and Public Works
This committee considers matters relating to bills and purchases, finance, fire protection, legal
matters, licensing, personnel, public works (such as streets and alleys, lighting, refuse disposal,
water and sewers, traffic control, and parking), public buildings, public transportation, public
utilities, the cable television franchise, safety (including civil defense), police and fire pension
boards, and capital improvements.
Planning and Development
“P and D” considers matters relating to planning, physical development, zoning, building,
conservation, preservation, and parks.
Human Services
This committee considers matters relating to the Evanston Department of Health and Human
Services, including public health, mental health, aging, emergency assistance and purchased
human services. It serves as the liaison with human-services-related boards and commissions,
school districts, and private and public organizations that fund of provide human services to the
City, as well as being the liaison for matters relating to the arts, recreation, the library, and
environment, unemployment, and the township.
Rules
This is a “committee of the whole,” including all aldermen. It meets monthly, to assign aldermen
to standing and special City Council committees (except those committees appointed entirely by
the mayor), to resolve jurisdictional disputes between committees; to revise Council rules; to
prepare and maintain a list of mayors pro tem; and to attend to other matters referred by the
Council or the mayor.
City Council Meetings
All meetings of the Council and its committees, boards, and commissions are open to the public and
the media, except for those held to discuss personnel, litigation, or real property transactions. As
required by federal, state, or local mandate, the Council and the standing committees frequently hold
public hearings on issues of public interest.
The City Council adopts its own rules of procedure within state limits. A quorum consists of six
members of the City Council, including the mayor. Action may be taken by a majority vote of a
quorum, except where a specified number of votes are required by state or local statute. For example,
seven votes, a three-fourths majority, are required for vacating streets and alleys. The Council may
by majority vote resolve itself into a committee of the whole for informal discussion. No votes are
taken in these sessions.
The aldermen, in addition to formulating overall policies and ordinances to guide the administration
and development of the city, maintain communication with their constituents and respond on
municipal matters to the people in their wards. Although the modest aldermanic salary dictates that
the office is a part-time job, Council members must devote considerable time to their duties.
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The City Clerk
The City Clerk, the only full-time, elected official, is elected at-large to a four-year term. The City
Clerk is secretary to the City Council and is the official custodian of the City Code, public records,
and the City Seal. Deputized by the Cook County Clerk to register voters, the City Clerk is also the
local election authority for municipal elections. She or he serves without additional compensation as
the Evanston Township clerk.
The office of the City Clerk maintains the municipal library and the minutes of all meetings of city-
related boards, commissions, and committees. The library serves as a general information and
reference center; maps, transportation schedules, and city publications on a wide variety of subjects
are available there.
About Evanston’s Boards, Commissions,
and Committees
What Are Boards, Commissions, and Committees?
In addition to elected officials and professional staff, Evanston relies on more than 30 boards,
commissions, and special committees to enhance the decision-making process. Each B/C/C has as its
focus a specific area of interest, such as the libraries or zoning laws. Members are mainly citizens,
serving voluntarily and without compensation; however, some B/C/C’s include or consist entirely of
aldermen. Citizen-members are appointed by the Mayor and approved by the City Council.
B/C/C’s are valuable for many reasons. Their members represent many neighborhoods, perspectives, and
groups; and they bring a wealth of experience, expertise, and knowledge to the governance process. In
addition, B/C/C’s serve as training grounds for citizens wanting to become directly involved in
government; they are often springboards to candidacy for public office.
Each B/C/C holds one of the following three types of responsibility:
Administrative. 	These B/C/C’s are somewhat autonomous. They develop and administer their own
programs and budgets, which are paid for through the City’s tax levy and therefore must be approved
by the City Council. The Library Board, Recreation Board, Mental Health Board, and Human
Relations Commission are administrative B/C/C’s.
Advisory. These study issues assigned to them by the City Council, then recommend courses of
action. The Plan Commission is an advisory B/C/C.
Quasi-judicial. These B/C/C’s hear evidence on matters and present their findings and
recommendations to the City Council for approval. The Zoning Board of Appeals is a quasi-judicial
B/C/C.
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To Whom Are B/C/C’s Accountable?
Most B/C/C’s report to one of the four standing committees of the City Council, although a few report to
the Council as a whole. A table of relationships is provided in the Appendix, under “Relationship of
Boards, Commissions, and Committees to City Council.”
More information on this subject will be provided at the training session for your specific B/C/C.
Guiding Principles for Governance
Good governance requires a high degree of transparency and accountability in all public operations and
processes, to provide the necessary assurance that local government operates effectively and with
integrity. Strong governance ensures that staff, elected officials, and members of B/C/C’s conduct the
affairs of the City with integrity and impartiality, without allowing prejudice, favoritism, or the
opportunity for personal gain to influence their decisions or actions, or to interfere with serving the public
interest. Representatives of local government, including members of B/C/C’s, need to consider at all
times how any action or statement might appear to an observer, and whether it can withstand observers’
scrutiny.
Good governance practices support operations that discourage unethical or abusive behaviors.
Transparency in governmental operations promotes ethical and effective operations, as well as oversight
by the public and others.
City of Evanston Code of Ethics
The public’s trust in governing bodies is enhanced when citizens are confident that personal or business
interests will not influence the decision-making of elected, appointed, and employed officials. Evanston’s
Code of Ethics was created to ensure that –
…elected and appointed officers and employees perform their duties for the benefit of the
citizens of the city. They shall conduct the affairs of the city with integrity and impartiality,
without allowing prejudice, favoritism, or the opportunity for personal gain to influence their
decisions or actions or to interfere with serving the public interest. City of Evanston officials,
staff, and volunteer members of boards, committees, and commissions will exercise
impartiality and independent judgment in their decision-making.
The Code applies to “any officer or employee of the city, whether elected or appointed, paid or unpaid,
including members of boards and commissions appointed by the city mayor or city council.” A Board of
Ethics interprets the Ethics Code; advises persons as to its application; adjudicates and renders decisions
on complaints alleging violations; and retains financial-disclosure records, statements, registrations,
reports, and complaints.
The main topics of concern in the Code of Ethics are –
y 	Impartiality: working for the benefit of the entire community, without partiality, prejudice, or bias.
y 	Unauthorized use of public property – city-owned vehicles, equipment, materials, or property – for
personal convenience or profit.
y 	Conflict of interest: use of public office for private gain.
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The standards of the Code are intended to supplement and comply with the provisions regarding
municipal officers in 65 Illinois Compiled Statutes and 50 Illinois Compiled Statutes 105/1 et seq., and
any other state statutes or ordinances of the city relating to ethical conduct for city officers and
employees.
The full text of the City of Evanston Code of Ethics is provided in the Appendix.
Financial Disclosure and Statement of Economic Interests
All officers and employees of the City of Evanston (including all members of boards, commissions, and
special committees) are required to file, annually, a “Financial Disclosure and Affiliations Statement” of
financial interests, employment, board memberships, and gifts in order to alert public servants, as well as
the public, to areas where there may be possible conflicts of interest. The purpose of the statement is to
identify and forestall potential conflicts of interest, not to disclose the value of assets.
In addition, members of certain boards, commissions, and committees are required to file, annually, a
“Statement of Economic Interests to Be Filed with the Secretary of State.” Copies of both forms are
provided in the Appendix.
Transparency:
Open Meetings Act
The Open Meetings Act requires that all meetings of public bodies be open to the public. The Act
does not require that any meetings be closed; however, it allows certain exceptions. The Act is
applicable to all meetings of public bodies, which include the City Council, all committees of the City
Council, and all boards and commissions of the City, including advisory boards.
A summary of the Open Meetings Act, prepared by Assistant Corporation Council of the City of
Evanston, is provided in the Appendix.
Freedom of Information Act
The State of Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has declared the public policy that all
persons are entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of government and the
official acts and policies of those who represent them as public officials and public employees
consistent with the terms of the Act.
The Act lists the “public records” that must be disclosed; lists the public bodies that are subject to the
Act; lists records that may be withheld from inspection and copying; sets out procedures for
inspection and copying of records; and provides for administration and judicial review of denial of
request for records.
Summaries of the Act and Evanston’s FOIA policy are provided in the Appendix.
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Minute-Taking
Minutes serve as the legal record of any decisions or action taken at a meeting. Minutes should be a
concise record of what occurred and not a verbatim transcript. Minutes should include the name of
the board or commission, the date, time and place of the meeting, the names of the presiding officer
and recorder of minutes, the members present, the establishment of a quorum, a record of action taken
on the minutes of the previous meeting, the exact wording of each motion and whether the motion
passed or failed and points of order and appeals. Any notices or written reports submitted during the
meeting should be attached to and noted in the minutes.
Advocacy and Impartiality
Members of B/C/C’s should review the language in their specific enabling ordinance that addresses
advocacy. 	Members must abide by the City of Evanston Code of Ethics. Members are required to
disclose for the record any potential conflicts or personal interest in any matters under consideration
by the B/C/C and to refrain from voting on these matters. B/C/C members are prohibited from
soliciting votes on behalf of a candidate during board or commission meetings and from using City
property or resources in connection with any prohibited political activity.
Communications
Your B/C/C-specific orientation will provide you with contact information for all other members of the
B/C/C, as well as with information about the process used to add discussion items to meeting agendas.
Members of B/C/C’s should review the language in their specific B/C/C Rules that addresses
communications that take place between meetings. Depending on the topics discussed and the roles and
number of B/C/C members involved in the discussion, some between-meeting communications –
including in-person conversations, telephone calls, and e-mails – could violate the Open Meetings Act.
Questions about which conversations or communications might be affected should be directed to the
City’s Legal Department.
