(605 ILCS 5/5-201) (from Ch. 121, par. 5-201)

Sec. 5-201. In each county with a population greater than 3,000,000, there shall be a county superintendent of highways. In each county with a population less than 3,000,000, there shall be a county engineer. On the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1991, in every county with a population less than 3,000,000, the county engineer shall succeed to all the powers and duties enjoyed by the county superintendent of highways immediately before that date. On and after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1991, "county superintendent of highways" means "county engineer" or "county superintendent of highways" wherever it appears in this Code, unless a contrary intention is clearly indicated.

In the appointment of a county engineer or superintendent of highways, the county board and the Department shall proceed as follows:

(1) Should the board desire to reappoint the incumbent, it shall do so within 100 days before or after his term of office expires; however, prior to each reappointment, the board shall request and receive the consent of the Department to such reappointment, and the Department shall not withhold such consent except for incompetence or neglect of duty.

(2) Should the board desire to appoint someone other than the incumbent, it shall, within 100 days before or after the incumbent's term expires or a vacancy occurs, submit to the Department a list of not more than 5 persons, residents of the State, who are candidates for the office.

Each candidate shall hold a currently valid certificate of registration as a registered professional engineer issued under the provisions of the Professional Engineering Practice Act of 1989, except that any candidate who holds the office of county superintendent of highways in any county on January 1, 1980, shall not be required to hold a certificate.

Each candidate shall also have at least one of the following qualifications:

(a) a baccalaureate degree in engineering from a reputable school and at least 2 years experience in civil and highway engineering or in the construction and maintenance of streets or highways, or both; or

(b) at least 10 years practical experience in civil and highway engineering or in the construction and maintenance of streets or highways, or both, at least 2 years of which shall be administrative experience of a scope comparable to that of the office for which he is a candidate; however, each of the first 3 academic years attendance at a reputable engineering school shall be considered as equivalent to 2 years practical experience in civil and highway engineering or experience in the construction and maintenance of streets or highways.

Upon the submission of a list of candidates by a county board, the Department shall proceed to determine if each candidate meets either of the above qualifications. The Department shall thereupon hold an appropriate examination for the candidates which it has found to meet one of the qualifications, and shall certify to the county board the names of the candidates who made satisfactory grades in the examination. The County board shall then appoint as county engineer or superintendent of highways one of the candidates so certified by the Department. If no candidate makes a satisfactory grade, the Department shall so certify to the county board, and the county board and Department shall proceed in like manner until an appointment is made.

(3) Should the board desire to consider for appointment both the incumbent and other candidates, the procedure shall be as above outlined in this Section except that final action of the county board on the question of reappointing the incumbent shall be delayed until the county board receives the first certification of results of the examination from the Department. In case no candidate on the first list submitted by the county board made a satisfactory grade in the examination, the county board shall not submit a second list but shall proceed to reappoint the incumbent.

As between persons equally competent and qualified to hold the office of county engineer or superintendent of highways, preference in the appointment shall be given residents of the county.

Any 2 or more counties may, with the approval of the Department, appoint the same person as county engineer or superintendent of highways for each of the counties and may by agreement provide for the proportionate share of the salary and expenses of the appointee to be borne by each county. However, if a county board desires to appoint as county engineer or superintendent of highways of that county a person who at that time is the county engineer or superintendent of highways of another county, the person shall not be required to take the examination given by the Department and shall not be required to accept the appointment without his consent.

No part of any moneys appropriated by the State for the building and maintaining of county highways shall be apportioned to any county unless a county engineer or superintendent of highways has been appointed.

(Source: P.A. 86-1475; 87-217; 87-895.)