2021 IL App (2d) 200478 No. 2-20-0478 Opinion filed April 15, 2021 ______________________________________________________________________________

IN THE APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS

SECOND DISTRICT ______________________________________________________________________________

McHENRY TOWNSHIP, ) Appeal from the Circuit Court ) of McHenry County. Plaintiff-Appellant, ) ) v. ) No. 20-CH-248 ) THE COUNTY OF McHENRY and JOSEPH ) TIRIO, in His Official Capacity as the ) McHenry County Clerk, ) Honorable ) Kevin G. Costello, Defendants-Appellees. ) Judge, Presiding. ______________________________________________________________________________

JUSTICE JORGENSEN delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion. Justices Zenoff and Brennan concurred in the judgment and opinion.

OPINION

¶1 Plaintiff, McHenry Township, sued defendants, the County of McHenry and Joseph Tirio, in his official capacity as the McHenry County Clerk, for a writ of mandamus or mandatory injunctive relief, seeking to place on the township’s November 2020 general election ballot a referendum proposition, initiated by the township’s board of trustees, to dissolve the township.

Less than 23 months earlier, another dissolution proposition, which was initiated by township

electors, had appeared on the township’s March 2020 primary ballot. With the exception of the proposed dissolution date, both propositions were identically worded. The trial court granted defendants’ motion to dismiss the township’s complaint, with prejudice, finding that (1) Tirio had

2021 IL App (2d) 200478 the authority to determine whether the second proposition violated the general election law, even though he would have looked past the face of the filings to determine whether it conformed with the law and the only other enforcement option—a private citizen suit—was not viable because it would be costly and chaotic, and (2) the second proposition was the same as the first, even though

the two propositions contained different (statutorily prescribed) dissolution dates and, thus, because the second proposition was submitted within 23 months of the first, it could not be placed on the ballot (10 ILCS 5/28-7 (West Supp. 2019)). The township appeals. We reverse and remand.

¶2 I. BACKGROUND

¶3 In early 2020, the township’s electors submitted the following referendum proposition, which was included on the township’s March 2020 primary ballot:

“Shall the McHenry Township together with any road districts wholly within the boundaries of McHenry Township, be dissolved on June 21, 2020[,] with all of the township and road district property, assets, personnel, obligations, and liabilities being transferred to McHenry County?

Yes

No”

The voters rejected the referendum proposition.

¶4 On June 12, 2020, the township’s board approved a resolution to place the following referendum proposition on the November 2020 general election ballot:

“Shall the McHenry Township together with any road districts wholly within the boundaries of McHenry Township, be dissolved on February 8, 2021[,] with all of the township and road district property, assets, personnel, obligations, and liabilities being transferred to McHenry County? All funds of the dissolved township and dissolved road

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district shall be used solely on behalf of the residents of the geographic area with the boundaries of the dissolved township. Proceeds from the [s]ale of park land, cemetery land, buildings, or facilities after transfer to the county must be utilized for the sole benefit of the geographic area of the dissolved township. The McHenry County Board shall not

extend a property tax levy that is greater than 90% of the property tax levy extended by the dissolved township or road district for the duties taken on by McHenry County—Yes—

N[o]”

¶5 On June 29, 2020, the township submitted to Tirio’s office a certification consisting of several documents, including: (1) proof of filing of a certification of the proposition to dissolve the township, (2) certification of resolution No. 1120068 concerning the resolution for a proposition to be placed on the ballot, and (3) a certification of ballot.

¶6 The following day, Tirio objected to the filings on the basis that (1) the proposition’s language did not comply with the proper form to appear on the ballot, as set forth in section 24-30 of the Township Code (60 ILCS 1/24-30 (West Supp. 2019)) and (2) the proposition was the same

referendum as that on the March 2020 ballot, in violation of the Election Code’s prohibition of more than one referendum on “the same proposition” in any 23-month period (10 ILCS 5/28-7

(West Supp. 2019)).

¶7 On July 6, 2020, the township board approved the following revised proposition language:

“Shall the McHenry Township together with any road districts wholly within the boundaries of McHenry Township, be dissolved on February 8, 2021[,] with all of the township and road district property, assets, personnel, obligations, and liabilities being transferred to McHenry County?

