Public Act 097-0309
 
SB1688 EnrolledLRB097 09987 RLJ 50156 b

    AN ACT concerning local government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
Beardstown Regional Flood Prevention District Act.
 
    Section 3. Definitions. As used in this Act, the following
terms shall have the following meanings unless a different
meaning clearly appears from the context:
    "Board" means the Board of Commissioners of the Beardstown
Regional Flood Prevention District.
    "County board" means the Cass County Board.
    "District" means the Beardstown Regional Flood Prevention
District created by this Act.
    "Fund" means the Beardstown Regional Flood Prevention
District Property Tax Fund created under subsection (h) of
Section 20 of this Act.
 
    Section 5. Creation; purpose.
    (a) The Cass County Board may, by ordinance approved by the
affirmative vote of the majority of the members of the county
board, create the Beardstown Regional Flood Prevention
District to perform emergency levee repair and flood
prevention, prevent the loss of life or property, and comply
with the levee requirements imposed by the Federal Emergency
Management Agency and the United States Army Corps of
Engineers. The Beardstown Regional Flood Prevention District
shall include all properties located within the Federal
Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) floodplain map with a
Provisionally Accredited Levees (PAL) expiration date of
January 27, 2011, and all properties within or later annexed to
or incorporated into the South Beardstown Levee and Drainage
District, the Valley Levee and Drainage District, the Lost
Creek Levee and Drainage District, the City of Beardstown, and
the Beardstown Sanitary District regardless of the elevation of
the properties. The Beardstown Regional Flood Prevention
District shall work in concert with affected existing drainage
districts, the City of Beardstown, the Beardstown Sanitary
District, the Cass County Board, the people of Cass County,
FEMA, and the Army Corps of Engineers. In addition to the
powers and authority granted to the District in Section 15 of
this Act, the District shall be responsible for performing and
funding all regular and necessary repairs and maintenance to
the levees including, but not limited to: (i) the repair,
maintenance and replacement of pipes, relief wells,
infrastructure, and other structures existing on or within the
levees as of the effective date of this Act or which may be
constructed or installed by the District after its
establishment; (ii) the removal and abatement of unwanted
vegetation and nuisance animals; (iii) the mowing of the
levees; and (iv) the establishment and maintenance of levee sod
covering. The creation of the Beardstown Regional Flood
Protection District shall neither constitute nor be deemed a
conveyance of title or ownership to the district of any
properties within the district.
    (b) The district created under this Act shall be dissolved
upon the later of (i) 25 years after the date the district is
created or (ii) the payment of all obligations of the county
and district under Section 20 of this Act and any federal
reimbursement moneys under Section 25 of this Act. The district
may be dissolved earlier if all federal reimbursement moneys
have been paid and all obligations of the county and district
incurred under this Act have been paid, including any
obligations related to bonds issued under Section 15 of this
Act and any obligations incurred pursuant to an
intergovernmental agreement. Upon dissolution of the district,
sole possession, control, and maintenance of the properties and
improvements within the district shall revert back to the South
Beardstown Levee and Drainage District, the Valley Levee and
Drainage District, the Lost Creek Levee and Drainage District,
the City of Beardstown, and the Beardstown Sanitary District,
as existed prior to the creation of the district.
 
