101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB0360

 

Introduced , by Rep. Grant Wehrli

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
See Index

    Amends the Township Code. Provides that the board of trustees of a township located in DuPage County may submit a proposition to dissolve the township and all road districts wholly within the township to the township electors or township electors may petition for a referendum to dissolve a township. Provides for the transfer of property, assets, personnel, contractual obligations, and liabilities of the dissolving township and road districts to DuPage County. Limits the transferred rights, duties, and funds of the dissolved township to be exercised solely on behalf of the residents within the boundaries of the dissolved township. Provides that municipalities within the dissolving township may elect to assume the duties and responsibilities of a road district or road districts. Limits extensions of specified property tax levies to 90% of the original property tax levy and within the boundaries of the dissolved township. Amends the Election Code and Counties Code making conforming changes. Amends the Illinois Highway Code. Provides that a township in DuPage County shall abolish a road district of that township if the roads of the road district are less than 15 miles in length. Provides that the road district is abolished on the expiration of the term of office of the highway commissioner of the road district facing abolition. Provides for transfer of rights, powers, duties, assets, property, liabilities, obligations, and responsibilities of the road district to the township. Provides that the township board of trustees may enter into a contract with the county, a municipality, or a private contractor to administer the roads added to its jurisdiction.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
HOUSING AFFORDABILITY IMPACT NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning local government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Legislative intent. It is the intent of the
5General Assembly that this Act further the intent of Section 5
6of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution, which states, in
7relevant part, that townships "may be consolidated or merged,
8and one or more townships may be dissolved or divided, when
9approved by referendum in each township affected".
10Transferring the powers and duties of one or more dissolved
11DuPage County townships into the county, as the supervising
12unit of local government within which the township or townships
13are situated, will reduce the overall number of local
14governmental units within our State. This reduction is declared
15to be a strong goal of Illinois public policy.
 
16    Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing Section
1728-7 as follows:
 
18    (10 ILCS 5/28-7)  (from Ch. 46, par. 28-7)
19    Sec. 28-7. Except as provided in Article 24 of the Township
20Code, in In any case in which Article VII or paragraph (a) of
21Section 5 of the Transition Schedule of the Constitution
22authorizes any action to be taken by or with respect to any

 

 

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1unit of local government, as defined in Section 1 of Article
2VII of the Constitution, by or subject to approval by
3referendum, any such public question shall be initiated in
4accordance with this Section.
5    Any such public question may be initiated by the governing
6body of the unit of local government by resolution or by the
7filing with the clerk or secretary of the governmental unit of
8a petition signed by a number of qualified electors equal to or
9greater than at least 8% of the total votes cast for candidates
10for Governor in the preceding gubernatorial election,
11requesting the submission of the proposal for such action to
12the voters of the governmental unit at a regular election.
13    If the action to be taken requires a referendum involving 2
14or more units of local government, the proposal shall be
15submitted to the voters of such governmental units by the
16election authorities with jurisdiction over the territory of
17the governmental units. Such multi-unit proposals may be
18initiated by appropriate resolutions by the respective
19governing bodies or by petitions of the voters of the several
20governmental units filed with the respective clerks or
21secretaries.
22    This Section is intended to provide a method of submission
23to referendum in all cases of proposals for actions which are
24authorized by Article VII of the Constitution by or subject to
25approval by referendum and supersedes any conflicting
26statutory provisions except those contained in Article 24 of

 

 

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1the Township Code or Division 2-5 of the Counties Code.
2    Referenda provided for in this Section may not be held more
3than once in any 23-month period on the same proposition,
4provided that in any municipality a referendum to elect not to
5be a home rule unit may be held only once within any 47-month
6period.
7(Source: P.A. 100-863, eff. 8-14-18.)
 
8    Section 10. The Counties Code is amended by adding Section
95-1184 as follows:
 
10    (55 ILCS 5/5-1184 new)
11    Sec. 5-1184. Dissolution of townships in DuPage County. If
12a township in DuPage County dissolves as provided in Article 24
13of the Township Code, DuPage County shall assume the powers,
14duties, and obligations of each dissolved township as provided
15in Article 24 of the Township Code.
 
