Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Law and Justice Commission MTU #8, herein after referred to as the Commission in these by-laws.
Section 1. The purposes and powers of this Commission shall be to provide Law Enforcement training within the boundaries of the region, comprised of Ford, Iroquois, Livingston, and McLean Counties. These by-laws are intended to guide the Commission in the establishment of procedures and methods of operation granted by the General Not for Profit Act of the State of Illinois.
Section 2. The Commission is established under Act P.A. 82-674, approved and effective September 17, 1981, authorizing the establishment of Mobile Team In-Service Training Units to provide regional in-service refresher and update training to State and local law enforcement officers.
Section 1. Executive, and Advisory Board membership shall be limited to those units of local governments whose primary responsibility is Law Enforcement and/or Corrections. For purposes of the omission, Law Enforcement is defined as any person who by virtue of his/her office or public employment is vested by Law with a duty to maintain public order or to made arrests for offenses whether that duty extends to all offenses or is limited to specific offenses. Corrections shall be defined as a penitentiary, state farm, reformatory, prison, jail, house of corrections, or other institution for the incarceration or custody of persons under sentence for offenses or awaiting trial or sentence for offenses.
Section 2. Upon a two-thirds positive vote of the Advisory Board of Directors, a non-voting associate membership may be allowed. An associate member is defined as any unit of local government whose primary duties are other than Law Enforcement, Corrections, or Coroner (Coroner added), but are generally considered a part of the Criminal Justice System, such as, but not limited to, Court Services, Probation, Coroner or State’s Attorney. Associate members may request schools pertinent to their operations or duties either in writing or by attending regularly scheduled Board meetings. The fees for approved training shall be determined by the Advisory Board and administered by the Executive Director. Associate members may attend MTU #8 training sessions that they deem suitable to their operations or duties by notifying the director’s office of their desire to be in attendance. With regards to class attendance, priorities shall be given to voting members and their employees.
Section 3. An Advisory Board of Directors shall direct the Commission. The Advisory Board consists of:
3A. Any head of any of the agencies as described in Section 3 shall be a standing member of the Commission by law. When any member of the Commission is unable to attend a meeting because of a scheduling conflict, a Command Staff Officer of that member’s Agency may attend in their place on a temporary occasional basis.
3B. Conflicts of interest, or employment regarding any member of the Commission, shall be reported in writing to the Chairman of the Executive Board. The matter shall then be placed on the next meeting agenda and be discussed. A two-thirds majority vote of a quorum of members present shall decide the issue.
Section 4. The Executive Board of Directors, by affirmative vote of two-thirds of a quorum of the members of the Advisory Board present, and after an appropriate investigation authorized by the Commission, and a hearing with a finding submitted in writing, may suspend or expel any member(s) for cause.
4A. The Executive Board by a simple majority of a quorum of Advisory Board members present at any regularly constituted meeting, may terminate the membership of any member who becomes ineligible for membership or suspend or expel any member who shall be in default in the payment of dues for the period fixed in Article IX of the by-laws.
Section 5. Any member agency may resign by filing a written resignation with the Secretary of the Executive Board, but such resignation shall not relieve the member agency so resigned of the obligation to pay any dues assessments or other charges theretofore accrued and unpaid.
Section 6. Upon a written request signed by a former member agency and filed with the Secretary of the Executive Board, the Executive Board of Directors may, when a quorum of Advisory Board members are present and with an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of the Advisory Board, reinstate such former member agency to membership upon such terms as the Advisory Board may deem appropriate.
Section 7. A quorum of the Advisory Board shall consist of ten (10) representatives of the Advisory Board of the Commission unless intergovernmental agreements among participating units provide otherwise.
Section 1. The officers of the Executive Board of the Commission shall be chosen from the Advisory Board membership and shall consist of a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Section 2. The officers of the Executive Board shall be elected yearly by a quorum of voting members of the Advisory Board. This shall be accomplished by a simple majority vote of those members present at a regular meeting of the Commission in the month of June each year.
2A. Executive Board officers shall be eligible for re-election. In the event of a vacancy, a successor shall be elected at the next regular meeting of the Commission.
Section 3. The Chairman shall supervise the affairs of the Commission. He shall preside at meetings of the Commission and shall appoint such committees as authorized by the Commission to carry out the business of the Commission.
