SB3284 EngrossedLRB099 18830 AWJ 43215 b

1    AN ACT concerning local government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Counties Code is amended by changing
5Sections 5-43010, 5-43015, 5-43020, 5-43025, 5-43035, 5-43040,
6and 5-43045 as follows:
 
7    (55 ILCS 5/5-43010)
8    Sec. 5-43010. Administrative adjudication of county code
9and ordinance violations; definitions.
10    (a) Any county may provide by ordinance for a system of
11administrative adjudication of county code violations to the
12extent permitted by the Illinois Constitution.
13    (b) Any county may provide by ordinance for a system of
14administrative adjudication of violations of ordinances
15enacted by a participating unit of local government only where:
16(i) the unit of local government is engaging in governmental
17activities or providing services within the boundaries of the
18county; (ii) the unit of local government has no system of
19administrative adjudication; and (iii) the violation occurred
20within the boundaries of the county.
21    (c) As used in this Division:
22    "Participating unit of local government" means a unit of
23local government which has entered into an intergovernmental

 

 

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1agreement or contract with a county for the administrative
2adjudication of violations of its ordinances by the county
3pursuant to this Division.
4    "System A "system of administrative adjudication" means
5the adjudication of any violation of a county ordinance or of a
6participating unit of local government's ordinance, except for
7(i) proceedings not within the statutory or the home rule
8authority of counties or a participating unit of local
9government; and (ii) any offense under the Illinois Vehicle
10Code (or a similar offense that is a traffic regulation
11governing the movement of vehicles and except for any
12reportable offense under Section 6-204 of the Illinois Vehicle
13Code).
14    "Unit of local government" has the meaning as defined in
15the Illinois Constitution of 1970 and also includes a
16not-for-profit corporation organized for the purpose of
17conducting public business including, but not limited to, the
18Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation.
19(Source: P.A. 96-1386, eff. 7-29-10.)
 
20    (55 ILCS 5/5-43015)
21    Sec. 5-43015. Administrative adjudication procedures not
22exclusive. The adoption by a county of a system of
23administrative adjudication does not preclude the county from
24using other methods to enforce county ordinances. An
25intergovernmental agreement or contract entered into between a

 

 

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1county and participating unit of local government under this
2Division does not preclude a participating unit of local
3government from using other methods to enforce its ordinances.
4(Source: P.A. 96-1386, eff. 7-29-10.)
 
5    (55 ILCS 5/5-43020)
6    Sec. 5-43020. Code hearing units; powers of hearing
7officers.
8    (a) An ordinance establishing a system of administrative
9adjudication, pursuant to this Division, shall provide for a
10code hearing unit within an existing agency or as a separate
11agency in the county government. The ordinance shall establish
12the jurisdiction of a code hearing unit that is consistent with
13this Division. The "jurisdiction" of a code hearing unit refers
14to the particular code violations that it may adjudicate.
15    (b) Adjudicatory hearings shall be presided over by hearing
16officers. The powers and duties of a hearing officer shall
17include:
18        (1) hearing testimony and accepting evidence that is
19    relevant to the existence of the code violation;
20        (2) issuing subpoenas directing witnesses to appear
21    and give relevant testimony at the hearing, upon the
22    request of the parties or their representatives;
23        (3) preserving and authenticating the record of the
24    hearing and all exhibits and evidence introduced at the
25    hearing;

 

 

