Public Act 099-0295
 
HB3334 EnrolledLRB099 08723 AWJ 28891 b

    AN ACT concerning local government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Rescue Squad Districts Act is amended by
adding Section 6.5 as follows:
 
    (70 ILCS 2005/6.5 new)
    Sec. 6.5. Change to elected board of trustees; petition;
election; ballot; nomination and election of trustees. Any
rescue squad district organized under this Act may have an
elected, rather than an appointed, board of trustees if
approved by referendum. Upon presentation to the board of
trustees of a petition, signed by not less than 10% of the
electors of the district, requesting that a proposition for the
election of trustees be submitted to the electors of the
district, the secretary of the board of trustees shall certify
the proposition to the appropriate election authorities who
shall submit the proposition at a regular election in
accordance with the general election law. The general election
law shall apply to and govern such election. The proposition
shall be in substantially the following form:
-------------------------------------------------------------
    Shall the trustees of......           YES
    Rescue Squad District be        -------------------------------------------------------------
    elected, rather than appointed?         NO
-------------------------------------------------------------
        If a majority of the votes cast on such proposition are
    in the affirmative, the trustees of the district shall
    thereafter be elected as provided by this Section.
    At the next regular election for trustees as provided by
the general election law, a district that has approved by
referendum to have its trustees elected rather than appointed
shall elect 5 initial trustees. The initial elected trustees
shall be elected as follows: 2 shall be elected for terms of 2
years, 2 for terms of 4 years, and one for a term of 6 years.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 2A-54 of the Election
Code, the term of each elected trustee shall commence on the
third Monday of the month following the month of his or her
election and until his or her successor is elected and
qualified. The length of the terms of the trustees first
elected shall be determined by lot at their first meeting.
Thereafter, except as otherwise provided in Section 2A-54 of
the Election Code, each trustee shall be elected to serve for a
term of 4 years commencing on the third Monday of the month
following the month of his or her election and until his or her
successor is elected and qualified.
    No party designation shall appear on the ballot for
election of trustees. The provisions of the general election
law shall apply to and govern the nomination and election of
trustees.
    Nominations for members of the board of trustees shall be
made by a petition signed by at least 25 voters or 5% of the
voters, whichever is less, residing within the district and
shall be filed with the secretary of the board. In addition to
the requirements of general election law, the form of the
petition shall be as follows:
NOMINATING PETITIONS
    To the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of (name of
rescue squad district):
    We, the undersigned, being (number of signatories or 5% or
more) of the voters residing within the district, hereby
petition that (name of candidate) who resides at (address of
candidate) in this district shall be a candidate for the office
of (office) of the Board of Trustees (full-term or vacancy) to
be voted for at the election to be held (date of election).
    The secretary of the board shall notify each candidate for
whom a petition for nomination has been filed of their
obligations under the Campaign Financing Act, as required by
the general election law. The notice shall be given on a form
prescribed by the State Board of Elections and in accordance
with the requirements of the general election law.
    The secretary shall, within 7 days of filing or on the last
day for filing, whichever is earlier, acknowledge to the
petitioner in writing his acceptance of the petition.
    The provisions of Section 6 relating to eligibility and
compensation of trustees shall apply equally to elected
trustees.
    Whenever a rescue squad district determines to elect
trustees as provided in this Section, the trustees appointed
pursuant to Section 6 shall continue to constitute the board of
trustees until the third Monday of the month following the
month of the first election of trustees. If the term of office
of any appointed trustees expires before the first election of
trustees, the authority which appointed that trustee under
Section 6 of this Act shall appoint a successor to serve until
a successor is elected and has qualified. The terms of all
appointed trustees in such district shall expire on the third
Monday of the month following the month of the first election
of trustees under this Section or when successors have been
elected and have qualified, whichever occurs later.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.