Overall, this study finds that there is still room for improvement in transparency with regard to public access to information and, most importantly, acknowledgement of the public's right to know.  Even when the Forest Preserve Commissioners honestly feel that they know best, and are making the best choices for the people they represent, they must make every effort to comply with the spirit as well as the letter of the law.  They also need to be cognizant of the potential conflict of interest posed by serving on two boards with different missions, and take steps to deal with that conflict [...]

The Illinois Open Meetings Act (5 ILCS 120) states "It is the public policy of this State that public bodies exist to aid in the conduct of the people's business and that the people have a right to be informed as to the conduct of their business.  In order that the people shall be informed, the General Assembly finds and declares that the actions of public bodies be taken openly and that their deliberations be conducted openly." In addition, the public shall be given advance notice of and the right to attend all meetings at which any business of a [...]

The DuPage County Forest Preserve District shared an elected board with DuPage County for many years until the two government entities split in 2002.  The change came after legislation approved by the Illinois General Assembly in 1996 mandated that forest preserve district commissioners in counties having a population greater than 800,000 but less than 3,000,000 be elected separately from county board members.  DuPage County cut the county board's size from 25 (24 plus a chairman) to 18, and created the seven-member forest preserve commission (6 commissioners plus a president).  The split ensured that both the DuPage County Board members and [...]

Another example of the potential conflict of interest posed by commissioners serving on both boards is the Fabyan Woods/Settler's Hill development plan.  The 700+ acre Fabyan Parkway campus includes the former Settler's Hill landfills, Settler's Hill Golf Course, the former Kane County Jail site, Cougars Stadium, Striker's Soccer facility, the Fox Valley Ice Arena, and the eastern part of Fabyan Woods Forest Preserve.  Kane County owns the jail site and one of the landfills; the Kane County Forest Preserve District owns the other land fill, the Ice Arena, the Stadium, Striker's Soccer facility, and Fabyan Forest Preserve.  The Fabyan Property [...]