(70 ILCS 520/4) (from Ch. 85, par. 6154)

Sec. 4. (a) There is hereby created a political subdivision, body politic and municipal corporation named the Southwestern Illinois Development Authority. The territorial jurisdiction of the Authority is that geographic area within the boundaries of Madison, St. Clair, Bond, Clinton, and Monroe counties in the State of Illinois and any navigable waters and air space located therein.

(b) The governing and administrative powers of the Authority shall be vested in a body consisting of 15 voting members including, as ex officio members, the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or his or her designee, and the Secretary of Transportation, or his or her designee. The other 13 voting members of the Authority shall be designated "public members", 6 of whom shall be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, 2 of whom shall be appointed by the county board chairman of Madison County, 2 of whom shall be appointed by the county board chairman of St. Clair County, one of whom shall be appointed by the county board chairman of Bond County, one of whom shall be appointed by the county board chairman of Clinton County, and one of whom shall be appointed by the county board chairman of Monroe County. All public members shall reside within the territorial jurisdiction of this Act. Eight voting members shall constitute a quorum, and the Board may not meet or take any action without a quorum present. The public members shall be persons of recognized ability and experience in one or more of the following areas: economic development, finance, banking, industrial development, small business management, real estate development, community development, venture finance, organized labor or civic, community or neighborhood organization. The Chairman of the Authority shall be elected by the Board annually from the voting members .

(c) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the terms of all members of the Authority shall begin 30 days after the effective date of this Act. Of the 8 public members initially appointed pursuant to this Act, 3 shall serve until the third Monday in January, 1988, 3 shall serve until the third Monday in January, 1989, and 2 shall serve until the third Monday in January, 1990. The public members initially appointed under this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly shall serve until the third Monday in January, 2008. The member initially appointed pursuant to this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly by the county board chairman of Monroe County shall serve until the third Monday in January 2026. All successors shall be appointed by the original appointing authority and hold office for a term of 3 years commencing the third Monday in January of the year in which their term commences, except in case of an appointment to fill a vacancy. Vacancies occurring among the public members shall be filled for the remainder of the term. In case of vacancy in a Governor-appointed membership when the Senate is not in session, the Governor may make a temporary appointment until the next meeting of the Senate when a person shall be nominated to fill such office, and any person so nominated who is confirmed by the Senate shall hold office during the remainder of the term and until a successor shall be appointed and qualified. Members of the Authority shall not be entitled to compensation for their services as members but shall be entitled to reimbursement for all necessary expenses incurred in connection with the performance of their duties as members.

(d) The Governor may remove any public member of the Authority in case of incompetency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.

(e) The Board shall appoint an Executive Director who shall have a background in finance, including familiarity with the legal and procedural requirements of issuing bonds, real estate or economic development and administration. The Executive Director shall hold office at the discretion of the Board. The Executive Director shall be the chief administrative and operational officer of the Authority, shall direct and supervise its administrative affairs and general management, shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the members and shall receive compensation fixed by the Authority. The Executive Director shall attend all meetings of the Authority; however, no action of the Authority shall be invalid on account of the absence of the Executive Director from a meeting. The Authority may engage the services of such other agents and employees, including attorneys, appraisers, engineers, accountants, credit analysts and other consultants, as it may deem advisable and may prescribe their duties and fix their compensation.

(f) The Board may, by majority vote, nominate up to 4 non-voting members for appointment by the Governor. Non-voting members shall be persons of recognized ability and experience in one or more of the following areas: economic development, finance, banking, industrial development, small business management, real estate development, community development, venture finance, organized labor, or civic, community, or neighborhood organization. Non-voting members shall serve at the pleasure of the Board. All non-voting members may attend meetings of the Board and shall be reimbursed as provided in subsection (c).

(g) The Board shall create a task force to study and make recommendations to the Board on the economic development of the city of East St. Louis and on the economic development of the riverfront within the territorial jurisdiction of this Act. The members of the task force shall reside within the territorial jurisdiction of this Act, shall serve at the pleasure of the Board and shall be persons of recognized ability and experience in one or more of the following areas: economic development, finance, banking, industrial development, small business management, real estate development, community development, venture finance, organized labor or civic, community or neighborhood organization. The number of members constituting the task force shall be set by the Board and may vary from time to time. The Board may set a specific date by which the task force is to submit its final report and recommendations to the Board.

(Source: P.A. 103-517, eff. 8-11-23.)