{
 "topic": "OMA section 2.02(b)",
 "statute": "5 ILCS 120/2.02(b)",
 "family": "Notice, agendas, and meeting access",
 "page": "https://illinoisfoia.org/issues/oma-2-02-b/",
 "note": "Determination letters are non-binding. Verify against the source PDF before citing.",
 "counts": {
  "violation_found": 2,
  "no_violation": 4,
  "no_determination": 0,
  "other": 0
 },
 "challenge_notes": {
  "generated_by": "AI summary of the decisions listed on this page; not legal advice; verify each decision against its PDF",
  "when_a_challenge_is_strong": [
   {
    "text": "A public body with a website maintained by full-time staff held a special meeting and did not post the agenda on that website at least 48 hours before the meeting.",
    "why": "The Bureau found this violates section 2.02(b) because the online posting requirement applies without exception for staff leave.",
    "decisions": [
     {
      "title": "Agenda descriptions for personnel actions",
      "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-53820/#issue-3"
     },
     {
      "title": "A school board's special-meeting notice and agenda posting",
      "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-53311/#issue-2"
     }
    ]
   },
   {
    "text": "The public body claims a staff vacation or similar absence as the reason for missing the 48-hour online posting deadline for a special meeting agenda.",
    "why": "The Bureau explicitly rejected that excuse, finding no provision in the Act that excuses late posting due to staff unavailability.",
    "decisions": [
     {
      "title": "Agenda descriptions for personnel actions",
      "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-53820/#issue-3"
     }
    ]
   }
  ],
  "when_the_body_usually_wins": [
   {
    "text": "The meeting is a committee meeting and the body physically posted a copy of the notice at its principal office at least 48 hours beforehand.",
    "why": "The online posting requirement in section 2.02(b) applies only to governing body meetings, not committee meetings, and physical posting is sufficient.",
    "decisions": [
     {
      "title": "Posting of meeting agendas on a school district website",
      "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-74672/#issue-2"
     },
     {
      "title": "Posting of meeting agendas on a school district website",
      "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-74672/#issue-3"
     }
    ]
   },
   {
    "text": "The body provided an internet link on its website that gives the public direct access to the meeting agenda (even if the agenda is hosted on a different domain).",
    "why": "The Bureau ruled that such a direct link satisfies the posting requirement.",
    "decisions": [
     {
      "title": "A school board's special-meeting notice and agenda posting",
      "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-53311/#issue-3"
     }
    ]
   },
   {
    "text": "The body's records show it gave 48 hours' notice of a committee meeting and the requester cannot rebut that evidence.",
    "why": "The Bureau relies on the record, and a factual finding that notice was timely will result in no violation.",
    "decisions": [
     {
      "title": "A village's committee meeting schedule",
      "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-46079/#issue-4"
     }
    ]
   }
  ],
  "points_to_put_in_the_letter": [
   {
    "text": "If the meeting was a special meeting of the governing body and the public body has a website maintained by full-time staff, demand proof that the agenda was posted online at least 48 hours before the meeting; cite D1263.3 and D1258.2 where the Bureau found violations for this failure, with no exception for staff unavailability.",
    "why": "",
    "decisions": [
     {
      "title": "Agenda descriptions for personnel actions",
      "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-53820/#issue-3"
     },
     {
      "title": "A school board's special-meeting notice and agenda posting",
      "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-53311/#issue-2"
     }
    ]
   },
   {
    "text": "If the body argues that a staff vacation justified missing the deadline, point out that the Bureau has explicitly rejected that excuse (D1263.3).",
    "why": "",
    "decisions": [
     {
      "title": "Agenda descriptions for personnel actions",
      "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-53820/#issue-3"
     }
    ]
   },
   {
    "text": "If the body posted a link instead of the agenda itself, request details on whether the link gave direct access; note that D1258.3 only approved a link that provided direct access without extra steps.",
    "why": "",
    "decisions": [
     {
      "title": "A school board's special-meeting notice and agenda posting",
      "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-53311/#issue-3"
     }
    ]
   }
  ],
  "facts_to_gather": [
   "Type of meeting (governing body vs committee, regular vs special) and date/time",
   "Whether the public body has a website and whether it is maintained by full-time staff",
   "Date and time the agenda was posted (if at all) on the website or physically at the principal office",
   "Screenshots or records of the website on the day before the meeting showing absence of the agenda or a broken/indirect link",
   "Any public statements by the body about staff availability or reasons for late posting"
  ],
  "common_mistakes": [
   {
    "text": "Requesters assume committee meetings require online posting, but the Bureau has held that rule applies only to governing body meetings.",
    "why": "",
    "decisions": [
     {
      "title": "Posting of meeting agendas on a school district website",
      "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-74672/#issue-3"
     }
    ]
   },
   {
    "text": "Requesters challenge a link-based posting as invalid per se, but a direct link that gives access to the agenda is permitted.",
    "why": "",
    "decisions": [
     {
      "title": "A school board's special-meeting notice and agenda posting",
      "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-53311/#issue-3"
     }
    ]
   },
   {
    "text": "Records coordinators believe a staff vacation excuses online posting for a special meeting, an argument the Bureau rejected.",
    "why": "",
    "decisions": [
     {
      "title": "Agenda descriptions for personnel actions",
      "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-53820/#issue-3"
     }
    ]
   },
   {
    "text": "Requesters fail to confirm whether the body's website is maintained by full-time staff, which is a prerequisite for the online posting obligation.",
    "why": "",
    "decisions": [
     {
      "title": "Agenda descriptions for personnel actions",
      "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-53820/#issue-3"
     },
     {
      "title": "A school board's special-meeting notice and agenda posting",
      "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-53311/#issue-2"
     }
    ]
   }
  ],
  "caution": "These summaries are based on a limited set of non-binding determination letters; each case depends on its specific facts, and you should review the full PDF before relying on them."