Confidentiality
B/C/C deliberations may periodically include the discussion of confidential information. This
information may not be disclosed to anyone outside of the B/C/C without proper authorization. If B/C/C
members are approached by the media to discuss confidential information, B/C/C members should
decline to comment and should refer the reporter to City staff.
Good “Boardsmanship”: Roles and Responsibilities
The satisfaction you derive from service on your board, commission, or committee will be commensurate
with the enthusiasm you invest in it. The greater your involvement, the greater will be your sense of
accomplishment, and the more the community will benefit.
The primary roles on B/C/C’s are regular members, staff members representing the City, and the B/C/C
chairperson. Some responsibilities overlap, but many are specific to the role played.
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As a B/C/C Member
y 	Learn What Your Responsibilities Are.
Attend the orientation provided for new B/C/C members. Read the materials provided,
familiarizing yourself with the duties of membership and the governing rules and regulations.
When you have a question, ask a knowledgeable person for help with the answer. Become
familiar with parliamentary procedures. Provide all required financial-disclosure information.
y 	Attend the Meetings.
Attend all regular and special meetings, missing only when unavoidable. If you are not at a
meeting, you will miss important information, discussions, and decisions. In addition, your
B/C/C might not have the necessary quorum to vote on issues, in which case its ability to act will
be hindered and others who have arrived prepared will be inconvenienced. Arrive at meetings on
time, and avoid leaving before adjournment. If you must miss a meeting, notify the chair in
advance.
y 	Prepare for Each Meeting.
Review the meeting packet prior to each meeting, and keep associated reference materials
accessible during the meeting. If you have received correspondence from the public (including e-
mail) that is addressed to the B/C/C, submit it to the staff liaison so copies can be distributed to
all members and become an official City record.
y 	Participate Actively
Assume that the productiveness of a meeting is partly your responsibility. Get to know the other
members of the board, their interests, strengths, and communication styles. Be ready to listen, to
ask questions, and to consider the alternatives. Provide leadership within the board; don't be
afraid to make your opinions known. Keep yourself informed on matters concerning the board
and the community. Listen to what people are saying about the board and the City's activities in
your board's area of concern; bring those perspectives to the board. If the board decides that a
committee should be formed, serve willingly.
y 	If You No Longer Can Be a Productive Member of Your B/C/C, Consider Resigning
If your situation changes such that you are no longer actively and effectively participating in your
B/C/C’s meetings and other activities, give thoughtful consideration as to whether you should
leave. If you decide that it would be better to make room for someone else on the B/C/C, inform
your chair and the Mayor – in writing – that you wish to resign.
y 	Observe Meeting Decorum
When there is no consensus on an agenda item, members may need to agree to disagree and move
on with the majority position. Strive to act on behalf of the community as a whole, not on behalf
of an individual group or point of view. Be prepared to respond objectively to criticism. Know
that your opinion does count, but that the most reasoned, thoroughly considered positions are the
ones most likely to prevail. If a conflict of interest on a particular matter arises during discussion
or review, remove yourself from any discussion or action on that subject. Exercise non-reactivity
to comments, questions, suggestions, or criticisms voiced. Dress in a professional manner.
Additional common-sense advice for B/C/C members is provided in the Appendix.
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As a B/C/C Chair
The chairman or president of a B/C/C presides over meetings, setting the tone for collegiality,
professionalism, efficiency, fairness, inclusiveness, and respect for all involved. She or he is responsible
for guiding members toward the stated objectives while honoring the many, varied interests and goals of
individual board members.
y 	Create Meeting Agendas
Ensure that B/C/C members and the public are informed as to how one can be placed on the
agenda for a meeting. Work with City staff to create agendas that are clear, concise, and
appropriate to the length of meetings. Be mindful that, in order to allow adequate time for
discussion and decision-making, the number of agenda items for a given meeting might have to
be restricted, with some items moved to the agenda for a future meeting.
y 	Develop Appropriate Meeting Packets
Work with City staff to develop pertinent, informative meeting packets before each meeting.
Assist staff member in making packets available well in advance of meeting dates.
y 	Conduct Meetings Efficiently, Following Parliamentary Procedure
Become familiar with Robert’s Rules of Order, as well as any rules that apply to the specific
B/C/C. Conduct meetings accordingly. Call meetings to order at the appointed time, and strive
to end them at the anticipated time. At each meeting, report on the status of action items
previously assigned. Seek to clarify when there is confusion, and re-state or summarize when a
great deal of information has been presented. Before calling each vote, re-state the question.
y 	Conduct Meetings Professionally
Remain cognizant of the B/C/C’s objectives. Keep members’ focused and discussion on the topic
at hand, moving from one topic to the next as quickly as possible without rushing decisions.
Direct the B/C/C’s attention to future plans as well as current operations. Strive to generate
enthusiasm, interest, and dedication to the stated programs and objectives. Encourage members
to share the leadership role. Treat all participants with respect, and require respect in interactions
among all participants. Seek to reach consensus among all B/C/C members before reaching a
decision. Consider all points of view, minority and majority. Make a point of giving credit
where credit is due. Guide members in setting goals that have measurable outcomes.
y 	Guide Interactions with the Public
Provide opportunity for comments from the public, establishing a reasonable time limit for each.
Ensure that public testimony does not impede the business of a meeting.
y 	Devote Time to Members’ Development
Working with City staff, ensure orientation of new B/C/C members and the continuing education
of all members. Discover and utilize board members' strengths. Strive to help each member
develop her or his full potential as a responsible and active board member.
y 	Establish Committees
As needs arise, establish committees. Appoint members who are invested in the subject and who
will present a variety of viewpoints. Make contact with committee members over time, offering
guidance and other support, and monitoring the committee’s progress toward its objectives.
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(Good Boardsmanship, As a B/C/C Chair, continued)
y 	Be Considerate of the Public in Attendance
Confirm that audio equipment (microphones, speakers) is in good working order prior to each
meeting. Request at each meeting that B/C/C members speak audibly, clearly, and into their
microphones, if applicable. Ensure that statements and facts are clarified when deemed
necessary. Be mindful that some in the audience may be hard of hearing, and survey the meeting
room occasionally for signs of hearing difficulty.
y 	Moderate Discussions Even-Handedly, and Deal with Conflict Gracefully
B/C/C members should treat each other with respect. Members should listen to the opinions of
other members, respond respectfully to discussions even when they disagree, and wait their turn
to speak. It will be the responsibility of B/C/C chairs to moderate discussions, to ensure that
everyone has a chance to speak and that all opinions are heard.
y 	Support the Work and Efforts of City Staff and City Council
Maintain communication with the alderman who has been appointed as liaison to the board,
where such an appointment has been made.
y 	Facilitate the B/C/C’s Annual Self-Assessment
Each B/C/C is expected to conduct an annual self-assessment. The B/C/C chair works with the
staff member to prepare for, implement, and report on the self-assessment, submitting the final
report to the full B/C/C for discussion and future planning. The assessment, which is to be used
for internal purposes only, should include –
> 	A review of members’ attendance.
> 	A self-evaluation by each individual regarding her or his participation and contribution.
> 	An evaluation of the challenges the B/C/C faced over the year.
> 	An evaluation of the accomplishments of the B/C/C as a whole.
> 	A comparison of the B/C/C’s accomplishments, compared to ordinance requirements.
> 	Recommendations for the coming year.
Guidelines for B/C/C Self-Assessments are provided in the Appendix.
y 	Respond to Media Questions
This will be addressed in the bylaws and training sessions for your specific B/C/C.
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As City of Evanston Staff
The relationship between B/C/C members and the staff person supporting the B/C/C is a partnership. It is
a close, dynamic relationship which all parties must nurture, and to which all must contribute effectively
in order to achieve mutual objectives. Staff members bring expertise, experience, and day-to-day
knowledge of City government. Their contribution is invaluable.
y 	Prepare for Meetings
Prepare meeting agendas and notices for regular, special, cancelled, and continued meetings of
the B/C/C; post the agendas on the City of Evanston Web site. Prepare and distribute meeting
agenda packets to B/C/C members, City Council, appropriate staff, and others, as requested.
Inform the Chairperson of any new or additional announcements, information, or changes prior to
meetings.
y 	Serve As a City-B/C/C Liaison at Meetings
Record minutes of meetings, according to the City’s established standards for minutes. Include
issues discussed, motions and decisions made, action items assigned and completed.
Communicate with the B/C/C Chair regarding City Manager’s and City Council’s direction and
requests, as well as City policies and procedures (such as attendance requirements and changes to
established meeting dates). Coordinate contact with other staff or appointed bodies as necessary.
y 	Complete Post-Meeting Tasks
Facilitate the transmission of B/C/C interests, concerns, and recommendations to the appropriate
City staff and all members of City Council. Post approved minutes on the City’s Web site, within
designated time frames. Archive agendas and approved minutes in the applicable folders on the
City of Evanston Web site, in accordance with the City’s retention schedule. (Instructions on
archiving agendas and minutes will be provided in training sessions.)
y 	Help New B/C/C Members Become Established
Ensure that members have taken the Oath of Office (administered by the City Clerk) before they
attend and participate in their first B/C/C meeting. Facilitate B/C/C-member training.
y 	Monitor and Report on B/C/C Membership and Participation
Monitor and keep records on members' attendance, dates of service, training, vacancies.
Annually, submit a spreadsheet of attendance data, along with a summary report, to the Mayor.
