Public Act 099-0186
 
SB1523 EnrolledLRB099 07469 AWJ 27591 b

    AN ACT concerning local government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Illinois Library System Act is amended by
changing Sections 8 and 8.1 as follows:
 
    (75 ILCS 10/8)  (from Ch. 81, par. 118)
    Sec. 8. State grants.
    (a) There shall be a program of State grants within the
limitations of funds appropriated by the Illinois General
Assembly together with other funds made available by the
federal government or other sources for this purpose. This
program of State grants shall be administered by the State
Librarian in accordance with rules and regulations as provided
in Section 3 of this Act and shall include the following: (i)
annual equalization grants; (ii) Library System grants; (iii)
per capita grants to public libraries; and (iv) planning and
construction grants to public libraries and library systems.
Libraries, in order to be eligible for grants under this
Section, must be members of a library system.
    (b) An annual equalization grant shall be made to all
public libraries for which the corporate authorities levy a tax
for library purposes at a rate not less than .13% of the value
of all the taxable property as equalized and assessed by the
Department of Revenue if the amount of tax revenue obtained
from a rate of .13% produces less than (i) $4.25 per capita in
property tax revenue from property taxes for the 2006 taxable
year payable in 2007 and (ii) $7.50 per capita in property tax
revenue from property taxes for the 2007 taxable year and
thereafter. In that case, the State Librarian is authorized to
make an equalization grant equivalent to the difference between
the amount obtained from a rate of .13% and an annual income of
$4.25 per capita for grants made through Fiscal Year 2008, and
an annual income of $7.50 per capita for grants made in Fiscal
Year 2009 and thereafter. If moneys appropriated for grants
under this Section are not sufficient, then the State Librarian
shall reduce the per capita amount of the grants so that the
qualifying public libraries receive the same amount per capita,
but in no event shall the grant be less than equivalent to the
difference between the amount of the tax revenue obtained from
the current levy and an annual income of $4.25 per capita. If a
library receiving an equalization grant reduces its tax levy
below the amount levied at the time the original application is
approved, it shall be ineligible to receive further
equalization grants.
    If a library is subject to the Property Tax Extension
Limitation Law in the Property Tax Code and its tax levy for
library purposes has been lowered to a rate of less than .13%,
the library will qualify for this grant if the library levied a
tax for library purposes that met the requirements for this
grant in the previous year and if the tax levied for library
purposes in the current year produces tax revenue for the
library that is an increase over the previous year's extension
of 5% or the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index,
whichever is less, and the tax revenue produced by this levy is
less than (i) $4.25 per capita in property tax revenue from
property taxes for the 2006 taxable year payable in 2007 and
(ii) $7.50 per capita in property tax revenue from property
taxes for the 2007 taxable year and thereafter. In this case,
the State Librarian is authorized to make an equalization grant
equivalent to the difference between the amount of tax revenue
obtained from the current levy and an annual income of $4.25
per capita for grants made through Fiscal Year 2008, and an
annual income of $7.50 per capita for grants made in Fiscal
Year 2009 and thereafter. If moneys appropriated for grants
under this Section are not sufficient, then the State Librarian
shall reduce the per capita amount of the grants so that the
qualifying public libraries receive the same amount per capita,
but in no event shall the grant be less than equivalent to the
difference between the amount of the tax revenue obtained from
the current levy and an annual income of $4.25 per capita. If a
library receiving an equalization grant reduces its tax levy
below the amount levied at the time the original application is
approved, it shall be ineligible to receive further
equalization grants.
    (c) Annual Library System grants shall be made, upon
application, to each library system approved by the State
Librarian on the following basis:
        (1) For library systems, the sum of $1.46 per capita of
    the population of the area served plus the sum of $50.75
    per square mile or fraction thereof of the area served
    except as provided in paragraph (4) of this subsection.
        (2) If the amounts appropriated for grants are
    different from the amount provided for in paragraph (1) of
    this subsection, the area and per capita funding shall be
    proportionately reduced or increased accordingly.
        (3) For library systems, additional funds may be
    appropriated. The appropriation shall be distributed on
    the same proportional per capita and per square mile basis
    as provided in paragraphs (1) and (4) of this subsection.
        (4) Per capita and area funding for a multitype library
    system as defined in subparagraph (3) of the definition of
    "library system" in Section 2 and a public library system
    in cities with a population of 500,000 or more as defined
    in subparagraph (2) of the definition of "library system"
    in Section 2 shall be apportioned with 25% of the funding
    granted to the multitype library system and 75% of the
    funding granted to the public library system.
    (d) The "area served" for the purposes of making and
expending annual Library System grants this Act means the area
that lies within the geographic boundaries of the library
system as approved by the State Librarian, except that grant
funding awarded to a library system may also be expended for
the provision of services to members of other library systems
if such an expenditure is included in a library system's plan
of service and is approved by the State Librarian. In
determining the population of the area served by the library
system, the Illinois State Library shall use the latest federal
census for the political subdivisions in the area served.
    (e) In order to be eligible for a grant under this Section,
the corporate authorities, instead of a tax levy at a
particular rate, may provide an amount equivalent to the amount
produced by that levy.
(Source: P.A. 95-976, eff. 9-22-08.)
 
