by Randal Birkey | Sep 2, 2015 | Local Government Law Bulletin, Uncategorized, William C. Westfall
Governor Rauner recently signed a new bill that relieves non-home rule units of local government from complying with arduous administrative law requirements. Specifically, this new law relieves non-home rule units from satisfying the laborious task of registering...
by Randal Birkey | Aug 19, 2015 | Local Government Law Bulletin, Ruth Alderman Schlossberg, Uncategorized
The University of Illinois recently disclosed that its former Chancellor and other university employees intentionally used private email addresses for the purpose of evading public disclosure of several sensitive matters. Not only did they discuss public business in...
by Randal Birkey | Aug 17, 2015 | Attorney, David W. McArdle, Local Government Law Bulletin, Uncategorized
Recently, a federal appellate court determined that an Illinois municipality’s anti-panhandling ordinance was unconstitutional. Specifically, the ordinance in question prohibited panhandling in the municipality’s “downtown historic district.” The area in question only...
by Randal Birkey | Aug 6, 2015 | Brad Stewart, Local Government Law Bulletin, Uncategorized
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office was fined $5,000 in addition to approximately $80,000 for the other side’s legal costs and filing fees, after a trial court deemed it to have improperly withheld documents from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The FOIA...
by Randal Birkey | Aug 6, 2015 | Local Government Law Bulletin, Michael J. Smoron, Uncategorized
Recently, the Illinois Senate approved a bill (SB 0318) which would place a freeze on property taxes. This freeze would apply to all taxing districts outside of Cook County for 2016 and 2017. This freeze would apply to both home rule and non-home rule municipalities....
by Randal Birkey | Jul 15, 2015 | Brad Stewart, Local Government Law Bulletin, Uncategorized
The Supreme Court, in Reed v. Town of Gilbert, recently invalidated a town’s ordinance which created 23 sign classifications and restrictions thereto. The First Amendment’s freedom of speech was at specific issue, and whether the classifications, which did not...