    Section 10. Commissioners.
    (a) The affairs of the district shall be managed by a board
of 7 commissioners: one shall be appointed by the chairperson
of the county board; one shall be appointed by the Mayor of the
City of Beardstown; one shall be appointed by the Beardstown
Sanitary District; one shall be appointed by the South
Beardstown Levee and Drainage District; one shall be appointed
by the Valley Levee and Drainage District; one shall be
appointed by the Lost Creek Levee and Drainage District; and
one shall be appointed by a majority vote of the other 6
commissioners. All initial appointments under this Section
must be made within 60 days after the district is organized.
    (b) Of the initial appointments, 3 commissioners shall
serve a 2-year term and 4 commissioners shall serve a 4-year
term, as determined by lot. Their successors shall be appointed
for 4-year terms. No commissioner may serve for more than 20
years. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as original
appointments.
    (c) Each commissioner must be a legal voter in Cass County,
and all commissioners shall reside in and own property that is
located within the district. Commissioners shall serve without
compensation, but may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses
incurred in the performance of their duties.
    (d) A majority of the commissioners shall constitute a
quorum of the board for the transaction of business. An
affirmative vote of a majority of the commissioners shall be
sufficient to approve any action or expenditure.
    (e) An alderman of the City of Beardstown, a member of the
county board, and a commissioner of each of the aforementioned
drainage districts and sanitation district may be appointed to
serve concurrently as commissioners of the district, and the
appointment shall be deemed lawful and not to constitute a
violation of the Public Officer Prohibited Activities Act, nor
to create an impermissible conflict of interest or
incompatibility of offices.
 
    Section 15. Powers of the district. A district formed under
this Act has the following powers:
        (1) To sue or be sued.
        (2) To apply for and accept gifts, grants, and loans
    from any public agency or private entity.
        (3) To enter into intergovernmental agreements with
    other governmental units including municipalities,
    sanitary districts, or drainage districts to further
    ensure levee repair, levee construction or reconstruction,
    and flood prevention, including agreements with the United
    States Army Corps of Engineers or any other agency or
    department of the federal government.
        (4) To undertake evaluation, planning, design,
    construction, and related activities that are determined
    to be urgently needed to stabilize, repair, restore,
    improve, or replace existing levees.
        (5) To address underseepage problems and old and
    deteriorating gates, pipes, and other infrastructure
    related to existing levees.
        (6) To conduct evaluations of levees and other flood
    control facilities including the performance of floodplain
    mapping studies.
        (7) To provide capital moneys for levee studies
    including the construction of facilities for that purpose.
        (8) To borrow money or receive money from the United
    States Government or any agency thereof, or from any other
    public or private source, for the purposes of the district.
        (9) To enter into agreements with private property
    owners.
        (10) To issue revenue bonds for the purposes of the
    district. Revenue bonds shall be payable from revenue
    received from a property tax imposed under Section 20 of
    this Act and from any other revenue sources available to
    the flood prevention district. These bonds may be issued
    with maturities not exceeding 25 years after the date of
    issue, and in any amounts as may be necessary to provide
    sufficient funds, together with interest, for the purposes
    of the district. These bonds shall bear interest at a rate
    of not more than the maximum rate authorized by the Bond
    Authorization Act, as amended at the time of the making of
    the contract of sale, payable semi-annually, may be made
    registerable as to principal, and may be made payable and
    callable as provided on any date at a price of par and
    accrued interest under any terms and conditions as may be
    fixed by an ordinance approved by the affirmative vote of
    the county board. Bonds issued under this Section are
    negotiable instruments. In case any officer whose
    signature appears on the bonds or coupons ceases to hold
    that office before the bonds are delivered, the officer's
    signature shall nevertheless be valid and sufficient for
    all purposes the same as though the officer had remained in
    office until the bonds were delivered. The bonds shall be
    sold in any manner and upon any terms as the district shall
    determine, except that the selling price shall be such that
    the interest cost to the district of the proceeds of the
    bonds shall not exceed the maximum rate authorized by the
    Bond Authorization Act, as amended at the time of the
    making of the contract of sale, payable semi-annually,
    computed to maturity according to the standard table of
    bond values.
        (11) To acquire property by gift, grant, or
    intergovernmental agreement.
        (12) To retain professional staff to carry out the
    functions of the district including, but not limited to,
    administrative support personnel and legal counsel. The
    district may employ a Chief Supervisor of Construction and
    the Works with appropriate professional qualifications,
    including a degree in engineering, construction,
    hydrology, or a related field, or an equivalent combination
    of education and experience. If the district employs a
    Chief Supervisor of Construction and the Works, he or she
    shall be vested with the authority to carry out the duties
    and mission of the district, pursuant to the direction and
    supervision of the board of commissioners.
        (13) To reimburse any unit of local government for
    costs advanced by the local government for expenses that
    would have otherwise been paid out of the Beardstown
    Regional Flood Prevention District Property Tax Fund, had
    the fund been established at the time of the expenditure.
    Nothing in this Section shall be construed to permit a unit
    of local government to seek reimbursement from the district
    for any expense related to levee maintenance, repair,
    improvement, construction, staff, operating expenses, the
    construction of facilities for any such purpose, or any
    other non-emergency levee related expense that occurred
    prior to an emergency situation involving the levees within
    the county.
        (14) To change the name of the district by an ordinance
    approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the
    commissioners of the district.
        (15) To adopt rules, procedures, and policies
    concerning the operation and purpose of the district.
        (16) To establish and maintain accounts with banks and
    other financial institutions to further the purposes and
    operations of the district.
        (17) To expend monies in furtherance of the district's
    purposes and operations.
 
