SB0369 EngrossedLRB099 03111 AWJ 23119 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 Section 7-1-1 as follows:
 
6    (65 ILCS 5/7-1-1)  (from Ch. 24, par. 7-1-1)
7    Sec. 7-1-1. Annexation of contiguous territory. Any
8territory that is not within the corporate limits of any
9municipality but is contiguous to a municipality may be annexed
10to the municipality as provided in this Article. For the
11purposes of this Article any territory to be annexed to a
12municipality shall be considered to be contiguous to the
13municipality notwithstanding that the territory is separated
14from the municipality by a strip parcel, railroad or public
15utility right-of-way, or former railroad right-of-way that has
16been converted to a recreational trail, but upon annexation the
17area included within that strip parcel, right-of-way, or former
18right-of-way shall not be considered to be annexed to the
19municipality. For purposes of this Section, "strip parcel"
20means a separation no wider than 30 feet between the territory
21to be annexed and the municipal boundary.
22    Except in counties with a population of more than 600,000
23but less than 3,000,000, territory which is not contiguous to a

 

 

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1municipality but is separated therefrom only by a forest
2preserve district, federal wildlife refuge, open land or open
3space that is part of an open space program, as defined in
4Section 115-5 of the Township Code, or conservation area, may
5be annexed to the municipality pursuant to Section 7-1-7 or
67-1-8, but only if the annexing municipality can show that the
7forest preserve district, federal wildlife refuge, open land,
8open space, or conservation area creates an artificial barrier
9preventing the annexation and that the location of the forest
10preserve district, federal wildlife refuge, open land, open
11space, or conservation area property prevents the orderly
12natural growth of the annexing municipality. Except for parcels
13of land less than one acre in size, it It shall be conclusively
14presumed that the forest preserve district, federal wildlife
15refuge, open land, open space, or conservation area does not
16create an artificial barrier if the property sought to be
17annexed is bounded on at least 3 sides by (i) one or more other
18municipalities (other than the municipality seeking annexation
19through the existing forest preserve district, federal
20wildlife refuge, open land, open space, or conservation area),
21(ii) forest preserve district property, federal wildlife
22refuge, open land, open space, or conservation area, or (iii) a
23combination of other municipalities and forest preserve
24district property, federal wildlife refuge property, open
25land, open space, or conservation area. Except of parcels of
26land less than one acre in size, it It shall also be

 

 

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1conclusively presumed that the forest preserve district,
2federal wildlife refuge, open land, open space, or conservation
3area does not create an artificial barrier if the municipality
4seeking annexation is not the closest municipality within the
5county to the property to be annexed. The territory included
6within such forest preserve district, federal wildlife refuge,
7open land, open space, or conservation area shall not be
8annexed to the municipality nor shall the territory of the
9forest preserve district, federal wildlife refuge, open land,
10open space, or conservation area be subject to rights-of-way
11for access or services between the parts of the municipality
12separated by the forest preserve district, federal wildlife
13refuge, open land, open space, or conservation area without the
14consent of the governing body of the forest preserve district
15or federal wildlife refuge. Parcels of land less than one acre
16in size may be annexed to the municipality pursuant to Section
177-1-7 or 7-1-8 if it would be contiguous to the municipality
18but for the separation therefrom by a forest preserve district,
19federal wildlife refuge, open land or open space that is part
20of an open space program, as defined in Section 115-5 of the
21Township Code, or conservation area. The changes made to this
22Section by Public Act 91-824 are declaratory of existing law
23and shall not be construed as a new enactment.
24    For the purpose of this Section, "conservation area" means
25an area dedicated to conservation and owned by a not-for-profit
26organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code

 

 

