Public Act 0239 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB0477 Enrolled LRB096 06029 RLJ 16111 b

Public Act 096-0239

AN ACT concerning local government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Downstate Forest Preserve District Act is amended by changing Section 3a and by adding Section 3d as follows:

(70 ILCS 805/3a) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 6305)

Sec. 3a. Except as otherwise provided in this Section, and except as provided in Section 3c, 3d, and 3.5, the affairs of the district shall be managed by a board of commissioners consisting of 5 commissioners, who shall be appointed by the presiding officer of the county board of the county in which such forest preserve district is situated, with the advice and consent of such county board. The first appointment shall be made within 90 days and not sooner than 60 days after such forest preserve district has been organized as provided herein. Each member of such board so appointed shall be a legal voter in such district. The first commissioners shall be appointed to hold office for terms of one, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years, and until June 30 thereafter, respectively, as determined and fixed by lot. Thereafter, successor commissioners shall be appointed in the same manner no later than the first day of the month in which the term of a commissioner expires. Except as provided in Section 3c and 3d, a vacancy occurring otherwise than by expiration of term shall be filled for the unexpired term by appointment of a commissioner by the county board chairman with the advice and consent of the members of the county board. In the one district in existence on July 1, 1977, that is managed by an appointed board of commissioners, the incumbent 5 commissioners shall complete their respective terms as originally prescribed in this Act. However, upon the expiration of the terms of 2 of the incumbent commissioners on January 1, 1978, they or their successors shall be appointed to hold office for terms of 3 and 5 years, and until June 30 thereafter, respectively, as determined and fixed by lot. Furthermore, upon the expiration of the terms of the remaining incumbent commissioners on January 1, 1980, they or their successors shall be appointed to hold office for terms of 2, 4, and 5 years, and until June 30 thereafter, respectively, as determined and fixed by lot. Thereafter, each successor commissioner shall be appointed for a term of 5 years. Each member of the board before entering upon the duties of his office shall take the oath prescribed by the constitution. From the time of the appointment of the first board of commissioners, such forest preserve district shall be construed in all courts to be a body corporate and politic by the name and style determined as aforesaid and by such name may sue and be sued, contract and be contracted with, acquire and hold real and personal estate necessary for its corporate purposes and adopt a seal and alter the same at its pleasure.

In case the boundaries of a district are co-extensive with the boundaries of any county, city, village, incorporated town or sanitary district, the corporate authorities of such county (until the commissioners elected under Section 3c and 3d take office), city, village, incorporated town or sanitary district shall have and exercise the powers and privileges and perform the duties and functions of the commissioners provided for in this Act and in that case no commissioner shall be appointed for that district. The corporate authorities, other than members of a county board in counties under township organization having a population of less than 3,000,000 and members of a county board in a county not under township organization who were elected prior to July 1, 1965, shall act without any other pay than that already provided by law. The members of a county board of a county under township organization and members of a county board of a county not under township organization who were elected prior to July 1, 1965, who also act as commissioners of a forest preserve district in counties having a population of less than 3,000,000 may receive for their services as commissioners of a forest preserve district a per diem fee to be fixed by such board, but not to exceed $36 per day, which shall be in full for all services rendered on such day, or an annual salary to be fixed by such board, but not to exceed $3,000, plus mileage expenses at a rate not more than the amount allowed for members of the county board of such county, as fixed by the board, for each mile necessarily traveled in attending meetings of the board of such district, plus any expense incurred while, or in connection with, carrying out the business of such district outside the boundaries of such district, payable from the forest preserve district treasury. The president of the Board of Commissioners of the Forest Preserve District in counties of less than 3 million may receive in lieu of a per diem fee an annual salary to be fixed by such board. No Forest Preserve Commissioner shall file for a per diem payment for services rendered on the same day for which he filed for a per diem payment as a county supervisor. When the county board also acts as such commissioners, a member of the county board of a county under township organization and a member of the county board of a county not under township organization, who is elected prior to July 1, 1965 may, with the permission of the county board, work alone as such a commissioner and be paid in the usual manner.

Unless otherwise qualified, the term "board", when used in this Act, means the board of commissioners of any forest preserve district, or the corporate authorities of any county, city, village, incorporated town, or sanitary district, when acting as the governing body of a forest preserve district.

(Source: P.A. 88-443; 89-577, eff. 1-1-97.)

(70 ILCS 805/3d new)

Sec. 3d. Elected board of commissioners in certain other counties. If the boundaries of a district are co-extensive with the boundaries of a county having a population of more than 200,000 but less than 800,000, bordering the State of Wisconsin but not adjoining any county with a population of over 2,000,000, all commissioners of the forest preserve district shall be elected at large by the voters of the county, beginning with the general election held in 2010 and each succeeding general election. Nomination of candidates for the office of commissioner at the initial and each succeeding election shall be made by petition signed in the aggregate for each candidate by not less than 100 qualified voters of the forest preserve district. Seven commissioners shall be elected, with candidates receiving the highest, second-highest, and third-highest number of votes being elected for 6-year terms. Candidates receiving the fourth-highest and fifth-highest number of votes shall be elected for 4-year terms. Candidates receiving the sixth-highest and seventh-highest number of votes shall be elected for 2-year terms. Thereafter, each commissioner shall be elected for a 6-year term.

After each general election, the forest preserve district commissioners shall elect a president from among their members for a 2-year term.

Each commissioner shall be a resident of the county from which he or she was elected no later than the date of the commencement of the term of office. The term of office for the president and commissioners elected under this Section shall commence on the first Monday of the month following the month of election.

Neither a commissioner nor the president of the board of commissioners shall serve simultaneously in any other elective or appointive office in the county. The president, with the advice and consent of the board of commissioners, shall appoint a secretary, treasurer, and any other officer deemed necessary by the board of commissioners. The officers need not be members of the board of commissioners. The president shall have the powers and duties as set forth in Section 12 of this Act.

Candidates for commissioner shall not be candidates of established political parties, but shall be non-partisan.

If a vacancy in the office of president or commissioner occurs, other than by expiration of the president's or a commissioner's term, the forest preserve district board of commissioners shall declare that a vacancy exists, and the board of commissioners shall, within 60 days after the date of the vacancy, upon the majority vote of the commissioners then serving, elect a person to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term. If, however, more than 28 months remain in the unexpired term of a commissioner, at the time of appointment, the appointment shall be until the next general election, at which time the vacated office of commissioner shall be filled by election for the remainder of the term. All other vacancies in nomination shall be filled in accordance with the provisions of the Election Code.

The president and commissioners elected under this Section shall serve without compensation. The president and commissioners may be reimbursed for their reasonable expenses actually incurred in performing their official duties under this Act in accordance with the provisions of Section 3a. The cost of reimbursement under this Section shall be paid by the forest preserve district.

This Section does not apply to a forest preserve district created under Section 18.5 of the Conservation District Act.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.