Yes

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No”

¶8 On July 6, 2020, the township delivered to Tirio the second certification, to be placed on the November 2020 ballot. The submitted documents included (1) proof of filing of a certification of the proposition to dissolve the township, (2) certificate of resolution No. 1120068 concerning the resolution for a proposition to be placed on the ballot, and (3) a certification of ballot.

¶9 Again, Tirio refused to place the referendum proposition on the November 2020 general election ballot. In a July 7, 2020, letter, Tirio explained that, although the revised language

conformed to the statutory form for the ballot (see 60 ILCS 1/24-30(a) (West Supp. 2019)), pursuant to the Township Code and the Election Code (including section 28-5 of the Election Code

(10 ILCS 5/28-5 (West 2018) (providing that, when “a local election official[1] *** is in receipt of *** a certification for the submission of a public question at an election at which the public question may not be placed on the ballot ***, such officer *** shall give notice of such

prohibition”)), the referendum proposition was prohibited because it did not comply with the Election Code’s 23-month prohibition in that the same proposition to dissolve the township appeared on the March 2020 primary ballot, with the sole change being the dissolution effective date (7½ months later). In Tirio’s opinion, “[o]therwise, an effective date change of even a single day would undermine the intent of and make Section [ ]28-7 completely ineffective.”

¶ 10 A. Township’s Suit

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¶ 11 On July 24, 2020, the township sued defendants for a writ of mandamus or mandatory injunctive relief, seeking to have Tirio place the referendum proposition on the November 2020

general election ballot. It argued that Tirio lacked the power to decide issues of content for propositions and that, even if he had such power, the two propositions at issue were not the same, because they called for dissolution in different years. The township argued that Tirio exceeded his authority as county clerk when he looked past the face of the filings.

¶ 12 On August 5, 2020, defendants moved to dismiss the township’s complaint (735 ILCS 5/2-

619 (West 2018)), arguing that the two propositions were the same, with the only difference being the dissolution effective date, which is dictated by section 24-20(b) of the Township Code. See 60

ILCS 1/24-20(b) (West Supp. 2019) (requiring that the dissolution date be at least 90 days after

the date of the election at which the referendum is to be voted). The different effective dates, defendants asserted, did not render the two propositions different questions. They further asserted that, because referendum propositions to restructure government entities are limited to ballot placement only once in a 23-month period, Tirio was required to prohibit the township’s July 2020 proposition from being printed on the November 2020 general election ballot. Pursuant to section

28-5 of the Election Code, he notified the township clerk of this prohibition. Defendants also maintained that Tirio had the duty to print ballots and is charged with knowledge of past ballot content. See 10 ILCS 5/16-5 (West 2018). As such, his determination that both propositions were identical required no investigation. Defendants also asserted that, here, there is no statutory

provision for voters to object to the inclusion of the proposition and, thus, it is critical that the county clerk ensure that the proposition is in the proper form and allowed.

¶ 13 The township took the position that Tirio lacked the power to decide issues of content for propositions and that, even if he had such power, the two propositions were not the same.

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¶ 14 B. Trial Court’s Order

¶ 15 On August 24, 2020, the trial court granted defendants’ motion and dismissed the township’s complaint, with prejudice. The court found that the referendum proposition, on its face, conformed with statutory requirements and that Tirio would have looked outside the four corners

of the filings to determine any alleged infirmities. However, the court noted that section 28-5 of the Election Code states that the local election official or authority, such as Tirio, is charged with

notifying the entity that submitted the public question when it may not be placed on the ballot. The trial court determined that section 28-5 “clearly contemplates a determination by someone as to whether the public question violates any section of the Election Code, including [section] 28-7.”

The court queried, “if the local election official or authority is not charged with rendering that determination, who is? The logical answer is the same election official or authority. No provision in the Election Code suggests any other public official would have the standing or authority to do so.” Strict enforcement of the position that the clerk’s determination is limited to a facial examination of the document, the court further determined, “leads to an absurd result” and would never result in a determination by that official that the proposed question violates section 28-7.

