Public Act 095-0054
 
HB0365 Enrolled LRB095 05246 HLH 25323 b

    AN ACT concerning conservation districts.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Conservation District Act is amended by
changing Sections 5 and 6 and adding Section 18.1 as follows:
 
    (70 ILCS 410/5)  (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 7105)
    Sec. 5. Board of trustees.
    (a) The affairs of a conservation district shall be managed
by a board consisting which shall consist of 5 trustees, except
as otherwise provided in this Section. If the boundaries of the
district are coextensive with the boundaries of one county, the
trustees shall be residents of that county. If the district
embraces 2 counties, 3 trustees shall be residents of the
county with the larger population and 2 trustees shall be
residents of the other county. If the district embraces 3
counties, one trustee shall be a resident of the county with
the smallest population and each of the other counties shall
have 2 resident trustees. If the district embraces 4 counties,
2 trustees shall be residents of the county with the largest
population and each of the other counties shall have one
resident trustee. If the district embraces 5 counties, each
county shall have one resident trustee.
    (b) A district that is entirely within a county of under
750,000 inhabitants and contiguous to a county of more than
2,000,000 inhabitants and that is authorized by referendum as
provided in subsection (d) of Section 15 to incur indebtedness
over 0.575% but not to exceed 1.725% shall have a board
consisting of 7 trustees, all of whom shall be residents of the
county. The additional 2 trustees shall be appointed by the
chairman of the county board, with the consent of the county
board, and shall hold office for terms expiring on June 30 as
follows: one trustee after 4 years and one trustee after 5
years from the date of the referendum. Successor trustees shall
be appointed in the same manner no later than June 1 before the
commencement of the term of the trustee.
    (c) Trustees shall be qualified voters of the such district
who do not hold any other public office and are not officers of
any political party. Trustees, if nominated by the county board
chairman as hereinafter provided, shall be selected on the
basis of their demonstrated interest in the purpose of
conservation districts.
    (d) If the trustees are appointed, the The chairman of the
county board for the county of which the trustee is a resident
shall, with the consent of the county board of that county,
appoint the first trustees who shall hold office for terms
expiring on June 30 after one, 2, 3, 4, and 5 year periods
respectively as determined and fixed by lot. Thereafter,
successor appointed trustees shall be appointed for a term of 5
years in the same manner no later than June 1 prior to the
commencement of term of the trustee. If the term of office of
any appointed trustee expires before the first election of
trustees under subsection (i) after referendum approval of
elected trustees, the chairman of the county board who
appointed that trustee under this subsection shall appoint a
successor to serve until a successor is elected and has
qualified.
    (e) When a vacancy occurs in the office of trustee, whether
by death, resignation, refusal to qualify, no longer being a
qualified voter of the district, or for any other reason, the
board of trustees shall declare that a vacancy exists. The
vacancy shall be filled within 60 days. Each successor trustee
shall serve for a term of 5 years. A vacancy occurring
otherwise than by expiration of term, for appointed trustees,
shall be filled for the unexpired term by appointment of a
trustee by the county board chairman of the county of which the
trustee shall be a resident, with the approval of the county
board of that county. An appointed A trustee who has served a
full term of 5 years is ineligible to serve as a trustee for a
period of one year following the expiration of his or her term.
In the case of an elected trustee, appointment of an eligible
person shall be by the president of the board of trustees with
the advice and consent of the other trustees. The appointee
shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term. If, however,
more than 28 months remain in the term of the elected trustee
and the vacancy occurs at least 182 days before the next
general election, the appointment shall be until the next
general election, at which time the vacated office of the
elected trustee shall be filled by election for the remainder
of the term.
    If a vacancy occurs in the office of president of the board
of trustees, the remaining trustees shall select one of their
number to serve as president for the balance of the unexpired
term of the president in whose office the vacancy occurred.
    When any trustee during his or her term of office shall
cease to be a bona fide resident of the district, or shall move
from one township or congressional township in the district to
another so that the township residency requirements of this
Section are no longer met, then he is disqualified as a trustee
and his office becomes vacant. If the district has decided to
elect or appoint trustees from single member subdistricts under
subsection (i), then when any trustee during his or her term of
office shall cease to be a bona fide resident of the
subdistrict he or she is disqualified as a trustee and the
office becomes vacant.
    (f) Trustees shall serve without compensation, but may be
paid their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the
performance of their official duties.
    (g) An appointed A trustee may be removed for cause by the
county board chairman for the county of which the trustee is a
resident, with the approval of the county board of that county,
but every such removal shall be by a written order and , which
shall be filed with the county clerk.
    (h) A conservation district with 5 trustees may determine
by majority vote of the board to increase the size of the board
to 7 trustees. With respect to a 7-member board, no more than 3
members may be residents of any township in a county under
township organization or of any congressional township in a
county not under township organization. In the case of a
7-member board representing a district that embraces 2
counties, 4 trustees shall be residents of the county with the
larger population and 3 trustees shall be residents of the
other county. If the district embraces 3 counties, 2 trustees
shall be residents of each of the 2 counties with the smallest
population and the largest county shall have 3 resident
trustees. If the district embraces 4 counties, one trustee
shall be a resident of the county with the smallest population
and each of the other counties shall have 2 resident trustees.
If the district embraces 5 counties, the 2 counties with the
largest population shall each have 2 resident trustees and each
of the other counties shall have one resident trustee. The
pertinent appointing authorities shall appoint the additional
