Public Comment Policy

The State Employees’ Retirement System (“SERS”) proposes this Public Comment Policy in order to ensure that SERS has a clear and effective policy in place for public testimony and communication with the Board of Trustees (the “Board”).  

Consistent with Section 2.06(g) of the Open Meetings Act, the Board shall hear comments from members of the public who wish to express their views before the Board. The agenda for each regular Board meeting, as determined by the Chairperson, may allot up to twenty minutes for this purpose. If reasonably practical, members of the public who wish to express their views before the Board at a regularly scheduled Board meeting are encouraged to notify the Executive Secretary in advance of the meeting.  Potential speakers are encouraged to provide notification no later than 4:00 PM of the day before the meeting and should submit the notification to tim.blair@srs.illinois.gov.  The right to address the Board is subject to the following reasonable rules enacted to permit the orderly progress of the Board through its agenda: 

1. Procedure. When it is time for public comment, the speakers will be called up to the address the Board.  The speakers should identify themselves and identify any organization that they may be representing.
2. Comments. Subject to the discretion of the Board, public comments shall be limited to a topic on the agenda and shall not contain comments of a personal nature directed toward individual Board members, SERS employees or other individuals. Public comments are not to be repetitious or disruptive and may not be used to solicit business.  Additionally, the Board will not hear presentations on the following topics:  litigation involving the Board; matters under investigation by the Board of the Inspector General; grievances of employees, contractors, consultants or other entities doing business with the Board.
3. Timing. Public comments shall be limited to five minutes per individual.  The Board will monitor the time allotted for each speaker and will alert the speaker when his or her allotted time has elapsed.  It is the Chair’s prerogative to extend the time allotted to any speaker, given the other matters on the Board’s agenda.