The purpose of this article is to create the Emergency Services and Disaster Agency (ESDA) to prevent, minimize, repair and alleviate any injury or damage resulting from disaster caused by enemy attack, sabotage or other hostile action, or from any natural or man-made disaster in accordance with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See 20 ILCS 3305/1 et seq.
A. 
The Director of the City ESDA shall be appointed by the Mayor with the consent of the City Council. He/She shall serve at the pleasure of said Council and may be removed from office only by a majority of the City Council members present at said meeting.
B. 
The Director shall have direct responsibility for the organization, administration, training and operation of the City ESDA, subject to the direction and control of the Mayor as provided by statute.
C. 
In the event of the absence, resignation, death or inability of the Director to serve in this function, the Mayor or any person designated by him/her shall be and act as Director until a new appointment is made and approved by the City Council. The Director shall prepare a plan and program for disaster preparedness, emergency response, utilization of resources and recovery from any disaster emergency.
The ESDA shall perform such functions within the City as shall be prescribed by the State ESDA plan and program prepared by the Governor of the State of Illinois, and such orders, rules and regulations as may be promulgated by the Governor, and in addition shall perform such duties outside the corporate limits as may be required pursuant to any mutual aid agreement with any other political subdivision, municipality or quasi-municipality entered into as provided by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See 20 ILCS 3305/1 et seq.
All or any members if the City ESDA organization may be designated as members of a mobile support team created by the Director of the State ESDA as provided by law. The leader of such mobile support team shall be designated by the Director of the City ESDA organization. Any member of a mobile support team who is a City employee or officer while serving on call to duty by the Governor, or the State Director, shall receive the compensation and have the powers, duties, rights, and immunities incident to such employment or office. Any such member who is not a paid officer or employee of the City, while so serving, shall receive from the state reasonable compensation as provided by law.
The Director of the ESDA may negotiate mutual aid agreements with other villages or political subdivisions of the state, but no such agreement shall be effective until it has been approved by the Mayor and by the State Director of ESDA.
The City ESDA shall ascertain what means exist for rapid and efficient communications and shall coordinate all available communications resources in times of disaster emergencies. The Agency shall consider the desirability of supplementing those communication resources with available state resources or of integrating them into a comprehensive county communications system or network.
If the Governor proclaims that a disaster or emergency exists or in the event of actual enemy attack upon the United States, it shall be the duty of the City ESDA to cooperate fully with the State ESDA and with the Governor in the exercise of emergency powers as provided by law.
Members of the ESDA who are paid employees or officers of the City, if called for training by the State Director of ESDA, shall receive for the time spent in such training the same rate of pay as is attached to the position held; members who are not City employees or officers shall receive for such training time such compensation as may be established by the City Council.
The State Treasurer may receive and allocate to the appropriate fund any reimbursement by the state to the City for expenses incident to training members of the ESDA prescribed by the State Director of ESDA, compensation for services and expenses of members of the mobile support team while serving outside the City, and any other reimbursement made by the state incident to ESDA activities as provided by law.
The City Director of ESDA is authorized to make purchases or enter into contracts necessary to place the City in a position to combat effectively any disaster resulting from natural or man-made cause and to protect the public health and safety, and to provide emergency assistance. Said purchases or entry into contracts can only be done upon the approval of a majority of the City Council.
A local disaster emergency may be declared by the Mayor of the City or, in his/her absence, by a majority vote of the City Council. The effect of a declaration of a local disaster or emergency is to activate the response and recovery aspects of any and all applicable local or interjurisdictional disaster emergency plans and authorize the furnishing of aid and assistance thereunder.
Every person appointed to service in any capacity in the City ESDA shall, before entering upon his/her duties, subscribe to the following oath, which shall be filed with the Director:
"I ______________________________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend and bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Illinois and the territory, institutions, and facilities thereof, both public and private, against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter. And I do further swear (or affirm) that I do not advocate, nor am I nor have I been a member of a political party or organization that advocates the overthrow of the government of the United States or of this State by force or violence; that during such time as I am affiliated with the ______________________________ ESDA organization, I will not advocate nor become a member of any political party or organization that advocates the overthrow of the government of the United States or of this State by force or violence."
The Mayor is authorized to designate space in a City building, or elsewhere, as may be provided for by the Mayor for the City ESDA as its office.
The Mayor may make an appropriation for ESDA purposes in the manner provided by law, and may levy, in addition, for ESDA purposes only, a tax not to exceed $0.05 per $100 of assessed value of all taxable property in addition to all other taxes, as provided by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act;[1] however, that amount collectible under such levy shall in no event exceed $0.25 per capita.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 20 ILCS 3305/1 et seq.