§ 6-2 — Probation districts; informal cooperation

(1) Any 2 or more counties in the same judicial circuit may form a joint probation district for the maintenance of a Probation Department or of both a Probation Department and a Psychiatric Department of the circuit court in those counties. The determination and agreement to form such a probation district shall be made by the county boards of the counties desiring to form it. Any such agreement is binding on the respective counties for 4 years. (2) The budget for such Probation Department and Psychiatric Department, if any, maintained by any probation district shall be prepared by the respective Departments and submitted for review and appropriate action to a committee representative of all county boards within the district. The budget committee shall meet annually and as many additional times as it finds necessary. All such financial information must be shared with the Supreme Court at its request. (3) The financial burden of maintaining each such Department shall be borne by each county in the district on a pro rata system based upon the ratio that the value of property in that county, as equalized or assessed by the Department of Revenue, bears to the total value of all the property in the district, as equalized or assessed by the Department of Revenue, subject to the limitations and regulations imposed by law on the authority of any county to levy taxes. (4) This Section does not exclude informal cooperation between any 2 or more counties with respect to the rendering of probation or psychiatric services, or prohibit the formation of a probation district by any 2 or more counties in the same circuit on any mutually acceptable basis.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 85-601.)