City of Champaign Announces Changes in the Manner of City Council Attendance at Meetings and Method for Public Participation, Board and Commission Meetings

On April 8, 2020, Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen issued COVID-19 Related Emergency Order 20-12 in accordance with Governor Pritzker’s Executive Order suspending certain requirements of the Illinois Open Meetings Act.  The Mayor’s Emergency Order allows members of the City Council, as well as Boards and Commissions, to conduct their meetings through an electronic platform.  The Study Session will be telecast live on CGTV (Comcast and i3 Broadband channel 5, U-verse channel 99), live streamed on the City’s website (champaignil.gov/CGTV), and a recording will be made available for subsequent on-demand viewing on the City’s website (champaignil.gov/CGTV).

Individual’s wishing to provide public comment to the City Council, as well as Boards and Commissions, will continue to have the opportunity to do so. A web form is available on the City’s website (champaignil.gov/publiccomment) which will let members of the public to provide written comments to the Council, Boards and Commission, on any item on the meeting agenda. The web form will ask for the individual’s name, city of residence, the agenda item they’d like to comment on, as well as their comments.  Public comments may also be submitted in hard copy by placing them in the drop box outside of the Champaign City Building (102 N. Neil St., Champaign) before 2:00 pm on the date of the Council, Board or Commission meeting. Hard copy public comments should also include the individual’s name, city of residence, which agenda item the comments pertain to, as well as their comments.  Public comments will be included in the official meeting minutes. For more details about submitting public comments please visit champaignil.gov/publiccomment.

This emergency order is effective immediately and will remain in place until further emergency order of the Mayor or the expiration of Emergency Ordinance 2020-023 due to the closure of the City Building.

The full text of Emergency Order 20-12 can be viewed online here.

The complete Emergency Orders can be reviewed by visiting champaignil.gov/covid-19. The City of Champaign continues to thank the public for its patience and understanding during this challenging time.


Media Contact: Kris Koester | 217-403-4700