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92_HB5694
LRB9214127BDpc
1 AN ACT concerning forest preserve districts.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Downstate Forest Preserve District Act is
5 amended by changing Section 13.1 as follows:
6 (70 ILCS 805/13.1) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 6324)
7 Sec. 13.1. (a) After the first Monday in October and by
8 the first Monday in December in each year, the board shall
9 levy the general taxes for the district by general categories
10 for the next fiscal year. A certified copy of the levy
11 ordinance shall be filed with the county clerk by the last
12 Tuesday in December each year.
13 (b) In forest preserve districts with a population of
14 less than 3,000,000, the amount of taxes levied for general
15 corporate purposes for a fiscal year may not exceed the rate
16 of .06% of the value, as equalized or assessed by the
17 Department of Revenue, of the taxable property therein.
18 (c) In forest preserve districts located within
19 Winnebago County, the amount of taxes levied for general
20 corporate purposes for a fiscal year may not exceed the rate
21 of .10% of the value, as equalized or assessed by the
22 Department of Revenue, of the taxable property therein. The
23 tax may not be levied until the question of levying the tax
24 has been submitted to the electors of the district at a
25 regular election and approved by a majority of the electors
26 voting on the question. The board must certify the question
27 to the proper election authority, which must submit the
28 question at an election in accordance with the Election Code.
29 The election authority must submit the question in
30 substantially the following form:
31 Shall (name of district) by authorized to levy a tax
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1 at the rate of .10% on the equalized assessed value on
2 taxable property located within the district for its
3 general purposes?
4 The election authority must record the votes as "Yes" or
5 "No".
6 If a majority of the electors voting on the question vote
7 in the affirmative, the forest preserve district may
8 thereafter levy the tax.
9 (d) In addition, in forest preserve districts having a
10 population of 100,000 or more but less than 3,000,000, the
11 board may levy taxes for constructing, restoring
12 reconditioning, reconstructing and acquiring improvements and
13 for the development of the forests and lands of such
14 district, the amount of which tax each fiscal year shall be
15 extended at a rate not to exceed .025% of the assessed value
16 of all taxable property as equalized by the Department of
17 Revenue.
18 (e) All such taxes and rates are exclusive of the taxes
19 required for the payment of the principal of and interest on
20 bonds, and exclusive of taxes levied for employees' annuity
21 and benefit purposes.
22 (f) The rate of tax levied for general corporate
23 purposes in a forest preserve district may not be increased
24 by virtue of this amendatory Act of 1977 unless the board
25 first adopts a resolution authorizing such increase and
26 publishes notice thereof in a newspaper having general
27 circulation in the district at least once not less than 45
28 days prior to the effective date of the increase. The notice
29 shall include a statement of (1) the specific number of
30 voters required to sign a petition requesting that the
31 question of the adoption of the resolution be submitted to
32 the electors of the district; (2) the time in which the
33 petition must be filed; and (3) the date of the prospective
34 referendum. The Secretary of the district shall provide a
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1 petition form to any individual requesting one. If, no later
2 than 30 days after the publication of such notice, petitions
3 signed by voters of the district equal to 10% or more of the
4 registered voters of the district, as determined by reference
5 to the number of voters registered at the next preceding
6 general election, and residing in the district are presented
7 to the board expressing opposition to the increase, the
8 proposition must first be certified by the board to the
9 proper election officials, who shall submit the proposition
10 to the legal voters of the district at an election in
11 accordance with the general election law and approved by a
12 majority of those voting on the proposition.
13 (g) The rate of the tax levied for general corporate
14 purposes in a forest preserve district may be increased, up
15 to the maximum rate identified in this Section, by the Board
16 by a resolution calling for the submission of the question of
17 increasing the rate to the voters of the district in
18 accordance with the general election law. The question must
19 be in substantially the following form:
20 "Shall (name of district) be authorized to establish
21 its general corporate tax rate at (insert rate) on the
22 equalized assessed value on taxable property located
23 within the district for its general purposes, including
24 education, outdoor recreation, maintenance, operations,
25 public safety at the forest preserves, trails, and other
26 properties of the district (and, optionally, insert any
27 other lawful purposes or programs determined by the
28 Board).
29 The ballot must have printed on it, but not as part of
30 the proposition submitted, the following: "The approximate
31 impact of the proposed increase on the owner of a
32 single-family home having a market value of (insert value)
33 would be (insert amount) in the first year of the increase if
34 the increase is fully implemented." The ballot may have
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1 printed on it, but not as part of the proposition, one or
2 both of the following: "The last tax rate extended for the
3 purposes of the district was (insert rate). The last rate
4 increase approved for the purposes of the district was in
5 (insert year)." No other information needs to be included on
6 the ballot.
7 The votes must be recorded as "Yes" or "No".
8 If a majority of the electors voting on the question vote
9 in the affirmative, the district may thereafter levy the tax.
10 (Source: P.A. 92-103, eff. 7-20-01.)
11 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
12 becoming law.
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