PUBLICATION OF COMPREHENSIVE HANDBOOK
ON ILLINOIS MUNICIPAL LAW

By STEWART H. DIAMOND, Ancel, Glink, Diamond, Cope & Bush, P.C.

I am very pleased as General Editor to announce the publication of the 1994 Edition of the three-volume handbook on Municipal Law And Practice In Illinois. Twenty years ago, I was asked to develop the outline for the first publication of a set of books on the general law of the operations of Illinois municipal bodies. That original two-volume handbook, and all subsequent editions until now, entitled Illinois Municipal Law, have been published by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. That organization publishes a series of study and training aids which are principally directed at attorneys. The municipal handbook, however, has always been made available to elected and appointed municipal officials in addition to city and village attorneys. All of the participants in this project volunteer their time and efforts without remuneration. Our compensation is the knowledge that the operation of a large number of governmental bodies throughout the State is made easier, more efficient and less expensive through the use of these books.

The handbook is composed of 25 chapters which literally cover topics from antitrust to zoning. Each of the chapters in the handbook has been substantially rewritten for this edition. All statutory citations now refer to the new re-numbered sections of the Illinois Compiled Statutes. Each chapter discusses in a narrative form, the highlights of a particular area of local government law. A number of chapters also contain useful forms including, in several cases, suggested ordinances. Among the chapters which have been most significantly revised for the 1994 edition are those on annexation and annexation agreements, municipal finance, and subdivision regulations. A new chapter has been added on the subject of tax increment financing, and the chapter on municipal utilities has been entirely revised. The chapter on home rule, which contains a section on intergovernmental cooperation and conflict, has been updated. It contains a list and a description of every appellate court case and attorney general's opinion about home rule communities and their powers. This is an essential aid for any community achieving or considering a referendum to achieve home rule powers. The chapter on procedures and practices has been revised to reflect the changes which took place in May of 1993, in the comprehensive revision of Article III of the Illinois Municipal Code.

There are two other changes between the first edition and this latest one. All of the chapter authors in the first edition of the handbook were male. Six chapters of this edition are authored or co-authored by women. That change is, in part, reflective of the fact that a much larger number of mayors, village presidents, aldermen and trustees and municipal attorneys are female. The other change is a sad one. Over the past 20 years, some of the original participants in the handbook have passed away or have retired due to illness. This edition has been dedicated to them.

Although the handbook is principally written for attorneys, its general approach is to acquaint lawyers who do not daily practice municipal law with that subject. In part, because of that approach, these chapters can be easily understood and used by non-lawyers, especially those who have knowledge of the factual situations which face Illinois communities. In most cases, neither the ideas, nor the terminology will be foreign to elected officials with a few years of experience in attending to the problems of their constituents. These books are not intended to be a substitute for the advice of an experienced municipal attorney. Nonetheless, clients who have used these volumes to understand the background of a legal problem can often better appreciate and evaluate the options presented to them by their municipal attorney. The three loose-leaf volumes can be ordered from the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 2395 West Jefferson Street, Springfield, Illinois 62702, Telephone No. 800-252-8062, Fax No, (217) 787-5986, for the price of $187.50 without sales tax or $201.99. The books will be shipped' to an Illinois address. This publication is revised every few years, but the basic law contained within these volumes will likely remain pertinent for many years to come. Municipal Law and Practice In Illinois should be in the library of every municipal attorney.

May 1994 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 7