Save
our
Counties
STOP HB3596
Simply put, HB3596 diminsihes the power of elected County Board Members and other County officials and conveys greater power to the County Board Chair.
FROM THE BILL
Excerpts from the third House amendment:
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Sec. 1-6003.5. Legal representation for county board or elected official. (a) The chairperson of the county board may appoint, with the advice and consent of the county board, an outside attorney to serve as legal counsel to the county board... Unconstitutional and will allow county officials to hire attorneys that may green light illegal actions, leading to inter-county litigation and costing counties millions in legal fees.
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Sec. 5-45005. County board chairperson; employees. In a county with a county board chairperson who is unable alone to perform all duties of the office, he or she may appoint employees required for operation of the office. The county board shall provide funding for employees necessary to assist the chairperson in the fulfillment of his or her duties. The board may not reclassify employees in the chairperson's office or transfer employees out of the chairperson's office without the chairperson's permission. Chairman alone decides how many employees and what they are paid?
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Sec. 5-45010. The county board chairperson may eliminate advisory or ad hoc committees or commissions for any of the following reasons... Where are the Board Members, our elected representatives? The Chairman alone decides?
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Sec. 5-45040. The county chairperson has authority to reduce or divert moneys from a county fund... Again, where are the Board Members, our elected representatives? The Chairman alone decides?
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Sec. 5-45050. The county board may appoint an inspector general to investigate waste, fraud, and abuse, and other fiscal misconduct... How will this work in counties with elected Auditors? How will this inspector be chosen for appointment? In my county, appointments are from the Chairman with advice and consent of the board.. Would the Chairman ever appoint an inspector that might inspect the Chair?
When the state can do a better job of running itself, then they can come and tell the counties and townships how it's done!
In a nutshell, a lot of power given to the Chairman and a lot about hiring/appointing employees and other personnel. Could patronage be what's driving this?
take action now!
If you approve of having just one, omnipotent ruler in your county, then do nothing. However, If you believe in the right of the people to elect their County Officers and Board members, and further believe that distributed power and representative government are the cornerstones of our great country, then spend a couple seconds to send the message that you disapprove of this ridiculous power grab of a bill!
1. Contact the lawmakers sponsoring for this bill and let them know you disapprove!
2. Contact YOUR legislator and tell them to vote NO to HB3596.
3. Fill out a Witness Slip for the next meeting (when it is scheduled).​
4. Share with friends, family and others that are concerned about the political health of our communities.
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5. Fill in the "Get In Touch" form below to be alerted when situations change.
SAVE
OUR
COUNTIES
STOP HB3596
Unless you want your county run like our state, tell your legislators to vote NO on HB 3596!
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SaveOurCounties.com