(65 ILCS 5/11-117-3) (from Ch. 24, par. 11-117-3)
    Sec. 11-117-3. No municipality shall proceed to acquire or construct any public utility under the provisions of this Division 117 until an ordinance of the corporate authorities providing therefor has been duly passed. This ordinance shall set forth the action proposed, shall describe the plant, equipment, and property proposed to be acquired or constructed, and shall provide for the issuance of bonds, mortgage certificates, or special assessment bonds, as authorized in this Division 117.
    This ordinance shall not become effective until the question of its adoption is submitted to a referendum vote of the electors of the municipality. The municipal clerk shall certify the question for submission to the vote of the electors of the municipality upon an initiating ordinance adopted by the corporate authorities.
    The question shall be in substantially the following form:
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    Shall the ordinance (stating       YES
the nature of the proposed         ---------------------------
ordinance) be adopted?                 NO
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    If a majority of the electors voting on the question of the adoption of the proposed ordinance vote in favor thereof, the ordinance shall thereupon become a valid and binding ordinance of the municipality.
    Prior to the referendum upon this ordinance, the municipal clerk shall have the ordinance published at least once in one or more newspapers published in the municipality, or, if no newspaper is published therein, then in one or more newspapers with a general circulation within the municipality. This publication shall be not more than 30 nor less than 15 days in advance of the election.
(Source: P.A. 81-1489.)