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Observer Corps

What is the League of Women Voters Observer Corps? 

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League Observers are the eyes and ears of the League.  We send  representatives to public board meetings and commissions in the county.  Observers learn how government works and about issues that are or may become items for local study and action. They advise the LWVCC board of opportunities for action on League positions and periodically prepare short reports on what they observe. 

Consistent League presence at these boards can add to the League's visibility and credibility and build relationships with local officials. League observing promotes transparent and responsive government in the community. 
​

Interested in becoming an Observer? Scroll down to see what boards and commissions need Observers now and get more information. 

What's New? 

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Video  now available:  Observer Corps: Contributing to Citizen Oversight. December 8, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm.  Brant Houston, Professor, College of Media UIUC and Jan Dorner, Observer Trainer, League of Women Voters of Illinois (LWVIL). For December's Timely Topics program,  Professor Brant Houston, Knight Foundation Chair in Investigative and Enterprise Reporting at UIUC, will speak on the reduction in local news reporting and the importance of citizen oversight.  Jan Dorner of the Illinois League will tell us about LWVIL’s support of local Leagues’ Observer programs. This program was part of LWVCC's Timely Topics series. It's available on our Youtube site (1 hour, 11 minutes.) 

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Jean Flood, Observer for the Champaign Park District, developed a nice overview on the Champaign Park District. Click the image to see/download the full presentation (pdf). 

Video of 2021 Annual Observer Report 

Each year the LWVCC Observer Corps makes a report to the League. Click the image to see the video (56 minutes) of this year's report from a April 21, 2021 meeting. Or scroll down for individual printed reports. 

Current Observers

Below is a list of government offices currently covered by LWVCC, a few public links to each office and the latest LWVCC Observer reports for the office. 

County Board      Observers:  Jane Santogrossi and Ruth Wene
  • Thursday following 3rd Monday, 6:30 pm
  • ​Meetings   Meetings are live streamed  here.   Recordings of prior meetings are posted on the County Clerk's YouTube Channel.
  • Agendas, packets
  • County Board Meeting Minutes are posted under County Board on the County Clerk's website.​ 

Champaign County Forest Preserve   Observer: Ed Roy  ​​
  • Board of Commissioners 
  • Board meeting minutes and staff reports 
Observer Report: Champaign County Forest Preserve  April 2021 

​Champaign Library Board      Observer: Natalie  Frankenberg   ​​
  • Board of Trustees page
  • Minutes and agendas - including audio 
Observer Report: Champaign Library Board April 2021 

Champaign Park District    ​ Observer: Jean Flood
  • Main page
  • Meeting agendas and minutes 
Observer Report: Champaign Park District October 2021
Observer Report: Champaign Park District April 2021

Champaign Unit 4  School Board      Observer:   Lucy Moss 
  • 2nd Monday, 5:30 pm
  • Champaign Unit 4 School Board
  • Videos
  • Minutes​

C-U Mass Transit District      ​Observer: Deb Rugg
  • Board 
  • Meetings 
  • Video
Observer Report: CU Mass Transit District April 2021
Regional Planning Commission      ​Observer: Nancy Morse
  • Commissioners and upcoming meetings
  • Past meetings and meeting documents 
Observer Report: Regional Planning Commission April 2021

U-C Sanitary District        ​Observer: Trisha Crowley
  •  Board of Trustees
  • Agenda, minutes, packet
​Observer Report: U-C Sanitary District April 2021

Urbana Plan Commission       Observer: Karen Fresco
  • Agenda, minutes, videos
Observer Report: Urbana Plan Commission April 2021
List of Urbana Plan Commission Cases April 2021

Urbana Civilian Police Review Board     Observer:  Vacant (Sarah Nixon attends as community member.)
  • Main page   (scroll down for meeting information)
  • Recent meetings (includes Agenda and video)
Observer Report: Ubana Civilian Police Review Board April 2021 

Village of Rantoul's Human Relations Committee    Observer:  Sarah Nixon
  • Meetings are called as needed.
  • Meetings are streamed live on Facebook
  • Main page​
Observer Report: Village of Rantoul's Human Relations Committee  (report not yet available)

Needs for Future Observers 

​The League is seeking observers for the following governmental groups in Champaign County.  Nothing beats having a human presence at a governmental meeting. Many League observers report that authorities notice when the League is there and that it makes a difference.   To discuss what's involved, send an email to: info@lwvchampaigncounty.org with "Observer Corps" in the title. 

​However, the  public can also monitor our government online because many government bodies now make their agenda, minutes and even videos of meetings available online. Below is a list of links to this information. It will be amended from time to time, as more governmental links are available. You can use this information to check out the activities of these entities and perhaps consider becoming an Observer.
Champaign City Council      Observer:  <vacant>
  • 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, 7:00 pm
  • City Council 
  • Videos
  • Minutes
  
Champaign Plan Commission     Observer:  <vacant>
  • 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 4:00 pm
  • Plan Commission
  • Agendas, Reports, Minutes 

Champaign Mental Heath Board     Observer:  <vacant>
  • Wednesday after 3rd Monday, 5:30 pm
  • General information 
  • Mental Health Board


County Board of Health     Observer:  <vacant>
  • Meets 4 times a year, day varies, 4:30 pm 
  • County Board of Health
  • Meeting schedule
  • Meetings information
  • Main page

Housing Authority of Champaign County     Observer:  <vacant>
  • 4th Thursday, 3:00 pm
  • Main page
  • Documents, board packets 
​
Parkland College District 505     Observer:  <vacant>
  • 3rd Wednesday, 7:00 pm
  • Meeting schedule and board books
  • Meeting Minutes 
​
Urbana City Council      Observer:  <vacant>
  • 1st and 3rd Mondays, 7:30 pm
  • City Council
  • Agenda, Packets

Urbana Free Library Board       Observer:  <vacant>
  • 2nd Tuesday, 7:00 pm
  • Board - Meetings links are at the bottom of the page. 
  • Annual calendar - http://www.co.champaign.il.us/cal/2020annualcal.pdf
  • Videos

Urbana Board of Education     Observer:  <vacant>
  • 3rd Tuesday, 7:30 pm
  • Urbana Board of Education
  • Meeting Schedule
  • Agendas and Documents
  • Youtube Videos After live broadcast, meeting sare available on UPTV YouTube Channel 

Urbana Park District      Observer:  <vacant>
  • 2nd Tuesday, 7:00 pm
  • Urbana Park District 
  • Videos - UPD monthly board meetings are taped and broadcast on UPTV, channel 6. See the UPTV broadcast schedule.
  • Public meetings agendas and materials -  Go to this documents link and pull down the menu item. 

Other useful links: 
  • ​Champaign  County - Links to many county departments, some of which are hard to find . ..  http://www.co.champaign.il.us/HeaderMenu/departments.php
  • Observing Your Government In Action by the League of Women Voters  - This is an easy-to-read "how to" resource guide on organizing and conducting observer corps programs. Building on its decades of experience in empowering citizens to monitor local governmental meetings through these programs, the League has compiled best practices about starting and maintaining an observer program. https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2018-05/lwvef_observingyourgovernment.pdf​

Questions About Observer Corps? 

Contact Observer Corps  team lead Trisha Crowley. 

Contact Information

League of Women Voters of Champaign County, Urbana, IL 61803-201   
   Website: lwvchampaigncounty.org 
   Email:  info@lwvchampaigncounty.org 
   Feedback form:  Contact Us
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  • Home
  • About
    • About the League >
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