103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB5033

 

Introduced 2/8/2024, by Rep. Norma Hernandez

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
70 ILCS 2605/4  from Ch. 42, par. 323
70 ILCS 2605/4.13  from Ch. 42, par. 323.13

    Amends the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Act. Provides that the executive director of the District, with the advice and consent of the board of commissioners, may appoint a director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, may create the Department of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice, and may appoint a deputy executive director. Makes conforming changes. Provides that the deputy executive director must be selected solely upon administrative and technical qualifications and without regard to political affiliations and shall serve under the direct supervision of the executive director.


LRB103 36653 AWJ 66762 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB5033LRB103 36653 AWJ 66762 b

1    AN ACT concerning local government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Act
5is amended by changing Sections 4 and 4.13 as follows:
 
6    (70 ILCS 2605/4)  (from Ch. 42, par. 323)
7    Sec. 4. The commissioners elected under this Act
8constitute a board of commissioners for the district by which
9they are elected, which board of commissioners is the
10corporate authority of the sanitary district, and, in addition
11to all other powers specified in this Act, shall establish the
12policies and goals of the sanitary district. The executive
13director, in addition to all other powers specified in this
14Act, shall manage and control all the affairs and property of
15the sanitary district and shall regularly report to the Board
16of Commissioners on the activities of the sanitary district in
17executing the policies and goals established by the board. At
18the regularly scheduled meeting of odd numbered years
19following the induction of new commissioners the board of
20commissioners shall elect from its own number a president and
21a vice-president to serve in the absence of the president, and
22the chairman of the committee on finance. The board shall
23provide by rule when a vacancy occurs in the office of the

 

 

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1president, vice-president, or the chairman of the committee on
2finance and the manner of filling such vacancy.
3    The board shall appoint from outside its own number the
4executive director and treasurer for the district.
5    The executive director must be a resident of the sanitary
6district and a citizen of the United States. He must be
7selected solely upon his administrative and technical
8qualifications and without regard to his political
9affiliations.
10    In the event of illness or other prolonged absence, death
11or resignation creating a vacancy in the office of the
12executive director, or treasurer, the board of commissioners
13may appoint an acting officer from outside its own number, to
14perform the duties and responsibilities of the office during
15the term of the absence or vacancy.
16    The executive director, with the advice and consent of the
17board of commissioners, shall appoint the director of
18engineering, director of maintenance and operations, director
19of human resources, director of procurement and materials
20management, clerk, general counsel, director of monitoring and
21research, and director of information technology and may
22appoint a director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and
23justice. These constitute the heads of the Department of
24Engineering, Maintenance and Operations, Human Resources,
25Procurement and Materials Management, Finance, Law, Monitoring
26and Research, and Information Technology, and, if created by

 

 

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1the Executive Director, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and
2Justice, respectively. No other departments or heads of
3departments may be created without subsequent amendment to
4this Act. All such department heads are under the direct
5supervision of the executive director.
6    The executive director, with the advice and consent of the
7board of commissioners, may appoint a deputy executive
8director. The deputy executive director must be selected
9solely upon administrative and technical qualifications and
10without regard to political affiliations and shall serve under
11the direct supervision of the executive director.
12    The executive director, with the advice and consent of the
13board of commissioners, shall appoint a public and
14intergovernmental affairs officer and an administrative
15services officer. The public and intergovernmental affairs
16officer and administrative services officer shall serve under
17the direct supervision of the executive director.
18    The director of human resources must be qualified under
19Section 4.2a of this Act.
20    The director of procurement and materials management must
21be selected in accordance with Section 11.16 of this Act.
22    In the event of illness or other prolonged absence, death,
23or resignation creating a vacancy in the office of director of
24engineering, director of maintenance and operations, director
25of human resources, director of procurement and materials
26management, clerk, general counsel, director of monitoring and

 

 

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1research, public and intergovernmental affairs officer,
2administrative services officer, or director of information
3technology, or director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and
4justice, the executive director shall appoint an acting
5officer to perform the duties and responsibilities of the
6office during the term of the absence or vacancy. Any such
7officers appointed in an acting capacity are under the direct
8supervision of the executive director.
9    All appointive officers and acting officers shall give
10bond as may be required by the board.
11    The executive director, treasurer, acting executive
12director, and acting treasurer hold their offices at the
13pleasure of the board of commissioners.
14    The acting director of engineering, acting director of
15maintenance and operations, acting director of human
16resources, acting director of procurement and materials
17management, acting clerk, acting general counsel, acting
18director of monitoring and research, acting public and
19intergovernmental affairs officer, acting administrative
20services officer, and acting director of information
21technology, and acting director of diversity, equity,
22inclusion, and justice hold their offices at the pleasure of
23the executive director.
24    The director of engineering, director of maintenance and
25operations, director of human resources, director of
26procurement and materials management, clerk, general counsel,

 

 

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1director of monitoring and research, public and
2intergovernmental affairs officer, administrative services
3officer, and director of information technology, director of
4diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, and deputy
5executive director may be removed from office for cause by the
6executive director. Prior to removal, such officers are
7entitled to a public hearing before the executive director at
8which hearing they may be represented by counsel. Before the
9hearing, the executive director shall notify the board of
10commissioners of the date, time, place and nature of the
11hearing.
12    In addition to the general counsel appointed by the
13executive director, the board of commissioners may appoint
14from outside its own number an attorney, or retain counsel, to
15advise the board of commissioners with respect to its powers
16and duties and with respect to legal questions and matters of
17policy for which the board of commissioners is responsible.
18    The executive director is the chief administrative officer
19of the district, has supervision over and is responsible for
20all administrative and operational matters of the sanitary
21district including the duties of all employees which are not
22otherwise designated by law, and is the appointing authority
23as specified in Section 4.11 of this Act.
24    The board of commissioners shall appoint from outside its
25own number an Inspector General or enter into an
26intergovernmental agreement with another unit of local

