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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, A school treasurer is the only lawful custodian of | ||||||
| 3 | school funds and is responsible for
all receipts, | ||||||
| 4 | disbursements, and investments of school funds; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, For most school districts across the State, each | ||||||
| 6 | school board appoints a member of the
school board as treasurer | ||||||
| 7 | for a term of one year or the board appoints a non-member to | ||||||
| 8 | serve as
treasurer; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, However, the trustees of schools in Cook County | ||||||
| 10 | appoint a township treasurer to serve
as the treasurer for all | ||||||
| 11 | schools located within the township; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, If a school district wants to withdraw from the | ||||||
| 13 | jurisdiction of the township treasurer,
they must either seek | ||||||
| 14 | legislative approval from the General Assembly or go through a | ||||||
| 15 | lengthy
process that includes approval from each school board | ||||||
| 16 | under the jurisdiction of the township
treasurer and a | ||||||
| 17 | referendum approved by the voters; and | ||||||
| 18 | WHEREAS, Over time, the General Assembly has exempted seven | ||||||
| 19 | school districts from having to
go through the lengthy | ||||||
| 20 | withdrawal process in order to no longer be under the | ||||||
| 21 | jurisdiction of the
township treasurer in the Proviso and | ||||||
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| 1 | Cicero Townships; and | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, In 2012, a Better Government Association's | ||||||
| 3 | investigation into the financial practices of
the Lyons | ||||||
| 4 | Township Treasurer's Office revealed that the township | ||||||
| 5 | treasurer had been pilfering
township funds for his own use; | ||||||
| 6 | and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, Many school districts in Lyons Township would like | ||||||
| 8 | to withdraw from the jurisdiction
and authority of the township | ||||||
| 9 | treasurer because they believe they can appoint a treasurer to
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| 10 | provide the same duties at a lower cost; however, they have | ||||||
| 11 | been unsuccessful in withdrawing
from the jurisdiction of the | ||||||
| 12 | township treasurer's office as of yet; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, It is essential for the General Assembly to fully | ||||||
| 14 | understand the duties of the township
treasurer's offices to | ||||||
| 15 | ensure they are still a necessary component of the public | ||||||
| 16 | school system in
Cook County; therefore, be it
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| 17 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 18 | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 19 | there is created the Review of the Township Treasurer's Office | ||||||
| 20 | Task Force to study the efficacy of the township treasurer's | ||||||
| 21 | offices and to determine if they provide adequate services to | ||||||
| 22 | the school districts in which they serve; and be it further | ||||||
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| 1 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force will consist of the following | ||||||
| 2 | members: | ||||||
| 3 | (1) Four members appointed by the Speaker of the House; | ||||||
| 4 | and | ||||||
| 5 | (2) Four members appointed by the Minority Leader of | ||||||
| 6 | the House;
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| 7 | RESOLVED, That the members of the Task Force shall elect | ||||||
| 8 | amongst themselves a chairperson; and
be it further | ||||||
| 9 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall call upon current and | ||||||
| 10 | past township treasurers, school
finance experts, and current | ||||||
| 11 | and past school administrators in districts under the | ||||||
| 12 | jurisdiction of
township treasurers to provide testimony and | ||||||
| 13 | expertise to the Task Force; and be it further | ||||||
| 14 | RESOLVED, That the Illinois State Board of Education shall | ||||||
| 15 | provide administrative and other
support to the Task Force; and | ||||||
| 16 | be it further | ||||||
| 17 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall meet at the request of | ||||||
| 18 | the chairperson, but shall meet no less
than four times prior | ||||||
| 19 | to December 31, 2019; and be it further | ||||||
| 20 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall present its findings to | ||||||
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| 1 | the General Assembly no later than
December 31, 2019; and be it | ||||||
| 2 | further | ||||||
| 3 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall be dissolved after | ||||||
| 4 | submitting its findings to the General
Assembly.
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