Illinois Administrative Code › Title 17 - CONSERVATION › Part 1523 - PARTNERS FOR CONSERVATION - ECOSYSTEMS PROGRAM › Section 1523.40 - Ecosystem Partnership Bylaws

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 28, July 12, 2024
Bylaws shall be adopted by a simple majority of the Ecosystem
				Partnership members and temporary board members designated by the Director
				within 9 months after Department designation as an Ecosystem Partnership.
				Ecosystem Partnerships previously designated by the Director, as provided in
				Section
				1523.30,
				that do not have formally adopted bylaws meeting the following criteria shall
				adopt bylaws consistent with the minimum criteria set forth in this Section
				after September 1, 2003. A copy of the approved bylaws must be sent to the
				designated Ecosystem Administrator and to the Conservation 2000 Administrator.
				Bylaws shall contain, but are not limited to, the following:
a) Name of Ecosystem Partnership.
b) Purpose and goals of Ecosystem
			 Partnership.
c) Mailing address for
			 the Ecosystem Partnership.
d)
			 Criteria establishing what constitutes a quorum for official business of either
			 the LPC, standing committees or special committees.
e) Procedures to amend the bylaws.
f) Procedures to establish or define the role
			 of standing and special committees.
g) Procedures to ensure that there is not a
			 conflict of interest on behalf of a member of the LPC during the evaluation and
			 scoring of Ecosystem Project Grant applications. Any member of the LPC who is
			 eligible to evaluate and score these grant applications must excuse themselves
			 from the evaluation or scoring of applications of an entity on which they are a
			 board member, staff or officer, or in which a member of their immediate family
			 might directly benefit. Records of all actions and decisions must be kept by
			 the Ecosystem Partnership and members scoring projects must disclose their
			 affiliation with any organization submitting an Ecosystem Project Grant
			 application through the individual LPC. The composite score of each grant
			 application shall be made available to the public upon request.
h) Eligibility criteria to become a member of
			 the Ecosystem Partnership.
i)
			 Eligibility criteria for an individual or member of an organization to serve as
			 an officer, board member or committee member of the LPC.
j) Procedures for open nomination and
			 election of board members and officers.
k) Eligibility criteria for an individual or
			 organization to vote for members and/or officers on the LPC.
l) Term for which elected LPC board members
			 and officers shall serve.
m)
			 Procedure to elect LPC board members and officers.
n) Provisions to promote and include
			 participation by a broad range of interested groups and individuals within the
			 Ecosystem Partnership Area.
o)
			 Criteria for board members and officers to maintain good standing within the
			 LPC.
p) Procedures to record the
			 minutes of every meeting and to adopt, maintain and distribute those minutes,
			 including providing copies to the designated Ecosystem Administrator and the
			 Conservation 2000 Administrator, and making copies available to members of the
			 public.
q) Criteria for members to
			 maintain good standing within the Ecosystem Partnership.
r) Procedures to notify the public of
			 meetings, including insuring that the pertinent details are published no less
			 than 10 days in advance of meetings in a newspaper with general circulation
			 within the Ecosystem Partnership Area. Meetings shall be open to the public,
			 except for the purpose of discussing personnel issues and evaluation and
			 scoring of Ecosystem Partnership Grant applications. The LPC may elect to
			 evaluate and score Ecosystem Project Grant applications in a meeting not open
			 to the public if all grant applicants are notified of the proposed meeting and
			 the LPC follows all requirements outlined in subsection (g).
s) A schedule of meetings (at least once per
			 quarter in a calendar year). This schedule must be published in a newspaper
			 with general circulation within the Ecosystem Partnership Area.
t) Procedures for maintaining and adjusting
			 the boundaries of the Ecosystem Partnership Area.
u) Procedures to dissolve the Ecosystem
			 Partnership and to distribute assets. All assets purchased with Department
			 funds shall be returned to the Department.
v) Procedures to notify the public of the
			 Ecosystem Project Grant process and deadlines, including insuring that the
			 pertinent details are published no less than 10 days in advance of deadlines in
			 a newspaper with general circulation within the Ecosystem Partnership
			 Area.
w) Criteria to score and rank
			 Ecosystem Project Grant applications.
x) Procedures to retain and maintain all
			 records, including financial, of the Ecosystem Partnership.