New! For many years, Ancel, Glink attorneys have appeared at the conference of the Illinois Municipal League and of the Municipal Clerks of Illinois. These materials generally take the form of questions and answers. Read these at our new conference section here: http://www.ancelglink.com/publications/conf.html.

We are very proud to offer to our clients and friends the Ancel Glink Library of Publications. We invite your questions and comments as well as suggestions for additional publications which could be of assistance to you. We know of no other law firm which has the staff, expertise and energy to make available such a variety of handbooks and pamphlets to assist local governmental elected and appointed officials in carrying out their interesting and challenging tasks. We invite you to review the Ancel Glink Library, and to decide which of these pamphlets and handbooks can help you to better carry out your elective or appointive public duties.

You will need Adobe Acrobat to view these files. If you have Adobe Acrobat, this will display the document in your browser, and you can view, print or save from there. AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOADING 1. Ancel Glink's 2011 Guide for Newly-Elected Officials. This pamphlet has been written to assist newly-elected officials to understand the challenges and tasks that lie before them. The pamphlet can also provide assistance to appointed officials, current officials seeking a quick refresher course, and high-level governmental employees new to Illinois, or to their positions. This pamphlet is written for officials of all local governmental bodies and school districts. 2. Municipal Questions and Answers: This pamphlet contains 285 frequently asked questions about local government and contains short answers in non-technical language. The pamphlet uses questions which Ancel Glink attorneys have been asked at the numerous conferences and speaking engagements where our lawyers address local governmental issues. 3. Labor Law Handbook for Smaller Governments. This pamphlet contains a discussion of the principles and laws which govern collective bargaining for units of local government and school districts in Illinois. Illinois was the last major industrial State to require its units of local government, such as municipalities, townships, park districts, library districts, fire protection districts and school districts, to engage in collective bargaining negotiations with public-sector labor unions. The statues which the Legislature chose in creating this right for labor unions and this obligation for governmental bodies were derived from statutes from other States and from Federal labor law concepts. Ancel Glink also offers a CD of a presentation where the most important of these issues are discussed before an audience composed of officials from various governmental bodies. 4. Illinois Tort Immunity Handbook. This publication is produced by Ancel Glink attorneys who spend the majority of their time defending governmental bodies in a great variety of tort cases. In 1979, our lawyers were asked to write the Contract and By-Laws for the first governmental self-insurance pool in Illinois, and one of the first in the United States. Since that time, Ancel Glink lawyers have assisted in the creation and continuing operation of a large number of governmental self-insurance pools. The handbook describes the immunities that are available under State and Federal law, and contains a large number of practice tips, which you can use in your governmental body in an effort to reduce both the severity and frequency of personal injury lawsuit. 5. Ancel Glink's Zoning Administration. This publication describes the basic concepts involved in the process of municipal zoning. Each of the officials and public bodies in the zoning process are described and much attention is given to the creation and evaluation of good planning standards which allow governmental bodies to grant zoning categories that reflect the "highest and best use of property" which can be defended, where necessary, in zoning litigation. 6. Zoning Administration Tools of the Trade. Using the construction of a building as a motif, this pamphlet gives a practical explanation of the way in which a request for zoning moves its way through an Illinois municipality. A large section of this handbook is devoted to the general laws relating to annexation and annexation agreements. The pamphlet also features a section of practical tips for governmental officials in the dos and do nots relating to their statutory obligations. 7. Municipal Annexation Handbook. This pamphlet treats in great detail the ways in which municipalities can annex property. Illinois municipalities are given absolute discretion as to the land that each community may choose to annex. The pamphlet discusses in detail how municipalities can benefit from entering into carefully drafted annexation agreements with land owners and potential developers. It also discusses how to deal with real estate developers in difficult economic times. 8. Economic Development Toolbox for Municipal Officials. This pamphlet discusses all of the devices by which Illinois municipalities can provide economic incentives to revitalize existing commercial areas within the municipality and to encourage the creation of new areas. This pamphlet describes the creation and use of special assessments, special service areas, and tax increment financing districts. 9. Lien on Me: Municipal Debt an Expenditure Recovery Procedures. This pamphlet discusses in detail all of the statutory liens which Illinois municipalities can place on the property of individuals who owe the municipality money. It is important for all municipalities to understand the types and nature of the liens available, especially since liens are strictly statutory and cannot be self-created by a municipality, including one which is home rule. All statutory liens are described in a narrative and useful chart. 10. Ten Things You Need To Know About 14 Local Governmental Issues: This pamphlet contains the highlights of ten issues which are important in all Illinois local governmental bodies, and school districts. Chapters are devoted to labor relations, litigation, digital future, tort immunity, construction projects, worker's compensation, zoning, intergovernmental agreements, and other issues. The format of each article contains practical suggestions, which will be usable by both experienced and new public officials.