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1of 1986, or any area owned by a conservation district.
2    In counties that are contiguous to the Mississippi River
3with populations of more than 200,000 but less than 255,000, a
4municipality that is partially located in territory that is
5wholly surrounded by the Mississippi River and a canal,
6connected at both ends to the Mississippi River and located on
7property owned by the United States of America, may annex
8noncontiguous territory in the surrounded territory under
9Sections 7-1-7, 7-1-8, or 7-1-9 if that territory is separated
10from the municipality by property owned by the United States of
11America, but that federal property shall not be annexed without
12the consent of the federal government.
13    For the purposes of this Article, any territory to be
14annexed to a municipality that is located in a county with more
15than 500,000 inhabitants shall be considered to be contiguous
16to the municipality if only a river and a national heritage
17corridor separate the territory from the municipality. Upon
18annexation, no river or national heritage corridor shall be
19considered annexed to the municipality.
20    When any land proposed to be annexed is part of any Fire
21Protection District or of any Public Library District and the
22annexing municipality provides fire protection or a public
23library, as the case may be, the Trustees of each District
24shall be notified in writing by certified or registered mail
25before any court hearing or other action is taken for
26annexation. The notice shall be served 10 days in advance. An

 

 

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1affidavit that service of notice has been had as provided by
2this Section must be filed with the clerk of the court in which
3the annexation proceedings are pending or will be instituted
4or, when no court proceedings are involved, with the recorder
5for the county where the land is situated. No annexation of
6that land is effective unless service is had and the affidavit
7filed as provided in this Section.
8    The new boundary shall extend to the far side of any
9adjacent highway and shall include all of every highway within
10the area annexed. These highways shall be considered to be
11annexed even though not included in the legal description set
12forth in the petition for annexation. When any land proposed to
13be annexed includes any highway under the jurisdiction of any
14township, the Township Commissioner of Highways, the Board of
15Town Trustees, the Township Supervisor, and the Township Clerk
16shall be notified in writing by certified or registered mail
17before any court hearing or other action is taken for
18annexation. In the event that a municipality fails to notify
19the Township Commissioner of Highways, the Board of Town
20Trustees, the Township Supervisor, and the Township Clerk of
21the annexation of an area within the township, the municipality
22shall reimburse that township for any loss or liability caused
23by the failure to give notice. If any municipality has annexed
24any area before October 1, 1975, and the legal description in
25the petition for annexation did not include the entire adjacent
26highway, any such annexation shall be valid and any highway

 

 

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1adjacent to the area annexed shall be considered to be annexed
2notwithstanding the failure of the petition to annex to include
3the description of the entire adjacent highway.
4    Any annexation, disconnection and annexation, or
5disconnection under this Article of any territory must be
6reported by certified or registered mail by the corporate
7authority initiating the action to the election authorities
8having jurisdiction in the territory and the post office
9branches serving the territory within 30 days of the
10annexation, disconnection and annexation, or disconnection.
11    Failure to give notice to the required election authorities
12or post office branches will not invalidate the annexation or
13disconnection. For purposes of this Section "election
14authorities" means the county clerk where the clerk acts as the
15clerk of elections or the clerk of the election commission
16having jurisdiction.
17    No annexation, disconnection and annexation, or
18disconnection under this Article of territory having electors
19residing therein made (1) before any primary election to be
20held within the municipality affected thereby and after the
21time for filing petitions as a candidate for nomination to any
22office to be chosen at the primary election or (2) within 60
23days before any general election to be held within the
24municipality shall be effective until the day after the date of
25the primary or general election, as the case may be.
26    For the purpose of this Section, a toll highway or

 

 

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1connection between parcels via an overpass bridge over a toll
2highway shall not be considered a deterrent to the definition
3of contiguous territory.
4    When territory is proposed to be annexed by court order
5under this Article, the corporate authorities or petitioners
6initiating the action shall notify each person who pays real
7estate taxes on property within that territory unless the
8person is a petitioner. The notice shall be served by certified
9or registered mail, return receipt requested, at least 20 days
10before a court hearing or other court action. If the person who
11pays real estate taxes on the property is not the owner of
12record, then the payor shall notify the owner of record of the
13proposed annexation.
14(Source: P.A. 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10; 96-1233, eff. 7-23-10;
1597-601, eff. 1-1-12.)