 },
 "issues": [
  {
   "issue": "November 9, 2022 committee meeting agendas physical posting",
   "outcome": "no_violation",
   "rule": "Public notice is satisfied by posting a copy of the notice at the principal office at least 48 hours before the meeting.",
   "decision": {
    "title": "Posting of meeting agendas on a school district website",
    "date": "2023-03-23",
    "binding": false,
    "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-74672/"
   },
   "authorities": []
  },
  {
   "issue": "November 9, 2022 committee meeting agendas online posting",
   "outcome": "no_violation",
   "rule": "The online posting requirement applies only to meetings of the governing body, not to committee meetings.",
   "decision": {
    "title": "Posting of meeting agendas on a school district website",
    "date": "2023-03-23",
    "binding": false,
    "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-74672/"
   },
   "authorities": [
    {
     "text": "Ill. Att'y Gen. PAC Req. Rev. Ltr. 35899, 36095, issued August 18, 2017",
     "url": null
    },
    {
     "text": "Ill. Att'y Gen. PAC Req. Rev. Ltr. 39074, issued April 12, 2018",
     "url": null
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "issue": "Meeting notice for June 25, 2018 special meeting",
   "outcome": "violation_found",
   "rule": "A public body with a website maintained by full-time staff must post special meeting agendas on its website 48 hours before the meeting; no exception for staff vacation.",
   "decision": {
    "title": "Agenda descriptions for personnel actions",
    "date": "2019-01-03",
    "binding": false,
    "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-53820/"
   },
   "authorities": [
    {
     "text": "Ill. Att'y Gen. PAC Req. Rev. Ltr. 39850, issued July 31, 2017",
     "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-39850/"
    },
    {
     "text": "Hayashi v. Illinois Department of Financial, 25 N.E.3d 570, 576 (2013)",
     "url": null
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "issue": "Agenda not posted on website 48 hours before special meeting",
   "outcome": "violation_found",
   "rule": "A public body with a full-time staff-maintained website must post the agenda for a special meeting on its website at least 48 hours before the meeting.",
   "decision": {
    "title": "A school board's special-meeting notice and agenda posting",
    "date": "2018-07-23",
    "binding": false,
    "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-53311/"
   },
   "authorities": [
    {
     "text": "Ill. Att'y Gen. PAC Req. Rev. Ltr. 39850, issued July 31, 2017",
     "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-39850/"
    },
    {
     "text": "Ill. Att'y Gen. PAC Req. Rev. Ltr. 34032, issued May 29, 2015",
     "url": null
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "issue": "Use of linked website for posting agenda",
   "outcome": "no_violation",
   "rule": "A public body satisfies section 2.02(b) by providing an internet link on its website that gives the public direct access to the meeting agenda.",
   "decision": {
    "title": "A school board's special-meeting notice and agenda posting",
    "date": "2018-07-23",
    "binding": false,
    "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-53311/"
   },
   "authorities": []
  },
  {
   "issue": "Failure to provide 48 hours' notice of committee meetings",
   "outcome": "no_violation",
   "rule": "The record shows the Village provided 48 hours' notice of committee meetings as required by sections 2.02(a) and 2.02(b).",
   "decision": {
    "title": "A village's committee meeting schedule",
    "date": "2017-08-08",
    "binding": false,
    "url": "https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-46079/"
   },
   "authorities": []
  }
 ]
}