97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB5188

 

Introduced 2/8/2012, by Rep. Rita Mayfield

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
65 ILCS 5/7-1-2  from Ch. 24, par. 7-1-2
65 ILCS 5/7-1-4  from Ch. 24, par. 7-1-4
65 ILCS 5/7-1-7  from Ch. 24, par. 7-1-7
65 ILCS 5/7-1-8  from Ch. 24, par. 7-1-8
65 ILCS 5/7-1-11  from Ch. 24, par. 7-1-11
65 ILCS 5/7-1-12  from Ch. 24, par. 7-1-12

    Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. In provisions concerning the annexation of contiguous territory, requires a 60% vote (now, a majority) of the owners of record of land in the territory to be annexed and 60% (now, a majority) of the electors, if any, residing in the territory to petition the circuit court for annexation. Requires that at least 60% (now, a majority) of the electors residing in the unincorporated territory cast ballots in favor of annexation for the territory to become a part of the annexing municipality. Sets forth public hearing and notice requirements for the annexation of contiguous territory with no electors. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

HB5188LRB097 19372 KMW 64625 b

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 5. The Illinois Municipal Code is amended by
5changing Sections 7-1-2, 7-1-4, 7-1-7, 7-1-8, 7-1-11, and
67-1-12 as follows:
 
7    (65 ILCS 5/7-1-2)  (from Ch. 24, par. 7-1-2)
8    Sec. 7-1-2. (a) A written petition signed by at least 60% a
9majority of the owners of record of land in the territory and
10also by at least 60% a majority of the electors, if any,
11residing in the territory shall be filed with the circuit court
12clerk of the county in which the territory is located, or the
13corporate authorities of a municipality may initiate the
14proceedings by enacting an ordinance expressing their desire to
15annex the described territory. A person owning land underlying
16a highway shall not be considered an owner of record for
17purposes of this petition unless that person owns some land not
18underlying a highway proposed to be annexed in the petition for
19annexation. No tract of land in excess of 10 acres in area may
20be included in the ordinances of a municipality initiating the
21proceedings, however, without the express consent of the owner
22of the tract unless the tract (i) is subdivided into lots or
23blocks or (ii) is bounded on at least 3 sides by lands

 

 

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1subdivided into lots or blocks. A tract of land shall be deemed
2so bounded if it is actually separated from the subdivision
3only by the right-of-way of a railroad or other public utility
4or at a public highway. The petition or ordinance, as the case
5may be, shall request the annexation of the territory to a
6specified municipality and also shall request that the circuit
7court of the specified county submit the question of the
8annexation to the corporate authorities of the annexing
9municipality or to the electors of the unincorporated
10territory, as the case may be. The circuit court shall enter an
11order fixing the time for the hearing upon the petition, and
12the day for the hearing shall be not less than 20 nor more than
1330 days after the filing of the petition or ordinance, as the
14case may be.
15    (b) The petitioners or corporate authorities, as the case
16may be, shall give notice of the annexation petition or
17ordinance, as the case may be, not more than 30 nor less than
1815 days before the date fixed for the hearing. This notice
19shall state that a petition for annexation or ordinance, as the
20case may be, has been filed and shall give the substance of the
21petition, including a description of the territory to be
22annexed, the name of the annexing municipality, and the date
23fixed for the hearing. This notice shall be given by publishing
24a notice at least once in one or more newspapers published in
25the annexing municipality or, if no newspaper is published in
26the annexing municipality, in one or more newspapers with a

 

 

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1general circulation within the annexing municipality and
2territory. A copy of this notice shall be filed with the clerk
3of the annexing municipality and the municipal clerk shall
4send, by registered mail, an additional copy to the highway
5commissioner of each road district within which the territory
6proposed to be annexed is situated. If a municipal clerk fails
7to send the notice to a highway commissioner as required by
8this subsection, the municipality shall reimburse the road
9district served by that highway commissioner for any loss or
10liability caused by that failure. Any notice required by this
11Section need not include a metes and bounds legal description
12of the territory to be annexed, provided that the notice
13includes: (i) the common street address or addresses and (ii)
14the property index number ("PIN") or numbers of all the parcels
15of real property contained in the territory to be annexed.
16    (c) The petitioners or corporate authorities, as the case
17may be, shall pay to the clerk of the circuit court $10 as a
18filing and service fee, and no petition or ordinance, as the
19case may be, shall be filed until this fee is paid.
20    (d) No petitioner may withdraw from this petition except by
21consent of the majority of the other petitioners, or where it
22is shown to the satisfaction of the court that the signature of
23the petitioner was obtained by fraud or misrepresentation.
24    (e) If a State charitable institution is situated upon a
25tract or tracts of land that lie partly within and partly
26without the corporate limits of any municipality, the corporate

 

 

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1authorities of the municipality may by resolution without any
2petition or proceedings required by this Article but with the
3written consent of the Director of the State Department having
4jurisdiction of the institution, annex any part or all of the
5tracts lying without the corporate limits.
6    (f) If real estate owned by the State of Illinois or any
7board, agency, or commission of the State is situated in
8unincorporated territory adjacent to a municipality, the
9corporate authorities of the municipality may annex any part or
10all of the real estate only with the written consent of the
11Governor or the governing authority of the board, agency, or
12commission, without any petition or proceedings required by
13this Article by resolution of the corporate authorities. This
14requirement does not apply, however, to State highways located
15within territory to be annexed under this Article.
16(Source: P.A. 97-336, eff. 8-12-11.)
 
