Editor’s Note: Charleston City Council member Matthew Hutti was not present to at the meeting in which the resolution was originally passed with a 4-0 vote. 

The Charleston City Council passed a resolution April 7 that incorporated some proposals by Gov. Bruce Rauner regarding the creation of “empowerment zones.”

The Illinois Prevailing Wage Act stipulates that workers who are paid with public money must be paid no less than the general prevailing hourly rate in the area.

This resolution means the city would not have to follow state law.

Charleston is not the only local government to pass such a resolution—the website Capitol Fax reports that the village of Oswego and the city of Clinton among others have enacted similar resolutions.

All of these cities have passed resolutions, despite Illinois law stating the actions suggestions in the resolution can only be implemented by the state.

The manner in which this resolution was discussed and came to pass should be scrutinized.

The Journal Gazette & Times-Courier reported that the language of the resolution was discussed via email among Mayor Larry Rennels and the other council members.

The resolution was part of the consent agenda, with members of the public not being able to voice their opinion. The resolution was also not placed on file for public inspection.

The language of the resolution also does not spell out why exactly the city needs this to be enacted. What are written are words from the governor’s office.

In Tuesday’s issue of The Daily Eastern News, Rennels said that the resolution was passed to show support for Rauner’s prevailing wage proposal—nothing was mentioned about actually enacting it.

Should the city decide to enforce the resolution, they would be going up against state law.

According to Progress Illinois, Attorney General Lisa Madigan issued a legal opinion where she states that governments that do or do not have home rule status do not, “have the authority to opt out of compliance of the (Prevailing Wage Act) when seeking bids and awarding contracts for the construction or demolition of public works.”

It is important for governmental bodies to not violate the Illinois Open Meetings Act and to hold discussion on important matters with the public.

Even though this resolution is essentially “non-binding” (cannot be enacted because of state law), it should have been discussed with the citizens.

The daily editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Daily Eastern News.