75 ILCS 16/ Public Library District Act of 1991.

(75 ILCS 16/Art. 10 heading) ARTICLE 10. CONVERSION OF TAX SUPPORTED PUBLIC LIBRARY TO PUBLIC LIBRARY DISTRICT

(75 ILCS 16/10-5)

Sec. 10-5. Application. This Article shall not apply in any municipality having a population greater than 500,000.

(Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/10-10)

Sec. 10-10. Conversion by library board resolution and referendum.

(a) A tax supported public library in a municipality, county, or township maintained and operated under any other Act may, by conversion, become a library organized, maintained, and operated under this Act by resolution of the public library board of trustees and referendum as provided in this Section.

(b) The board of trustees of a tax supported public library desiring to convert the existing library to a library district may adopt a resolution calling for the conversion. The board shall certify the question of conversion to the proper election authority, who shall submit the question to the voters at the next regular election. If the board specifies in its resolution that the converted library shall have a maximum tax rate in excess of the existing ceiling or limitation of the library to be converted, the question shall so specify. Notice of the election shall be given in accordance with Section 1-30.

(c) The proposition shall be submitted to the voters in substantially the following form:

Shall the board of trustees of the public library in (name of municipality, county, or township), Illinois, be authorized to convert the public library to a public library district as determined by the board's resolution of (date)?

(d) If the resolution specified a maximum tax rate in excess of the existing ceiling or limitation, the proposition shall be submitted to the voters in substantially the following form:

Shall the board of trustees of the public library in (name of municipality, county, or township), Illinois, be authorized to convert the public library to a public library district, with a maximum annual public library tax rate established at (rate)% of the value of all taxable property in the district as equalized and assessed by the Department of Revenue, as determined by the board's resolution of (date)?

(e) If a majority of the votes cast on the proposition are in the affirmative, the board of trustees shall convert the public library to a public library district.

(f) This Section shall not apply to any library established by the corporate authorities of a municipality under the Illinois Local Library Act.

(Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/10-15)

Sec. 10-15. Conversion by library board resolution and approval of corporate authorities.

(a) The board of trustees of a tax supported public library desiring to convert the existing library to a library maintained and operated under this Act may, rather than utilizing the procedures prescribed in Section 10-5, adopt a resolution calling for the conversion and requesting the approval of the conversion by the corporate authorities of the municipality, county, or township maintaining the existing library. If the corporate authorities approve the conversion within 60 days after the resolution is adopted by the board of trustees, the board of trustees shall convert the public library to a public library district.

(b) Any library in a home rule unit, as defined in Article VII, Section 6, of the Illinois Constitution, converted under this Section shall have a maximum tax rate not to exceed the greater of 0.15% or the last rate levied by the municipality for library purposes for the most recent year before the conversion, and that rate shall not be subject to any rate limitations or referendum requirements imposed by this Act. That rate may thereafter be increased, however, as provided in Section 35-10.

(Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/10-20)

Sec. 10-20. Contents of county library board resolution. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, whenever after August 30, 1989 the board of trustees of a tax supported public library adopt a resolution under Section 10-10 or 10-15 calling for conversion of a county library in existence on August 30, 1989 to a public library district, the resolution shall specify the following:

(1) The number of trustees to be elected for the new public library district. That number shall be not more than the number of trustees on the existing board before conversion.

(2) The maximum number of trustees who may reside in a single township.

(Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/10-25)

Sec. 10-25. Conversion by petition and referendum.

(a) An election for conversion of a public library established in any municipality, county, or township shall be called upon the filing of a petition signed by not less than 10% of the voters (or, if there are 100 or fewer voters, then a majority of the voters) residing within that territory. The petition shall be addressed to and filed simultaneously with the board of library trustees of the existing public library and the corporate authorities of the municipality, county, or township. The original petition shall be filed with the corporate authorities.

(b) The petition shall specify the new maximum tax rate of the public library district and state the existing tax rate of the public library to be converted if the rate is to be in excess of the existing ceiling or limitation of the library converted.

(c) Upon receipt of a certified copy of the petition, the board of library trustees shall, within 30 days, file with the corporate authorities an addendum to the petition setting forth (i) the establishment date of the existing public library, (ii) the lawful ceiling on its public library tax levies, (iii) the geographic area of territory involved, and (iv) the identity of the municipality, county, or township involved.

(d) The corporate authorities shall certify the question to the proper election authority, who shall submit to the voters of the district the question of conversion at an election in accordance with the Election Code. The proposition shall be submitted to the voters in substantially the following form:

Shall the public library in (name of municipality, county, or township), Illinois, be converted to a public library district?

(e) If the petition specified a maximum tax rate in excess of the existing ceiling or limitation, the proposition shall be submitted in substantially the following form:

Shall the public library in (name of municipality, county, or township), Illinois, be converted to a public library district, with a maximum annual public library tax rate established at (rate)% of the value of all taxable property in the district as equalized and assessed by the Department of Revenue?