In the event that a B/C/C member tenders her or his resignation to the B/C/C chair, ensure that the
Mayor is notified, as well.
y 	Assist in the Process of Selecting a B/C/C Chair and Vice Chair
Coordinate the annual process of selecting a Chair and a Vice Chair, in accordance with City
Council policies and procedures. Provide updates to the Mayor.
y 	Facilitate the B/C/C’s Annual Self-Assessment
Work with the B/C/C chair to prepare for, implement, and report on B/C/C’s annual self-
assessment.
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Appendix
M AP OF W ARDS AND P RECINCTS IN E VANSTON..................................................................................... 23
T ELEPHONE NUMBERS OF CITY DEPARTMENTS ..................................................................................... 24
E VANSTON CITY CODE ........................................................................................................................... 25
CITY OF E VANSTON CODE OF E THICS..................................................................................................... 26
O PEN M EETINGS A CT........................................................................................................................ 29
F REEDOM OF I NFORMATION ACT (5 ILCS 140)...................................................................................... 34
S TRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE CITY OF E VANSTON ..................................................................................... 36
CALENDAR OF CITY-S PONSORED E VENTS.............................................................................................. 41
RELATIONSHIP OF BOARDS , COMMISSIONS, AND COMMITTEES TO CITY COUNCIL............................... 42
E VANSTON’ S BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, AND COMMITTEES, IN BRIEF (2008)......................................... 43
B/C/C APPLICATION F ORM ..................................................................................................................... 45
P ARLIAMENTARY P ROCEDURES, IN BRIEF.............................................................................................. 46
COMMON-S ENSE ADVICE FOR B/C/C M EMBERS.................................................................................... 48
GUIDELINES FOR B/C/C S ELF-ASSESSMENTS ......................................................................................... 50
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Map of Wards and Precincts in Evanston
(On January 26, 2006)
B/C/C/Handbook 	Page 23 of 50 	May 21, 2009

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Telephone Numbers of City Departments
(As of August, 2008)
Department 	Phone
City Clerk’s Office 	847-866-2925
City Manager’s Office 	847-866-2936
Community Development: Administration 	847-866-2931
Community Development: Building 	847-866-2932
Community Development: Planning 	847-866-2928
Community Development: Zoning 	847-866-2930
Finance 	847-866-2934
Fire 	847-866-5095
Fire Chief’s Office 	847-866-5918
General Municipal Information 	847-328-2100
Health 	847-866-2948
Human Relations 	847-866-2920
Human Resources 	847-866-2918
Human Resources Department 	847-866-2918
Human Services 	847-866-2969
Law Department 	847-866-2937
Library 	847-448-8600
Management, Business, and Information Services 	847-448-8163
Mayor’s Office 	847-866-2979
Mayor's Secretary 	847-448-8268 	Fax: 847-866-2978
Mental Health Services 	847-866-2919
Parking Garages 	847-866-2923
Parks, Forestry, and Recreation: Lakefront 	847-869-6572
Parks, Forestry, and Recreation: Parks and Forestry 	847-866-2912
Parks, Forestry, and Recreation: Recreation 	847-866-2914
Police Chief’s Office 	847-866-5005
Police Department 	847-866-5000
Public Works Department 	847-866-2956
Purchasing 	847-866-2935
Streets and Sanitation 	847-866-2940
Water and Sewer 	847-866-2942
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Evanston City Code
Evanston’s City Code is a compilation of all of the laws (general directives) and regulations (specific
requirements) that currently apply to Evanston residents and governing bodies. The current City Code
was most recently updated in 1979.
The entirety of the City Code can be viewed in one of these two ways:
On the City of Evanston’s Web Site
A. Using an Internet browser, visit www.cityofevanston.org .
B. 	On the City of Evanston main page, make your mouse pointer hover over the
option near the top, right of the screen:
C. 	From the drop-down menu, select 	.
D. On the subsequent screen, click on 	.
At the City Clerk’s Office or the Evanston Public Library
Both the City Clerk’s office (2100 Ridge Avenue, first floor) and the Third-Floor Reference Desk at
the main Evanston Public Library have a printed reference copy of the Evanston City Code. The
reference copy may not be taken from the building.
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City of Evanston Code of Ethics
(2007)
Ordinance 1-10-4: CODE OF ETHICS
(A) Statement of Purpose of Policy
It is the policy of the city that in all cases its elected and appointed officers and employees perform their duties
for the benefit of the citizens of the city. They shall conduct the affairs of the city with integrity and
impartiality, without allowing prejudice, favoritism or the opportunity for personal gain to influence their
decisions or actions or to interfere with serving the public interest. Further, it is the policy of the city that
spouses and immediate family members living with the officer or employee comply with the gift ban provisions
of this chapter.
Continuing observance of this policy is essential to maintaining the public trust necessary for good government.
The city council is therefore adopting this chapter to establish guidelines for an ethical standard of conduct for
those individuals covered by this chapter, and to ensure compliance with those guidelines.
The standards of this chapter are intended to supplement and comply with the provisions regarding municipal
officers in 65 Illinois Compiled Statutes and 50 Illinois Compiled Statutes 105/1 et seq., and any other state
statutes or ordinances of the city relating to ethical conduct for city officers and employees.
The obligations of this chapter shall not be limited to the provisions of the state statutes specified herein, nor
shall the failure to include in this chapter any provisions of a state statute release officers and employees of the
city and other covered individuals from obligations, responsibilities and penalties imposed by state law.
This chapter is not to be construed so as to impair the ability of city officers and employees to participate in
ceremonial, representational, or informational functions in the performance of their official duties.
(B) Persons Covered by This Chapter
The provisions of this chapter shall apply to any officer or employee of the city, whether elected or appointed,
paid or unpaid, including members of boards and commissions appointed by the city mayor or city council. In
addition to the foregoing persons, section 1-10-6 of this chapter relating to the gift ban shall apply to the spouse
and immediate family members living with any officer or employee. The term "officer" applies throughout this
chapter to members of boards and commissions appointed by the mayor or city council as well as to other
municipal officers.
The city manager may promulgate rules and regulations for city employees in addition to the provisions of this
chapter.
(C) Standards of Conduct
Every officer or employee of the city shall be subject to and abide by the following standards of conduct:
1. 	Impartiality
Every officer and employee shall perform his/her duties with impartiality and without prejudice or bias for
the benefit of all citizens of the city. No officer or employee shall grant or make available to any citizen
any consideration, treatment, advantage or favor beyond that which is available to every other citizen.
2. 	Use of Public Property
No officer or employee shall request or permit the unauthorized use of city owned vehicles, equipment,
materials or property for personal convenience or profit.
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3. 	Conflict of Interest
a. 	Definitions: For purposes of this section:
FAMILY: Shall include an officer or employee's spouse, domestic partner, children, parents and
siblings.
PERSONAL INTEREST: Includes any interest arising from family relationships or domestic
partnerships, or close business or financial affiliations.
PRIVATE INTEREST: Shall include all individuals, partnerships, corporations and other entities
except for the city, its boards, commissions, officers and employees.
b. 	Prohibited: The use of public office for private gain is strictly prohibited. Given the importance of
independent judgment and impartiality to the proper functioning of city government, these rules are to
be construed liberally to ensure that public officials and employees act with the utmost care and take
all necessary steps to avoid actual conflicts of interest that would interfere with their ability to perform
their official duties independently and impartially, as well as conduct that would to a reasonable person
appear to create such conflicts of interest. Although not exhaustive, the following is a list of prohibited
conflicts:
(1) Disclosure of Confidential Information: No officer or employee shall, without proper legal
authorization, disclose confidential information concerning the property, government or affairs of
the city. Nor shall he/she use such information to advance the financial personal or other private
interests of himself/herself or others.
(2) Abuse of Power of Office: No officer or employee shall, use the prestige, power or influence of
his/her office or employment to engage in any transaction which is, or would to a reasonable
person appear to be, in conflict or incompatible with the proper discharge of his/her official duties,
or which impairs, or would to a reasonable person appear to impair, the officer's or employee's
independence of judgment or action in the performance of official duties. This prohibition shall
extend to any use of official position or employment for a purpose that is or would appear to a
reasonable person to be for the private benefit of the officer, employee or any member of their
family, rather than primarily for the benefit of the city.
(3) Representing Private Interests before City Bodies or Courts: No officer or employee shall appear
on behalf of a private interest in any proceeding before any body or board of the city or in any
regulatory, administrative, adjudicatory or other proceeding to which the city or a city official is a
party. This prohibition shall extend to formal appearances at hearings and meetings, as well as
informal lobbying on behalf of any private person or interests. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a
council member may appear, without receiving additional compensation therefore, on behalf of
himself/herself or on behalf of his/her constituents in the regular course of his/her duties as a
representative of the electorate.
(4) Acquisition of Interest: No public officer or employee shall purchase, receive or accept any
financial interest in any sale to the city of any service or property.
(5) Incompatible Employment: No public officer or employee shall engage in or accept private
employment or render services for private interests when such employment or service creates a
conflict with or impairs the proper discharge of his/her official duties, or would to a reasonable
person appear to create such conflict or impairment.
(6) Payment Contingent Upon Specific Action: No officer or employee shall accept a retainer or any
form of compensation from any private interest that is expressly or implicitly contingent upon the
occurrence of specific city action.
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(7) Personal Interest in Legislation: If any elected official or employee or a member of his/her family
shall have a personal interest in any legislation pending before city council, such elected official or
employee must publicly disclose such interest on record and refrain from voting on such
legislation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein shall prevent an elected official from
voting on any legislation pending before city council provided such legislation impacts the public
generally, and the elected official's benefit or interest is similar to the average member of the
public.
(8) Participant in Contract Making: No elected official or employee shall participate in his/her official
capacity in the procurement, negotiation, making, or performance of a contract in which he/she or
a member of his/her family has a material financial interest, whether direct or indirect.
