It has come to ILA's attention that there is a problem in the current election law which would necessitate local governments remaining open to accept election petitions on December 24th.  The associations representing affected local governments are working to resolve this issue by suggesting that the deadline for filing petitions be extended from the 24th to the 26th of December.  While this would require a legislative change, it is certainly possible to make this change in advance of this December.  ILA is working with the Governor's office, the Illinois Municipal League, and others to push for this legislative change and we will keep you advised of the progress.  

1. Many libraries believe they were not informed of the fact that their contracts with AT&T were expiring, and didn't realize that once the contract expired, AT&T would be able to bill them at a
   non-contract rate until a new contract was in place.
2. Others may have received the notice but not understood the implications.
3. Some libraries may not have understood that ICN provides backbone connectivity, but the "last mile" is the library's own responsibility and is provided through a carrier such as AT&T. 

• Review your contract and recent invoices from AT&T to determine whether your contract has expired and whether you received any additional notices from AT&T. 
• Contact David Ahmadi, AT&T's Govt/Ed account representative, 404-927-6523; he's new to the area and overwhelmed with calls, so be patient.  This is happening nationally, not just in Illinois,
  and is not targeting libraries or any other groups.  Libraries that were on top of their contractual arrangements began working with AT&T before their contracts expired and accepted this as part of doing business.
• If you are an ICN customer, contact your local ICN representative for additional information or assistance; regional contact information is available on the ICN website.  Make sure you are on their customer list to receive information in the future.

We anticipate an October publication date for this much in-demand publication, reflecting the most current changes to common Illinois statues that affect library services.  The final rulemaking changes were adopted by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) in July, and the print edition is being produced by Thomson Reuters, the leading law book publisher.  Other changes to the new edition include articles on ethics statutes that apply to local governments, officials, and employees.

Orders can be placed at any time through the ILA website, http://www.ila.org, or by phone (312-644-1896), fax (312-644-1899), or email (anne@ila.org).  Please be sure to specify 2012 edition, and orders will be shipped as soon available in October.  Cost is $25 for ILA members, $40 for non-members.  (Copies of the 2010 edition are available for immediate shipment at $20 for members, $30 for non-members.)