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PROPOSED ORDINANCE AMENDMENT
CONSERVATION AND POLICY COUNCIL - MEMBERSHIP
BE IT ORDAINED, by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County Board of Commissioners, that TITLE 1 - ADMINISTRATIVE, CHAPTER 18 - CONSERVATION AND POLICY COUNCIL, SECTION 2 - MEMBERS OF THE CONSERVATION COUNCIL and SECTION 3 - QUALIFICATIONS OF MEMBERS of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County Code of Ordinances are hereby amended as follows:
1-18-2: MEMBERS OF THE CONSERVATION COUNCIL.
A. General. The appointed Members shall receive no compensation for their service, but may be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses while serving on the Conservation Council.
B. Number of Members. There shall be eleven (11) Members of the Conservation Council.
1. One Chairperson (1),
2. One Ex Officio (1),
3. Nine Members (9).
C. Appointment of Members. One (1) of the eleven (11) Members shall be Chairperson, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the District Board and one (1) of the eleven (11) shall be an Ex Officio Member. The Ex Officio Member shall be a District Board Commissioner, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the District Board. The Ex Officio Member shall be a voting Member of the Council. The Ex Officio Member shall serve as a liaison between the District Board and the Council. The ten (10) remaining Members, including the Chairperson, shall be appointed in the following manner:
1. Initial Appointments. The President shall appoint all Initial Members of the Council with the advice and consent of the District Board based on the criteria established in Section 1-18-3 of the District's Code of Ordinances.
2. Subsequent Appointments. After the first term of each of the Initial Member appointments expires or are otherwise terminated, Members of the Council will be selected as follows:
3. The President, in consultation with the Council, will appoint a Nominating Committee, comprised of at least five (5) individuals to recommend replacement or renewal of Members as terms expire.
a. A majority of the Nominating Committee members will be representatives of not-for-profit organizations that have as their primary focus conservation of nature, land and/or water.
b. One (1) member of the Nominating Committee will be a representative of a not-for-profit organization that has as its primary focus government finance and public policy.
c.b. The Nominating Committee may include up to two (2) Council Members.
4. The Nominating Committee will review the qualifications of individuals on the criteria established in Section 1-18-3 of the District's Code of Ordinances, and will present at least one (1) nomination for each vacant position to the President before the end of the term.
5. The President, with advice and consent from the District Board will select from the Nominating Committee's list and present one (1) name for each vacancy to the District Board for concurrence.
6. If the Board does not approve appointment of the recommended candidate(s), the President may go back to the original recommendations of the Nominating Committee or request additional names from the Nominating Committee.
7. Prior to their confirmation, each candidate for appointment shall submit a statement to the Chairman of the Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee of the Board, attesting that the candidate possesses the qualifications of members as established by Section 1-18-3 of the District's Code of Ordinances. Once appointed, a member shall notify the Board in writing within seven (7) business days of any change in the member's qualifications as set forth in that Section.
8. The statement required by Subsection (C)(7) shall be signed, dated, and substantially in the following form: "I attest that I possess the qualifications of a member of the Conservation and Policy Council of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County as established by Section 1-18-3 of the District's Code of Ordinances, and agree to notify the Board of Commissioners in writing within seven (7) business days of any change in my qualifications as set forth in that Section."
D. Terms of Members.
1. Ex Officio Member. The District Board Commissioner who is appointed as the ex officio Member shall serve on the Council for the length of the Commissioner's term. Upon an appointment or election change for the representative from the District Board, the President shall provide notice to the District Board and the Council of any such change in ex officio Member appointment.
2. The remaining Members. The Chairperson and the other remaining nine (9) Members of the Council shall serve terms as follows:
a. For the Initial Members:
(i) Three (3) of the Members initially appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the District Board, other than the ex officio Member, shall serve a term that expires on December 31, 2015.
(ii) Three (3) of the Members initially appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the District Board, other than the ex officio Member, shall serve a term that expires on December 31, 2016.
(iii) Three (3) of the Members initially appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the District Board, other than the ex officio Member, shall serve a term that expires on December 31, 2017.
(iv) The Chairperson initially elected by the Members also shall serve a term that expires on December 31, 2017.
b. Thereafter, all Members including the Chairperson, but excluding the Ex Officio Member, appointed shall serve a term of three (3) years.
(i) Each appointed Member, whether initial or subsequent, shall hold office until a successor is appointed, except in cases of removal.
(ii) Any appointed Member who is appointed to fill a vacancy, other than a vacancy caused by the expiration of the predecessor's term, shall serve until the expiration of his or her their predecessor's term.
