(60 ILCS 1/115-15)
Sec. 115-15.
Public hearing.
(a) Before adopting an open space plan or an amendment to a plan, the board
shall conduct a public hearing on the plan or amendment, recommend adoption of
the open space plan or receive a recommendation by petition of the voters of
the township under Section 115-20 that the open space plan be adopted, and
submit the question of adoption of the open space plan to the township voters
under Section 115-20.
(b) The board shall cause to be prepared a notice of the public hearing
stating the date, time, place, and purpose of the hearing. The township clerk
shall cause the notice to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in
the township not less than 15 nor more than 30 days before the date of the
hearing. The township clerk also shall send notice of the hearing by
registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, not less than 20 days
before the hearing, to the owners of property being recommended for acquisition
and designation as open space or open land under the proposed open space plan.
Those owners shall be those parties identified on the most current real estate
tax assessment rolls for the county in which the township is located as being
the parties to whom current real estate tax bills are being sent. A copy of
the proposed plan also shall be filed with the township clerk, who shall make
it available to the general public for inspection after publication of the
notice of public hearing.
(c) At the public hearing, all persons desiring to offer statements or other
evidence in support of or in opposition to the proposed plan shall be afforded
an opportunity to do so orally, in writing, or both.
(d) Within 60 days after the public hearing, the board shall consider
all of the evidence before it and may, based upon that evidence, recommend
adoption or rejection of the proposed open space plan in whole or in
part. The board's recommendation shall be in writing. If the board does not
recommend adoption or rejection of the proposed open space plan, or if a
petition from the voters of the township recommending adoption of the open
space plan is not filed with the township clerk within 60 days after the public
hearing, the open space plan may not be subsequently adopted unless another
public hearing is held and notice given as provided in this Section. A
recommendation by the board or by petition under this subsection (d) to adopt
an open space plan shall be made no later than 138 days before the next regular
election in order for the question of the adoption of the open space plan to
appear on the ballot at that election. If the question of the adoption of the
open space plan does not appear on the ballot, the open space plan may not be
subsequently adopted unless another public hearing is held and notice given
under this Section.
(Source: P.A. 85-1140; 88-62.)
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