    Section 20. Property tax.
    (a) The district organized under this Act shall, by
ordinance or resolution, petition the county board to levy a
property tax to accomplish its goals, purposes, and obligations
as set forth in Section 5 of this Act or to provide for the
payment of debt incurred in accordance with this Act.
    (b) The manner of levying the tax authorized by subsection
(a) shall be as provided in this Section.
    (c) A property tax may be levied by the district at a rate
not to exceed 0.7% to produce revenues required to accomplish
its goals, purposes, and obligations as set forth in Section 5
of this Act. Before the first levy of taxes in the district,
notice shall be given and a hearing shall be held under the
provisions of subsections (d) and (e). For purposes of this
subsection, the notice shall include:
        (1) the time and place of the hearing;
        (2) a notification that all interested persons,
    including all persons owning taxable real property located
    within the district, shall be given an opportunity to be
    heard at the hearing regarding the tax levy and an
    opportunity to file objections to the amount of the tax
    levy; and
        (3) the maximum rate of taxes to be extended in any
    year and may include a maximum number of years the taxes
    will be levied.
    (d) After the first levy of taxes, taxes may be extended
without additional hearings, provided the taxes shall not
exceed the rate specified in the notice and the taxes shall not
be extended for a period longer than that outlined in
subsection (b) of Section 5. The district, by ordinance or
resolution, may petition the county board to increase the rate
of tax by no more than 0.1%. Any such increase must be approved
by the county board and by the electors.
    The tax under this subsection may not be increased until,
by ordinance or resolution of the county board, the question of
imposing the tax has been submitted to the electors of the
county at a regular election and approved by a majority of the
electors voting on the question.
    The election authority must submit the question in
substantially the following form:
        Shall Cass County be authorized to increase the
    property tax rate to be used exclusively for the operation
    of the Beardstown Regional Flood Prevention District by
    (insert up to 0.1%)?
The election authority must record the votes as "Yes" or "No".
    If a majority of the electors voting on the question vote
in the affirmative, then the county may, thereafter, increase
the rate of tax.
    The rate of tax may be increased more than once under this
subsection, but not at the same election.
    (d) Within a period of 61 to 120 calendar days following
the adoption of the ordinance establishing the district, the
district shall fix a time and a place for a public hearing.
Notice of the hearing shall be given by publication and
mailing. Notice by publication shall be given by publication at
least once not less than 15 days before the hearing in a
newspaper of general circulation within the district. Notice by
mailing shall be given by depositing the notice in the United
States mail addressed to the person or persons in whose name
the general taxes for the last preceding year were paid on each
lot, block, tract, or parcel of land lying within the district.
The notice shall be mailed not less than 10 days before the
time set for the public hearing. In the event taxes for the
last preceding year were not paid, the notice shall be sent to
the person last listed on the tax rolls before that year as the
owner of the property.
    (e) At the public hearing, any interested person, including
all persons owning taxable real property located within the
district, may file with the district written objections to and
may be heard orally in respect to any issues embodied in the
notice. The district shall hear and determine all protests and
objections at the hearing, and the hearing may be adjourned or
recessed to another date without further notice other than a
motion to be entered upon the minutes fixing the time and place
of its adjournment.
    (f) Bonds secured by the full faith and credit of the
district may be issued as described in paragraph (10) of
Section 15. Bonds, when so issued, shall be retired by the levy
of taxes as specified in subsection (c), against all of the
taxable real property included in the district as provided in
the ordinance or resolution authorizing the issuance of the
bonds. The county clerk shall annually extend taxes against all
of the taxable property situated in the county and contained in
the district in amounts sufficient to pay maturing principal
and interest of those bonds.
    Before the issuance of bonds, notice shall be given and a
hearing shall be held under the provisions of subsections (d)
and (e). For purposes of this subsection, the notice shall
include:
        (1) the time and place of the hearing;
        (2) a notification that all interested persons,
    including all persons owning taxable real property located
    within the district, will be given an opportunity to be
    heard at the hearing regarding the district's decision to
    issue the bonds and an opportunity to file objections to
    the issuance of the bonds; and
        (3) the maximum amount of bonds proposed to be issued,
    the maximum period of time over which the bonds shall be
    retired, and the maximum interest rate the bonds shall
    bear.
     The questions of the property tax levy and the issuance of
bonds may be considered together at one hearing. Any bonds
issued shall not exceed the number of bonds, the interest rate,
and the period of extension set forth in the notice, unless an
additional hearing is held. No bonds issued under this Section
shall be regarded as indebtedness of the district for the
purpose of any limitation imposed by any law.
     (g) If a petition signed by at least 30% of the electors
residing within the district and by at least 30% of the owners
of record of the land included within the boundaries of the
district is filed with the district within 60 days following
the final adjournment of the public hearing objecting to the
levy or imposition of the property tax or issuance of bonds, no
such tax may be levied or imposed or no such bonds may be
issued. The subject matter of the petition filed by the
electors and owners shall not be proposed by the district
within the next year. Each resident of the district registered
to vote at the time of the public hearing held with regard to
the district shall be considered an elector. Each person in
whose name legal title to land included within the boundaries
of the district is held according to the records of the county
in which the land is located shall be considered an owner of
record. Owners of record shall be determined at the time of the
public hearing held with regard to the district. Land owned in
the name of a land trust, corporation, estate, or partnership
shall be considered to have a single owner of record.
    (h) If a property tax is levied, the tax shall be extended
by the county clerk in the district in the manner provided by
the Property Tax Code based on assessed values as established
under that Act. A special fund shall be created in the county
treasury that shall be known as the Beardstown Regional Flood
Prevention District Property Tax Fund. The county treasurer
shall collect and deposit into the Fund the revenues generated
by the property tax. The county treasurer shall, within 30 days
of receiving tax revenues, disburse all revenues to the
district.
 