The court noted that sections 28-1 (10 ILCS 5/28-1 (West 2018)) and 28-5 make clear that public questions must comply with all provisions of the Election Code, including section 28-7. Preventing the election official from making a determination that a public question violates section 28-7

“would allow public questions violative of the Election Code to be placed on the ballot, clearly contrary to the provisions of Section 28-1.”

¶ 16 The trial court distinguished case law upon which the township relied for the proposition that the clerk cannot look beyond the face of the filings. The court noted that the case law involved petitions, not a resolution such as here, and did not consider section 28-5 of the Election Code.

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¶ 17 The trial court observed that section 28-4 provides an objection mechanism for referendums initiated by petitions but not by resolution. See id. § 28-4. Here, because the proposition was initiated by resolution, there is no mechanism in the Election Code whereby the public can object. “Thus, if the election official is not the gatekeeper, there is no gatekeeper and submitted public questions violative of Section 28-7 would be required to be placed on the ballot in clear contradiction to the intent of Sections 28-5 and 28-1 of the Election Code.” The court noted that enforcement of section 28-7 would be “impractical, if not impossible.”

¶ 18 Next, the trial court rejected the township’s argument that section 28-7 could be enforced through a lawsuit brought by a private citizen (via a writ of mandamus or mandatory injunction) to remove the question from the ballot:

“Putting aside the practical burdens of such a lawsuit (i.e.[,] cost to the litigants, the significantly compromised time period for resolution)[,] such judicial ‘kicking the can

down the road’ would violate the purpose of Section 28-5, which requires determination of all submitted public questions as to their conformity with the Election Code before their placement on the ballot. The mechanisms of that Section, specifically the requirement that the election official provide notice of a rejected question to the submitting party, allows that party to do exactly what was done here: file a lawsuit contesting that rejection so that

a court can review same and determine whether the question should be placed on the ballot, all in a timely fashion. Tirio rubberstamping a submitted public question he believes to be violative of the Election Code on the assumption that a private citizen will bring a lawsuit to enforce the provisions of the Election Code after Tirio had placed the matter on the ballot would be shirking his duties under the Election Code. Furthermore, it would promote chaos. If such a post[-]ballot printing challenge was brought and successful, Tirio would

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then have to print all new ballots and destroy the old ones—a potentially monumental and no doubt costly endeavor. The Court is disinclined to facilitate such an absurd scenario.”

(Emphasis added.)

¶ 19 The trial court rejected the township’s argument that, even if Tirio had the discretion to determine that the referendum proposition violated section 28-7 of the Election Code, his decision was erroneous and an abuse of discretion because the proposition is not the same question that appeared on the March 2020 ballot. The court noted that the effective date is governed by statute

(section 24-20 of the Township Code) and that, thus, by its very nature, the effective date for a proposed dissolution of a township will be different each time it is placed on the ballot. The court also noted that the statute does not require that an effective date be specified and instructs that

referenda be in “substantially” the form appearing in the statute. Thus, the trial court concluded, the effective date was superfluous. In contrast, the court noted, section 24-20 requires a petition

for referendum to include the effective dissolution date on the petition. The court found that the two propositions at issue were “the same.” “The effective date is governed by statute and is not a question the public can vote on.” A contrary reading of the statute, the court noted, would render section 28-7 unenforceable as to township dissolution referenda, “a result clearly contrary to both

the Township [Code] and the Election Code.” The court determined that the legislative intent of section 28-7 was “not to burden the public with the same referendum proposition every election

cycle.” It found that Tirio had the authority to reject the referendum proposition, which the township submitted pursuant to resolution, and that his determination that the proposition violated section 28-7 was correct. It dismissed the township’s complaint, with prejudice. The township appeals.

¶ 20 II. ANALYSIS

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¶ 21 The township argues that the trial court erred in dismissing its complaint. For the following reasons, we agree.

¶ 22 A. Mootness

¶ 23 We first consider whether the issue before us is moot, given that the November 2020 election has passed and that it is impossible to grant the relief—placement of the proposition on

that ballot—that the township sought. The township argues that the public interest exception to the mootness doctrine applies to allow us to resolve the otherwise moot issue of placement of the proposition on the November 2020 ballot. It contends that the substantial public interest here relates to the powers of a county clerk in determining for himself or herself whether the voters could consider a ballot proposition. Defendants do not address mootness in their brief.

