Wednesday, February 29, 2012

RIP Without the Inspections : City Barbs

It appears that the City of DeKalb also desires to require registration and inspection of rental property.  Take a look at the blog, City Barbs, for more details.

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Click on the following to see the entire posting:  RIP Without the Inspections : City Barbs

Information on the state-wide township meetings

The website shown below(http://www.toi.org/Events/Event-Details.aspx?id=97) supplies a wealth of information regarding township meetings.  The site obviously is intended for township officials.

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If you click on the suggestion for more information you obtain the information shown below. (The following is taken from:  http://199.96.3.92/Events/documents/AnnualMeeting.pdf)

Get ready for annual town meeting April 10
For annual meetings, the law requires that the Township Board adopt an agenda at least 10 days before the meeting. Voters may request an agenda item for consideration by giving written notice of a specific request to the Township Clerk no later than March 1 before the annual meeting. Items not on the
published agenda may NOT be considered or added to the agenda at the meeting.


Annual Town Meeting Notice-Notice of the time and place of holding the annual township meeting shall be given by the township clerk (or in the clerk’s absence, the supervisor, assessor or collector) by posting written or printed notices in three of the most public places in the township at least 10 days before the meeting and, if there is an English language newspaper published in the township, by at least one publication in that newspaper before the meeting.* The notice shall set forth the agenda for the meeting.
Agenda-Not less than 10 days before the annual meeting, the township board shall adopt an agenda for the annual meeting. Any 15 or more registered voters in the township may request an agenda item for consideration by the electors at the annual meeting by giving written notice of a specific request to the
township clerk no later than March 1 prior to the annual meeting. The agenda published by the township board shall include any such request made by voters if the request is relevant to powers granted to electors
under the Township Code.


Additional Agenda Items-Any matter or proposal not set forth in the published agenda shall not be considered at the annual meeting other than advising that the matter may be considered at a special meeting of the electors at a later date.


Supervisor’s Annual Financial Statement- It is the duty of the Township Clerk to post a copy of the supervisor’s annual financial statement at the place of holding the Annual Town Meeting. This MUST be done at least 2 days before the Annual Town Meeting is held.


Annual Town Meeting Day- No Annual (or special) Town Meeting may begin before 6:00 p.m. The Township Clerk, is he/she is present, shall call the meeting to order. After this, the clerk shall call for nominations for a Moderator and the electors present will elect someone to serve as moderator. Before the moderator enters the duties of office, he/she shall take the oath of office administered by the Township
Clerk (see inset box)


Please note: The Township Clerk is the ONLY township official acting in ANY official capacity at the Annual (or special) Town Meeting. Everyone else present, regardless if they are an elected official or not, are there as electors (voters) and each have an equal vote in each matter voted upon.


Voting at Annual Town Meeting- Only registered voters of the township may vote at the annual (or special) town meeting. The township clerk therefore must obtain a list of the township’s registered voters from the county clerk prior to the meeting being held. This list must be used to establish who is or isn’t a registered voter and able to participate in the meeting.

Minutes of Annual (or Special) Town Meeting-After a moderator is elected, the Township Clerk acts as clerk of the meeting and keeps an accurate record of the proceedings at the meeting. The minutes shall be signed by the Township Clerk and the Moderator of the meeting.


Reading Annual Financial Statement-It is the duty of the Township Clerk to read aloud to the electors present at the Annual Town Meeting the annual financial statement of the township supervisor.


Powers of Electors-There are many powers that the electors MAY take at the Annual (or special) Town Meeting. The following page lists all of those powers. You might keep this list of powers available for your annual town meeting.
*The last day to publish/post the notice is April 2, 2012.


The Electors Present at the Annual Town Meeting Have the Power To:

1. Take all necessary measures and give
directions for the exercise of their corporate
powers. (60 ILCS 1/30-25)
2. To fix the hour at which town meetings
shall be held. (60 ILCS 1/30-30)
3. To spend monies for preparation of a
detailed property record system. (60 ILCS
1/30-45)
4. Make orders for the purchase and sale of
property. (60 ILCS 1/30-50)
5. May declare property of the township to
be surplus for purposes of donating the
property to a historical society or other
not-for-profit corporation. (60 ILCS 1/30-
53)
6. To authorize the township board of trustees
to appropriate monies in excess of the
sum provided in the Public Graveyards
Act, for the purpose of putting any old,
neglected graves and cemeteries in the
township in a cleaner and more respectable
condition. (60 ILCS 1/30-60)
7. Provide for the decoration and maintenance
of graves of persons who at any
time served in the armed forces of the
United States which are within the township.
(60 ILCS 1/30-65)
8. Provide space in any township building
for courtroom and office use by Circuit
Court. (60 ILCS 1/30-70)
9. To authorize the township board of trustees
to exercise the powers conferred by
the “Township Zoning Act”. (60 ILCS
1/30-75). This does not apply in any
county where a county zoning ordinance
or resolution is in effect.
10. Offer premiums, and take such action as
shall induce the planting and cultivating
of trees along the highways in the town,
and protect and preserve trees standing
along or on highways, and purchase, plant
and cultivate along the streets and highways
in the township. (60 ILCS 1/30-85)
11. Make rules and regulations for ascertaining
the sufficiency of all fences in the
town, and determine what shall be a lawful
fence within the town; except as otherwise
provided by law. (60 ILCS 1/30-90)
12. Prohibit animals from running at large.
(60 ILCS 1/30-95)
13. Establish and maintain pounds where
deemed necessary.
(60 ILCS 1/30-100)
14. Impound animals. (60 ILCS 1/30-110)
15. Construct and keep in repair public wells
or other watering places, and regulate the
use thereof. (60 ILCS 1/30-115)
16. Prevent the deposit of night soil, garbage
or other offensive substances within the
limits of the town. This section does apply
to refuse disposal facilities regulated by
the Illinois State Department of Public
Health and the county in which the facilities
are located. (60 ILCS 1/30-120)
17. To adopt ordinances regulating standing
or parking of recreational vehicles on
township roads within each township. (60
ILCS 1/30-125)
18. Declare inoperable motor vehicles a nuisance.
(60 ILCS 1/30-130)
19. Authorize the licensing and regulation
and direct the location of all places of
business of purchasers, traders and dealers
in junk, rags and any secondhand
article, including motor vehicles, except
in cities, villages and incorporated towns
in such township which, by ordinance,
provide for such licensing, regulation or
places of location. (60 ILCS 1/30-135)
20. Regulate hawkers, peddlers, pawnbrokers,
itinerant merchants and transient vendors.
(60 ILCS 1/30-140)
21. Authorize the township board of trustees
to provide mental health services, including
services for the alcoholic, the drug
addicted, and the mentally retarded, for
residents of the township by disbursing
existing funds if available by contracting
with mental health agencies approved
by the Department of Human Services,
alcoholism treatment programs licensed
by the Department of Public Health, and
drug abuse facilities and other alcohol
and drug abuse services approved by the
Department of Human Services. (60 ILCS
1/30-145)
22. In counties having less than 1,000,000
inhabitants, to authorize the board of
trustees to contract with one or more
incorporated municipalities lying wholly
or partly within the boundaries of such
township, or with the county within
which the township is located, to furnish
police protection in the area of such
township that is not within the incorporated
area of any municipality having
a regular police department. (60 ILCS
1/30-150)
23. Authorize contracts with county sheriff
to furnish police protection in unincorporated
areas. (60 ILCS 1/30-155)
24. In counties having a population of
1,000,000 or more, to authorize the
board of trustees to contract with one or
more municipalities in the township or
with the county within which the township
is located to furnish police protection
in the unincorporated area of the township.
The board of trustees may declare
the unincorporated area of the township
a special police district for tax purposes,
proof of which authorizes the county
clerk to extend a tax upon the special
police district in the amount specified
in the annual town tax levy, but not to
exceed a rate of .10% of the value of taxable
property as equalized or assessed by
the Department of Revenue. (60 ILCS
1/30-160)
25. Authorize fire protection in unincorporated
areas. (60 ILCS 1/30-165)
26. To authorize the board of trustees to contract
for the furnishing of mosquito abatement
services in the unincorporated areas
of the township. (60 ILCS 1/30-170)
27. To authorize the supervisor to file an
application for the township and all other
bodies politic established by or subject to
the control of the electors to participate
in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund.
(60 ILCS 1/30-180)
28. Allow for voters at the Annual Town
Meeting to transfer funds from one or
more funds to other or different funds,
or to the general road and bridge fund or
any fund raised by taxation or bonds for
road and bridges. (60 ILCS 1/30-185 and
1/245-5)
29. Make all such by-laws, rules and regulations
deemed necessary to carry into
effect the powers herein granted and
may impose fines deemed proper, except
when a fine or penalty is already allowed
by law. No offense shall be classified in
excess of a petty offense. (60 ILCS 1/30-
190)
30. Apply all penalties, when collected, in
such manner as may be deemed most to
the interests of the township. (60 ILCS
1/30-195)
31. By a vote of the majority of electors present
at a town meeting, the electors may
authorize that an advisory question of
public policy be placed on the ballot at
the next regularly scheduled election in
the township
. The township board shall
certify the question to the proper election
officials, who shall submit the question in
accordance with the general election law.
(60 ILCS 1/30-205)
32. Adopt revised tax schedule for town purposes.
(60 ILCS 1/235-5 and 1/235-10)
33. Increase tax rate for road purposes. (605
ILCS 5/6-504)
34. Tax for construction of bridge at joint
expense of county and road district and
obtain aid from county. (605 ILCS 5/6-
508)
35. Request referendum to issue bonds for
road purposes. (605 ILCS 5/6-510)
36. Petition for road or road improvements.
(605 ILCS 5/6-601)
37. Request referendum to repeal special tax
for road purposes. (605 ILCS 5/6-617)
38. Authorize the use of permanent road
funds, general road and bridge funds, or
town funds for the purpose of collecting,
transporting, and disposing of brush and
leaves. Allow general road and bridge or
town funds to also be used for the purpose
of providing disaster relief and support
services approved by the township
board of trustees at a regularly scheduled
or special meeting. (60 ILCS 1/30-117)

When the town hall meeting is posted it will look something similar to the following:

ANNUAL

TOWN MEETING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN

To the legal voters, residents of the Town of ____________

in the County of __________ and State of Illinois, that the Annual Town Meeting of said Town will take place on

Tuesday, April __, 20__

being the second Tuesday of said month

at the hour of ___o’clock __M. at

for the transaction of the miscellaneous business of the said town; and after a Moderator having been elected, will proceed to hear and consider reports of officers, and decide on such measures as may, in pursuance of law, come before the meeting; and especially to consider and decide the following (Place meeting agenda below):

_____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dated _____________________20__.