Seminar Materials Download materials from the Township Officials of Illinois Annual Education Conference: Practices & Procedures Questions & Answers, Freedom of Information Act & Open Meetings Act, Freedom of Information Act Video and How to Work with Fellow Township Board Members Download materials from Ancel Glink's Municipal Legal Seminar: FOIA: The First Six Months, The Recession And Your Municipality: An Update On Foreclosures, Vacant Properties, Liens And Related Issues (Handout), The Recession And Your Municipality: An Update On Foreclosures, Vacant Properties, Liens And Related Issuesm, and Wind Energy: Incentives and Regulations Download materials from Ancel Glink's Local Government Legal Seminar: FOIA: The First Six Months, Staying out of Trouble: Proper Board Practices and Procedures and Procedures and Wind Energy: Incentives and Regulations Download materials from the Municipal clerks of Illinois Conference: Nine Easy Tips for clerks for surviving the Pre-Election Season, Questions and Answers for the Municipal Clerks of Illinois Conference, IML 2008 Clerks Questions & Answers, Municipal Clerks Roundtable Discussion: Patriot Act And Illinois FOIA and How a Bill Becomes a Law . Download Materials from the Foreclosure Forum, hosted by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), May 6, 2008: Municipal Legal Authority Outline, Municipal Legal Authority Handout, Municipal Legal Authority Powerpoint Slides Download Materials from the PUD Session Materials from APA National Planning Conference, April 29, 2008: Planned Unit Development: State Enabling Statutes, Successful Planned Unit Developments, Master Planned Communities APA 2008 Download the handout from the Municipal Design Review Seminar: Municipal Design Review Network Legal Update View the presentation: One   Two

We have originated, written, updated or edited many publications, including the Illinois Municipal Handbook, published by the Illinois Municipal League; the handbook, Illinois Park District Law, published by the Illinois Association of Park Districts, and the Laws and Duties Handbook, published by the Township Officials of Illinois. Ancel, Glink attorneys also serve as the Editor of and Chapter Authors for Municipal Law and Practice in Illinois, and Illinois School Law, published by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education.

In addition, we publish two newsletters on a regular basis. Many of these issues are available in Adobe PDF format as well as in HTML. To view the PDF version, you'll need Adobe's Acrobat Reader which you can download for free at Adobe's website. If you'd like to be added to our newsletter mailing list, click here. Various articles written by our attorneys will also be reproduced on this website, and our firm brochure is availiable in both HTML and PDF format.

HANDBOOKS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE FROM THE PUBLISHER

Ancel Glink attorneys produce three handbooks which are used by governmental officials throughout the State, which describe in substantial detail the laws which relate to municipalities, park districts and townships. Each of these handbooks is more than 300 pages in length and provides a discussion of the most important legal issues relating to the organization and operation of each of these governmental bodies. The firm produces four other pamphlets which deal mainly with financial issues. The current editions of these handbooks, while copyrighted by Ancel Glink have been offered for publication on a volunteer basis to the principal associations in the State that provide services to the specific governmental bodies. These pamphlets can be purchased through these organizations, as follows:

1. Illinois Municipal Handbook: Copies may be purchased form the Illinois Municipal League, 500 East Capital Avenue, Springfield, Illinois 62708; 217-525-1220. 2. Illinois Park District Law Handbook: Copies may be purchased from the Illinois Association of Park Districts, 211 East Monroe Street, Springfield, Illinois 62701; 217-523-4554.

3. Township Officials of Illinois Laws & Duties Handbook: Copies may be purchased from the Township Officials of Illinois, 408 South 5th Street, Springfield, Illinois 62701; 217-744-2212.

4. The Financial Handbook for Library Districts and Boards. This pamphlet describes the entire process by which library districts and library boards create and adopt budgets and tax levies. This pamphlet is published by the Illinois Library Association. For more information on availability and price call the Illinois Library Association at: 312-644-1896 or check the website at: www.ILA.org.

5. The Financial Handbook for Fire Protection Districts. This pamphlet describes the entire process by which fire protection districts create and adopt budgets and tax levies. The pamphlet explains the differences between fire protection districts, which are independent governmental bodies and fire departments of municipalities. The pamphlet is published by the Northern Illinois Alliance of Fire Protection Districts. For more information call the Northern Alliance at: 847-945-4120 or check the website at: www.NIAFPD.org.

6. The Financial Handbook for Illinois Park Districts. This pamphlet describes the entire process by which park districts create and adopt budgets and tax levies. The pamphlet is available for purchase through the Illinois Association of Park Districts at: 217-523-4554 or e-mail: www.ilparks.org.

7. Financial Procedures for Illinois Townships. This pamphlet describes the entire process by which Townships create and adopt budgets and tax levies. The pamphlet discusses this process in counties of the State which are not subject to the tax cap, along with those many counties where the tax cap has been adopted by statute or by referendum. This handbook is available for purchase through the Township Officials of Illinois at: 217-744-2212 or visit their website at: www.toi.org.

ILLINOIS INSTITUTE FOR CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION

The Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education ("IICLE") is an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, which provides handbooks and other publications to assist lawyers in particular areas of practice. For over 25 years, Ancel Glink attorneys have heavily contributed to the handbooks which contain multi-volume explanations of Illinois municipal law and Illinois school law. Stewart Diamond was the originating Editor of both of these volumes, and continues as one of the Editors today. Although these handbooks are principally written for lawyers, many governmental officials have found that the comprehensive discussion of the law associated with these two governmental bodies serve as excellent reference tools for governmental use.

Information about these handbooks can be found through the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 2395 West Jefferson Street, Springfield, Illinois 62702; 800-252-8062; or www.iicle.com. The writings by our attorneys are extensive and this web site contains a sample of those documents. Two articles which continue to be of interest are: Sample Rules of Order and Procedure for Illinois Municipalities and The Mystery of Illinois Workers' Compensation: Permanent Partial Disability.