SB0684eng 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB0684 Engrossed LRB095 10881 HLH 31161 b

AN ACT concerning local government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The North Shore Sanitary District Act is amended by changing Sections 3, 4, 5, 8.1, and 11 as follows:

(70 ILCS 2305/3) (from Ch. 42, par. 279)

Sec. 3. The corporate authority of the North Shore Sanitary District shall consist of 5 trustees.

Within 20 days after the adoption of the Act, as provided in Section 1, the county governing body shall proceed to divide the sanitary district into 5 wards for the purpose of electing trustees. One trustee shall be elected for each ward on the date of the next regular county election. In each sanitary district organized pursuant to the provisions of this Act prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1975, one trustee shall be elected for each ward on the date of the regular county election in the year 1976. However, the population in no one ward shall be less than 1/6 of the population of the whole district and the territory in each of the wards shall be composed of contiguous territory in as compact form as practicable. A portion of each ward shall abut the west shore of Lake Michigan and the boundaries of the respective wards shall coincide with precinct boundaries and the boundaries of existing municipalities as nearly as practicable. In the year 1981, and every 10 years thereafter, the sanitary district board of trustees shall reapportion the district, so that the respective wards shall conform as nearly as practicable with the above requirements as to population, shape and territory.

The trustees shall hold office respectively for 4 years from the first Monday of May after their election and until their successors are appointed and qualified, except that the term of office of 2 of the trustees first elected shall be for 2 years. Which of the trustees first elected shall serve a term of 2 years shall be determined by lot at their first meeting. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, all trustees elected in 1994 or thereafter shall assume office on the first Monday in December following the general election instead of the first Monday in May of the following year.

In the year 1982, and every 10 years thereafter, following each decennial Federal census, all 5 trustees shall be elected. Immediately following each decennial redistricting, the sanitary district board of trustees shall divide the wards into 2 groups, one of which shall consist of 3 wards and the other shall consist of 2 wards. Trustees from one group shall serve terms of 4 years, 4 years and 2 years; and trustees from the other group shall serve terms of 2 years, 4 years and 4 years.

Each of the trustees, upon entering the duties of their respective offices, shall execute a bond with security, in the amount and form to be approved by the corporate authorities, payable to the district, in the penal sum of not less than $10,000.00, as directed by resolution or ordinance, conditioned upon the faithful performance of the duties of the office. Each bond shall be filed with and preserved by the board secretary. shall enter into bond, in a sum determined by the circuit court, with security to be approved by the circuit court.

When a vacancy exists in the office of trustees of any sanitary district organized under the provisions of this Act, the vacancy shall be filled by appointment by the president of the sanitary district board of trustees, with the advice and consent of the sanitary district board of trustees, until the next regular election at which trustees of the sanitary district are elected, and shall be made a matter of record in the office of the county clerk in the county in which the district is located.

A majority of the board of trustees shall constitute a quorum, but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day. No trustee or employee of the district shall be directly or indirectly interested in any contract, work or business of the district, or the sale of any article, the expense, price or consideration of which is paid by the district; nor in the purchase of any real estate or other property belonging to the district, or which shall be sold for taxes or assessments, or by virtue of legal process at the suit of the district. The trustees have the power to provide and adopt a corporate seal for the district.

(Source: P.A. 87-937.)

(70 ILCS 2305/4) (from Ch. 42, par. 280)