¶ 24 “An appeal is moot if no controversy exists or if events have occurred which foreclose the reviewing court from granting effectual relief to the complaining party.” In re Shelby R., 2013 IL

114994, ¶ 15. Although courts generally do not decide moot questions, there are several exceptions to this rule. Id.

“One exception to the mootness doctrine allows a court to resolve an otherwise moot issue if the issue involves a substantial public interest. *** The criteria for application of the public interest exception are: (1) the public nature of the question, (2) the desirability

of an authoritative determination for the purpose of guiding public officers, and (3) the likelihood that the question will recur. In re A Minor, 127 Ill. 2d 247, 257 (1989); People ex rel. Wallace v. Labrenz, 411 Ill. 618, 622 (1952). A clear showing of each criterion is required to bring a case within the public interest exception. See Kohan v. Rimland School for Autistic Children, 102 Ill. App. 3d 524, 527 (1981).” Wisnasky-Bettorf v. Pierce, 2012

IL 111253, ¶ 12.

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¶ 25 The public interest exception applies where the court action is warranted due to the magnitude or immediacy of the interests at issue. Shelby R., 2013 IL 114994, ¶ 16. The exception is narrowly construed. Id.

¶ 26 Turning to the first criterion—the public nature of the question—a question of election law is, “inherently, *** a matter of public concern.” Goodman v. Ward, 241 Ill. 2d 398, 404-05 (2011); see also Cinkus v. Village of Stickney Municipal Officers Electoral Board, 228 Ill. 2d 200, 208

(2008). This criterion is met here. We agree with the township that the question at issue here— whether a county clerk has the authority to determine whether the 23-month limit in section 28-7

of the Election Code applies when the only difference between two public questions is the dissolution date prescribed in article 24 of the Township Code—is a matter of public concern.

¶ 27 We also conclude that an authoritative determination of the issue is desirable for future guidance of public officers. Issues of first impression may be reviewed under the public interest

exception. Shelby R., 2013 IL 114994, ¶ 20. As the township notes, the question here relates to the application of the Election Code to a relatively new statute—article 24 of the Township Code (see

Pub. Act 101-230 (eff. Aug. 9, 2019) (adding 60 ILCS 1/art. 24))—that allows for the consolidation of townships in the county. We believe that a ruling by this court will aid local election officials and lower courts in deciding the nature of a county clerk’s duties under section 28-5 of the Election

Code and township dissolution issues in McHenry County, thereby, “avoiding *** uncertainty in the electoral process.” Goodman, 241 Ill. 2d at 405 (holding that exception applied to determine whether candidate seeking circuit judge office in a judicial subcircuit must be a resident of that subcircuit at the time he or she submitted a petition for nomination to the office; court ruling would aid election officials and lower courts in promptly deciding disputes, thereby avoiding uncertainty