    Section 25. Disbursement of federal funds.
    (a) Any reimbursements for the construction of flood
protection facilities shall be appropriated to the district in
accordance with the location of the specific facility for which
the federal appropriation is made.
    (b) If there are federal reimbursements to the district for
construction of flood protection facilities that were built
using revenues authorized by this Act, those funds shall be
used for the early retirement of bonds issued in accordance
with this Act.
    (c) When all bond obligations of the district have been
paid, the remaining federal reimbursement moneys shall be
remitted in equal shares to the drainage districts and sanitary
district included within the boundaries of the district to be
used for the continued long-term maintenance of federal levees
and flood protection districts.
 
    Section 30. Financial audit of the district. A financial
audit of the district shall be conducted annually by a
certified public accountant (CPA) that is licensed at the time
of the audit by the Illinois Department of Financial and
Professional Regulation. The CPA shall meet all of the general
standards concerning qualifications, independence, due
professional care, and quality control as required by the
Government Auditing Standards, 1994 Revision, Chapter 3,
including the requirements for continuing professional
education and external peer review. The financial audit is to
be performed in accordance with generally accepted auditing
standards issued by the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants (AICPA) for field work and reporting, generally
accepted government auditing standards (GAGAS), and AICPA
Statements on Auditing Standards (SAS) current at the time the
audit is commenced. The audit shall be made publicly available
and sent to the county board chairperson and to the Secretary
of State.
 
