(70 ILCS 805/8) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 6315)

Sec. 8. Powers and duties of corporate authority and officers; contracts; salaries.

(a) The board shall be the corporate authority of such forest preserve district and shall have power to pass and enforce all necessary ordinances, rules and regulations for the management of the property and conduct of the business of such district. The president of such board shall have power to appoint such employees as may be necessary. In counties with population of less than 3,000,000, within 60 days after their selection the commissioners appointed under the provisions of Section 3a of this Act shall organize by selecting from their members a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and such other officers as are deemed necessary who shall hold office for the fiscal year in which elected and until their successors are selected and qualify. In the one district in existence on July 1, 1977, that is managed by an appointed board of commissioners, the incumbent president and the other officers appointed in the manner as originally prescribed in this Act shall hold such offices until the completion of their respective terms or in the case of the officers other than president until their successors are appointed by said president, but in all cases not to extend beyond January 1, 1980 and until their successors are selected and qualify. Thereafter, the officers shall be selected in the manner as prescribed in this Section except that their first term of office shall not expire until June 30, 1981 and until their successors are selected and qualify.

(a-5) An officer selected pursuant to subsection (a) may be removed, with or without cause, upon a motion adopted by an affirmative vote of four-fifths of the board of the forest preserve district. Upon adoption of a motion to remove an officer: (i) the office becomes vacant and the former officer's compensation shall be prorated to the date the motion was approved; (ii) if the officer removed is the president then the vice president immediately assumes the duties of the president without president compensation and, if the officer removed is the vice president, treasurer, or secretary, then the president shall select an interim appointee who shall serve until the next regularly scheduled forest preserve district board meeting; and (iii) a new officer shall be selected at the next regularly scheduled forest preserve district board meeting. An officer removed under this Section maintains his or her status as a member of the forest preserve district board.

(b) In any county, city, village, incorporated town or sanitary district where the corporate authorities act as the governing body of a forest preserve district, the person exercising the powers of the president of the board shall have power to appoint a secretary and an assistant secretary and treasurer and an assistant treasurer and such other officers and such employees as may be necessary. The assistant secretary and assistant treasurer shall perform the duties of the secretary and treasurer, respectively in case of death of such officers or when such officers are unable to perform the duties of their respective offices. All contracts for supplies, material or work involving an expenditure in excess of $30,000, or a lower amount if required by board policy, shall be let to the lowest responsible bidder, after advertising at least once in one or more newspapers of general circulation within the district, excepting work requiring personal confidence or necessary supplies under the control of monopolies, where competitive bidding is impossible, or as otherwise provided in the Forest Preserve District and Conservation District Design-Build Authorization Act. Contracts for supplies, material or work involving an expenditure of $30,000, or a lower amount if required by board policy, or less may be let without advertising for bids, but whenever practicable, at least 3 competitive bids shall be obtained before letting such contract. All contracts for supplies, material or work shall be signed by the president of the board of commissioners or by any such other officer as the board in its discretion may designate.

(c) The president of any board of commissioners appointed under the provisions of Section 3a of this Act shall receive a salary not to exceed the sum of $2500 per annum and the salary of other members of the board so appointed shall not exceed $1500 per annum. Salaries of the commissioners, officers and employees shall be fixed by ordinance.

(d) Whenever a forest preserve district owns any personal property that, in the opinion of three-fifths of the members of the board of commissioners, is no longer necessary, useful to, or for the best interests of the forest preserve district, then three-fifths of the members of the board, at any regular meeting or any special meeting called for that purpose by an ordinance or resolution that includes a general description of the personal property, may authorize the conveyance or sale of that personal property in any manner that they may designate, with or without advertising the sale.

(Source: P.A. 101-544, eff. 8-23-19; 102-460, eff. 6-1-22.)