16    Section 15. The Township Code is amended by adding Article
1724 as follows:
 
18    (60 ILCS 1/Art. 24 heading new)
19
ARTICLE 24. DISSOLUTION OF
20
TOWNSHIPS IN DUPAGE COUNTY

 
21    (60 ILCS 1/24-5 new)

 

 

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1    Sec. 24-5. Scope. The method of dissolution of a township
2in DuPage County under this Article shall be in addition to any
3other method of dissolving a township provided by law or
4otherwise.
 
5    (60 ILCS 1/24-10 new)
6    Sec. 24-10. Definition. As used in this Article, "electors"
7means the registered voters of any single township in DuPage
8County.
 
9    (60 ILCS 1/24-15 new)
10    Sec. 24-15. Dissolving a township in DuPage County. By
11resolution, the board of trustees of any township located in
12DuPage County may submit a proposition to dissolve the township
13to the electors of that township at the election next following
14in accordance with the general election law. The ballot shall
15be as provided for in Section 24-30.
 
16    (60 ILCS 1/24-20 new)
17    Sec. 24-20. Petition requirements; notice.
18    (a) Subject to the petition requirements of Section 28-3 of
19the Election Code, petitions for a referendum to dissolve a
20township located in DuPage County must be filed with the
21governing board of the township, the county board of DuPage
22County, and the DuPage County Clerk not less than 122 days
23prior to any election held throughout the township. Petitions

 

 

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1must include:
2        (1) the name of the dissolving township;
3        (2) the date of dissolution; and
4        (3) signatures of a number of electors equal to or
5    greater than 5% of the total votes cast in the township in
6    the preceding election that is of an election type
7    comparable to the election for which the petition is being
8    filed; all signatures gathered under this paragraph (3)
9    must be signed within 365 days prior to the filing of a
10    petition.
11    (b) The proposed date of dissolution shall be at least 90
12days after the date of the election at which the referendum is
13to be voted upon.
14    (c) If a valid petition is filed under subsection (a), then
15the DuPage County Clerk shall, by publication in one or more
16newspapers of general circulation within the county, not less
17than 90 days prior to the election at which the referendum is
18to be voted on, give notice in substantially the following
19form:
 
20    NOTICE OF PETITION TO DISSOLVE (dissolving township).
21    Residents of (dissolving township) and DuPage County are
22    notified that a petition has been filed with (dissolving
23    township) and DuPage County requesting a referendum to
24    dissolve (dissolving township) on (date of dissolution)
25    with all real and personal property, and any other assets,

 

 

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1    together with all personnel, contractual obligations, and
2    liabilities being transferred to DuPage County.
 
3    (60 ILCS 1/24-25 new)
4    Sec. 24-25. Ballot placement. A petition that meets the
5requirements of Section 24-20 shall be placed on the ballot in
6the form provided for in Section 24-30 at the election next
7following.
 
8    (60 ILCS 1/24-30 new)
9    Sec. 24-30. Referendum; voting.
10    (a) Subject to the requirements of Section 16-7 of the
11Election Code, the referendum described in Section 24-25 shall
12be in substantially the following form on the ballot:
13-
14    Shall the (dissolving                     YES
15township) be dissolved on (date
16of dissolution) with all of              --------------
17its property, assets, personnel,
18obligations, and liabilities being            NO
19transferred to DuPage County?
20-------------------------------------------------------------
21    (b) The referendum is approved when a majority of those
22voting in the election from the dissolving township approve the
23referendum.
 

 

 

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1    (60 ILCS 1/24-35 new)
2    Sec. 24-35. Dissolution; transfer of rights and duties.
3When the dissolution of a township has been approved under
4Section 24-30:
5        (1) On or before the date of dissolution, all real and
6    personal property, and any other assets, together with all
7    personnel, contractual obligations, and liabilities of the
8    dissolving township and any road districts wholly within
9    the boundaries of the dissolving township shall be
10    transferred to DuPage County. All funds of the dissolved
11    township or dissolved road districts shall be used solely
12    on behalf of the residents of the geographic area within
13    the boundaries of the dissolved township.
14        (2) On the date of dissolution, the dissolving township
15    is dissolved.
16        (3) On and after the date of dissolution, all rights
17    and duties of the dissolved township may be exercised by
18    the county board of DuPage County, except as provided under
19    paragraph (6) solely on behalf of the residents of the
20    geographic area within the boundaries of the dissolved
21    township.
22        (4) The county board of DuPage County shall not extend
23    a property tax levy that is greater than 90% of the
24    property tax levy extended by the dissolved township or
25    road districts for the duties taken on by the county or
26    municipalities under paragraph (6). This property tax levy