17    (65 ILCS 5/7-1-4)  (from Ch. 24, par. 7-1-4)
18    Sec. 7-1-4. The cause shall be heard without further
19pleadings. At the hearing the objector may be heard in person
20or by counsel.
21    Prior to hearing evidence on the validity of the annexation
22petition or ordinance, the court shall hear and determine any
23objection under sub-paragraph (4) of Section 7-1-3. If the
24court is satisfied that such objection is valid, it shall order
25the petition or ordinance to be amended to eliminate such

 

 

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1objector's land from the territory sought to be annexed.
2Thereafter upon this hearing the only matter for determination
3shall be the validity of the annexation petition or ordinance,
4as the case may be, and the decision of the court shall be
5final. All petitions shall be supported by an affidavit of one
6or more of the petitioners, or some one on their behalf, that
7the signatures on the petition represent at least 60% a
8majority of the property owners of record of land in the
9territory described and at least 60% a majority of the electors
10of the territory therein described. Petitions so verified shall
11be accepted as prima facie evidence of such facts. If the court
12finds that (1) the annexation petition is not signed by the
13requisite number of electors or property owners of record; or
14(2) that the described property is not contiguous to the
15annexing municipality; or (3) that the description is
16materially defective; or (4) that the petition or ordinance, as
17the case may be, is otherwise invalid, the court shall dismiss
18the petition or ordinance, as the case may be.
19    But if the court finds that the petition or ordinance, as
20the case may be, is valid, the court shall (1) enter an order
21describing the territory to be annexed, (2) find that the
22petition or ordinance, as the case may be, conforms to this
23Article, and (3) direct that the question of annexation be
24submitted to the corporate authorities of the annexing
25municipality or to the electors of the unincorporated
26territory, as the case may be, for final action. A certified

 

 

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1copy of the order of the court directing that the question of
2annexation be submitted to the corporate authorities shall be
3sent to the clerk of the annexing municipality.
4    Appeals shall lie from any final order of the court as in
5other civil actions.
6(Source: P.A. 81-448.)
 
7    (65 ILCS 5/7-1-7)  (from Ch. 24, par. 7-1-7)
8    Sec. 7-1-7. (a) If the court finds that an annexation
9ordinance is valid, the court shall enter an order directing
10the submission of the question of annexation of the
11unincorporated territory to the electors of that territory at
12an election in accordance with the general election law and
13directing the clerk of the annexing municipality to send, by
14registered mail, a notice of the date of the prospective
15referendum to the highway commissioner of each road district
16within which the territory proposed to be annexed is situated.
17The clerk of the circuit court shall certify the question for
18submission.
19    (b) If at least 60% a majority of those casting ballots
20favor annexation, the described territory shall, except as
21otherwise provided in Section 7-1-1, thereupon be a part of the
22annexing municipality. Within 15 days after the referendum, the
23clerk of the annexing municipality shall promptly send written
24notice of the results of the referendum by registered mail to
25the highway commissioner of each road district within which the

 

 

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1territory is situated.
2    (c) If a municipal clerk fails to send any notice to a
3highway commissioner as required by this Section, the
4municipality shall reimburse the road district served by that
5highway commissioner for any loss or liability caused by that
6failure.
7(Source: P.A. 87-533; 88-355.)
 
8    (65 ILCS 5/7-1-8)  (from Ch. 24, par. 7-1-8)
9    Sec. 7-1-8. Any territory which is not within the corporate
10limits of any municipality but which is contiguous to a
11municipality at the time of annexation and which territory has
12no electors residing therein, or any such territory with
13electors residing therein, may be annexed to the municipality
14in the following manner: a written petition signed by the
15owners of record of all land within such territory and by at
16least 60% 51% of the electors residing therein shall be filed
17with the municipal clerk. The petition shall request annexation
18and shall state that no electors reside therein or that at
19least 60% 51% of such electors residing therein join in the
20petition, whichever shall be the case, and shall be under oath.
21The corporate authorities of the municipality shall conduct a
22public hearing at least 30 days prior to its adoption of an
23annexation ordinance. Notice of the public hearing must be
24given not more than 30 nor less than 20 days before the public
25hearing. This notice shall state that a petition for annexation

 

 

