August 27, 2019
Governor signs Senate Bill 1236, allowing county boards to remove the board chair
Under a new state law signed by Governor J.B. Prtizker on Aug. 23, county boards that are empowered to choose their county chair now have the legal ability to remove the board chair. The specific provision contained in the law, known as Senate Bill 1236, was drafted at the behest of Lake County.
"I applaud Chair Hart and the County Board for the leading role they played in creating this important change at the state level,” said Lake County Legislative Committee Chair John Wasik. “Last year we encountered circumstances where we did not have the authority through state laws to replace our county board chair. Now we can make a change and not have to wait potentially up to two years if the need arises."
The new law amends the Illinois Local Government Officer Compensation Act and Counties Code, and establishes a specific process whereby a county board chair who is chosen by the board, which is the case in Lake County, can be removed if at least four-fifths of board members vote in favor of removal. Under the law, the chair would still maintain his or her status as a county board member.
The Lake County Board has strongly supported legislation to provide the board authority to remove its board chair. In January, the board passed a resolution to include its support in Lake County's 2019 Legislative Agenda.
"As public servants, we need to be held accountable," said Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart. "This measure is a great example of the County Board and staff working together to strengthen our government practices. I thank our legislators in Springfield and Governor Pritzker for working with us to get this legislation passed."
In addition to actively supporting change at the state level, the Lake County Board has adopted a number of accountability and transparency measures this year. This includes eliminating board member p-cards, credit cards on which board members could charge County-related expenses. The board also strengthened vendor disclosure rules, requiring vendors that bid on Lake County projects to disclose campaign contributions to Lake County elected officials. To improve transparency, the County also began filming all County Board standing committee meetings earlier this year.
###
|