 

 

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1    may not be extended outside the boundaries of the dissolved
2    township. In all subsequent years, this levy shall be bound
3    by the provisions of the Property Tax Extension Limitation
4    Law.
5        (5) All road districts wholly within the boundaries of
6    the dissolving township are dissolved on the date of
7    dissolution of the dissolving township, and all powers and
8    responsibilities of each road district are transferred to
9    DuPage County except as provided in paragraph (6).
10        (6) The county board of DuPage County shall give
11    written notice to each municipality whose governing board
12    meets within the boundaries of a dissolving township that
13    the municipality may make an offer, on or before 60 days
14    after the date of dissolution of the dissolving township,
15    that the municipality will assume all of the powers and
16    responsibilities of a road district or road districts
17    wholly inside the dissolving township. The notice shall be
18    sent to each municipality on or before 30 days after the
19    date of dissolution of the township. Any eligible
20    municipality may, with consent of its governing board, make
21    an offer to assume all of the powers and responsibilities
22    of the dissolving township's road district or road
23    districts. A municipality may offer to assume the powers
24    and responsibilities only for a limited period of time. If
25    one or more offers are received by DuPage County on or
26    before 60 days after the date of dissolution of the

 

 

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1    dissolving township, the county board of DuPage County
2    shall select the best offer or offers that the board
3    determines would be in the best interest and welfare of the
4    affected resident population. If no municipality makes an
5    offer, the powers and duties of the dissolving township's
6    road district or road districts are retained by DuPage
7    County. The municipality that assumes the powers and duties
8    of the dissolving township's road district or road
9    districts shall not extend a road district property tax
10    levy under Division 5 of Article 6 of the Illinois Highway
11    Code that is greater than 90% of the road district property
12    tax levy that was extended by the county on behalf of the
13    dissolving township's road district or road districts for
14    the duties taken on by the municipality.
 
15    Section 20. The Illinois Highway Code is amended by adding
16Section 6-140 as follows:
 
17    (605 ILCS 5/6-140 new)
18    Sec. 6-140. Abolishing a road district within DuPage County
19with less than 15 miles of roads. Any township in DuPage County
20shall abolish a road district of that township if the roads of
21the road district are less than 15 centerline miles in length,
22as determined by the county engineer or county superintendent
23of highways. A road district is abolished on the expiration of
24the term of office of the highway commissioner of the road

 

 

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1district facing abolition following the determination by the
2county engineer or county superintendent of highways of the
3length, in centerline mileage, of the roads within the road
4district to be abolished.
5    On the date of abolition: all the rights, powers, duties,
6assets, property, liabilities, obligations, and
7responsibilities of the road district shall by operation of law
8vest in and be assumed by the township; the township board of
9trustees shall assume all taxing authority of a road district
10abolished under this Section and shall exercise all duties and
11responsibilities of the highway commissioner as provided in
12this Code; and for purposes of distribution of revenue, the
13township shall assume the powers, duties, and obligations of
14the road district. The township board of trustees may enter
15into a contract with the county, a municipality, or a private
16contractor to administer the roads added to its jurisdiction
17under this Section.

 

 

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1 INDEX
2 Statutes amended in order of appearance
3    10 ILCS 5/28-7from Ch. 46, par. 28-7
4    55 ILCS 5/5-1184 new
5    60 ILCS 1/Art. 24 heading
6    new
7    60 ILCS 1/24-5 new
8    60 ILCS 1/24-10 new
9    60 ILCS 1/24-15 new
10    60 ILCS 1/24-20 new
11    60 ILCS 1/24-25 new
12    60 ILCS 1/24-30 new
13    60 ILCS 1/24-35 new
14    605 ILCS 5/6-140 new