(70 ILCS 705/4.04)

Sec. 4.04. Change from a 7-member board to a 5-member or 3-member board. In a district governed by an elected or appointed 7-member board, upon presentation of a petition, signed by not less than 5% of the electors of the district governed by the board, requesting that a proposition to decrease the board of trustees to a 5-member or 3-member board 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 the election.

The election authority must submit the question in substantially the following form:

Shall the number of trustees of the fire protection district be decreased from 7 to (5 or 3) members?

The election authority must record the votes as "Yes" or "No".

If a majority of the votes cast on the proposition are in the affirmative, the board of trustees of the district shall be decreased to a 5-member or 3-member board, as applicable. The terms of the 7 persons serving on the board at the time of the reduction of the number of members to 5 or 3 shall terminate upon certification of the election results, except that they shall continue to serve until the 5-member or 3-member board is appointed and qualified or elected and qualified.

In the case of an appointed board, the appointing authority shall within 60 days after the certification of the election results, appoint 3 or 5 trustees, as the case may be, to the board of trustees with terms starting the first Monday in May next following the election where the decrease in the board's size is approved. The terms of the appointed trustees shall be determined by lot at the first board meeting following the election. In the case of a 5-member board, 2 trustees shall have a 3-year term, 2 trustees shall have a 2-year term, and one trustee shall have a one-year term. In the case of a 3-member board, one trustee shall have a 3-year term, one trustee shall have a 2-year term, and one trustee shall have a one-year term. Thereafter, all terms shall be for 3 years.

In the case of an elected board, 3 or 5 trustees shall be elected at the next election at which fire protection district trustees are to be elected under the general election law. The terms of the trustees shall be determined by lot at the first board meeting following the election. In the case of a 5-member board, 2 elected trustees shall have a 2-year term, 2 trustees shall have a 4-year term, and one trustee shall have a 6-year term. In the case of a 3-member board, one elected trustee shall have a 6-year term, one trustee shall have a 4-year term, and one trustee shall have a 2-year term. Thereafter, the terms of all elected trustees shall be 6 years.

(Source: P.A. 96-1349, eff. 7-28-10.)