    Section 35. Budget of the district. The board shall adopt
an annual budget for the district in accordance with the fiscal
year adopted by the county board. The budget shall include
expected revenues by source and expenditures by project or by
function for the following year. The budget must be approved by
the county board prior to any expenditure by the district for
the fiscal year. The county board must approve or disapprove
the budget of the board within 30 calendar days after the
budget is received by the county board. If the county board
does not act to approve or disapprove the budget within 30
calendar days of receipt, it shall stand as approved. In
addition, the board shall submit an annual report to the county
board by the last day of the fiscal year detailing the
activities of the district.
 
    Section 40. Procurement. The board shall conduct all
procurements in accordance with the requirements of the Local
Government Professional Services Selection Act and any
competitive bid requirements contained in Section 5-1022 of the
Counties Code.
 
    Section 45. The Illinois Governmental Ethics Act is amended
by changing Section 4A-101 as follows:
 
    (5 ILCS 420/4A-101)  (from Ch. 127, par. 604A-101)
    Sec. 4A-101. Persons required to file. The following
persons shall file verified written statements of economic
interests, as provided in this Article:
        (a) Members of the General Assembly and candidates for
    nomination or election to the General Assembly.
        (b) Persons holding an elected office in the Executive
    Branch of this State, and candidates for nomination or
    election to these offices.
        (c) Members of a Commission or Board created by the
    Illinois Constitution, and candidates for nomination or
    election to such Commission or Board.
        (d) Persons whose appointment to office is subject to
    confirmation by the Senate and persons appointed by the
    Governor to any other position on a board or commission
    described in subsection (a) of Section 15 of the
    Gubernatorial Boards and Commissions Act.
        (e) Holders of, and candidates for nomination or
    election to, the office of judge or associate judge of the
    Circuit Court and the office of judge of the Appellate or
    Supreme Court.
        (f) Persons who are employed by any branch, agency,
    authority or board of the government of this State,
    including but not limited to, the Illinois State Toll
    Highway Authority, the Illinois Housing Development
    Authority, the Illinois Community College Board, and
    institutions under the jurisdiction of the Board of
    Trustees of the University of Illinois, Board of Trustees
    of Southern Illinois University, Board of Trustees of
    Chicago State University, Board of Trustees of Eastern
    Illinois University, Board of Trustees of Governor's State
    University, Board of Trustees of Illinois State
    University, Board of Trustees of Northeastern Illinois
    University, Board of Trustees of Northern Illinois
    University, Board of Trustees of Western Illinois
    University, or Board of Trustees of the Illinois
    Mathematics and Science Academy, and are compensated for
    services as employees and not as independent contractors
    and who:
            (1) are, or function as, the head of a department,
        commission, board, division, bureau, authority or
        other administrative unit within the government of
        this State, or who exercise similar authority within
        the government of this State;
            (2) have direct supervisory authority over, or
        direct responsibility for the formulation,
        negotiation, issuance or execution of contracts
        entered into by the State in the amount of $5,000 or
        more;
            (3) have authority for the issuance or
        promulgation of rules and regulations within areas
        under the authority of the State;
            (4) have authority for the approval of
        professional licenses;
            (5) have responsibility with respect to the
        financial inspection of regulated nongovernmental
        entities;
            (6) adjudicate, arbitrate, or decide any judicial
        or administrative proceeding, or review the
        adjudication, arbitration or decision of any judicial
        or administrative proceeding within the authority of
        the State;
            (7) have supervisory responsibility for 20 or more
        employees of the State;
            (8) negotiate, assign, authorize, or grant naming
        rights or sponsorship rights regarding any property or
        asset of the State, whether real, personal, tangible,
        or intangible; or
            (9) have responsibility with respect to the
        procurement of goods or services.
        (g) Persons who are elected to office in a unit of
    local government, and candidates for nomination or
    election to that office, including regional
    superintendents of school districts.
        (h) Persons appointed to the governing board of a unit
    of local government, or of a special district, and persons