2 trustees to initial terms as equally staggered as possible
from the terms of the trustees already appointed from that
township or county so that 2 trustees representing the same
area shall not be succeeded in the same year.
    (i) Except as provided in subsection (b), a conservation
district in a county adjacent to a county with more than
3,000,000 inhabitants may determine by referendum (i) to have
an elected or appointed board of trustees, (ii) to have a board
of trustees with 5 or 7 members, and (iii) to have trustees
chosen at large or from single member subdistricts. If the
boundaries of the district are coextensive with the boundaries
of a single county, the county board may determine by ordinance
to hold the referendum; or if the boundaries of the district
are embraced by more than one county, the county boards of each
county in the district, jointly, may determine by ordinance to
hold the referendum; or a petition signed by not less than 5%
of the electors of the entire district who voted in the last
gubernatorial election may be submitted to the board of
trustees requiring the district to hold the referendum.
    The secretary of the board of trustees shall certify the
proposition to the appropriate election authorities who shall
submit the proposition at a consolidated or general election
according to the Election Code. The Election Code shall apply
to and govern the election. The proposition shall be in
substantially the following form:
        Shall the (insert name) Conservation District have an
    (insert "elected" or "appointed") board of trustees with
    (insert "5" or "7") trustees chosen (insert "at large" or
    "from single member subdistricts")?
The votes shall be recorded as "Yes" or "No".
    If a majority of the votes cast on the proposition are in
the affirmative, the trustees of the district shall thereafter
be chosen as provided in this paragraph. At the next
consolidated election, a district that has decided by
referendum to have its trustees elected rather than appointed
shall elect 5 or 7 trustees as provided in the ordinance or
petition and in the proposition. The trustees shall be elected
on a nonpartisan basis. The provisions of the general election
law shall apply to and govern the nomination and election of
the trustees.
        (1) If the district has decided to elect or appoint at
    large trustees, then with respect to a 5-member board, the
    residency of members shall be the same as prescribed in
    subsection (a).
        With respect to a 7-member board, no more than 3
    members may be residents of any township in a county under
    township organization or of any congressional township in a
    county not under township organization. In the case of a
    7-member board representing a district that embraces 2
    counties, 4 trustees shall be residents of the county with
    the larger population and 3 trustees shall be residents of
    the other county. If the district embraces 3 counties, 2
    trustees shall be residents of each of the 2 counties with
    the smaller populations and the county with the largest
    population shall have 3 resident trustees. If the district
    embraces 4 counties, one trustee shall be a resident of the
    county with the smallest population and each of the other
    counties shall have 2 resident trustees. If the district
    embraces 5 counties, the 2 counties with the largest
    populations shall each have 2 resident trustees and each of
    the other counties shall have one resident trustee.
        (2) If the district has decided to elect or appoint
    trustees from single member subdistricts, then with
    respect to a 5-member board of a district embracing a
    single county, the county board shall apportion the
    district into 5 subdistricts. One trustee shall be a
    resident of and elected or appointed from each of the 5
    subdistricts. In the case of a 5-member board of a district
    embracing more than one county, the members of each county
    board shall, jointly, apportion the district into 5
    subdistricts. One trustee shall be a resident of and
    elected or appointed from each of the 5 subdistricts. The
    initial subdistricts shall be apportioned within 90 days
    after the referendum is approved, and the subdistricts
    shall be reapportioned after each decennial census.
        With respect to a 7-member board of a district
    embracing a single county, the county board shall apportion
    the district into 7 subdistricts. One trustee shall be a
    resident of and elected or appointed from each of the 7
    subdistricts. In the case of a 7-member board of a district
    embracing more than one county, the members of each county
    board shall, jointly, apportion the district into 7
    subdistricts. One trustee shall be a resident of and
    elected or appointed from each of the 7 subdistricts. The
    initial subdistricts shall be apportioned within 90 days
    after the referendum is approved, and the subdistricts
    shall be reapportioned after each decennial census.
    (j) When a conservation district determines to elect or
appoint trustees as provided in subsection (i), the terms of
these trustees shall commence on the first Monday of December
following the election. The terms of all trustees previously
appointed or elected under this Section shall expire on the
first Monday of December following the first election.
        (1) If the district has decided to elect or appoint
    at-large trustees, then the initial elected board of
    trustees shall, no later than 45 days after taking office,
    divide themselves publicly by lot as equally as possible
    into 2 groups. Trustees or their successors from the larger
    group shall serve for terms of 4 years; the initial elected
    trustees from the second group shall serve for terms of 2
    years, and their successors shall be elected for terms of 4
    years.
        (2) If the district has decided to elect or appoint
    trustees from single member subdistricts, then the members
    of the initial elected board of trustees and each
    subsequent board elected prior to the first decennial
    census following the initial apportionment shall be
    elected to a term of 2 years. In the year following the
    first decennial census occurring after the initial
    apportionment and in the year following each subsequent
    decennial census, the 5 or 7 subdistricts shall be
    reapportioned to reflect the results of the census. The
    board of trustees elected in the first election following a
    decennial census shall, no later than 45 days after taking
    office, divide themselves publicly by lot as equally as
    possible into 3 groups. Trustees or their successors from
    one group shall be elected to terms of 4 years, 4 years,
    and 2 years. Trustees or their successors from the second
    group shall be elected to terms of 4 years, 2 years, and 4
    years. The trustee or successors from the third group shall
    be elected to terms of 2 years, 4 years, and 4 years.
(Source: P.A. 94-617, eff. 8-18-05.)
 