Sec. 4. Board of trustees; powers; compensation. The trustees shall constitute a board of trustees for the district. The board of trustees is the corporate authority of the district, and shall exercise all the powers and manage and control all the affairs and property of the district. The board shall elect a president and vice-president from among their own number. In case of the death, resignation, absence from the state, or other disability of the president, the powers, duties and emoluments of the office of the president shall devolve upon the vice-president, until the disability is removed or until a successor to the president is appointed and chosen in the manner provided in this Act. The board may select a secretary, treasurer, chief engineer, superintendent and attorney, and may provide by ordinance for the employment of such clerks and other employees as the board may deem necessary for the municipality. The board may appoint such other officers and hire such employees to manage and control the operations of the district as it deems necessary; provided, however, that the board shall not employ an individual as a wastewater operator whose Certificate of Technical Competency is suspended or revoked under rules adopted by the Pollution Control Board under item (4) of subsection (a) of Section 13 of the Environmental Protection Act. All employees selected by the board shall hold their respective offices during the pleasure of the board, and give such bond as may be required by the board. The board may prescribe the duties and fix the compensation of all the officers and employees of the sanitary district. However, the president of the board of trustees shall not receive more than $10,000 per year and the other members of the board shall not receive more than $7,000 per year. However, beginning with the commencement of the new term of each board member in 1993, the president shall not receive more than $11,000 per year and each other member of the board shall not receive more than $8,000 per year. Beginning with the commencement of the first new term after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly, the president of the board shall not receive more than $14,000 per year, and each other member of the board shall not receive more than $11,000 per year. The board of trustees has full power to pass all necessary ordinances, rules and regulations for the proper management and conduct of the business of the board and of the corporation, and for carrying into effect the objects for which the sanitary district was formed. The ordinances may provide for a fine for each offense of not less than $100 or more than $1,000. Each day's continuance of a violation shall be a separate offense. Fines under this Section are recoverable by the sanitary district in a civil action. The sanitary district is authorized to apply to the circuit court for injunctive relief or mandamus when, in the opinion of the chief administrative officer, the relief is necessary to protect the sewerage system of the sanitary district.

The board of trustees shall have the authority to change the name of the District, by ordinance, to the North Shore Water Reclamation District. If an ordinance is passed pursuant to this paragraph, all provisions of this Act shall apply to the newly renamed district.

(Source: P.A. 89-143, eff. 7-14-95.)

(70 ILCS 2305/5) (from Ch. 42, par. 281)

Sec. 5. Ordinance enactment and rulemaking procedures.

(a) No ordinance or rule imposing a penalty, or assessing a charge under Section 7.1, shall take effect until the board of trustees has complied with the requirements of this Section. As used in this Section, "rule" means a rule, regulation, order, or resolution.

(1) Not less than 30 days before the effective date of a proposed ordinance or rule, under Section 7.1, the board of trustees shall publish a general notice of the proposed ordinance or rule in a newspaper of general circulation in the district or, if no such newspaper exists, shall post copies of the notice in 3 public places in the district, unless persons subject to the proposed ordinance or rule are named and either personally served or otherwise have actual notice in accordance with the law. The notice shall include the following:

(A) A statement of the time, place, and nature of public proceedings to consider or adopt the proposed ordinance or rule.

(B) Reference to the legal authority under which the ordinance or rule is proposed.

(C) Either the terms or substance of the proposed ordinance or rule or a description of the subjects and issues involved.

(2) After publication or service of the notice of the proposed ordinance or rule required by this Section, the board of trustees shall give interested persons a meaningful opportunity to participate in the process through submission of written data, views, or arguments with or without the opportunity for oral presentation. After consideration of the relevant matter presented, the board of trustees shall incorporate in the adopted ordinance or rule a concise general statement of its basis and purpose and in an accompanying explanatory notice shall specifically address each comment received by the board.

(3) The board of trustees shall make the required publication or service of notice of a final ordinance or rule not less than 30 days before its effective date.

(b) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, no other ordinance or rule shall take effect until 10 days after it is published. However, notwithstanding the provisions of this Section, any ordinance or rule which contains a statement of its urgency in the preamble or body thereof, may take effect immediately upon its passage provided that the corporate authorities, by a vote of two-thirds of all the members then holding office, so direct. The decision of the corporate authorities as to the urgency of any ordinance shall not be subject to judicial review except for an abuse of discretion. Within 30 days after the adoption by the board of trustees of all other ordinances and rules, the board of trustees shall publish at least once in a newspaper of general circulation in the district or, if no such newspaper exists, shall post copies of the notice in 3 public places in the district, and no ordinance or rule shall take effect until 10 days after it is published.

