Chicago Park District Public Participation Guidelines

GUIDELINES FOR ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION AT CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT BOARD MEETINGS

The Public Participation Rules (“Rules”) are issued by the Board of Commissioners of the Chicago Park District (the “Board”) pursuant to the Open Meetings Act (5 ILCS 120/1 et seq.) and Resolution No. 24-1115-0710 approved on July 10, 2024. 

1. Applicability and Purpose of Rules. All regular and special meetings of the Board, Personnel Board meetings, Committee meetings, and Public Hearings conducted by the Board, shall be governed by these Rules. The purpose of these Rules is to provide members of the public with the opportunity to comment on topics that are within the purview of the Board and to allow safe, equitable, and diverse public participation.
    
2. Board Meeting Schedule. Regularly scheduled meetings of the Board are held at 11:30 a.m. on the second Wednesday of each month in the boardroom at the Chicago Park District Administration Building at 4830 South Western Avenue Chicago, IL 60609, unless otherwise noted in the meeting agenda published by the Board. At least three Board meetings will be held in park fieldhouses located in different regions of the City of Chicago. At the beginning of each year, the schedule and locations of all regular meetings will be made available via public notice. All dates, locations and times of meetings are subject to change and such changes will be posted in accordance with the Open Meetings Act.
    
3. Public Speaker Registration. With the exception of Public Officials, members of the public wishing to speak must register in advance and in accordance with the following requirements or as otherwise noted in the meeting agenda published by the Board (Public Officials who wish to address the Board, please see Section 6 below.)
   • The speaker registration period begins when the meeting agenda is posted on the Friday before the Board meeting at 12:00 p.m. and closes at 12:00 p.m. on the Monday before the Board meeting*, or until all slots are filled. Members of the public will be added to the official speaker list in the order that their registration submissions are received. Advance registration during the registration period can be submitted to the Office of the Secretary by the following methods:
     -  Email:  signuptospeak@chicagoparkdistrict.com.
     -  Phone:  (312) 742-4299
     -  In-person:  In-person registration is available during business hours that fall within the registration period. Members of the public may register in person at the Chicago Park District Administration Building, 4830 South Western Avenue Chicago, IL 60609.
     *For other Board-related meetings, the days to register to speak may differ. Please refer to the respective meeting notices for the registration period.
   • As part of registration, individuals must provide the following information:
     -  Speaker’s Name
     -  Speaker’s Pronouns (optional)
     -  Contact Information (email and/or phone number)
     -  If applicable, the name of the organization the speaker represents or is affiliated with, including their title/role
     -  Subject matter being presented
     -  Supporting documents, if applicable
   • Registration must be made by the individual who intends to speak at the meeting. Persons may not sign up another speaker via proxy. Speakers will be limited to speaking once per meeting.
   • To promote equity of access to the Board, a maximum of two (2) representatives or affiliates of any Organization or group may register to speak at a meeting.
   • Once the registration period ends, the Office of the Secretary will reach out with official confirmation that a speaker is on the list. If a confirmed speaker is no longer able to attend the meeting, they should notify the Office of the Secretary by 10:00 a.m. the day before the meeting as to allow ample time to contact speakers on the waitlist. If previously confirmed speakers are therein removed from the speaker list, the Office of the Secretary will contact waitlisted speakers in the order that they registered offering them the opportunity to speak. Waitlisted speakers will be contacted by 5:00 p.m. the day before the meeting, after which, no further changes to the confirmed speaker list will be made. 
   • On the day of the Board meeting, all speakers must check in at the Board meeting registration table upon arrival. Only those who have checked in will be called to speak. 
   • At the Board’s discretion, Board members may or may not discuss the issues presented by speakers within the Public Comments Period, and only published agenda items will be voted on.
      
4. Number of Speakers and Time Limits. The Board allocates 30 minutes total for public comment at each meeting. Each speaker receives two (2) minutes to speak, which equates to fifteen (15) total slots for speakers. Speakers may not cede their time to another speaker.
    
5.  Order of Speakers. At the meeting, the Board Secretary will call the names of the checked-in speakers in the order they will be heard. The Office of the Secretary may group or order speakers according to topic; this includes but is not limited to prioritizing speakers addressing discussion items on the current meeting agenda.
    
6. Public Officials. City, State, and Federal public officials may request to speak by contacting the Department of Legislative and Community Affairs at lca@chicagoparkdistrict.com. The Board Secretary, at the discretion of the Board President, may call public officials to speak at any time as appropriate. 
    
