Yesterday, the #NoCopAcademy Coalition offered the City of Chicago to drop its Open
Meetings Act lawsuit in return for a two-sentence statement from Alderman Carrie Austin that she would promise to follow the City Council Rules in future Budget Committee hearings.

Today, the City of Chicago rejected the offer.

Consequently, today the Coalition filed an amended complaint personally naming Mayor
Rahm Emanuel, Alderman Carrie Austin and Alderman Ed Burke, and adding two more
Open Meetings Act violations to the complaint.

“This case could have ended today, if Alderman Austin had simply acknowledged that it is proper to allow public comment prior to voting, and had agreed to follow the City Council Rules in the future,” said attorney Brendan Shiller. “I find it astonishing that the City and the Alderman would reject a simple and straight forward settlement offer, and instead choose to waste city resources to litigate this matter.”

The additional counts are based on the City Council’s and Mayor’s failure to follow City
Council rules on May 23, 2018 and May 25, 2018 when the City improperly considered the funding for the proposed police academy.

Because the Mayor “recessed” the May 23, 2018 meeting, it was improper to consider the funding ordinance at the special May 25, 2018 meeting. Further the fact that the meeting was recessed and not adjourned is supported by the fact that there was no debate or vote on the adjournment.

Read Original Complaint here.

Read Amended Complaint here.