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1        (4) issuing a determination, based on the evidence
2    presented at the hearing, of whether a code violation
3    exists, which shall be in writing and shall include a
4    written finding of fact, decision, and order including the
5    fine, penalty, or action with which the defendant must
6    comply; and
7        (5) imposing penalties consistent with applicable code
8    provisions and assessing costs upon finding a party liable
9    for the charged violation, except, however, that in no
10    event shall the hearing officer have authority to: (i)
11    impose a penalty of incarceration; or (ii) impose a fine in
12    excess of $50,000, or at the option of the county for a
13    fine imposed for a violation of a county ordinance or at
14    the option of a participating unit of local government for
15    a fine imposed for violation of an ordinance of the
16    participating unit of local government, such other amount
17    not to exceed the maximum amount established by the
18    Mandatory Arbitration System as prescribed by the Rules of
19    the Illinois Supreme Court from time to time for the
20    judicial circuit in which the county is located. The
21    maximum monetary fine under this item (5), shall be
22    exclusive of costs of enforcement or costs imposed to
23    secure compliance with the county's ordinances or
24    participating unit of local government's ordinances and
25    shall not be applicable to cases to enforce the collection
26    of any tax imposed and collected by the county or

 

 

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1    participating unit of local government.
2    (c) Prior to conducting administrative adjudication
3proceedings, administrative hearing officers shall have
4successfully completed a formal training program that includes
5the following:
6        (1) instruction on the rules of procedure of the
7    administrative hearings that they will conduct;
8        (2) orientation to each subject area of the code
9    violations that they will adjudicate;
10        (3) observation of administrative hearings; and
11        (4) participation in hypothetical cases, including
12    ruling on evidence and issuing final orders.
13    In addition, every administrative hearing officer must be
14an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois
15for at least 3 years.
16    (d) A proceeding before a code hearing unit shall be
17instituted upon the filing of a written pleading by an
18authorized official of the county or participating unit of
19local government.
20(Source: P.A. 96-1386, eff. 7-29-10.)
 
21    (55 ILCS 5/5-43025)
22    Sec. 5-43025. Administrative hearing proceedings.
23    (a) Any ordinance establishing a system of administrative
24adjudication, pursuant to this Division, shall afford parties
25due process of law, including notice and opportunity for

 

 

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1hearing. Parties shall be served with process in a manner
2reasonably calculated to give them actual notice, including, as
3appropriate, personal service of process upon a party or its
4employees or agents; service by mail at a party's address; or
5notice that is posted upon the property where the violation is
6found when the party is the owner or manager of the property.
7In counties with a population under 3,000,000, if the notice
8requires the respondent to answer within a certain amount of
9time, the county or participating unit of local government must
10reply to the answer within the same amount of time afforded to
11the respondent.
12    (b) Parties shall be given notice of an adjudicatory
13hearing that includes the type and nature of the code violation
14to be adjudicated, the date and location of the adjudicatory
15hearing, the legal authority and jurisdiction under which the
16hearing is to be held, and the penalties for failure to appear
17at the hearing.
18    (c) Parties shall be provided with an opportunity for a
19hearing during which they may be represented by counsel,
20present witnesses, and cross-examine opposing witnesses.
21Parties may request the hearing officer to issue subpoenas to
22direct the attendance and testimony of relevant witnesses and
23the production of relevant documents. Hearings shall be
24scheduled with reasonable promptness, except that for hearings
25scheduled in all non-emergency situations, if requested by the
26defendant, the defendant shall have at least 15 days after

 

 

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1service of process to prepare for a hearing. For purposes of
2this subsection (c), "non-emergency situation" means any
3situation that does not reasonably constitute a threat to the
4public interest, safety, or welfare. If service is provided by
5mail, the 15-day period shall begin to run on the day that the
6notice is deposited in the mail.
7(Source: P.A. 96-1386, eff. 7-29-10.)
 
8    (55 ILCS 5/5-43035)
9    Sec. 5-43035. Enforcement of judgment.
10    (a) Any fine, other sanction, or costs imposed, or part of
11any fine, other sanction, or costs imposed, remaining unpaid
12after the exhaustion of or the failure to exhaust judicial
13review procedures under the Illinois Administrative Review Law
14are a debt due and owing the county for a violation of a county
15ordinance, or the participating unit of local government for a
16violation of a participating unit of local government's
17ordinance, and may be collected in accordance with applicable
18law.
19    (b) After expiration of the period in which judicial review
20under the Illinois Administrative Review Law may be sought for
21a final determination of a code violation, unless stayed by a
22court of competent jurisdiction, the findings, decision, and
23order of the hearing officer may be enforced in the same manner
24as a judgment entered by a court of competent jurisdiction.
25    (c) In any case in which a defendant has failed to comply

