ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
May 11, 1989
ST. CLAIR COUNTY,
Complainant,
v.
)
AC 89—18
3
& R LANDFILL,
INC.,
)
Respondent
ORDER OF THE BOARD (by 3. Marlin):
On May
8,
1989,
3
&
R Landfill,
Inc.
(J&R)
filed
a Motion
to Dismiss
for lack
of jurisdiction.
The Board received
a
response by St. Clair County on May 10, 1989.
In
3
& R’s motion,
3
& R asserts
that the Board lacks
jurisdiction of this matter because, according
to 3
& R,
the
administrative citation issued by St. Clair County was improperly
served upon 3
&
R.
Specifically,
3
& R asserts that the
administrative citation was served on James Quinn
and that James
Quinn
is
not the registered
agent
for the corporation.
Attached
to
3
& R’s motion
is the annual report of 3
&
R,
which
lists
James Quinn
as
an officer
of the corporation
(specifically the
Secretary)
and not the registered
agent.
J
& R states that
service
of process on
a corporation may only
be effectuated by
serving papers upon the registered
agent.
As
a result, 3
& R
requests
that
this matter be dismissed.
In response,
St.
Clam
County first cites
35
Iii.
Adm.
Code 103.140(i)
for
the proposition
that
3
&
R waived any
jurisdictional objection
to the citation because
3
& R did not
raise the issue
in
its initial pleading
(petition for review
filed February
2, 1989).
Alternatively,
St. Clair County states
that
a corporation may be served with process
by means other
than
by serving
the registered
agent.
St. Clam
County asserts
that
serving
the citation upon James Quinn,
Secretary of
3
&
R,
equates
to proper service upon 3
&
R.
St.
Clam
County requests
that the Board deny
3
& R’s motion.
Section
31.1(b)
of the Environmental Protection Act
states:
Each
administrative
citation issued shall
be
served upon
the person named therein or such
person’s authorized agent
for service of process...
Ill.
Rev.
Stat.
1987,
ch.
111—1/2,
par.
1031(b).
99—55
—2--
The
term “person”
is defined by Section 3.26 of the Act
as
including
a corporation.
Under
35
Ill.
Adm.
Code 103.123, service of a complaint
may be accomplished by certified mail with
a signed receipt as
proof of service.
On January 12,
1989,
St.
Clair County filed
a signed
certified mail receipt as proof
of
service of the citation upon
3
& R.
The receipt indicate;s that the citation was mailed
to
“James Quinn,
3
& R Landfill,
Inc.”
Given Mr. Quinn’s position in 3
& R, the Board finds
that service
in accordance with Section 31.1(b)
was properly
effectuated upon 3
& R by mailing James Quinn
the citation.
3
&
R’s motion
is denied.
Additionally,
the Board
notes
that
Ill. Rev.
Stat.
1987,
ch.
110,
par.
2—204 states:
Service on private corporations.
A private
corporation may
be served
Cl)
by leaving
a copy of
the process with its registered
agent
on any
officer
or agent
of
the corporation
found anywhere
in the State;
or
(2)
in any other manner now
or
hereafter permitted by
law.
A private corporation
may also be notified by publication and mail
in
like manner
and with
like effect
as individuals.
While
it has been held that the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure
does
riot
apply
to Board proceedings,
(village of South Elgin
v.
Waste Management
of Illinois,
64
Ill.
App.
3d
365, 381 N.E.2d
778
(2d Dist.
1978)),
the Board notes that
its action today appears
to be generally consistent with the
intent of
the Illinois Code
of Civil Procedure.
The Board notes
that
it does not today address
the waiver
argument put forth
by St. Clam
County.
IT
IS SO ORDERED.
I,
Dorothy
M.
Gunn, Clerk
of the Illinois Pollution
Control Board, hereby certify that the above Order was
adopted on
the
/~!!
day
of
-~,
,
1989,
by
a vote
of
7C
D~rothyM. c~ln, Clerk
Illinois Pollution Control Board
99—56