Illinois § 12

§ 12.

No officer or employee in the classified civil service of any park district other than one who has attained retirement age, as hereinafter in this section provided, shall be removed or discharged, or suspended for a period of more than thirty days, except for cause upon written charges and after an opportunity to be heard in his own defense. Such charges shall be investigated by or before the civil service board or by or before some officer or officers appointed by the board to conduct such investigation within thirty days from the date of suspension under such charges, if such officer or employee is suspended pending investigation of such charges. The hearing shall be public and the accused shall be entitled to call witnesses in his defense and to have the aid of counsel. The hearing may be postponed or continued with the consent of the accused. The finding and decision of the board or of such investigating officer or officers, when approved by said board, shall be final and shall be certified to the appointing officer, and shall be forthwith enforced by such officer. Nothing in this Act shall limit the power of any officer to suspend a subordinate for a reasonable period not exceeding thirty days. Every such suspension shall be without pay: Provided, however, that the board shall have authority to investigate every such suspension and, in case of its disapproval thereof, it shall have power to restore pay to the employee so suspended. In the course of any investigation provided for in this Act, each member of the board and any officer appointed by it shall have the power to administer oaths and shall have power to secure by its subpoena both the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of books and papers. All officers and employees in the classified service of any such park district shall be automatically and by compulsion retired and dismissed from service with honor on attainment of the age of 70 years. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to interfere with voluntary retirement by an employee in the classified service at an earlier age than herein specified. It shall be the duty of the civil service board to determine, by hearing, the age of employees, if such is in question and the finding and decision of the civil service board, or its investigating officer or officers, when approved by the civil service board in such dispute shall be final. (Source: P.A. 81-882.)