    (75 ILCS 10/8.1)  (from Ch. 81, par. 118.1)
    Sec. 8.1. The State Librarian shall make grants annually
under this Section to all qualified public libraries in the
State from funds appropriated by the General Assembly. Such
grants shall be in the amount of up to $1.25 per capita for the
population of the area served by the respective public library
and, in addition, the amount of up to $0.19 per capita to
libraries serving populations over 500,000 under the Illinois
Major Urban Library Program. If the moneys appropriated for
grants under this Section fail to meet the $1.25 and the $0.19
per capita amounts above, the funding shall be decreased pro
rata so that qualifying public libraries receive the same
amount per capita. If the moneys appropriated for grants under
this Section exceed the $1.25 and the $0.19 per capita amounts
above, the funding shall be increased pro rata so that
qualifying public libraries receive the same amount per capita
are not sufficient the State Librarian shall reduce the per
capita amount of the grants so that the qualifying public
libraries receive the same amount per capita.
    To be eligible for grants under this Section, a public
library must:
        (1) Provide, as determined by the State Librarian,
    library services which either meet or show progress toward
    meeting the Illinois library standards, as most recently
    adopted by the Illinois Library Association.
        (2) Be a public library for which is levied a tax for
    library purposes at a rate not less than .13% or a county
    library for which is levied a tax for library purposes at a
    rate not less than .07%. If a library is subject to the
    Property Tax Extension Limitation Law in the Property Tax
    Code and its tax levy for library purposes has been lowered
    to a rate of less than .13%, this requirement will be
    waived if the library qualified for this grant in the
    previous year and if the tax levied for library purposes in
    the current year produces tax revenue for library purposes
    that is an increase over the previous year's extension of
    5% or the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index,
    whichever is less. Beginning in State Fiscal Year 2012 and
    continuing through and including State Fiscal Year 2015,
    the eligibility requirement in this subsection shall be
    waived if a library's tax levy for library purposes has
    been lowered to a rate of less than 0.13%, and the State
    Librarian determines that the library (i) continues to meet
    the requirements of item (1) of this Section and (ii)
    received a grant under this Section in the previous fiscal
    year.
    Any other language in this Section to the contrary
notwithstanding, grants under this Section 8.1 shall be made
only upon application of the public library concerned, which
applications shall be entirely voluntary and within the sole
discretion of the public library concerned.
    In order to be eligible for a grant under this Section, the
corporate authorities, in lieu of a tax levy at a particular
rate, may provide funds from other sources, an amount
equivalent to the amount to be produced by that levy.
(Source: P.A. 97-675, eff. 2-6-12.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
2015.

Effective Date: 07/29/2015