PARIS, IL. (ECWd) –
The Edgar County Board, and each individual board member, are the subject of a lawsuit pursuant to the Illinois Administrative Review Law. The suit was filed on December 30, 2015, exactly 35 days after their final decision to purchase the renewal insurance policies for property, casualty, and workman’s compensation insurance – without placing it our for bid as required by the Illinois Counties Code.
All final decisions of a county board are subject to review by the Court. This one will be reviewed.
The suit is asking the Court to overturn the board’s decision to purchase the insurance coverage because the decision is contrary to law, the Counties Code, which mandates that purchases over $30,000 be placed out for bid and awarded to the lowest responsible bidder.
It also alleges the board abused its discretion in the purchase since they disregarded a mandatory provision of law requiring the purchase to go out for bid (unless it is an emergency).
Plaintiff Kraft is seeking to have the board’s purchase decision overturned and reimbursement of his costs in bringing the suit.
[documentcloud url=”http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2665779-2015-Mr-61-Edco-Admin-Review.html”]
Background of actions prior to bringing this suit:
November 20, 2013, after several months of back and forth on the fact that the county was required to bid out their insurance, the board bid their insurance and approved insurance contracts for the lowest successful bidder. You can see it at the 23:36 mark in this video.
In 2014 they decided they would skate by without being held accountable to the law, and approved a one year extension.
In 2015, after several months of being asked if they were going to bid the insurance out (without an answer), they approved another one year renewal, which violated state law for the second year in a row.
Their own actions and knowing, willful failure to comply with state law is what landed this in the hands of the Court. Please contact them and let them know you don’t appreciate their disregard for the law.
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1 Comment
Chris M. Gaines
Posted at 10:51h, 05 JanuaryThank you for taking action with this case.Being willing to take action is what is needed, not just writing about it here obviously. Have a nice day.