Local Government Law Bulletin
New Act Requires Written Policy on Investigation of Officer-Involved Deaths
February 18, 2016 During last year’s legislative session, a number of new police requirements were put in place. Among these are the provisions contained in the Police and Community Relations Improvement Act (“Act”) that require each law enforcement agency to have a...
Proposed Bill Creates Alert System for Municipalities in Financial Distress
February 18, 2016 Last week, a bill was introduced before the Illinois House of Representatives that would create an alert system to identify municipalities that are in financial distress. If the Municipal Financial Distress Alert System Act were to pass, the State...
Beyond Coleman: The Practical Result of the Abolishment of the Public Duty Rule
February 4, 2016 The Coleman v. East Joliet Fire Protection District decision has grabbed local government headlines over the past few weeks, but the case is a far cry from exposing municipalities to unlimited liability. Still, all local governments are strongly...
Illinois Appellate Court Holds Hospital Tax Exemption Statute Unconstitutional
February 4, 2016 Recently, an Illinois Appellate Court found a statute exempting hospitals from property taxes to be unconstitutional under the Illinois Constitution. The statue in question, 35 ILCS 200/15-86, allows for hospitals to qualify for an exemption if the...
Illinois Legislature Modifies Driving Restrictions on DUI Offenders
The State legislature took significant strides this past legislative session to modify driving restrictions placed on individuals who have been arrested for a DUI and those that have been convicted of multiple DUI offenses. This past session saw the legislature grant...
Panhandling Ordinances Remain Controversial
In January 2014, the Springfield, Missouri, City Council passed an amended panhandling ordinance. In December 2015, an individual filed a federal lawsuit against the City claiming that the ordinance was not being properly applied. Ultimately, in mid-December, a...
Home Rule Voting Procedures Trump the Illinois Municipal Code
On December 23, 2015, the Illinois Second District Appellate Court issued an opinion holding that the City of Crystal Lake’s home rule voting procedures trumped the voting procedures set forth in the Illinois Municipal Code. The case involved a tax objection...
Appellate Court Overturns Illinois Attorney General’s PAC Opinions
Last month, an Illinois Appellate Court reversed two of the Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor (PAC) opinions. Both opinions deal with Section 2(e) of the Illinois Open Meetings Act (OMA). As we previously reported, the PAC’s opinions regard the definition of...
Ruling Favors Home Rule Regulation of Video Gaming
We began reporting on the case of Accel Entertainment Gaming, LLC v. Village of Elmwood Park last year. The First District Appellate Court issued its ruling last week and affirmed the lower court's dismissal of the video gaming machine supplier's challenge to...