    (70 ILCS 410/6)  (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 7106)
    Sec. 6. Officers and employees. As soon as possible after
the initial election or the initial appointments, as the case
may be Within 60 days after their selection, the trustees shall
organize by selecting from their members a president,
secretary, treasurer, and such other officers as are deemed
necessary, who shall hold office for 2 years in the case of an
elected board, or the fiscal year in which elected in the case
of an appointed board, and until their successors are selected
and qualify. Three trustees shall constitute a quorum of the
board for the transaction of business if the district has 5
trustees. If the district has 7 trustees, 4 trustees shall
constitute a quorum of the board for the transaction of
business. The board shall hold regular monthly meetings.
Special meetings may be called by the president and shall be
called on the request of a majority of members, as may be
required.
    The board shall provide for the proper and safe keeping of
its permanent records and for the recording of the corporate
action of the district. It shall keep a proper system of
accounts showing a true and accurate record of its receipts and
disbursements, and it shall cause an annual audit to be made of
its books, records, and accounts.
    The records of the district shall be subject to public
inspection at all reasonable hours and under such regulations
as the board may prescribe.
    The district shall annually make a full and complete report
to the county board of each county within the district and to
the Department of Natural Resources of its transactions and
operations for the preceding year. The Such report shall
contain a full statement of its receipts, disbursements, and
the program of work for the period covered, and may include
such recommendations as may be deemed advisable.
    Executive or ministerial duties may be delegated to one or
more trustees or to an authorized officer, employee, agent,
attorney, or other representative of the district.
    All officers and employees authorized to receive or retain
the custody of money or to sign vouchers, checks, warrants, or
evidences of indebtedness binding upon the district shall
furnish surety bond for the faithful performance of their
duties and the faithful accounting for all moneys that may come
into their hands in an amount to be fixed and in a form to be
approved by the board.
    All contracts for supplies, material, or work involving an
expenditure in excess of $20,000 shall be let to the lowest
responsible bidder, after due advertisement, excepting work
requiring personal confidence or necessary supplies under the
control of monopolies, where competitive bidding is
impossible. All contracts for supplies, material, or work shall
be signed by the president of the board and by any such other
officer as the board in its discretion may designate.
(Source: P.A. 94-454, eff. 8-4-05.)
 