(9) City's Relationship with Third Parties: No elected official or employee shall influence the city's
selection of, or its conduct of business with any private interest if the elected official or employee,
or a member of his/her family, has a material financial interest, whether direct or indirect with the
private interest.
(10) Transactions Involving Clients: No former elected official shall represent any private interest in
any transaction involving the city for twelve (12) months after his/her status as an elected official
of the city terminates.
(11) Use of City Property: No officer or employee shall use or permit the use of any person, funds, or
property under his/her official control, direction, or custody, or of any city funds or property, for a
purpose which is, or to a reasonable person would appear to be, for a non-city purpose.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing shall prevent the private use of city property that is
available on equal terms to the public generally (such as the use of library books or tennis courts),
or the use of city property in accordance with municipal policy for the conduct of official city
business (such as the use of a city automobile or travel reimbursements for official business).
(12) Entities Doing Business with the City: Regardless of prior disclosure thereof, no officer or
employee shall have a financial interest, direct or indirect, personally or through a member of
his/her family, in a business entity doing or seeking to do business with the city and influence, or
attempt to influence, the selection of, or the city's conduct with regard to such business entity.
c. 	Safe Harbor Provision: Notwithstanding the foregoing, a business transaction, or financial or personal
interest that is within the exceptions to the gift ban provisions of section 1-10-6 of this chapter does not
constitute a conflict of interest within the meaning of this code. (Ord. 29-0-07)
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Open Meetings Act
(5 ILCS 120/1 et seq.)
A Summary
This is a summary of the Illinois Open Meetings Act prepared by Elke Tober-Purze, Assistant Corporation Counsel
of the City of Evanston, for the use of City Council Members, Members of Boards and Commissions, and the Staff
of the City of Evanston. This summary is current through its most recent amendment (P.A. 95-0245), which is
effective August 17, 2007. The summary is intended to serve merely as a guideline to assist in understanding the
Open Meetings Act. Specific questions regarding specific circumstances should be directed to the Law Department.
I. 	The Open Meetings Act, in General
A. 	The act requires that all meetings of public bodies be open to the public. The act does not require any
meetings be closed; however, the act allows certain exceptions.
B. 	The Act is applicable to all meetings of public bodies. "Public bodies" include:
1. 	City Council.
2. 	All committees of the City Council.
3. 	All boards and commissions of the City, including advisory boards.
II. Meetings
A meeting is any gathering of a majority of a quorum of a public body, held to discuss public business, whether
in person or by video or audio conference, telephone call, electronic means (such as, without limitation,
electronic mail, electronic chat, and instant messaging), or other means of contemporaneous interactive
communication.
A. 	Majority of a Quorum
Number of Members 	Majority of Quorum
3 	2
5* 	3*
7 	3
9 	3
11 	4
* 	NOTE: Public Act 95-0245 has set the majority of a quorum for a five-member board at
three members and creates other special rules for a five-member board. Public Act 95-0245
became effective on August 17, 2007.
B. 	Discussion of Public Business
1. 	If there is an intent to discuss public business, then no matter where a majority of the quorum meets,
the Act applies and the meeting must comply with the requirements of the Act.
2. 	A gathering can be formal or informal and still be considered to be a meeting (e. g., pre-meeting
discussions can be a meeting).
3. 	A majority of a quorum can meet socially without the Act applying if they do not intend to discuss
public business.
C. 	Recording a Meeting
Any person may record the proceedings at meetings required to be open by this Act by tape, film or other
means. The authority holding the meeting shall prescribe reasonable rules to govern the right to make such
recordings.
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III. Notice of Meetings
Public notice must be given for all meetings, whether open or closed.
A. 	Procedure for Notice
1. 	Public notice is given by posting a copy of the notice at the Civic Center (or the public library for the
Library Board).
2. 	(a) Copies of notices must be given to any news media which have filed an annual request.
(b) Notice to any news medium of special, emergency, rescheduled, or reconvened meetings shall be
given in the same manner as it is given to the members of the public body; provided that such
news medium has given the public body an address and phone within the territorial jurisdiction of
the public body at which such notice may be given.
3. 	Website. A public body that has a Website that the full-time staff of the public body maintains shall
post notice on its Website of all meetings of the governing body of the public body.
(a) Any notice of an annual schedule of meetings shall remain on the Website until a new public
notice of the schedule of regular meetings is approved.
(b) Any notice of a regular meeting that is posted on a public body's Website shall remain posted on
the Website until the regular meeting is concluded.
(c) The failure of a public body to post on its Website notice of any meeting or the agenda of any
meeting shall not invalidate any meeting or any actions taken at a meeting.
B. 	Regular Meetings Notice
1. 	Public notice of the schedule of all regular meetings must be given at the beginning of the year.
2. 	Notice must include dates, times and places of meetings.
3. 	If a change in the regular meeting date is made, at least ten days notice is required. Notice is given by
publication and by posting at the Civic Center (or, in the case of the Library, at the Library).
4. 	Agenda. An agenda for each regular meeting must be posted at least forty-eight hours in advance of
the meetings. The posted agenda does not preclude discussion of topics not on the agenda.
5. 	Website. A public body that has a Website that the full-time staff of the public body maintains shall
also post on its Website the agenda of any regular meetings of the governing body of that public body.
Any agenda of a regular meeting that is posted on a public body's Website shall remain posted on the
Website until the regular meeting is concluded.
C. 	Special Meetings (Non-Emergency) Notice
1. 	Requires at least forty-eight hours public notice prior to the meeting.
2. 	Requires that agenda be attached to the notice.
3. 	Notice requirement does not apply if:
(i) 	Meeting was open and is to be reconvened within twenty-four hours; or,
(ii) Announcement of time and place of reconvened meeting was made at original meeting and there is
no change in agenda.
D. 	Emergency Meetings
1. 	Must be bona fide emergency.
2. 	Notice to be given as soon as practicable. Prior notice must be given to any news media who have
filed an annual request.
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IV. Minutes of Meetings
A. 	Requirements
1. 	Written minutes must be kept for all meetings, whether open or closed.
2. 	A verbatim record of all closed meetings in the form of an audio or video recording.
(a) The verbatim record may be destroyed without notification to or the approval of a records
commission or the State Archivist under the Local Records Act or the State Records Act no less
than eighteen months after the completion of the meeting recorded but only after:
(1) The public body approves the destruction of particular recording; and,
(2) The public body approves minutes of the closed meeting that meet the written minutes
requirements.
(b) Each public body shall periodically, but no less than semiannually, meet to review minutes of all
closed meetings. At such meetings a determination shall be made, and reported in an open session
that:
(1) The need for confidentiality still exists as to all or part of those minutes; or
(2) The minutes or portions thereof no longer require confidential treatment and are available for
public inspection.
(c) Unless the public body has made a determination that the verbatim recording no longer requires
confidential treatment or otherwise consents to disclosure, the verbatim record of a meeting closed
to the public shall not be open for public inspection or subject to discovery in any administrative
or judicial proceeding other than one brought to enforce the Act.
3. 	This minutes requirement applies to and includes all committees, boards, commissions and task forces.
4. 	Minutes must include:
(a) Date, time, and place of meeting;
(b) Members of body recorded as either present or absent;
(c) Whether the members were physically present or present by means of video or audio conference;
and,
(d) Summary of discussion on all matters proposed, deliberated or decided, and a record of any votes
taken.
B. 	Availability of Minutes
1. 	Minutes must be available for public inspection seven days after approval by public body.
2. 	Website. A public body that has a Website that the full-time staff of the public body maintains shall
post the minutes of a regular meeting of its governing body open to the public on the public body's
Website within seven days of the approval of the minutes by the public body.
Any minutes of meetings open to the public posted on the public body's Website shall remain posted
on the Website for at least sixty days after their initial posting.
3. 	Minutes of Meetings Closed to the Public must be reviewed every six months for a determination as to
whether:
(i) 	They are no longer necessary to protect the public interest; or,
(ii) They are no longer necessary to protect the privacy of an individual.
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C. 	Minutes for Closed Sessions
1. 	On a motion to close a portion of a public meeting, the minutes must contain the vote of each member
and the identification of the specific exception allowing such closed session or meeting.
2. 	If there is a closed meeting or session on "probable or imminent litigation", the basis for the finding
that the matter discussed was a matter of probable or imminent litigation must be specified in the
minutes of the closed session or meeting.
3. 	Minutes of closed sessions must be reviewed at least every six months to determine whether or not
there is a need to keep the minutes confidential.
V. 	Closed Meetings
A. 	A "closed meeting" is a meeting or part of a meeting which is entirely closed to the public pursuant to one
of the "closed meeting exceptions".
B. 	A closed meeting is justified only when the subject of the meeting falls under one of the specific exceptions
to the Open Meetings Act.
C. 	An open meeting may also have a closed portion pursuant to one of the "closed meeting exceptions".
D. 	Regular, special or emergency meetings may be closed.
E. 	Procedure to Close
1. 	A meeting (or a portion of a meeting) which is closed to the public requires that a motion be passed by
a majority of a quorum at an open meeting to hold the closed meeting (or close a portion of a meeting).
2. 	The vote of each member must be disclosed to the public at the time it is taken.
3. 	The motion to close must specify the exception which justifies closure.
4. 	Only topics specified in the motion to close a meeting (or portion of a meeting) may be considered in
the closed meeting.
5. 	Standard of Review for Exceptions. The provisions for exceptions to the open meeting requirements
shall be strictly construed against closed meetings. The exception shall extend only to subjects clearly
within the scope of the exception.