(c) All ordinances, rules, or resolutions which are required to be published may (1) be printed or published in book or pamphlet form, published by authority of the corporate authorities, or (2) be published at least once, within 30 days after passage, in one or more newspapers published in the district, or, if no newspaper is published therein, then in one or more newspapers with a general circulation within the district. Publication shall be satisfied by either subsection (1) or (2) notwithstanding any other provision in this Act. If there is an error in printing, the publishing requirement of this Act shall be satisfied if those portions of the ordinance or rule that were erroneously printed are republished, correctly, within 30 days after the original publication that contained the error. The fact that an error occurred in publication shall not affect the effective date of the ordinance or rule so published. If the error in printing is not corrected within 30 days after the date of the original publication that contained the error, as provided in the preceding sentence, the corporate authorities may, by ordinance, declare the ordinance or rule that was erroneously published to be nevertheless valid and in effect no sooner than 10 days after the date of the original publication, notwithstanding the error in publication, and shall order the original ordinance or rule to be published once more within 30 days after the passage of the validating ordinance.

(d) (c) The board of trustees shall give an interested person the right to petition for the issuance, amendment, or repeal of an ordinance or a rule.

(Source: P.A. 88-649, eff. 9-16-94.)

(70 ILCS 2305/8.1) (from Ch. 42, par. 284.1)

Sec. 8.1. Every such sanitary district shall also have the power to lease to others for any period of time, not exceeding 20 ten years, upon such terms as its board of trustees may determine, any real estate, right-of-way, or privilege, or any interest therein, or any part thereof, acquired by it which is in the opinion of the board of trustees of such sanitary district, no longer required for its corporate purposes or which may not be immediately needed for such purposes, and such leases may contain such conditions and retain such interests therein as may be deemed for the best interest of such sanitary district by such board of trustees; also any such sanitary district shall have the right to grant easements and permits for the use of any such real property, right-of-way, or privilege, which will not in the opinion of the board of trustees of such sanitary district, interfere with the use thereof by such sanitary district for its corporate purposes, and such easements and permits may contain such conditions and retain such interests therein as may be deemed for the best interests of such sanitary district by such board of trustees.

(Source: Laws 1961, p. 551.)

(70 ILCS 2305/11) (from Ch. 42, par. 287)

Sec. 11. Except as otherwise provided in this Section, all contracts for purchases or sales by the municipality, the expense of which will exceed the mandatory competitive bid threshold, shall be let to the lowest responsible bidder therefor upon not less than 14 days' public notice of the terms and conditions upon which the contract is to be let, having been given by publication in a newspaper of general circulation published in the district, and the board may reject any and all bids and readvertise. In determining the lowest responsible bidder, the board shall take into consideration the qualities and serviceability of the articles supplied, their conformity with specifications, their suitability to the requirements of the district, the availability of support services, the uniqueness of the service, materials, equipment, or supplies as it applies to network integrated computer systems, the compatibility of the service, materials, equipment or supplies with existing equipment, and the delivery terms. Contracts for services in excess of the mandatory competitive bid threshold may, subject to the provisions of this Section, be let by competitive bidding at the discretion of the district board of trustees. All contracts for purchases or sales that will not exceed the mandatory competitive bid threshold may be made in the open market without publication in a newspaper as above provided, but whenever practical shall be based on at least 3 competitive bids. For purposes of this Section, the "mandatory competitive bid threshold" is a dollar amount equal to 0.1% of the total general fixed assets of the district as reported in the most recent required audit report. In no event, however, shall the mandatory competitive bid threshold dollar amount be less than $10,000, nor more than $40,000.

Cash, a cashier's check, a certified check, or a bid bond with adequate surety approved by the board of trustees as a deposit of good faith, in a reasonable amount, but not in excess of 10% of the contract amount, may be required of each bidder by the district on all bids involving amounts in excess of the mandatory competitive bid threshold and, if so required, the advertisement for bids shall so specify.