    (70 ILCS 410/18.1 new)
    Sec. 18.1. Organization as a forest preserve district. The
voters of a conservation district that is entirely within one
county may, by a single referendum proposition, dissolve the
conservation district under Section 18 of this Act and
incorporate as a forest preserve district under Section 1 the
Downstate Forest Preserve District Act. The referendum may be
placed on the ballot upon either of the following:
        (1) An ordinance by the county board of the county in
    which the district lies requiring the referendum.
        (2) The filing of a petition with the board of trustees
    signed by the electors of the district equal in number to
    8% or more of the total number of votes cast for Governor
    district-wide in the most recent gubernatorial election
    asking that the question of whether the district shall be
    dissolved and organized as a forest preserve district.
    The Secretary of the board of trustees of the county board
or the board of trustees, as appropriate, shall certify the
proposition to the appropriate election authorities who shall
submit the proposition at a consolidated or general election
according to the Election Code. The Election Code shall apply
to and govern the election.
    The proposition shall be in substantially the following
form:
        Shall (insert name) Conservation District be dissolved
    under the provisions of Section 18 of the Conservation
    District Act and be organized as a forest preserve district
    under the provisions of the Downstate Forest Preserve
    District Act?
The votes shall be recorded as "Yes" or "No".
    If a majority of the votes cast on the proposition are in
the affirmative, the conservation district shall be deemed to
be dissolved under Section 18 of the Conservation District Act
and the territory shall be incorporated as a forest preserve
district under Section 1 of the Downstate Forest Preserve
District Act. The resulting forest preserve district shall not
be deemed to be the legal successor or assign of the dissolved
conservation district.
 
    Section 10. The Downstate Forest Preserve District Act is
amended by changing Section 1 as follows:
 
    (70 ILCS 805/1)   (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 6302)
    Sec. 1. Whenever any area of contiguous territory lying
wholly within one county contains one or more natural forests
or parks thereof and one or more cities, towns or villages,
such territory may be incorporated as a forest preserve
district by a referendum passed under Section 18.1 of the
Conservation District Act or in the following manner, to wit:
    Any 500 legal voters residing within the limits of such
proposed district may petition the circuit court of the county
in which such proposed district lies, to order the question to
be submitted to the legal voters of such proposed district
whether or not it shall be organized as a forest preserve
district under this act. Such petition shall be addressed to
the circuit court of the county in which such proposed forest
preserve district is situated and shall contain a definite
description of the territory intended to be embraced in such
district, and the name of such district. Upon the filing of
such petition in the office of the clerk of the circuit court
of the county in which such territory is situated, it shall be
the duty of such circuit court to fix a day and hour for the
public consideration thereof, which shall not be less than 15
days after the filing of such petition. Such circuit court
shall cause a notice of the time and place of such public
consideration to be published 3 successive days in some
newspaper having a general circulation in the territory
proposed to be placed in such district. The date of the last
publication of such notice shall not be less than 5 days prior
to the time set for such public hearing. At the time and place
fixed for such public hearing the circuit court shall hear any
person owning property in such proposed district who desires to
be heard, and if the circuit judge finds that all of the
provisions of this act have been complied with, the court shall
enter an order fixing and defining the boundaries and the name
of such proposed district in accordance with the prayer of the
petition. In the event that any other petition or petitions for
the organization of a forest preserve district or districts in
the same county is filed under this act before the time fixed
for the public hearing of the first petition, the circuit court
shall postpone the public consideration of the first petition
so that the hearing of all petitions shall be set for the same
day and hour. In any county where there are 2 or more judges
sitting at the time of filing such first petitions the clerk of
the circuit court shall cause all petitions filed subsequent to
the first petition to be assigned to the judge to whom the
first petition is assigned so that all such petitions may be
heard by the same judge.
    Should 2 or more petitions be filed under this act and come
on for hearing at the same time and it shall be found by the
circuit court that any of the territory embraced in any one of
the petitions is included in or contiguous with the territory
embraced in any other petition or petitions, the circuit court
may include all of the territory described in such petitions in
one district and shall fix the name proposed in the petition
first filed as the name for the district. After the entry of
the order fixing and defining the boundaries and the name of
such proposed district, it shall be the duty of the circuit
court to order to be submitted to the legal voters of such
proposed district at any election, the question of the
organization of such proposed district. The clerk of the
circuit court shall certify the order and the question to the
proper election officials who shall submit the question to the
voters of the proposed district in accordance with the general
election law. Notice of the referendum shall contain a definite
description of the territory intended to be embraced in such
district, and the name of such district.
(Source: P.A. 83-1362.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.