in elections by resolving eligibility questions before voters cast ballots); see also Wisnasky-Bettorf, - 10 - 2021 IL App (2d) 200478 2012 IL 111253, ¶ 13 (applying exception in case concerning the filling of vacancies in the nomination of a public office and noting that issues were “long-standing and have not been addressed by courts or the legislature”); Bonaguro v. County Officers Electoral Board, 158 Ill. 2d 391, 395-96 (1994) (applying exception to review whether constitution barred a political party from filling a vacancy in nomination for judicial office by party resolution; noting that issues concerning the subject “are long-standing and have not been addressed by courts or the legislature”). Finally, we agree with the township that this question is likely to recur. The fact that there were two attempts to dissolve the township within one year of the enactment of article 24 of the Township Code is evidence of this likelihood. Thus, we choose to decide the substantive issues in this appeal. ¶ 28 B. Dismissal of Township’s Complaint ¶ 29 When ruling on a motion to dismiss under section 2-619 of the Code of Civil Procedure, a court must accept all well-pleaded facts in the complaint as true and draw all reasonable inferences from those facts in favor of the nonmoving party. Coghlan v. Beck, 2013 IL App (1st) 120891, ¶ 24. As a result, a motion to dismiss pursuant to section 2-619 should not be granted unless it is clearly apparent that no set of facts can be proved that would entitle the plaintiff to recovery. Snyder v. Heidelberger, 2011 IL 111052, ¶ 8. We review de novo a dismissal pursuant to section 2-619. Borowiec v. Gateway 2000, Inc., 209 Ill. 2d 376, 383 (2004). ¶ 30 In addition, we review de novo questions of statutory construction. Taylor v. Pekin Insurance Co., 231 Ill. 2d 390, 395 (2008). “The cardinal rule of statutory interpretation is to ascertain and give effect to the intent of the legislature.” Krautsack v. Anderson, 223 Ill. 2d 541, 552 (2006). The language of the statute is the best indication of the legislature’s intent and therefore must be given its plain and ordinary meaning. Id. at 553. If the language is unambiguous, - 11 - 2021 IL App (2d) 200478 the statute must be given effect without the use of other aids of construction. Id. We cannot “depart from the plain language of the statute by reading into it exceptions, limitations, or conditions not expressed by the legislature.” Id. at 567-68. A court should not consider words and phrases in isolation but instead should interpret each word and phrase in light of the statute as a whole. Id. at 553. “Each word, clause and sentence of a statute must be given reasonable meaning, if possible, and should not be rendered superfluous.” Standard Mutual Insurance Co. v. Lay, 2013 IL 114617, ¶ 26. We interpret statutes with the presumption that the legislature did not intend to create “absurd, inconvenient, or unjust results.” In re Application of the County Treasurer & ex officio County Collector, 2013 IL App (1st) 130103, ¶ 9. ¶ 31 In its complaint, the township sought a writ of mandamus to have Tirio place the July 2020 referendum proposition on the November 2020 ballot. Where a public official has failed or refused to comply with requirements imposed by statute, the court may compel the official to comply by means of a writ of mandamus, provided the requirements for the writ have been satisfied. Noyola v. Board of Education of the City of Chicago, 179 Ill. 2d 121, 132 (1997). An extraordinary remedy, mandamus enforces the performance of a public officer’s official nondiscretionary duties as a matter of right. Rodriguez v. Illinois Prisoner Review Board, 376 Ill. App. 3d 429, 433 (2007). For mandamus to issue, a plaintiff must establish material facts that demonstrate (1) an unequivocal right to the requested relief, (2) an unequivocal duty on the defendant to act, and (3) the defendant’s unequivocal authority to comply with an order granting mandamus relief. Id. at 433-34. Mandamus cannot be used, however, to compel a public official to perform an act that requires the exercise of his or her discretion. See, e.g., McFatridge v. Madigan, 2013 IL 113676, ¶ 17 (“A writ of mandamus is appropriate when used to compel compliance with mandatory legal standards but not when the act in question involves the exercise of a public officer’s discretion.”). - 12 - 2021 IL App (2d) 200478 ¶ 32 1. Constitutional and Statutory Framework ¶ 33 The Illinois Constitution states that the legislature “shall provide by law for the formation of townships in any county when approved by countywide referendum. Townships may be *** dissolved *** when approved by referendum in each township affected.” Ill. Const. 1970, art. VII, § 5. Article 24 of the Township Code, enacted in 2019, addresses the dissolution of townships in McHenry County, and the legislative intent of the article is to “further the intent of Section 5 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution.” Pub. Act 101-230 (eff. Aug. 9, 2019) (adding 60 ILCS 1/art. 24). Further, the public act provides that “[t]ransferring the powers and duties of one or more dissolved McHenry County townships into the county, as the supervising unit of local government within which the township or townships are situated, will reduce the overall number of local governmental units within our State. This reduction is declared to be a strong goal of Illinois public policy.” Id. ¶ 34 Section 24-15 of the Township Code states that the board of trustees of any McHenry County township may, by resolution, “submit a proposition to dissolve the township to the electors of that township at the election next following in accordance with the general election law.[2] The ballot shall be as provided for in Section 24-30.” 60 ILCS 1/24-15 (West Supp. 2019). ¶ 35 Section 24-30(a), in turn, states that, “[s]ubject to the requirements of Section 16-7 of the Election Code, the referendum described in Section 24-25[3] shall be in substantially the following form on the ballot: