Public Act 099-0295
 
HB3334 EnrolledLRB099 08723 AWJ 28891 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 Rescue Squad Districts Act is amended  by 
adding Section 6.5 as follows:
 
    (70 ILCS 2005/6.5 new)
    Sec. 6.5. Change to elected board of trustees; petition; 
election; ballot; nomination and election of trustees. Any 
rescue squad district organized under this Act may
have an 
elected, rather than an appointed, board of trustees if 
approved by referendum. Upon presentation to the board of 
trustees of a petition, signed
by not less than 10% of the 
electors of the district, requesting that a
proposition for the 
election of trustees be submitted to the electors of the

district, the secretary of the board of trustees shall certify 
the proposition
to the appropriate election authorities who 
shall submit the proposition at
a regular election in 
accordance with the general election law.
The general election 
law shall apply to and govern such election.  The
proposition 
shall be in substantially the following form:
-------------------------------------------------------------

    Shall the trustees of......           YES

    Rescue Squad District be        -------------------------------------------------------------

    elected, rather than appointed?         NO

-------------------------------------------------------------


        If a majority of the votes cast on such proposition are 
    in the affirmative,
the trustees of the district shall 
    thereafter be elected as provided by this
Section.

    At the next regular election for trustees as provided by 
the general election
law, a district that has approved by 
referendum to have its
trustees elected rather than appointed 
shall elect 5 initial trustees.  The initial elected trustees 
shall be elected as follows: 2 shall be elected for terms of 2

years, 2 for terms of 4 years, and one for a term of 6 years.  
Except as otherwise provided in Section
2A-54 of the Election 
Code, the term of each elected trustee shall
commence on the 
third Monday of the month following the month of his or her 
election
and until his or her successor is elected and 
qualified.  The length of the terms of
the trustees first 
elected shall be determined by lot at their first meeting.

Thereafter, except as otherwise provided in Section 2A-54 of 
the Election Code,
each trustee shall be elected to serve for a 
term of 4 years
commencing on the third Monday of the month 
following the month of his or her election
and until his or her 
successor is elected and qualified.

    No party designation shall appear on the ballot for 
election of trustees.
The provisions of the general election 
law shall apply to and govern
the nomination and election of 
trustees.

    Nominations for members of the board of trustees shall be 
made by a petition signed by at least 25 voters or 5% of the 
voters, whichever is less, residing within the district and 
shall be filed with the secretary of the board. In addition to 
the requirements of general election law, the form of the 
petition shall be as follows:
NOMINATING PETITIONS 

    To the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of (name of 
rescue squad district):
    We, the undersigned, being (number of signatories or 5% or 
more) of the voters residing within the district, hereby 
petition that (name of candidate) who resides at (address of 
candidate) in this district shall be a candidate for the office 
of (office) of the Board of Trustees (full-term or vacancy) to 
be voted for at the election to be held (date of election).
    The secretary of the board shall notify each candidate for 
whom a petition for nomination has been filed of their 
obligations under the Campaign Financing Act, as required by 
the general election law. The notice shall be given on a form 
prescribed by the State Board of Elections and in accordance 
with the requirements of the general election law.

    The secretary shall, within 7 days of filing or on the
last 
day for filing, whichever is earlier, acknowledge to the 
petitioner
in writing his acceptance of the petition.

    The provisions of Section 6 relating to eligibility and 
compensation
of trustees shall apply equally to elected 
trustees.

    Whenever a rescue squad district determines to elect 
trustees as provided
in this Section, the trustees appointed 
pursuant to Section 6 shall continue
to constitute the board of 
trustees until the third Monday of the month
following the 
month of the first election of trustees.
If the term of office 
of any appointed trustees expires before the first
election of 
trustees, the authority which appointed that trustee under 
Section
6 of this Act shall appoint a successor to serve until 
a successor is
elected and has qualified.  The terms of all 
appointed trustees in such
district shall expire on the third 
Monday of the month following the
month of the first election 
of trustees under this Section or when
successors have been 
elected and have qualified, whichever occurs later.

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