Section 1523.40  Ecosystem Partnership Bylaws

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.

(Source:  Amended at 27 Ill. Reg. 1144, effective January 9, 2003)