 

 

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1government for the appointment of an Inspector General. The
2board of commissioners shall establish minimum qualifications
3and duties for the Inspector General by ordinance or
4intergovernmental agreement.
5    The board, through the budget process, shall set the
6compensation of all the officers and employees of the sanitary
7district. Any incumbent of the office of president may appoint
8an administrative aide which appointment remains in force
9during his incumbency unless revoked by the president.
10    Effective upon the election in January, 1985 of the
11president and vice-president of the board of commissioners and
12the chairman of the committee on finance, the annual salary of
13the president shall be $37,500 and shall be increased to
14$39,500 in January, 1987, $41,500 in January, 1989, $50,000 in
15January, 1991, and $60,000 in January, 2001; the annual salary
16of the vice-president shall be $35,000 and shall be increased
17to $37,000 in January, 1987, $39,000 in January, 1989, $45,000
18in January, 1991, and $55,000 in January, 2001; the annual
19salary of the chairman of the committee on finance shall be
20$32,500 and shall be increased to $34,500 in January, 1987,
21$36,500 in January, 1989, $45,000 in January, 1991, and
22$55,000 in January, 2001.
23    The annual salaries of the other members of the Board
24shall be as follows:
25        For the three members elected in November, 1980,
26    $26,500 per annum for the first two years of the term;

 

 

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1    $28,000 per annum for the next two years of the term and
2    $30,000 per annum for the last two years.
3        For the three members elected in November, 1982,
4    $28,000 per annum for the first two years of the term and
5    $30,000 per annum thereafter.
6        For members elected in November, 1984, $30,000 per
7    annum.
8        For the three members elected in November, 1986,
9    $32,000 for each of the first two years of the term,
10    $34,000 for each of the next two years and $36,000 for the
11    last two years;
12        For three members elected in November, 1988, $34,000
13    for each of the first two years of the term and $36,000 for
14    each year thereafter.
15        For members elected in November, 1990, 1992, 1994,
16    1996, or 1998, $40,000.
17        For members elected in November, 2000 and thereafter,
18    $50,000.
19    Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section, the
20board, prior to January 1, 2007 and with a two-thirds vote, may
21increase the annual rate of compensation at a separate flat
22amount for each of the following: the president, the
23vice-president, the chairman of the committee on finance, and
24the other members; the increased annual rate of compensation
25shall apply to all such officers and members whose terms as
26members of the board commence after the increase in

 

 

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1compensation is adopted by the board.
2    The board of commissioners has full power to pass all
3necessary ordinances, orders, rules, resolutions and
4regulations for the proper management and conduct of the
5business of the board of commissioners and the corporation and
6for carrying into effect the object for which the sanitary
7district is formed. All ordinances, orders, rules, resolutions
8and regulations passed by the board of commissioners must,
9before they take effect, be approved by the president of the
10board of commissioners. If he approves thereof, he shall sign
11them, and such as he does not approve he shall return to the
12board of commissioners with his objections in writing at the
13next regular meeting of the board of commissioners occurring
14after the passage thereof. Such veto may extend to any one or
15more items or appropriations contained in any ordinance making
16an appropriation, or to the entire ordinance. If the veto
17extends to a part of such ordinance, the residue takes effect.
18If the president of such board of commissioners fails to
19return any ordinance, order, rule, resolution or regulation
20with his objections thereto in the time required, he is deemed
21to have approved it, and it takes effect accordingly. Upon the
22return of any ordinance, order, rule, resolution, or
23regulation by the president, the vote by which it was passed
24must be reconsidered by the board of commissioners, and if
25upon such reconsideration two-thirds of all the members agree
26by yeas and nays to pass it, it takes effect notwithstanding

 

 

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1the president's refusal to approve thereof.
2    It is the policy of this State that all powers granted,
3either expressly or by necessary implication, by this Act or
4any other Illinois statute to the District may be exercised by
5the District notwithstanding effects on competition. It is the
6intention of the General Assembly that the "State action
7exemption" to the application of federal antitrust statutes be
8fully available to the District to the extent its activities
9are authorized by law as stated herein.
10(Source: P.A. 102-808, eff. 5-13-22.)
 
11    (70 ILCS 2605/4.13)  (from Ch. 42, par. 323.13)
12    Sec. 4.13. The following offices and places of employment,
13insofar as there are or may be such in the sanitary district,
14shall not be included within the classified civil service: All
15elective officers, the deputy executive director, the director
16of human resources, the clerk, treasurer, director of
17engineering, general counsel, executive director, director of
18maintenance and operations, director of procurement and
19materials management, director of monitoring and research,
20director of information technology, director of diversity,
21equity, inclusion, and justice, public and intergovernmental
22affairs officer, administrative services officer, and
23secretary and administrative aide to the president of the
24board of trustees, members of the civil service board and
25special examiners appointed by the civil service board and the

 

 

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1aides secretaries to the officers and individual trustees, and
2those employed for periods not exceeding 5 years under any
3apprentice program, training or intern programs funded wholly
4or in part by grants from the State of Illinois or the United
5States of America. Further, apprentices in a sanitary district
6apprenticeship program for the trades shall not be included
7within the classified civil service. Entry into a sanitary
8district apprenticeship program for the trades shall be by
9lottery. Graduates of a sanitary district apprenticeship
10program for the trades shall be given additional points, in an
11amount to be determined by the Director of Human Resources, on
12examinations for civil service journeymen positions in the
13trades at the sanitary district.
14(Source: P.A. 99-736, eff. 1-1-17.)