Section 3030.255  Board of Directors Policies

a)         Policies and bylaws adopted by the library system boards for the governance of library systems shall be filed with the Illinois State Library. Policies should cover, at a minimum, the following areas of system operations:

1)         Fiscal accountability;

2)         Personnel;

3)         Core services as specified in Section 3030.215;

4)         Technology, including plans for updating technological equipment and software and security measures to safeguard electronic financial information, employee data and other records.

b)         All library system policies and bylaws shall be in accordance with State law and subject to approval by the State Librarian.

c)         Each library system shall adopt, post on its web site and submit to the Illinois State Library a copy of policies that regulate activities of the library system in a manner no less restrictive than as follows:

1)         Contracts and Purchasing

A)        Purchases of $25,000 or More

i)          All contracts for supplies, materials or work involving an expenditure of $25,000 or more, other than professional services, shall be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, after advertisement at least once in a newspaper or newspapers of general circulation within the area of the library system, not less than 14 days before the bid date.

ii)         All competitive bids for contracts involving an expenditure of $25,000 or more must be sealed by the bidder and must be opened by a board member or employee of the library system at a public bid opening at which the contents of the bids must be announced. Each bidder must receive at least 3 days' notice of the time and place of the bid opening.

iii)        The library system board of directors may reject any and all bids and re-advertise.  The system shall not be required to accept a bid that does not meet the library system's established terms of delivery, quality and serviceability.

iv)        When the emergency expenditure is approved by ¾ of the members of the library system board of directors, a contract can be let without advertising for bids. When possible, emergency purchases shall be made on the basis of three informal competitive quotations.

B)        Purchases of More Than $5,000 but Less Than $25,000. Any purchase by a library system for services, materials, equipment or supplies, other than professional services, with a value greater than $5,000 but less than $25,000 shall be made, whenever feasible, on the basis of three or more informal competitive quotations.

C)        Governmental Agencies. The requirement to advertise for bids does not apply to contracts for goods or services procured from another governmental agency.

D)        Professional Services. Contracts that, by their nature, are not adapted to award by competitive bidding, such as contracts for the services of individuals possessing a high degree of professional skill when the ability or fitness of the individual plays an important part, contracts for utility services such as water, light or heat, contracts for the use, purchase, delivery, movement or installation of data processing equipment, software or services, 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 some entity other than the district itself, and contracts for the purchase of magazines, books, periodicals, pamphlets and reports are not subject to competitive bidding.

2)         Conflict of Interest. No library system employee, nor the spouse or minor child of a system employee, may be in any manner financially interested directly in his or her own name or indirectly in the name of any other person, association, trust or corporation in any purchase or lease contract entered into by the system. This provision shall not apply if the purchase or lease contract is with a person, firm, partnership, association, corporation or cooperative association in which the interested employee, the employee's spouse, or the employee's minor child has less than a 7.5 percent share of the total distributable income. Any purchase or lease contract entered into by the system with an employee, the employee's spouse, or minor child before the start of the employee's employment with the system in which the employee, spouse, or minor child has a pecuniary interest is voidable if it cannot be completed within 365 days after the employee is employed.

3)         Travel Expenditures. It is the policy of the system to reimburse full and part-time employees and members of the library system board of directors for reasonable authorized expenses incurred by them in the performance of their duties. The library system board of directors shall develop a policy for the control of travel sufficient to prevent obligation of funds exceeding budget limitations and to hold travel to the minimum required for the efficient and economical conduct of the library system's business. The policy for the control of travel established by the library system board of directors shall include a description of the library system's travel approval process, allowable transportation expenses, non-reimbursable expenses, and rates of reimbursement for mileage, including automobile, air and train; per diem/meals; and lodging. Travel reimbursements shall follow federal travel regulations (FTR) promulgated by the U.S. General Services Administration (41 CFR 300-304).

4)         Secondary Employment. The board shall approve and regularly review a policy on secondary employment for system employees. No library system employee may accept employment that may cause a conflict of interest or infringe on official work time with the library system.

(Source:  Amended at 46 Ill. Reg. 14771, effective August 22, 2022)