SB0343eng 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB0343 Engrossed LRB094 09434 BDD 39682 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 Metro-East Park and Recreation District Act is amended by changing Sections 5, 10, and 20 as follows:

(70 ILCS 1605/5)

Sec. 5. Definitions. In this Act:

"Board" means the board of directors of the Metro-East Park and Recreation District.

"Chief executive officer" means the chairman of the county board of a county.

"County" means Madison, St. Clair, Monroe, Clinton, or Jersey, or Macoupin County.

"District" or "Metro-East District" means the Metro-East Park and Recreation District created under this Act.

"Governing body" means a county board.

"Metro-East Park and Recreation Fund" means the fund held by the District that is the repository for all taxes and other moneys raised by or for the District under this Act.

"Metro-East region" means Madison, St. Clair, Monroe, Clinton, Macoupin, and Jersey Counties.

"Park district" means a park district organized under the Park District Code.

(Source: P.A. 91-103, eff. 7-13-99.)

(70 ILCS 1605/10)

Sec. 10. Creation of Metro-East Park and Recreation District.

(a) The Metro-East Park and Recreation District may be created, incorporated, and managed under this Section and may exercise the powers given to the District under this Act. Any county may be included in the Metro-East District if the voters in the county or counties to be included in the District vote to be included in the District. Any recreation system or public parks system that exists within the Metro-East District created under this Section shall remain in existence with the same powers and responsibilities it had prior to the creation of the Metro-East District. Nothing in this Section shall be construed in any manner to limit or prohibit:

(1) later establishment or cessation of any park or recreation system provided for by law; or

(2) any powers and responsibilities of any park or recreation system provided for by law.

(b) When the Metro-East District is organized, it shall be a body corporate and a political subdivision of this State, and the District shall be known as the "Metro-East Park and Recreation District", and in that name may sue and be sued, issue general revenue bonds, and impose and collect taxes or fees under this Act.

(c) The Metro-East District shall have as its primary duty the development, operation, and maintenance of a public system of interconnecting trails and parks throughout the counties comprising the District. The Metro-East District shall supplement but shall not substitute for the powers and responsibilities of the other parks and recreation systems within the Metro-East District and shall have the power to contract with the State of Illinois, the United States Government, and other parks and recreation systems as well as with the departments or agencies of any of those governmental bodies and with other public and private entities.

(d) All counties and communities comprising the Metro-East Park and Recreation District shall make available upon written request from the District, at no cost to the District, any and all technical information and data necessary for the implementation of the District's goals.

(Source: P.A. 91-103, eff. 7-13-99.)

(70 ILCS 1605/20)

Sec. 20. Board of directors.

(a) If the Metro-East District is created by only one county, the District shall be managed by a board of directors consisting of 3 members. Two members shall be appointed by the chief executive officer, with the advice and consent of the county board, of the county in which the District is located, and one member shall be appointed by the minority members of the county board with the advice and consent of the county board. The first appointment shall be made within 90 days and not sooner than 60 days after the District has been organized. Each member of the board so appointed shall be a legal voter in the District. The first directors shall be appointed to hold office for terms of one, 2, and 3 years, and until June 30 thereafter, respectively, as determined by lot. Thereafter, successors shall be appointed in the same manner no later than the first day of the month in which the term of a director expires. All terms expire if another county joins the District.

A vacancy occurring otherwise than by expiration of term shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.

(b) If the Metro-East District is created by more than one county, each county that elects to join the District shall be represented by a certain number of board members. The board members shall be distributed from the counties electing to join the District as follows:

(1) The chief executive officer, with the advice and consent of the county board, of St. Clair county shall appoint 2 members and the minority members of the county board, with the advice and consent of the county board, shall appoint one member.

(2) The chief executive officer, with the advice and consent of the county board, of Madison County shall appoint 2 members and the minority members of the county board, with the advice and consent of the county board, shall appoint one member.

(3) The chief executive officer, with the advice and consent of the county board, of Clinton County shall appoint one member.

(4) The chief executive officer, with the advice and consent of the county board, of Jersey County shall appoint one member.

(5) The chief executive officer, with the advice and consent of the county board, of Monroe County shall appoint one member.

(6) The chief executive officer, with the advice and consent of the county board, of Macoupin County shall appoint one member.

The board members shall serve 3-year terms, except that board members first appointed shall be appointed to serve terms of one, 2, or 3 years as determined by lot, provided that board members from counties eligible to appoint more than one member may not serve identical initial terms. On the expiration of the initial terms of appointment and on the expiration of any subsequent term, the resulting vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. Board members shall serve until their successors are appointed. Board members are eligible for reappointment.

(c) No board member may hold a public office in any county within the Metro-East District, other than the office of notary public. Board members must be citizens of the United States and they must reside within the county from which they are appointed. No board member may receive compensation for performance of duties as a board member. No board member may be financially interested directly or indirectly in any contract entered into under this Act.

(d) Promptly after their appointment, the initial board members shall hold an organizational meeting at which they shall elect a president and any other officers that they deem necessary from among their number. The members shall make and adopt any bylaws, rules, and regulations for their guidance and for the government of the parks, neighborhood trails, and recreational grounds and facilities that may be expedient and not inconsistent with this Act.

(e) Board members shall have the exclusive control of the expenditures of all money collected to the credit of the Metro-East Park and Recreation Fund created pursuant to Section 35, and of the supervision, improvement, care, and custody of public parks, neighborhood trails, recreational facilities, and grounds owned, maintained, or managed by the Metro-East District. All moneys received for those purposes shall be deposited in the Metro-East Park and Recreation Fund. The board shall have power to purchase or otherwise secure ground to be used for parks, neighborhood trails, recreational facilities, and grounds; shall have power to appoint suitable persons to maintain the parks, neighborhood trails, recreational grounds, and facilities and to administer recreational programs and to fix their compensation; and shall have power to remove those appointees. The board shall keep accurate records of all its proceedings and actions and shall comply with the provisions of the Open Meetings Act and the Freedom of Information Act.

(Source: P.A. 91-103, eff. 7-13-99.)

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