F. 	Limitations on Closed Meetings
1. 	No final action (final vote) may be taken at a "closed meeting."
2. 	The vote on the final action must be taken during the open meeting after a recital of the nature of the
issues being considered and other matters that will inform the public.
VI. Exceptions to Open Meetings (5 ILCS 120/2[c])
A. 	While there are exceptions to the Open Meeting requirements, no exception requires a meeting to be closed
to the public.
B. 	The following subjects are the exceptions potentially applicable to the City of Evanston:
(1) Appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of an employee or
legal counsel of the City, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee of
the City or against legal counsel for the City to determine its validity.
(2) Collective negotiating matters between City and its employees or their representatives, or salary
schedules for one or more classes of municipal employees.
(3) Appointment to fill a vacancy, discipline or removal of a public official from the City when the City
has power to remove the occupant under law or ordinance.
(4) Consideration of the evidence or testimony presented in an open or closed hearing to a quasi-
adjudicative body provided that the body prepares and makes available for public inspection a written
decision setting forth its determinative reasoning.
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(5) Purchasing or leasing of real property for the use of the City.
(6) Setting a price for sale or lease of property owned by the City.
(7) The sale or purchase of securities or investment contracts.
(8) Emergency security procedures and the use of personnel and equipment to respond to actual or
reasonably potential danger to the safety of employees, staff or public property.
(9 and 10) N/A to City.
(11) 	Litigation when an action against, affecting or on behalf of the City has been filed and is pending
before a court or administrative tribunal or when the public body finds that an action is probable or
imminent, in which case the basis for the finding shall be recorded and entered into the minutes of
the closed meeting.
(12) 	Establishment reserves or settle claims as provided in the Local Governmental Employees Tort
Immunity Act if otherwise the disposition of a claim or potential claim might be prejudiced. Review
or discussion of claims, loss or risk management information, records, data, advice or
communications from or with respect to any insurer of the City or any intergovernmental risk
management association of which the City is a member.
(13) 	Conciliation of complaints of discrimination in the sale or rental of housing, when authorized by the
law or ordinance prescribing fair housing practices and creating a commission or administrative
agency for their enforcement.
(14) 	Informant sources, the hiring or assignment of undercover personnel or equipment, or ongoing, prior
or future criminal investigations, when discussed by a public body with criminal investigatory
responsibilities.
(15) 	Professional ethics or performance when considered by an advisory body appointed to advise a
licensing or regulatory agency on matters germane to the advisory body's field of competence.
(16) 	Self evaluation, practices and procedures or professional ethics, when meeting with a representative
of a statewide association of which the public body is a member.
(17 - 20) N/A to City.
(21) 	Discussion of minutes of meetings lawfully closed under this Act.
(22) 	N/A to City.
(23) 	The operation by a municipality of a municipal utility or the operation of a municipal power agency
or municipal natural gas agency when the discussion involves:
(i) 	Contracts relating to the purchase, sale, or delivery of electricity or natural gas; or,
(ii) The results or conclusions of load forecast studies.
(24) 	N/A to City
VII. 	Consequences for Violations of the Open Meetings Act
A. 	A violation of the Act is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a $500.00 fine and/or not more than
thirty days in jail.
B. 	Court, in a civil action, may grant such relief as it deems appropriate, including:
1. 	A mandamus requiring a meeting be open to the public.
2. 	An injunction against future violations.
3. 	Ordering the minutes of a meeting be available to the public.
4. 	Declaring null and void any final action by Council, commission or committee taken at a closed
meeting.
5. 	Award attorneys’ fees.
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Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140)
A Summary
Below is summary information regarding the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). It is intended to serve
merely as a guideline to assist in understanding the Act. Specific questions regarding specific circumstances should
be directed to the Law Department.
The FOIA begins with this paragraph:
Pursuant to the fundamental philosophy of the American constitutional form of government, it is declared
to be the public policy of the State of Illinois that all persons are entitled to full and complete information
regarding the affairs of government and the official acts and policies of those who represent them as
public officials and public employees consistent with the terms of this Act.
The act –
y 	Lists the “public records” that must be disclosed.
y 	Lists the public bodies that are subject to the Act.
y 	Lists records that may be withheld from inspection and copying (exemptions).
y 	Sets out procedures for inspection and copying of records.
y 	Provides for administration and judicial review of denial of request for records.
A “public record” is defined as –
y 	A report, form, letter, memorandum, book, paper, map, photograph, microfilm, card, tape, recording,
electronic data-processing record, recorded information, or any other documentary information that was
prepared, or has been or is being used, received, possessed, or under the control of any public body.
y 	Presumed to be open and accessible.
Examples of public records are –
y 	Administrative manuals, procedural rules, and instructions to staff.
y 	Final opinions and orders made in the adjudication of cases.
y 	Substantive rules.
y 	Statements and interpretations of policy that have been adopted by a public body.
y 	All information in any account, voucher, or contract dealing with the receipt or expenditure of public or
other funds of public bodies.
y 	The names, salaries, titles, and dates of employment of all employees and officers of public bodies.
The FOIA is not intended to be used for the purpose of furthering a commercial enterprise. However, commercial
purpose is not an exemption, and records cannot be denied on that basis alone.
Some documents are exempt from the FOIA:
y 	Records of a personal nature, the release of which would involve a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy.
y 	Records, the release of which would impair the safety or security of a public institution or the safe and
efficient operation of a police department.
y 	Records relating to internal operations: preliminary drafts, notes, memoranda, etc.
y 	Records exempted by other statutes.
y 	Records relating to loss, or risk-management information and insurance, or self-insurance claims.
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A request made under the Freedom of Information Act must be responded to promptly:
y 	A response – acceptance of denial – must be given within seven working days of receipt of the request.
Failure to respond within seven days is considered a denial.
y 	An additional seven working days may be allowed if –
> 	The needed records are stored at a remote location.
> 	The request requires collection of large number of records.
> 	The request requires extensive search.
> 	The search is continuing.
> 	The request requires a person competent to determine if records are exempt.
A letter must be sent to the requester, indicating the reason for the additional 7 days.
y 	If the public body has denied a FOIA request, and the requester has appealed the denial, the City Manager
has seven working days after receipt of the appeal to respond.
Evanston’s Freedom of Information Act Policy
The purpose of Evanston’s FOIA policy is to centralize procedures and make them consistent; track responses to
FOIA requests; assist departments in responding to FOIA requests; and assure compliance with the law. The policy
is –
y 	A resident who wishes to make a FOIA request obtains a “Request for Public Records under the Freedom
of Information Act” form from the City Clerk’s office.
y 	The requester submits the completed form to the City Clerk’s office.
y 	The City Clerk’s office logs the request and immediately distributes it to the appropriate department(s),
using a red “FOIA REQUEST” envelope, and on the envelope indicating the due date.
y 	The Department secretary/administrator receives the red FOIA envelope and immediately notifies the
appropriate supervisor.
y 	The requested materials may be viewed on-site. In that case, supervision is needed.
y 	The department receiving the request may call the requester to clarify or narrow the request, or, if the cost
is considerable, to confirm that the requester needs all of the requested documents.
y 	If there is any question as to whether information is public or exempt, the Law Department should be
consulted.
y 	The department responding to the request returns the response to the City Clerk’s office, in the red
envelope, on or before the due date. A copy of the request form should be included, as well as the
applicable response letter.
y 	The City Clerk’s office mails the response packet, or arranges for pick-up, and handles copying,
certification, and any other fees.
Denying a FOIA Request
When a public body denies a FOIA request, the reason for the denial (total or partial) must be explained in a letter to
the requester. If the denial is based on an exemption, the letter must specify the exemption and explain the
requester’s right to make an appeal to the City Manager.
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Strategic Plan for the City of Evanston
On March 27, 2006, the Evanston City Council unanimously approved Evanston’s first-ever Strategic
Plan. Initiated by the City Manager and written with considerable community input, the five-year plan
was in the process of development for nine months.
The Strategic Plan establishes –
y 	An overall vision for the City, as well as more-specific visions addressing economics,
infrastructure, natural resources, partnerships, governance, neighborhoods, and social services.
y 	Priorities and direction.
y 	Guidelines for implementation.
y 	Goals by which to gauge success.
Mission Statement
The City of Evanston is committed to promoting the highest quality of life for all residents by providing
fiscally sound, responsive municipal services and delivering those services equitably and professionally
with the highest degree of integrity.
Vision
The overall vision is Creating the most livable city in America. Other, more specific vision statements are
tied to three categories of values deemed to be most important to residents: Economic Viability,
Strengthening Community, and Environmental Sustainability.
Goals
Thirteen goals were developed to give structure to the vision. They are listed below, grouped according
to the community values listed above. A vision statement is given for each value precedes, and each goal
has its own objectives.
Economic Viability
Vision: Evanston will have a viable, renewable economic engine which can support the needs and
enhance the lifestyles of those living and working in the community.
Goal #1
Create and implement a comprehensive economic development strategy, which results in a vibrant
and diverse economy for the City of Evanston.
Objectives
A. Create an economic development plan which includes strategies and policies that are futuristic
and conscientious of our heritage for –
• 	Downtown development
• 	Neighborhood development
• 	Business retention
• 	Business attraction
• 	Creative class (entrepreneurial, technological, artistic) attraction
• 	City-wide technological and communication needs
B. 	Review the zoning and preservation ordinances in context of new economic development plan.
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Goal #2
Create policies and programs that result in a well maintained, diverse housing stock throughout the
City of Evanston.
