You'd think this would easy. But go up to half of our county board members currently and ask if they have read the County Code front to back. Most havent. This is 55 ILCS in the state law, and clearly outlines the authorities given to a county board member. If ordinary people start reading this, it will be very easy to spot board members that are clearly ignoring laws. Start by asking the question "Where does it say in the law that we have the authority to do this?" If it doesnt say it, you cant do it. Most Illinois counties, including ours operate under non-home rule, or in other words use Dillon's Rule for following authorities given. Every county board member, whether existing, or in the running, should look at 55 ILCS County Code as an employee handbook. Literally every single responsibility and any authority you are given is spelled out. Understandably, its a lot of reading initially and can be fairly boring and redundant. But once you get through it all, going back and searching key words when you know what you are looking for becomes second nature and super easy. The next thing all county board members need to be aware of is O.M.A. This is the Open Meetings Act, 5 ILCS, passed into law. This outlines what all is allowed, or not allowed in private conversations, or in public meetings between elected government officials. It can be a little tricky at first, but just take your time and ask questions. The main goal of it is to avoid large private gatherings or conversations between board members that Should be taking place in an open meeting for all of the public to hear. And then at the county level, we have adopted an Order of Business which outlines how our meeting is conducted, and all other processes will follow Roberts Rules. So here are the main things that you will want to read going into a county board position:
1- County Code 55 ILCS
2- OMA 5 ILCS
3- Order of Business
4- Roberts Rules
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