Item 3B. Rules of the Board
Superintendent's Recommendation:
NO ACTION REQUIRED; THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Prepared By: Eric Quiring, General Counsel
Background:
The Rules of the Board were originally approved by the Board in 1992 and have been revised several times, most recently on April 18, 2024. The current Rules of the Board are attached. The Legislative Procedures and Media Relations Guidelines are also attached for reference.
With regard to amendments, the Rules of the Board provide the following:
XIII. Repeal or Amendment of the Rules
These rules may be amended or repealed at any regular meeting, but only after such rule change has been proposed at a prior regular Board meeting.
At the December Board meeting, Chair Gibbs raised the issue of possible changes to the Board attendance rule contained in Section XIV, which provides the following:
XIV. Attendance at Board and Committee Meetings
To appropriately discharge duties and responsibilities at a consistently high level of citizen performance, it is important that all Commissioners keep currently abreast of the affairs of the Board and the Park District. Commissioners are obliged, by virtue of their office, to represent the people they have been entrusted to serve. In carrying out their responsibilities, Commissioners should make every effort to attend Board meetings and other meetings on District business as they may be called upon from time to time. Should a Commissioner be absent for three regular Board meetings held on the third Thursday of the month at 5:00 p.m. in the Administrative Center in any calendar year, the Commissioner shall forfeit compensation for three months. All other meetings, including, but not limited to, study sessions, public hearings, emergency meetings, and special meetings shall not be considered meetings for the purpose of this Rule. Commissioners may appeal to the Board if extenuating circumstances exist. The Board is granted full discretion to reverse a loss of compensation and shall state the reasons for its decision.
Commissioners may propose and discuss amendments to the Rules of the Board to be considered for adoption at the February 2026 Regular Board meeting.
Relationship to the System Plan:
The Request for Action supports the following goal(s) of the System Plan:
Goal 1: You Belong Here
Goal 2: Parks Matter
Goal 3: Lead by Example
Attachments:
Rules of the Board - Legislative Procedures.pdf
