Title
Request to amend FY 2019 Lake County Legislative Agenda to include an item to sponsor legislation enabling the removal of a County Board Chair.
Staff Summary
• Currently, County Boards which chose its Chair from amongst its members elected by district are not statutorily enabled to remove the County Board Chair.
• During the 2017 State Legislative Session, SB1485 was introduced in the Senate that proposed an amendment to the Counties Code which would (a) allow the removal of a County Board Chair - who was chosen by the Board - upon a motion adopted by an affirmative vote of four-fifths of the board; (b) provide the process for the vice-chair to assume the duties of the chair on an interim basis; (c) outline the election of a new chair at the next regularly scheduled county board meeting; and (d) provide that a chair removed would maintain their status as a county board member representing their district.
• Since there has not been any significant movement of the bill since its introduction in 2017, it is considered dead with the conclusion of the 2018 Legislative Session.
• County Board Chair Hart has requested that the Lake County Legislative Committee consider amending the Lake County 2019 State Legislative Agenda to include the sponsorship of a similar bill by a member of the Lake County legislative delegation in the upcoming session.