 

 

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1with a judgment ordering a defendant to correct a code
2violation or imposing any fine or other sanction as a result of
3a code violation, any expenses incurred by a county for a
4violation of a county ordinance, or the participating unit of
5local government for a violation of a participating unit of
6local government's ordinance, to enforce the judgment,
7including, but not limited to, attorney's fees, court costs,
8and costs related to property demolition or foreclosure, after
9they are fixed by a court of competent jurisdiction or a
10hearing officer, shall be a debt due and owing the county for a
11violation of a county ordinance, or the participating unit of
12local government for a violation of a participating unit of
13local government's ordinance, and may be collected in
14accordance with applicable law. Prior to any expenses being
15fixed by a hearing officer pursuant to this subsection (c), the
16county for a violation of a county ordinance, or the
17participating unit of local government for a violation of a
18participating unit of local government's ordinance, shall
19provide notice to the defendant that states that the defendant
20shall appear at a hearing before the administrative hearing
21officer to determine whether the defendant has failed to comply
22with the judgment. The notice shall set the date for the
23hearing, which shall not be less than 7 days after the date
24that notice is served. If notice is served by mail, the 7-day
25period shall begin to run on the date that the notice was
26deposited in the mail.

 

 

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1    (c-5) A default in the payment of a fine or penalty or any
2installment of a fine or penalty may be collected by any means
3authorized for the collection of monetary judgments. The
4state's attorney of the county in which the fine or penalty was
5imposed may retain attorneys and private collection agents for
6the purpose of collecting any default in payment of any fine or
7penalty or installment of that fine or penalty. Any fees or
8costs incurred by the county or participating unit of local
9government with respect to attorneys or private collection
10agents retained by the state's attorney under this Section
11shall be charged to the offender.
12    (d) Upon being recorded in the manner required by Article
13XII of the Code of Civil Procedure or by the Uniform Commercial
14Code, a lien shall be imposed on the real estate or personal
15estate, or both, of the defendant in the amount of any debt due
16and owing the county for a violation of a county ordinance, or
17the participating unit of local government for a violation of a
18participating unit of local government's ordinance, under this
19Section. The lien may be enforced in the same manner as a
20judgment lien pursuant to a judgment of a court of competent
21jurisdiction.
22    (e) A hearing officer may set aside any judgment entered by
23default and set a new hearing date, upon a petition filed
24within 21 days after the issuance of the order of default, if
25the hearing officer determines that the petitioner's failure to
26appear at the hearing was for good cause or at any time if the

 

 

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1petitioner establishes that the county for a violation of a
2county ordinance, or the participating unit of local government
3for a violation of a participating unit of local government's
4ordinance, did not provide proper service of process. If any
5judgment is set aside pursuant to this subsection (e), the
6hearing officer shall have authority to enter an order
7extinguishing any lien that has been recorded for any debt due
8and owing the county for a violation of a county ordinance, or
9the participating unit of local government for a violation of a
10participating unit of local government's ordinance, as a result
11of the vacated default judgment.
12(Source: P.A. 99-18, eff. 1-1-16.)
 
13    (55 ILCS 5/5-43040)
14    Sec. 5-43040. Impact on existing administrative
15adjudication systems. This Division does not affect the
16validity of systems of administrative adjudication that were
17authorized by State law, including home rule authority, and in
18existence before July 29, 2010 (the effective date of Public
19Act 96-1386) this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly.
20(Source: P.A. 96-1386, eff. 7-29-10.)
 
21    (55 ILCS 5/5-43045)
22    Sec. 5-43045. Impact on home rule authority. This Division
23does not preempt counties or participating units of local
24government from adopting other systems of administrative

 

 

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1adjudication pursuant to their home rule powers.
2(Source: P.A. 96-1386, eff. 7-29-10.)