September 16, 2018
Illinois

Regional Planning Commission caught skipping by-law requirements

By Anthony Engle on September 13 | WLDS | wlds.com

There was a meeting Wednesday of the Morgan County Regional Planning Commission scheduled for 11 a.m., the first of its kind since January of last year, but there was no action taken.

The commission had gathered an array of different Morgan County representatives together with the immediate purpose of appoint people to a new Plans Commission. This newly-formed group would oversee a number of upcoming projects, including some which may require a change to Morgan County’s wind ordinance.

However, before any action could be taken, a comment from the floor was offered by Mike Woodyard, of Franklin. Mr. Woodyard’s comments made clear that certain commission by-laws were not being properly followed and state laws concerning open meetings were apparently being overlooked by the Morgan County Regional Planning Commission.

Dusty Douglas is the Director of the Regional Planning Commission. Douglas recognizes that there were by-laws that had been incorrectly adhered to.

“We reconvened our Regional Planning Commission, which had not operated in quite some time, with the purpose of appointing a Plans Commission to hear subdivision applications and solar ordinances and a potential wind project. We were unable to get through that today. We will reconvene soon with the by-law questions addressed in accordance with legal counsel, who will be present for our next meeting.”

Mike Woodyard explains why he saw it necessary to have his voice heard this morning.

“I’ve been a longtime proponent of open and transparent government. One of the functions and ways we do that is through the FOIA Act and the Open Meetings Act. I had done FOIA’s in regards to the previous administration that brought out faults, and I wanted to see those repaired so that they’re operating properly under the Open Meetings Act and their own by-laws. It’s just a function of being a government watchdog.”

A specific date for the next Morgan County Regional Planning Commission meeting has not yet been scheduled.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2018/09/16/regional-planning-commission-caught-skipping-by-law-requirements/