    appointed to a zoning board, or zoning board of appeals, or
    to a regional, county, or municipal plan commission, or to
    a board of review of any county, and persons appointed to
    the Board of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority
    and any Trustee appointed under Section 22 of the
    Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority Act, and
    persons appointed to a board or commission of a unit of
    local government who have authority to authorize the
    expenditure of public funds. This subsection does not apply
    to members of boards or commissions who function in an
    advisory capacity.
        (i) Persons who are employed by a unit of local
    government and are compensated for services as employees
    and not as independent contractors and who:
            (1) are, or function as, the head of a department,
        division, bureau, authority or other administrative
        unit within the unit of local government, or who
        exercise similar authority within the unit of local
        government;
            (2) have direct supervisory authority over, or
        direct responsibility for the formulation,
        negotiation, issuance or execution of contracts
        entered into by the unit of local government in the
        amount of $1,000 or greater;
            (3) have authority to approve licenses and permits
        by the unit of local government; this item does not
        include employees who function in a ministerial
        capacity;
            (4) adjudicate, arbitrate, or decide any judicial
        or administrative proceeding, or review the
        adjudication, arbitration or decision of any judicial
        or administrative proceeding within the authority of
        the unit of local government;
            (5) have authority to issue or promulgate rules and
        regulations within areas under the authority of the
        unit of local government; or
            (6) have supervisory responsibility for 20 or more
        employees of the unit of local government.
        (j) Persons on the Board of Trustees of the Illinois
    Mathematics and Science Academy.
        (k) Persons employed by a school district in positions
    that require that person to hold an administrative or a
    chief school business official endorsement.
        (l) Special government agents. A "special government
    agent" is a person who is directed, retained, designated,
    appointed, or employed, with or without compensation, by or
    on behalf of a statewide executive branch constitutional
    officer to make an ex parte communication under Section
    5-50 of the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act or
    Section 5-165 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure
    Act.
        (m) Members of the board of commissioners of any flood
    prevention district created under the Flood Prevention
    District Act or the Beardstown Regional Flood Prevention
    District Act.
        (n) Members of the board of any retirement system or
    investment board established under the Illinois Pension
    Code, if not required to file under any other provision of
    this Section.
        (o) Members of the board of any pension fund
    established under the Illinois Pension Code, if not
    required to file under any other provision of this Section.
    This Section shall not be construed to prevent any unit of
local government from enacting financial disclosure
requirements that mandate more information than required by
this Act.
(Source: P.A. 95-719, eff. 5-21-08; 96-6, eff. 4-3-09; 96-543,
eff. 8-17-09; 96-555, eff. 8-18-09; 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10.)
 
    Section 50. The Public Officer Prohibited Activities Act is
amended by changing Section 2 as follows:
 
    (50 ILCS 105/2)  (from Ch. 102, par. 2)
    Sec. 2. No alderman of any city, or member of the board of
trustees of any village, during the term of office for which he
or she is elected, may accept, be appointed to, or hold any
office by the appointment of the mayor or president of the
board of trustees, unless the alderman or board member is
granted a leave of absence from such office, or unless he or
she first resigns from the office of alderman or member of the
board of trustees, or unless the holding of another office is
authorized by law. The alderman or board member may, however,
serve as a volunteer fireman and receive compensation for that
service. The alderman may also serve as a commissioner of the
Beardstown Regional Flood Prevention District board. Any
appointment in violation of this Section is void. Nothing in
this Act shall be construed to prohibit an elected municipal
official from holding elected office in another unit of local
government as long as there is no contractual relationship
between the municipality and the other unit of local
government. This amendatory Act of 1995 is declarative of
existing law and is not a new enactment.
(Source: P.A. 89-89, eff. 6-30-95.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.

Effective Date: 8/11/2011