Contracts which by their nature are not adapted to award by competitive bidding, including, without limitation, contracts for the services of individuals, groups or firms possessing a high degree of professional skill where the ability or fitness of the individual or organization plays an important part, contracts for financial management services undertaken pursuant to "An Act relating to certain investments of public funds by public agencies", approved July 23, 1943, as now or hereafter amended, contracts for the purchase or sale of utilities, contracts for materials economically procurable only from a single source of supply, contracts for the use, purchase, delivery, movement, or installation of data processing equipment, software, or services and telecommunications and interconnect equipment, software, or services, contracts for duplicating machines and supplies, contracts for goods or services procured from another governmental agency, purchases of equipment previously owned by an entity other than the district itself, and leases of real property where the sanitary district is the lessee shall not be subject to the competitive bidding requirements of this Section.

In the case of an emergency affecting the public health or safety so declared by the Board of Trustees of the municipality at a meeting thereof duly convened, which declaration shall require the affirmative vote of four of the five Trustees elected, and shall set forth the nature of the danger to the public health or safety, contracts totaling not more than the emergency contract cap may be let to the extent necessary to resolve such emergency without public advertisement or competitive bidding. For purposes of this Section, the "emergency contract cap" is a dollar amount equal to 0.4% of the total general fixed assets of the district as reported in the most recent required audit report. In no event, however, shall the emergency contract cap dollar amount be less than $40,000, nor more than $250,000 $100,000. The Resolution or Ordinance in which such declaration is embodied shall fix the date upon which such emergency shall terminate which date may be extended or abridged by the Board of Trustees as in their judgment the circumstances require. A full written account of any such emergency, together with a requisition for the materials, supplies, labor or equipment required therefor shall be submitted immediately upon completion and shall be open to public inspection for a period of at least one year subsequent to the date of such emergency purchase. Within 30 days after the passage of the resolution or ordinance declaring an emergency affecting the public health or safety, the municipality shall submit to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency the full written account of any such emergency along with a copy of the resolution or ordinance declaring the emergency, in accordance with requirements as may be provided by rule.

To address operating emergencies not affecting the public health or safety, the Board of Trustees shall authorize, in writing, officials or employees of the sanitary district to purchase in the open market and without advertisement any supplies, materials, equipment, or services for immediate delivery to meet the bona fide operating emergency, without filing a requisition or estimate therefor, in an amount not in excess of $100,000 $40,000; provided that the Board of Trustees must be notified of the operating emergency. A full, written account of each operating emergency and a requisition for the materials, supplies, equipment, and services required to meet the operating emergency must be immediately submitted by the officials or employees authorized to make purchases to the Board of Trustees. The account must be available for public inspection for a period of at least one year after the date of the operating emergency purchase. The exercise of authority with respect to purchases for a bona fide operating emergency is not dependent on a declaration of an operating emergency by the Board of Trustees.

No Trustee shall be interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract, work or business of the municipality, or in the sale of any article, whenever the expense, price or consideration of the contract work, business or sale is paid either from the treasury or by any assessment levied by any Statute or Ordinance. No Trustee shall be interested, directly or indirectly, in the purchase of any property which (1) belongs to the municipality, or (2) is sold for taxes or assessments of the municipality, or (3) is sold by virtue of legal process in the suit of the municipality.

A contract for any work or other public improvement, to be paid for in whole or in part by special assessment or special taxation, shall be entered into and the performance thereof controlled by the provisions of Division 2 of Article 9 of the "Illinois Municipal Code", approved May 29, 1961, as heretofore or hereafter amended, as near as may be. However, contracts may be let for making proper and suitable connections between the mains and outlets of the respective sanitary sewers in the district with any conduit, conduits, main pipe or pipes that may be constructed by such sanitary district.

(Source: P.A. 91-921, eff. 1-1-01; 92-195, eff. 1-1-02.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.