The Charleston City Council will vote on the release of minutes from closed meetings and a resolution supporting an application for the Governor’s Hometown Award at its meeting 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall.

The Illinois Open Meetings Act requires all public bodies to keep written minutes of their meetings, regardless of if they are open or closed to the public.

Portions of minutes from meetings taking place

• Jan.5,2016
• March 15,2016
• May 3,2016
• July 5,2016
• Oct.4,2016
• Oct.18,2016
• Dec,20,2016
• Jan.3,2017
• May 2,2017
• May 16,2017
• June 6,2017
• July 5,2017

would be partially released if the resolution is approved.

All public bodies under the Open Meetings Act are required to audio or video record closed meetings. These bodies are able to destroy these recordings 18 months after the meeting takes place.  The city council is set to vote on destroying recordings from closed meetings from July 7,2015, July 21,2015 and Aug. 18,2015.

Also slated to be voted on at the meeting is a resolution in support of a Governor’s Hometown Award application to formally recognize the Charleston Trail System Improvement Project.

According to its website, the Governor’s Hometown Awards program “gives formal recognition to those that contributed to their community’s quality of life via projects that have strong volunteer support, met a need and made a definitive impact.”

In the city council’s agenda, it said the the city of Charleston wants to formally recognize the local commitments and volunteer efforts made toward the development of the Charleston Trail System Improvement Project.

The city first developed the “Charleston Tomorrow Strategic Plan” in 1996 after adopting the Coles County Recreation Plan, The “Charleston Tomorrow Strategic Plan” was meant to encourage the use of bike trails and development of  “walk/run/bike tours,” according to the agenda.

The Charleston Comprehensive Plan was developed in 1999 and updated in 2009. This plan included the development of pedestrian and bicycle paths as a part of the “Capital Improvement Plan.”

The application is due Aug.1.