§ 2-74. Ordinance regarding opening invocations before meetings.

(a)

In order to solemnize proceedings of the council, it is the policy of the council to allow for an invocation to be offered before its meetings for the benefit of the council.

(b)

The prayer shall not be listed or recognized as an agenda item for the meeting before the call to order or as part of the public business.

(c)

No member or employee of the council or any other person in attendance at the meeting shall be required to participate in any prayer that is offered.

(d)

An invocation shall be voluntarily delivered by an eligible member of the clergy as specified below. To ensure that such person ("invocation speaker") is selected from a wide pool of local clergy on a rotating basis, the invocation speaker shall be selected according to the following procedure:

(1)

The city clerk ("clerk") shall compile and maintain a database (the "congregations list") of the religious congregations with an established presence in the local community of the city.

(2)

The congregations list shall be compiled by referencing the listing for "churches, congregations, synagogues, mosques or temples," or other religious assemblies in the annual Yellow and White Pages phone books published for the city, researched from the Internet, and in consultation with local chambers of commerce. All religious congregations with an established presence in the local community of the city are eligible to be, and shall be, included in the congregations list. Any such congregation not otherwise identified for participation may request its inclusion by written communications to the clerk.

(3)

This policy is intended to be and shall be applied in a way that is all-inclusive of every diverse religious congregation in the city. The congregations list is compiled and used for purposes of logistics, efficiency and equal opportunity for all of the community's religious groups, who may, themselves, choose whether to respond to the council's invitation and participate. Should a question as to the authenticity of a religious congregation, the clerk shall refer to the criteria used by the Internal Revenue Service in its determination of those religious organizations that would legitimately qualify for Section 501(c)(3) tax exempt status or which are registered with the Illinois Secretary of State as religious corporations.

(4)

The congregations list shall also include the name and contact information of any chaplain who may serve one or more of the fire departments or law enforcement agencies of the city.

(5)

The congregations list shall also include the name and contact information of any religious congregation located outside the city, if such religious congregation is regularly attended by a resident or residents of the city and such residents request the inclusion of said religious congregation by written communication to the clerk.

(6)

The congregations list shall be updated by reasonable efforts of the clerk on or about the month of December of each calendar year.

(7)

Within 30 days of the effective date of this policy, and on or about December 1 of each calendar year thereafter, the city clerk shall mail an invitation addressed to the "religious leader" of each congregation listed on the congregations list, as well as to the individual chaplain included on the congregations list.

(8)

The invitation shall be dated at the top of the page signed by the clerk at the bottom of the page, and shall read as follows:

"Dear Religious Leader,

The Wheaton City Council makes it a policy to invite members of the Clergy in Wheaton and other identified by residents of Wheaton who are regular attendees at a religious congregation outside the City of Wheaton, to voluntarily offer an invocation before the beginning of its meetings, for the benefit and blessings of the Council. As the leader of one of the religious congregations with an established presence in the local community, or in your capacity as a chaplain for one of the local fire departments or law enforcement agencies, or as a religious leader of one or more Wheaton residents' religious congregations, you are eligible to offer this important service in an upcoming meeting of Council.

If you are willing to assist the Council in this regard, please send a written reply at your earliest convenience to the Council's secretary at the address included on this letterhead. Clergy are scheduled on a first come first served basis. The dates of the Council's scheduled meetings for the up-coming year are listed on the attached page. If you have a preference on the dates, please state the request on your written reply.

This opportunity is voluntary, and you are free to offer the invocation according to the dictates of your own conscience. To maintain a spirit of respect and ecumenism, the Council requests only that the prayer opportunity not be exploited as an effort to convert others to a particular faith of the invocation speaker, nor to disparage any faith or belief different than that of the invocation speaker.

On behalf of the City Wheaton Council, I thank you in advance for considering this invitation.

Sincerely,

City Clerk"

(9)

The respondents to the invitation shall be scheduled on a first come, first served basis, unless requesting a specific date. There shall be only one invocation speaker per meeting.

(10)

No invocation speaker shall receive compensation for his service.

(11)

The clerk shall make every reasonable effort to ensure that a variety of eligible invocation speakers are scheduled for council meetings. In any event, no invocation speaker shall be scheduled to offer a prayer at consecutive meetings of the council, or at more than three council meetings in any calendar year.

(12)

Neither the council nor the clerk shall engage in any prior inquiry, review of, or involvement in, the content of any prayer to be offered by an invocation speaker.

(13)

Invocations shall be provided before the opening gavel that officially begins the meeting and the agenda/business of the public. The mayor shall introduce the invocation speaker and the person selected to lead the Pledge of Allegiance following the invocation, and invite only those who wish to do so to stand for observance of the invocation and for the council. No person shall be required to stand for an invocation.

(14)

This policy is not intended, and shall not be implemented or construed in any way, to affiliate the council with, nor express the council's preference for or against, any faith, religious domination or sect. Rather, this policy is intended to acknowledge and express the council's respect for the diversity of the religious denominations and faiths represented amongst the citizens of the city.

(15)

A disclaimer shall be included in at least ten-point font at the bottom of any printed council meeting agenda which states, "Any invocation that may be offered before the official start of the council meeting shall be the voluntary offering of a private citizen, to and for the benefit of the council. The views or beliefs expressed by the invocation speaker have not previously been reviewed or approved by the council, or any employee of the city, and the council is not allowed by law, and does not endorse the religious beliefs of the invocation speaker or any other speaker."

(Code 1996, § 2-74; Ord. No. F-1475, § 2, 3-1-2010)