E. Vacancy. A vacancy shall occur upon the:
1. Expiration of Member's term,
2. Resignation,
3. Death,
4. Conviction of a felony, or
5. Removal from the office of an appointed Member as set forth in paragraph "F" of this Section.
F. Removal of Members. A Council Member may be removed for good cause by the President. Good cause includes inefficiency, neglect of duty, malfeasance, or any cause which renders the Member unfit for the position or unable to perform the duties of the position. The President shall provide written notice to that Member, the Conservation Council, the District Board, and the General Superintendent of the proposed removal of that Member from the Council; such notice shall state the specific grounds which constitute cause for removal. The Member, in receipt of such notice, may request to appear before the District Board and present reasons in support of his or her their retention. Thereafter, the District Board shall vote upon whether there are sufficient grounds to remove that Member from office. The President shall notify the subject Member of the final action of the District Board.
G. Officers. The Council shall contain three (3) Members that serve as Officers: (1) Chairperson, (2) Vice-Chairperson and (3) Secretary. The Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Secretary are elected by the Council. Each of the three (3) officers, respectively, shall be entitled to vote on all matters before the Council and may be appointed to serve successive terms as officers. The Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Secretary shall each serve for a three-year term or until his or her their term expires or is otherwise terminated, whichever event occurs earlier.
H. Duties of Officers.
1. The Chairperson shall:
a. Preside at all meetings, when present;
b. Execute all documents relating to Council policy or designate such responsibility as warranted;
c. Prepare the initial agenda for each meeting; and
d. Perform any other agenda duties as directed by the Council.
2. The Vice-Chairperson shall act in the capacity of the Chairperson in the Chairperson's absence. In the event the office of the Chairperson becomes vacant, the Vice-Chairperson shall succeed to this office for the unexpired term or until the President brings forth another appointment that is recommended by the Nominating Committee and approved by the District Board.
3. The Secretary shall maintain the Council records, including notices for and minutes of meetings and hearings.
I. [Standing or Ad Hoc Subcommittees.] The Council may create Standing or Ad hoc Subcommittees. The Chairperson may appoint non-voting members to those subcommittees. The District shall assign appropriate staff to the Council so that the Council may further carry out its purposes and activities.
J. Disclosure of interests required. Each Member shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County Code of Ethical Conduct (Title 1, Section 13), including, without limitation, provisions requiring disclosure of conflicts of interest.
1. Any Member, who has direct or indirect interest in any contract or transaction with the District shall disclose this interest in writing to the Council which shall, in turn, notify the President and the District Board of such interest.
2. This interest shall be set forth in the minutes of the Council and the Member having such interest shall not participate on behalf of the Council in any way with regard to such contract or transaction unless the Council or District Board waives the conflict.
3. The Cook County Board of Ethics shall have jurisdiction over the investigation and enforcement of this Section and over the sanctions for violations as set forth in Sections 1-13-4 and 1-13-5 of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County Code of Ethical Conduct.
1-18-3: QUALIFICATIONS OF MEMBERS.
A. Criteria to be considered in nominating or appointing individuals to serve as Members shall include:
1. Background and skills needed on the Council including, but not limited to, expertise in one (1) or more of the following:
a. Conservation (practice),
b. Ecology (science),
c. Education/interpretation,
d. Cultural resources/archeology/historic preservation,
e. Management/business,
f. Eco- or heritage tourism/market feasibility analysis,
g. Finance,
h. Public policy and planning,
i. Outdoor recreation,
j. Health and wellness,
k. Volunteer management,
l. High level government experience,
m. Racial equity, diversity and inclusion,
n. Communications and media relations,
o. Working knowledge of the District, Chicago Botanic Garden, Brookfield Zoo and/or other culturally significant institutions affiliated with, or supportive of, the District's statutorily defined purpose.,
p. Environmental Sustainability;
2. Resident of Cook County, Illinois;
3. Availability and willingness to attend Council meetings quarterly; and
4. Ability and willingness to:
a. Learn sufficient details about District management and operations in order to effectively evaluate proposed actions and reports; and
b. Accept and fulfill reasonable assignments from the Chairperson of the Council.
B. No individual shall be considered for nomination or appointment to serve as a Member if such individual is one or more of the following:
1. An elected official (excluding the Ex Officio Member) or a paid staff member of an elected official;
2. An employee of the District (excluding the Ex Officio Member) or any other government entity for which there could be a perceived conflict of interests between the interests of the governmental employer and the interests of the Council;
3. An employee of the Chicago Zoological Society (Brookfield Zoo), Chicago Botanic Garden, or Forest Preserve Foundation;
4. An employee of a conservation organization; or
5. An individual who owns five (5) percent or more of, or an individual who is employed by, a business entity that is a party to a contract with the District; or any individual with perceived conflict of interest., the Chicago Zoological Society (Brookfield Zoo), Chicago Botanic Garden, or Forest Preserve Foundation.
Effective date: This ordinance shall be in effect immediately upon adoption.
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