Objectives
A. Assess existing housing programs and inspection services to identify strengths and gaps.
B. 	Develop and implement a comprehensive inclusionary and affordable housing policy.
C. 	Create workforce ownership and rental housing opportunities.
D. Improve affordable housing provided in Evanston by regional housing agencies and local not-for-
profits through exemplary tenant screening and enforcement of property standards.
E. 	Continue advocacy of affordable housing choices throughout the northern suburbs.
Goal #3
Generate marketable job skills for Evanston residents.
Objectives
A. Initiate brainstorming roundtable session with ETHS and post-secondary educational institutions
that serve ETHS students, as well as major businesses.
B. 	Convene brainstorming roundtable session with State and Federal legislators to identify
opportunities for system improvement.
C. 	Convene brainstorming roundtable session with leaders of construction trade and labor unions
that could provide training/entry-level jobs for ETHS graduates.
D. Advocate for job skill development and vocational training for skilled trades through city
contracting, internships, work-study placements, and policy-making boards.
E. 	Convene (and communicate to) local businesses (including hospitals and NU) to brainstorm the
job opportunities for Evanston residents and develop methods to match the job with the resident.
F. 	Create a job-training fund.
Strengthening Community: Neighborhoods
Vision: Evanston will maintain and build upon the uniqueness and strengths of its neighborhoods
and parks. We will provide a high quality of life for all members of our diverse population.
Goal #11
Define Evanston neighborhoods and ensure that they are safe, clean, and attractive.
Objectives
A. Define neighborhood unit and develop an inventory of organizational resources, assets and needs.
B. 	Identify existing service gaps, opportunities and threats.
C. 	Develop an action plan to incorporate more multi-generational features in our parks, and
recreational programs and facilities.
D. Respond effectively and efficiently to the identified needs of Evanston neighborhoods.
E. 	Evaluate and refine public safety strategies to promote a safe environment throughout the
community’s neighborhoods.
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Strengthening Community: Social Programs
Vision: Evanston is a socially conscious and active City. We augment the social needs of all our
citizens where additional help and support is required.
Goal #12
Provide opportunities for and engage Evanston youth and young adults to become active and
productive citizens of the Evanston community.
Objectives
A. Assess youth and young adult services and develop recommendations to address service gaps.
B. 	Partner with others to increase participation and interest of youth and young adults.
C. 	Address the recreational needs of youth and young adults.
Goal #13
Strive to ensure that all Evanston residents have access to healthcare as well as basic food, housing
and shelter.
Objectives
A. Regularly assess community health and wellness and the need for human services.
B. 	Assess the effectiveness and responsiveness of human services programs.
C. 	Support and promote a collaborative network of human services programs in Evanston.
Strengthening Community: Partnerships
Vision: Evanston will build cooperative reciprocal partnerships with the educative institutions, not-
for-profits, hospitals, and business constituents. We will continue to focus on nurturing current
relationships and create new relationships to provide a better life for our diverse population.
Goal #7
Continue to develop a collaborative and reciprocal relationship with Northwestern University.
Objectives
A. Inventory current relationships, and perform needs and opportunities analysis.
B. 	Research positive University/Government (Town/Gown) relationships to identify successful
approaches to working together.
C. 	Establish quarterly meetings between representatives of the City Council and Northwestern
University Board of Trustees.
D. Establish regular meetings between senior staff from the City and the University.
E. 	Perform needs and opportunities analyses, and develop common delivery of services such as
dispatching (911), parking, recreation, employment opportunities, etc.
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Strengthening Community: Governance
Vision: Evanston will strive to create the most useful and efficient government and government
services.
Goal #8
Create collaborative and productive partnerships with the schools, hospitals, business organizations,
arts organizations, and other not-for-profit groups and governments.
Objectives
A. Inventory and define existing relationships at both the Council and staff level.
B. 	Evaluate objectives of current partnerships and determine future direction and appropriate action
steps at facilitated strategy sessions with aforementioned groups.
C. 	Expand and enhance the integration of the arts including the provision of public art in the
business, social and educational environment of Evanston.
Goal #9
More effectively utilize Boards and Commissions.
Objectives
A. Review the function, responsibility and structure of all Boards and Commissions to maximize
effectiveness.
B. 	Provide standardized training/orientation for members and assigned staff.
Goal #10
Promote a standard of excellence and collaboration between staff and City Council to provide
outstanding customer service to the citizens of Evanston.
Objectives
A. Create a comprehensive and continuous customer service training program that fosters an
environment of creative problem solving at all staff levels and ensure the staff is responsive,
knowledgeable, courteous and friendly at every staff level.
B. 	Provide an integrated system that allows customer input on service performance.
C. 	Recruit, retain and develop the most qualified individuals for all City departments.
D. Investigate and implement best practices and national models of service delivery.
Environmental Sustainability: Infrastructure
Vision: Evanston will have a highly effective infrastructure that enables the community activities of
its citizens and businesses. Evanston is a destination and requires an infrastructure that takes into
account multiple modes of transportation and the natural resources available to us.
Goal #4
Create and maintain functionally appropriate, sustainable, accessible high quality infrastructure and
facilities.
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(Environmental Sustainability: Infrastructure, continued)
Objectives
A. Council will provide direction regarding the futures of the Civic Center, Recycling Center, and
Robert Crown Center.
B. 	Update and continue implementation of Parks/Forestry and Recreation’s comprehensive long-
range property/equipment plan, including trees.
C. 	Continue to develop an environmentally sensitive lakefront master plan.
D. Prepare and implement a comprehensive long-range infrastructure plan including parking, streets,
sewers, water mains, lighting, signs, traffic signals, alleys, pavement marking, sidewalks, and
bridges.
E. 	To better manage our buildings, prepare and implement a long-range and comprehensive facility
maintenance plan.
F. 	Continue to encourage the enhancement of reliability in gas and electrical distribution systems.
Environmental Sustainability: Natural Resources
Vision: Evanston will be known as “The Green City.” We will embrace the best ecological
practices and policies in our government, services, and infrastructure.
Goal #5
Protect and optimize the City’s natural resources and built environment, leading by example through
sustainable practices and behaviors.
Objectives
A. Review current City policies and procedures to identify and improve sustainable and
environmentally-friendly practices for the City and its citizens.
B. 	Identify and utilize new practices that will improve the quality of life that will enhance the City’s
sustainability.
C. 	Evaluate the potential implementation of a City-wide Environmental Management System
(EMS).
D. Sustainably manage, maintain, enhance and preserve our natural resources, such as the North
Shore Channel, canal lands and Ladd Arboretum.
E. 	Protect and seek to expand, where possible, green spaces within the City.
Goal #6
Coordinate and influence transportation resources to provide an improved system that is safe,
integrated, accessible, responsive, understandable, efficient, and meets the needs of all people.
Objectives
A. Complete a 20-year multi-modal transportation plan for the City to identify disconnects in the
transportation system and to develop strategies to make modal connections.
B. 	Leverage funds and resources from a variety of sources.
C. 	Promote energy-efficient and non-automotive transportation systems, including implementation
of the Evanston Bike Plan.
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Calendar of City-Sponsored Events
For the most up-to-date calendar of City of Evanston events, please visit the following Web site:
http://www.cityofevanston.org/Calendar/Calendars?Op=ShowIt&CalendarName=Evanston
To receive e-mail notifications of changed or cancelled B/C/C meetings –
A. Click on the meeting updates list link on the calendar page.
B. 	On the subsequent
screen, type your e-mail
address and name, and
indicate the types of
notifications you wish to
receive.
C. 	Click on 	.
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Relationship of Boards, Commissions, and Committees to City Council
Board/Commission/Committee Type of
Responsibility
Committee (or Other)
to Which B/C/C Reports
B/C/C
Make-Up
No. of
Members
Affiliated City
Department
911-Emergency Telephone System Board 	Administrative 	Administration and Pub. Works 2 ald., 4 staff, 1 commun. 	7 	Fire
Arts Council 	Advisory 	Human Services 	15 commun. 	15 	Parks, Forestry, and Rec.
Board of Ethics 	Quasi-Judicial 	Rules 	5 commun. 	5 	Law
Board of Examiners of Stationary Engineers, Boiler-
or Water-Tenders Administrative 	Administration and Pub. Works 	2 staff 	2 	Building and Zoning
Board of Local Improvements 	Advisory 	City Council 	6 staff 	5 	Public Works
Citizens Advisory Committee on Public Place Names 	Advisory 	Planning and Development 	4 staff, 1 History Center 	5 	Parks, Forestry, and Rec.
City-Chamber Committee 	Advisory 	City Council 	2 ald., 4 bus. 	5 	City Manager
City-School Liaison Committee 	Administrative 	City Council 	2 ald. 	2 City Council 	City Manager
Civil Service Commission 	Quasi-Judicial 	Administration and Pub. Works 	3 staff 	3 	Human Resources
Commission on Aging Advocacy and
Advisory Human Services 	15 commun. 	15 	Health and Human Serv.
Economic Development Committee 	Advisory 	City Council 	5 ald., 2 commun. 	9 	City Manager
Electrical Commission 	Advisory 	Planning and Development 	2 staff, 4 commun. 	6 	Community Development
Energy Commission 	Advisory 	Administration and Pub. Works 	7 commun. 	7 	Planning
Environment Board 	Advisory 	Human Services 	13 commun. 	13 	Parks, Forestry, and Rec.
Firefighter's Pension Board 	Quasi-Judicial 	Administration and Pub. Works 	6 staff 	7 	Fire
Housing and Community Dev. Act Committee 	Advisory 	City Council 	4 ald., 4 commun. 	8 	Community Development
Housing Commission 	Advisory 	Planning and Development 	9 commun. 	9 	Community Development
Human Relations Commission 	Administrative 	Human Services 	9 commun. 	9 	Health and Human Serv.