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1has been filed and shall give the substance of the petition,
2including a description of the territory to be annexed, the
3name of the annexing municipality, and the date fixed for the
4hearing. Notice shall be given by publication in one or more
5newspapers published in the annexing municipality or, if no
6newspaper is published in the annexing municipality, in one or
7more newspapers with a general circulation within the annexing
8municipality and territory. The corporate authorities of the
9municipality to which annexation is sought shall then consider
10the question of the annexation of the described territory. A
11majority vote of the corporate authorities then holding office
12is required to annex. The vote shall be by "yeas" and "nays"
13entered on the legislative records. A copy of the ordinance
14annexing the territory together with an accurate map of the
15annexed territory shall be recorded with the recorder and filed
16with the County Clerk within the county wherever the annexed
17territory is located.
18(Source: P.A. 83-358.)
 
19    (65 ILCS 5/7-1-11)  (from Ch. 24, par. 7-1-11)
20    Sec. 7-1-11. The following is an optional method of
21annexing any territory which, (1) is not less than one square
22mile in area; (2) contains at least 500 inhabitants; (3) is not
23included within any municipality; and (4) is contiguous to a
24municipality having not more than 100,000 inhabitants. Such
25territory may be annexed to a municipality of the specified

 

 

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1sort as follows:
2    A petition, signed by not less than 100 of the electors of
3the territory sought to be annexed and by the owners of record
4of more than 60% 50% of such territory, shall be filed with the
5circuit court for the county in which the territory is
6situated. The petition shall request that the question of
7annexation of the territory described therein be submitted to
8the electors of the territory.
9    No tract of land in excess of 10 acres in area shall be
10included in the annexation petition without the express consent
11of the owner thereof unless the tract is
12    (1) subdivided into lots or blocks; or
13    (2) bounded on at least 3 sides by lands subdivided into
14lots or blocks.
15    The owner of record of land comprising any part of the
16perimeter of the territory sought to be annexed may apply to
17the court for the exclusion of his or her land from the
18territory described in such petition. The court shall grant
19such application if the exclusion of such land will not destroy
20the contiguity of the land sought to be annexed with the
21annexing municipality.
22    After considering any such application, the court shall
23order the question submitted within the territory at an
24election in accordance with the general election law. The clerk
25of the circuit court shall certify the question to the proper
26election authority for submission. The result of the election

 

 

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1shall be entered of record in the court. If at least 60% a
2majority of the votes cast on the question favor annexation,
3the court shall then give notice thereof to the corporate
4authorities of the proposed annexing municipality. The
5corporate authorities shall then vote on the question of such
6annexation and if a majority of their membership, by a vote
7recorded in the minutes, vote in favor of the annexation, an
8ordinance shall be passed annexing the territory. The clerk of
9the annexing municipality shall certify and file a copy of the
10annexation ordinance with a map showing the boundary lines of
11the territory annexed, with the recorder of the county in which
12the municipality is located and a document of annexation shall
13be filed with the county clerk and County Election Authority.
14    If the question of such annexation does not receive the
15requisite majority vote of the corporate authorities, the
16municipal clerk shall certify the question at an election in
17accordance with the general election law.
18    If at least 60% a majority of the persons voting upon the
19question vote for annexation, the described territory is
20annexed to the annexing municipality. The clerk of the annexing
21municipality shall certify and file a statement of the
22annexation proceeding with a map showing the boundary lines of
23the territory annexed, as provided in this Section section.
24    If a majority of persons voting on the question vote
25against annexation, no further proceedings shall be had on the
26question for at least 22 months from the date of such election.

 

 

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1(Source: P.A. 83-1362.)
 
2    (65 ILCS 5/7-1-12)  (from Ch. 24, par. 7-1-12)
3    Sec. 7-1-12. Upon a written petition which is signed by at
4least 60% a majority of the owners of record of land in any
5contiguous unincorporated territory wholly bounded by 2 or more
6municipalities and after the notice required by this Section
7has been given, the specified territory may be annexed by any
8one of the specified municipalities by the passage of an
9ordinance providing therefor. The corporate authorities of the
10annexing municipality shall cause notice of the filing of such
11petition to be published once, in a newspaper of general
12circulation within the territory to be annexed, not less than
1310 days before the passage of the annexation ordinance. When
14the territory to be annexed lies wholly or partially within a
15township other than that township where the municipality is
16situated, the annexing municipality shall give at least 10 days
17prior written notice of the time and place of the passage of
18the annexation ordinance to the township supervisor of the
19township where the territory to be annexed lies. The ordinance
20shall describe the territory annexed, which may not exceed 1/3
21the area of the annexing municipality before the annexation. A
22copy of the annexing ordinance and an accurate map of the
23annexed territory shall be recorded by the recorder of the
24county wherein the annexed territory is situated and a document
25of annexation shall be filed with the county clerk and County

 

 

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1Election Authority.
2(Source: P.A. 86-769.)
 
3    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
4becoming law.