7. Supporting Materials and Written Comments. Confirmed speakers may submit any written supporting materials via email to signuptospeak@chicagoparkdistrict.com by 10 AM the day before the Board meeting. If bringing hardcopy materials to the meeting, materials must be submitted to the check-in table staff by 11 AM on the day of the Board meeting. Additionally, in lieu of speaking at the Board meeting, individuals may submit written comments by email to signuptospeak@chicagoparkdistrict.com by 10 AM the day before the Board meeting. Alternative submittal methods may be available upon request. 
    
8. Language Access (Interpretation/Translation) and Board Meeting Accommodations.
   • All Board meetings will be held in wheelchair accessible buildings. Each Board meeting will provide seating with closed caption viewing in English.
   • Each live video stream will include the option to view with closed captions in different languages. 
   • To request American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters, please visit this webpage for instructions.*
   • To request spoken language interpreters for a registered speaker who wishes to have their remarks translated into English during the meeting, please visit this webpage for instructions.*
   • To request written translation of a registered speaker’s supporting documents or written testimony being submitted as Board meeting materials, please visit this webpage for instructions*
   • To request any other accessibility accommodations, please contact the Office of the Secretary at signuptospeak@chicagoparkdistrict.com or 312-742-4299 as soon as possible.
     *All accommodation requests should be submitted as early as possible. Please refer to the webpage link above for specific instructions.
      
9. Public Comment Guidelines. All public comments must be limited to issues of concern before the Board and/or related to the Chicago Park District. The Board will not hear public comment on the following topics:
   • Current or prospective vendors seeking to present products or services for purchase;
   • Comments of a personal nature, unrelated to the operations of the Board or the Chicago Park District, which are directed towards individual Board members, individual Chicago Park District employees, or any other individuals;
   • Matters under investigation by the Chicago Park District or the Inspector General that would unreasonably interfere with an ongoing investigation; and/or
   • Political endorsements.
     
     Accordingly, and to maintain orderly meetings, the Board President may limit the discussion of any attendee.
      
10. Guidelines for Behavior. The Board values and welcomes courteous, respectful, and civil behavior from all speakers and persons attending Board meetings. Profane or abusive language or behavior, unsolicited comments, and disruptive behavior are prohibited:
    • Phones and other devices that emit sound must be silenced upon entry into the Board meeting. 
    • Hand-held posters, flags, or placards are not allowed in the Board meetings. Speakers may submit pictures to the Office of the Secretary as supporting documents for viewing by the Board members.
    • Megaphones, amplifiers, or other means of voice amplification will not be allowed into the Board room.
    • Visitors must remove all of their personal effects from the Board room when they leave the room for any reason.
    • Attendees are not to engage in discussions, make comments, or move about the Board meeting in ways that would disrupt the orderly conduct of the meeting proceedings.
    • The Board President may limit the conduct of any attendee according to the Rules listed in this document. Individuals who are disruptive or who engage in conduct that unreasonably prevents or interferes with the orderly conduct of the Board meeting may be given a warning and may, if necessary, be removed from the meeting. If any individual is removed from a meeting as a result of disruptive behavior, then the individual may forfeit their right of reentry to future Board meetings.
       
11. Media and Recording Devices. Handheld and other recording devices may only be used while seated and no recording equipment may be placed where it would obstruct the public from seeing or hearing the proceedings. An area of the Board meeting room will be designated for members of the media who wish to cover or record the Board meeting. This number may be limited in order to accommodate as many public participants as possible. Additional guidelines and requirements for media access to Board meetings may be issued by the Communications Department. The Board President may take other steps deemed necessary to preserve decorum and facilitate the Board meeting.
     
12. Notice of the Board’s Official Video Recording and Record Keeping.
    • Efforts will be made to livestream all regular Board meetings for public viewing during the meeting and to make all video recordings of those Board meetings available for viewing after the meeting ends. Recordings can be viewed via our legislative webpage linked here.
    • Please be aware that by voluntarily attending these publicly recorded meetings, your name, voice, and physical likeness may be captured via video and made publicly available for viewing. 
    • The minutes of each Board meeting will include the name of any speaker that addresses the Board and the nature of the comment. Copies of all written testimony and supporting documents will be kept in the Office of the Secretary and will be made a part of the Board proceedings.