Ladd Arboretum Committee 	Advisory 	Human Services 	7 commun. 	7 	Parks, Forestry, and Rec.
Library Board 	Administrative 	Human Services 	9 commun. 	9 	Library
Lighthouse Landing Complex Committee 	Advisory 	Seventh Ward 	1 ald., 3 staff, 7 commun. 	Parks, Forestry, and Rec.
Liquor Control Review Board 	Advisory 	Administration and Pub. Works 	Mayor, 3 commun. 	4 	City Manager
Mental Health Board 	Administrative 	Human Services 	9 commun. 	9 	Health and Human Serv.
Minority, Women, and Evanston Business
Enterprise Development Committee Advisory 	Administration and Pub. Works 	4 bus., 2 commun. 	9 	Finance
Parking Committee 	Advisory 	City Council 	3 ald., 3 commun. 	8 	Public Works
Plan Commission 	Advisory 	Planning and Development 	9 commun. 	9 	Community Development
Playground and Recreation Board 	Advisory 	Human Services 	9 commun. 	9 	Parks, Forestry, and Rec.
Police Pension Board 	Quasi-Judicial 	City Council 	2 staff 	5 	Police
Preservation Commission 	Advisory 	Planning and Development 	1 commun. 	11 	Community Development
Property Services Board 	Quasi-Judicial 	Planning and Development 	3 commun. 	7 	Community Development
Public Art Committee 	Advisory 	Rules Comm. and Arts Council 	15 commun. 	15 	Parks, Forestry, and Rec.
Sign Review and Appeals Board 	Advisory 	Planning and Development 	1 commun. 	5 	Community Development
Site Plan and Appearance Review Board 	Advisory 	Planning and Development 	13 staff, 1 commun. 	14 	Community Development
Taxicab Advisory Board 	Advisory 	Administration and Pub. Works 	7 commun. 	7 	Finance
Zoning Board of Appeals 	Quasi-Judicial 	Planning and Development 	7 commun. 	7 	Community Development
B/C/C Handbook 	Page 42 of 50 	May 21, 2009

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Evanston’s Boards, Commissions, and Committees, in Brief (2008)
B/C/C 	Purpose
911-Emergency Telephone
System Board
To coordinate and supervise the implementation, upgrading, or maintenance of the system,
including the establishment of equipment specifications and coding system.
Arts Council 	To encourage the involvement of citizens in the arts; aid in the coordination of private and public
cultural activities and support Noyes as a Cultural Arts Center for the Evanston community.
Board of Ethics 	To secure and maintain financial disclosure statements from persons required to file same; to
develop and recommend to City Council code of conduct applicable to public officials; to deliberate
on questions of possible unethical conduct or conflict of interest.
Board of Examiners of
Stationary Engineers, Boiler or
Water Tenders
To administer tests to applicants for a license as engineers and boiler- and water- tenders.
Board of Local Improvements 	To make public works infrastructure improvements through special-assessment process.
Citizens Advisory Committee on
Public Place Names
To recommend appropriate names for public places.
Citizens’ Police Advisory
Committee
To review all formal and informal complaints against police officers. The composition of this new
committee has not yet been determined.
City-Chamber Committee 	To act as liaison between the City Council and the Chamber of Commerce, to consider matters in
which the Chamber wishes City action; make recommendations to the Council; and report to the
Chamber matters in which the City desires Chamber cooperation.
City-School Liaison Committee 	To consider problems that affect the City and the schools, and to report recommendations to the
City Council and School Boards.
Civil Service Commission 	To oversee the operation of the Civil Service System as it applies to the City of Evanston. To
administer examinations to determine the fitness of applicants for positions; to establish and
publish an approved list of hearing officers, including biographical data.
Commission on Aging 	To provide advocacy and ombudsman service to aging citizens; study and evaluate needs of senior
citizens; encourage reduction of duplication in services and filling of service gaps; and coordinate
services provided by federal, state, and local agencies.
Economic Development
Committee
To act in an advisory capacity to the City Council regarding business district re-development,
including reviewing and making recommendations concerning all re-development proposals and
gathering and disseminating information on the economic vitality of the City.
Electrical Commission 	To recommend safe and practical standards and specifications for the installation, alteration, and
use of electrical equipment designed to meet the needs and conditions of the City.
Energy Commission 	To participate in the planning and improvement of electrical service in Evanston, to insure reliable
and competitive service. To listen to citizens' concerns.
Environment Board 	To investigate all activities that affect the environment: air pollution, litter, water, noise pollution,
solid waste pollution, overpopulation, and pesticides. To develop policy recommendations on
environmental issues for submission to the City Council.
Firefighter's Pension Board 	To provide and distribute funds for pensions of firefighters, and the widows and minor children of
deceased firefighters.
Housing and Community Dev.
Act Committee
To provide advice and recommendations to the City Council on the goals, objectives and overall
policy direction of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. To make
recommendations to the City Council on the use and appropriation of CDBG funds and monitor the
progress of all CDBG-funded programs. To initiate such studies and reports as are necessary for
the effective operation of the CDBG program; and to conduct such public hearings as are required
and deemed necessary for the gathering of information and ideas related to the CDBG program.
Housing Commission 	To provide for the planning, expansion, maintenance, conservation, and rehabilitation of Evanston's
housing stock. To be responsive to needs for change in housing-related matters in order to
maintain a diverse residential environment and conserve property values within the community.
Human Relations Commission 	To foster the improvement of human relations in Evanston among citizens of all races, colors,
creeds, and national origins.
Ladd Arboretum Committee 	To advise and consult with the City Council and the Director of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry on
development, maintenance and programs of the Arboretum, the Ecology Center, and the
Lighthouse Nature Center. To raise funds and seek gifts for development and maintenance; to
approve disbursement of monies raised by Committee; to publicize the Arboretum and its
attractions and to promote its use. To serve as the governing board of the Evanston Environmental
Association.
B/C/C Handbook 	Page 43 of 50 	May 21, 2009

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B/C/C 	Purpose
Library Board 	To supervise and manage the services of library, with the powers granted under state statutes.
Lighthouse Landing Complex
Committee
To share information and facilitate cooperation and coordination among all the groups that have
activities and responsibilities in the area around the Lighthouse.
Liquor Control Review Board 	To investigate and review all applications for, and recommend licenses and renewals of, liquor
licenses in Evanston.
Mental Health Board 	To aid individuals in the enhancement, maintenance, and/or restoration of their mental health
within the context of their environment; and to review and evaluate community mental health
services and facilities in Evanston, including services and facilities for treatment of mental
disorders, alcoholism, drug addiction, and developmental disabilities, including mental retardation,
cerebral palsy, epilepsy and autism.
Minority, Women, and Evanston
Business Enterprise
Development Committee
To identify and assess the needs of the M/W/EBE community on a regular basis, develop a program
to address the established needs of the M/W/EBE community.
Parking Committee 	To study the intermediate and long-term parking needs of the City and provide to the City Council
recommendations to solve parking problems.
Plan Commission 	To formulate basic policies for a Comprehensive Plan; initiate studies concerning present and future
development and redevelopment of the City; prepare recommendations for the annual revision of
the Capital Improvement Program; and prepare an annual report on the adequacy of the
Comprehensive Plan, the Zoning Ordinance, and the Capital Improvement Plan as instruments of
long-term development policy.
Playground and Recreation
Board
To provide for, maintain, supervise, and direct all playground and recreation activities for the City
of Evanston.
Police Pension Board (Board of
Trustees of the Police Pension
Fund”)
To administer the Evanston Police Department’s Pension Fund and designate beneficiaries. To
control and manage, exclusively, the pension fund, investments, and all money paid, assessed,
donated, or provided by law for the pensioning of retired and disabled police officers, their surviving
spouses, minor children, and dependent parents.
Preservation Commission 	To develop a Preservation Plan for Evanston as part of the Comprehensive General Plan. To take a
field inventory and create an inventory database, set up preservation programs and tools, and
educate the public.
Property Services Board 	To perform the duties and responsibilities of the Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA)
Property Maintenance Code Appeals Board; National Building Code Appeals Board; and Burglary
Prevention Appeals Board. To decide appeals with respect to any action, or failure to act,
pertaining to the enforcement of Title 4 chapter 10 of the BOCA code.
Public Art Committee 	To provide works of art in public places, using private and available public funds. To provide a
process by which the City shall acquire and maintain works of art; identify and administer a Public
Art Fund for acquisition, maintenance, and disposition of works of art; establish and administer a
Public Art Plan and a Public Art Program; and dispose of works of art.
Sign Review and Appeals Board To hear appeals concerning the Sign Ordinance; grant variations from the Ordinance; hear requests
for establishment of Unified Business Centers; hear proposals for special sign districts; and make
recommendations for approval, modification, or denial of such requests.
Site Plan and Appearance
Review Board
To establish a procedure to bring together staff from applicable City departments to meet with
developers to help resolve any site or appearance problem and communicate the City's
requirements. To help reduce adverse impact and promote harmony of development with its
surroundings; to maintain property values.
Standing Committees of the
City Council
For information, please refer to the “Current Governmental Structure” section of this document.
Taxicab Advisory Board 	For a representative from each licensed taxicab association to work with the Board to advise the
City Manager on taxicab-regulation matters, and to recommend action to be taken regarding
complaints received.
Zoning Board of Appeals 	To hear and decide appeals to decisions of enforcing officers for extension of time or variation from
provisions of the Zoning Ordinance. To hear and make recommendations to City Council on
applications for variations and special-use permits.