Section 4. The Vice-Chairman shall perform such duties as may be delegated to him by the Chairman. In the absence of the Chairman, he shall perform all the duties and exercise all the powers of the Chairman.
Section 5. The Secretary shall be responsible for recording and maintaining minutes of the meeting of the Commission. Meeting minutes shall be public record. The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping a record of attendance of members of each meeting. In the absence of the Secretary, the Chairman shall designate a temporary Secretary for that meeting.
Section 6. The Treasurer shall be responsible for receiving and dispersing funds of the Commission in accordance with regulations established by the Illinois Local Governmental Law Enforcement Officer’s Training Board. The Treasurer shall be bonded.
Section 7. The Executive Board of Directors may suspend and remove any Officer or Agent elected or appointed when a charge is brought by a voting member that a willful and wanton act of misconduct, a violation of any policy of the Commission, or a violation of any Federal, State, or local law has occurred, and after the Executive Board of Directors conducts or empowers a committee of voting members to conduct an internal investigation verifying that a specific violation has occurred. Such removal shall be without prejudice t the contract rights, if any, of the person so removed. The Agency involved may direct another Command level Officer from their organization to be appointed to the Board to replace the Officer removed.
7A. When the results of the investigations are reported to the Advisory Board and any violation(s) are affirmed, the Executive Board shall submit a formal recommendation for action concerning a member at a regularly scheduled meeting or a special meeting called for the purpose of hearing the charges and recommendations. A quorum of voting members shall be established. A majority vote may then decide the course of action recommended by the Executive Board to the Advisory Board.
Section 1. The Commission shall meet at least once per quarter on a date, place, and time specified and established by the Advisory Board. At the discretion of the Advisory Board, meetings may be held monthly on a date, place, and time specified and established.
Section 2. The Chairman of the Executive Board may call special meetings of the Commission Advisory Board. Any three (3) members may call a special meeting with five days written notice to each member. In the case of an emergency as declared by the Chairman of the Executive Board, the five-day period shall be waived.
Section 3. All member agencies shall have equal voting rights.
Section 4. All meetings shall be open to the public and conform to the “Open Meetings Act”.
Section 5. Except where these rules and regulations otherwise provide, Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern all meetings of the Advisory Board.
Section 1. Any and all funds received for use by the Commission shall be deposited in the bank designated by the Advisory Board. Checks shall be issued over the signature of at least two Board Officers or one Board Officer and the Executive Director.
Section 2. All disbursements of funds shall be made in compliance with the annual budget adopted by the Advisory Board of the Commission and in accordance with regulations established by the Illinois Local Governmental Law Enforcement Officer’s Training Board.
Section 3. The Commission’s fiscal year shall be from July 1 to June 30, or otherwise as determined by the Illinois Local Governmental Law Enforcement Officer’s Training Board.
Section 1. The Executive Board of the Commission shall appoint and hire an Executive Director with the advice and consent of the Advisory Board. The Executive Board shall present all pertinent information regarding candidates to the Advisory Board for consideration and the necessary votes. The hiring and appointment shall be affirmed by the majority vote of the Advisory Board following the establishment of a quorum of Advisory Board members.
Section 2. The Executive Director shall be responsible for hiring, terminating, or disciplining all staff members. The Executive Director, upon the termination or disciplining of a staff member, shall report the circumstances to the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall determine if further action is necessary.
Section 1. Proposed amendments to the By-laws shall be presented in writing to each member of this Commission at least ten (10) days before the meeting at which the proposed amendments are to be considered. A two-thirds majority vote of a quorum of Advisory Board members present is required to adopt any amendment.
Section 2. The By-laws shall be in full force and effective upon their adoption by the Commission at a regular meeting.
Section 1. The Board of Directors will determine from time to time the amount of fee, if any, and annual dues payable to the Commission by members.
Section 2. When any member defaults in the payment of dues for a period of three (3) months from the beginning of the period for which such dues became payable, the membership may thereupon be terminated by the Executive Board of the Commission in the manner provided in Article III of these By-laws.
Adopted at a meeting of the Board on March 6, 2007.
Revised and adopted at a meeting of the Advisory Board of the Commission on December 11, 2012.