Boone County Watchdog: Sunshine Review of IACBM

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Sunshine Review of IACBM

Illinois Association of County Board Members

The Illinois Association of County Board Members and Commissioners, also known as the Illinois Association of County Board Members & Commissioners, is a government sector lobbying association in Illinois. It is one of three Illinois chapters of the National Association of Counties. The other two are the Metro Counties of Illinois and the United Counties Council of Illinois.

Taxpayer-funded lobbying

The Illinois Association of County Board Members has lobbying representation from Anderson Legislative Consulting.^[1] The Association advocates legislative and regulatory policy positions before the Illinois General Assembly and the state elected and administrative offices.^[2] The Association's legislative consultant and executive director present the county viewpoint during the legislative session. These positions are considered the "collective interest of its member counties."^[2] These legislative policies are set by its members and published annually in the official issues platform.

IACBMC staff review bills introduced in the General Assembly, summarizing relevant legislation in the association's "Counties at the Capitol" bulletin, which is available to county officials and legislators.^[2] The IACBMC Legislative Committee also meets as needed during Session to advise staff on policy direction. The committee, which consists of representatives of each member county, has authority by the Board of Directors to set legislative direction in those instances where the annual platform is silent or quick action is needed.^[2]

Income and Expenses

Illinois Association of County Board Members

Year
Total Expenses
Total Income
Membership dues
(included in Total Income)

2006^[3]
$98,495
$121,629
$78,413

2005^[4]
$89,192
$125,358
$76,580

2004^[5]
$83,474
$106,319
$67,605

Note: Tax years begin September 1 in the current year and end August 31 the following year.

Issues

Smoking ban

The Illinois Association of County Board Members and Commissioners supported a bill in 2006 which would allow counties to pass smoking bans. The bill passed. ^[6]

The organization's executive director at the time said

"We feel that local officials have the right and responsibility to deal with matters of public health and safety [...] This would allow the counties to determine by public support and local policy if that's what their community desires to do."^[7]

Services

The Illinois Association of County Board Members sponsors the Annual Partners in Planning Conference, which features trainings sessions, panel discussions, and leadership-building activities on issues such as:^[8]

Disaster readiness,
Land use law,
Comprehensive planning,
Biofuels,
The Illinois Scenic Byways program.

IACBMC distributes publications geared towards county officials and the general public on county government and its activities. The association also works to make the media more aware of the issues and positions of county government through press releases and reports.^[9]

Through pooling and service negotiation, the association provides purchasing programs allowing for significant savings to counties. Such services include the Counties of Illinois Risk Management Agency (CIRMA) and the John Deere Equipment program.^[9]

Awards and certification

The association recognizes state legislators it sees as showing consistent support to counties' perspective in legislation with a Legislator of the Year award.^[10] ^[9] It also runs a joint program with the University of Illinois, the Institute for Excellence in County Government, which produces Certified County Officials. Certification includes proficiency in:^[11] ^[9]

Financial management
Risk management
Land use
Open Meeting Act
Ethic
Additional reading
National Association of Counties members list

External links

Illinois Association of County Board Members official website
National Association of Counties Illinois section

Boone County Watchdog