(f) If a majority of the votes cast on the proposition are in the affirmative, the board of library trustees shall convert the public library to a public library district, with the maximum annual public library tax rate specified in the proposition.

(Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/10-30)

Sec. 10-30. Limitation on referendum. A proposition for the conversion of a public library to a public library district shall not be submitted to the voters more often than once every 2 years.

(Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/10-35)

Sec. 10-35. Petition by library trustees for court order.

(a) If the voters in the election resulting from the board of library trustees' resolution to convert under Section 10-10, or from the petition of the voters calling for a referendum under Section 10-25, approve the conversion to a library district, or if the appropriate corporate authorities approve the conversion under Section 10-20, the board of library trustees of the public library affected shall, within 30 days, petition the circuit court of the county in which the majority of the territory affected lies for a final order to convert the public library to a library district. The petition shall incorporate, if applicable, the election results and the addendum to the petition for the election.

(b) The circuit court, upon finding the petition sufficient, shall enter its final order doing the following:

(1) Approving the conversion of the existing public library of the county, township, or municipality to a public library district subject to this Act.

(2) Naming the district.

(3) Designating all incumbent library trustees as trustees of the district until the next regular election of the trustees of the district.

(4) Fixing the boundary of the newly formed district.

(5) Specifying the ceiling or limitation upon the annual public library tax or any special tax that may be levied by the district thereafter based upon (i) the existing ceilings or limitations and the obligation of the public library converted or (ii) the ceiling specified in the conversion petition and ballot, but in any case not to exceed the maximum specified in Section 35-10.

(6) Specifying the first fiscal year of the newly formed district.

(7) Specifying the first year when appropriation and levy ordinances may be enacted by the newly formed district and requiring the library trustees to cause an abatement of any annual public library tax levy for that same year, so that only one annual public library tax will be levied in that year.

(8) Specifying the effective date of (i) the conversion and (ii) the acquisition, by the board of library trustees of the newly formed district, of the assets (including personal property, titles to real property, and moneys received or due for the purposes of the public tax supported library by the corporate authority) and assumption of the liabilities of the board of library trustees and of the public library affected by the conversion.

(9) Specifying the date when the newly formed district shall commence to render library service.

(c) The trustees of the newly formed district shall promptly publish notice of the order and of its effect.

(d) The order shall be effective not later than 30 days after the date of its entry.

(Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/10-40)

Sec. 10-40. Existing bond issue. An existing bond issue shall not be affected by a conversion under this Article and shall continue in full force and effect under the laws governing the bond issue.

(Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/10-45)

Sec. 10-45. Transfer of assets and liabilities; sharing library building.

(a) Whenever a tax supported library in a county, township, or municipality has been converted to a public library district under this Article, all of the assets (including any building or buildings (i) solely occupied by and publicly designated as the library building or buildings and (ii) solely used for library purposes) and any liabilities of the public tax supported library's board of library trustees in connection with the operation of its library shall become the assets and liabilities of the public library district. If the library converted to a public library district was eligible to receive its proportionate share of the Personal Property Tax Replacement Fund, that eligibility shall continue to apply to the public library district created by the conversion.

(b) Nothing in this Section shall preclude a municipality, township, or county, by written agreement, from sharing a library building or buildings with a district library if the establishment of a district library has been approved and the district includes wholly within its territory a municipal, township, or county library.

(Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/10-50)

Sec. 10-50. Continuation of public library tax levy. In any county or counties in which more than one year will elapse between the effective date of the final order entered by the circuit court and the levy of an annual public library tax of the district library created as a result of a conversion, the corporate authority of the public tax supported library shall continue the library's levy.

(Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/10-55)

Sec. 10-55. Employee retirement program. When the employees of a public tax supported library of a county, municipality, or township are participating in an employer provided Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund or other retirement or pension program and the library is converting to a library district under this Article, the corporate authority shall continue to provide coverage under the retirement or pension program until the newly established district library provides retirement or pension program coverage. In no case, however, shall the corporate authority extend its coverage for more than 547 days after the effective date of the circuit court's final order of establishment. Any payments made by the corporate authority for coverage shall be reimbursed by the district library.

(Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/10-60)

Sec. 10-60. Home rule unit library; reduction of tax levy. If a tax supported public library of a home rule unit, as defined in Article VII, Section 6, of the Illinois Constitution, converts to a public library district under this Article, that home rule unit, for the year following the year of conversion, shall reduce its property tax levy by the amount levied by the home rule unit for the most recent year before the conversion.

(Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/10-65)

Sec. 10-65. Inclusion of area subject to local library tax. If a tax supported public library of a governmental unit that levies a tax within an area pursuant to a referendum held under subsection (c) of Section 3-7 of the Illinois Local Library Act converts to a public library district under this Article, all of that area shall be included within the newly created district.

(Source: P.A. 87-1277.)