B/C/C/Handbook 	Page 44 of 50 	May 21, 2009

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B/C/C Application Form
B/C/C/Handbook 	Page 45 of 50 	May 21, 2009

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Parliamentary Procedures, in Brief
Making a Motion
Based on Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (10th Edition)
Part 1: Main Motions
These motions are listed in order of precedence. A motion can be introduced if it is higher on the chart than the
pending motion. The § (section) number indicates the applicable section in Robert's Rules of Order.
§ 	PURPOSE 	You Say… 	Interrupt? 	Second? 	Debate? 	Amend? 	Vote
§21 	Close meeting 	I move to adjourn 	No 	Yes 	No 	No 	Majority
§20 	Take break 	I move to recess for ... 	No 	Yes 	No 	Yes 	Majority
§19 	Register complaint 	I rise to a question of
privilege
Yes 	No 	No 	No 	None
§18 	Make follow agenda 	I call for the orders of
the day
Yes 	No 	No 	No 	None
§17 	Lay aside temporarily 	I move to lay the
question on the table
No 	Yes 	No 	No 	Majority
§16 	Close debate 	I move the previous
question
No 	Yes 	No 	No 	2/3
§15 	Limit or extend debate 	I move that debate be
limited to ...
No 	Yes 	No 	Yes 	2/3
§14 	Postpone to a certain time I move to postpone the
motion to ...
No 	Yes 	Yes 	Yes 	Majority
§13 	Refer to committee 	I move to refer the
motion to ...
No 	Yes 	Yes 	Yes 	Majority
§12 	Modify wording of
motion
I move to amend the
motion by ...
No 	Yes 	Yes 	Yes 	Majority
§11 	Kill main motion 	I move that the motion
be postponed
indefinitely
No 	Yes 	Yes 	No 	Majority
§10 	Bring business before
assembly (a main motion)
I move that [or "to"] ... 	No 	Yes 	Yes 	Yes 	Majority
B/C/C/Handbook 	Page 46 of 50 	May 21, 2009

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Part 2: Incidental Motions
No order of precedence. These motions arise incidentally and are decided immediately.
§ 	PURPOSE 	You Say… 	Interrupt? 	Second? 	Debate? 	Amend? 	Vote
§23 	Enforce rules 	Point of Order 	Yes 	No 	No 	No 	None
§24 	Submit matter to
assembly
I appeal from the
decision of the chair
Yes 	Yes 	Varies 	No 	Majority
§25 	Suspend rules 	I move to suspend the
rules
No 	Yes 	No 	No 	2/3
§26 	Avoid main motion
altogether
I object to the
consideration of the
question
Yes 	No 	No 	No 	2/3
§27 	Divide motion 	I move to divide the
question
No 	Yes 	No 	Yes 	Majority
§29 	Demand a rising vote 	I move for a rising vote 	Yes 	No 	No 	No 	None
§33 	Parliamentary law
question
Parliamentary inquiry 	Yes 	No 	No 	No 	None
§33 	Request for information 	Point of information 	Yes 	No 	No 	No 	None
Part 3: Motions That Bring a Question Again Before the Assembly
No order of precedence. Introduce only when nothing else is pending.
§ 	PURPOSE 	You Say… 	Interrupt? 	Second? 	Debate? 	Amend? 	Vote
§34 	Take matter from table 	I move to take from the
table...
No 	Yes 	No 	No 	Majority
§35 	Cancel previous action 	I move to rescind ... 	No 	Yes 	Yes 	Yes 	2/3 or
majority
with
notice
§37 	Reconsider motion 	I move to reconsider ... 	No 	Yes 	Varies 	No 	Majority
B/C/C/Handbook 	Page 47 of 50 	May 21, 2009

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Common-Sense Advice for B/C/C Members
1. 	Being appointed to a board, commission, or committee (B/C/C) is an honor and an important
responsibility. Know that your participation will have an impact on our community, and beyond.
2. 	Since you accepted the appointment, it is assumed that you knew what you were getting into:
> 	If you do understand the requirements of the appointment and are ready to attend the many
associated meetings and events, prepare for meetings, do any necessary research, listen
attentively, attend applicable training sessions, think objectively, behave courteously, and give
your best effort, thank you! You are the ideal B/C/C member.
> 	If you’re not sure of what is being asked of you – in terms of time, effort, ability, reliability,
civility, and patience – find out now. If it is clear to you that you will not be able to fulfill the
responsibilities of this appointment, tender your resignation.
> 	If you were, at one time, a productive, contributing member of a B/C/C, but things have changed,
congratulate yourself for past accomplishments, then consider whether you should resign to make
room for someone else.
3. 	As a B/C/C member, you represent Evanston; strive to create a good impression of our city. Your
opinions on certain subjects carry more weight than they used to. Some will judge Evanston by your
words and actions. Indeed, you might be the first or only contact some person ever has with the City
of Evanston.
4. 	Do not view this appointment as an opportunity to showcase your brilliance, know-how, oratorical
skills, or single-issue agenda. Your goal should be to attempt to enhance life for all Evanston
residents by maintaining and improving communications, processes, and services.
5. 	Show respect to the B/C/C and the public by –
> 	Being prompt to meetings and events.
> 	Attending all meetings, ensuring a quorum.
> 	Speaking audibly and clearly, so the audience can hear and understand.
> 	Studying the contents of the meeting packet and any other relevant materials prior to each B/C/C
meeting.
> 	Weighing your words before speaking them, filtering out unnecessary comments. This can
shorten meetings, increase productivity, and greatly increase your personal satisfaction.
(Experiment with this 3-way test before speaking: “Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?”)
6. 	Train yourself not to speak on behalf of your B/C/C, unless you have been given that mandate on a
specific subject. Watch your tongue in public, at home, with friends, and everywhere else. Should
you be pressed for an opinion or answer, have a set of responses at the ready: “Our meetings are open
to the public; why don’t you plan to attend the next one?”; “The committee hasn’t yet decided on that;
but some materials are posted on the City’s Web site…”; “I can’t speak for the entire committee, of
course…”
7. 	Choose forthrightness over sarcasm or dismissive gestures. Assume that others are well-intended.
Give speakers your undivided attention.
8. 	Speak, act, and dress professionally.
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9. 	From the time of your arrival at a meeting until you walk out of the door to go home, maintain a
respectful distance from friends, advocates, and all others who are not on the B/C/C. Chatting with
individuals or groups before, during, or after a meeting can give a false impression to onlookers.
10. Turn off your cell telephone (or pager or BlackBerry or other electronic device) when a meeting
starts.
11. Although (or, perhaps, because) we are living in a time of informality, during a meeting refer to
speakers by their titles or roles: “the chair,” “Mr.,” “Ms.,” or “the applicant,” for example.
12. Take care that the phrasing and intonation of questions are information-seeking, not accusatorial.
13. Keep your mind open until all the facts have been considered. Embrace and respect the ideas and
opinions of others, even if – especially if – your mind is already made up.
14. Let the experts answer the technical questions. Allow the person who was asked the question a
chance to answer the question first.
15. If your facial expressions and body language reveal exactly what you are thinking, start learning how
to control them.
16. Refrain from announcing how you plan to vote on an issue. It’s quite possible that you will change
your mind before the vote is called.
17. For all matters of import, vote by roll call. Do not evince a reaction when a vote is called, and after
the vote refrain from rehashing the issue.
18. If tempers flare, avoid being drawn into the emotion. Detach. Take a few deep breaths, and either sit
quietly or try to introduce a word of objectivity into the situation.
19. If an issue arises that, you feel, will create an actual or perceived conflict of interest, recuse yourself
from the discussion and the vote. Ask that the minutes show that you are leaving this portion of the
meeting because you are concerned about a conflict of interest, or a possible perception of a conflict
of interest. Do not go into specifics. Ask that someone call you back to the meeting when the
discussion is over; and leave the room until summoned.
20. Honor all confidences, both during and after the tenure of your service.
21. Speak ill of no one. If you have an issue with someone, bring it up to that someone, privately.
22. If your B/C/C elects its own moderator/chair, vote for the person most likely to run a fair, effective,
efficient meeting. Do not choose someone simply because she/he is the longest-term member, an
admired friend, owed a favor, or deserving of recognition.
23. The role of staff on B/C/C’s is to provide as much support as is requested, to a degree that is
reasonable. Staff members are professionals with far more knowledge and experience than most
B/C/C members have. Be aware that they probably will wait to be called on for their expertise, rather
than volunteering it.
24. Be grateful, in thought and word, for all the help offered to you and your B/C/C, by staff, volunteers,
and the public at large.
B/C/C/Handbook 	Page 49 of 50 	May 21, 2009

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B/C/C/Handbook 	Page 50 of 50 	May 21, 2009
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Guidelines for B/C/C Self-Assessments
The City Manager’s office will provide the staff liaison and chair persons of each board, committee, and
commission a standard format for the self-assessment questionnaire, along with a schedule of completion
deadlines.
The questions to be addressed in the B/C/C’s self-assessment are as follows:
Are the current duties of the B/C/C, as defined by City Code, realistic? If not, what duties would
you suggest be added and/or removed?
Is the B/C/C workload (annual work plan) too much, too little, or about right? Explain.
Does the B/C/C effectively accomplish its annual work plan?
Are B/C/C meetings conducted in an effective manner? What could be done to improve the
meetings?
Is the current size of the B/C/C appropriate to its mission and work plan?
Are communications between the B/C/C and the City Council effective? What, if anything, could
be done to improve these communications?
In addition, the self-assessment should include the following attachments:
Description of duties, as stated in the City Ordinance.
Current work plan.
Current annual report.
Bylaws (if any exist).

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