97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
SB0542

 

Introduced 2/8/2011, by Sen. John J. Cullerton

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
75 ILCS 16/15-85

    Amends the Public Library District Act of 1991. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the automatic disconnection of territory.


LRB097 04365 HLH 44404 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB0542LRB097 04365 HLH 44404 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 Public Library District Act of 1991 is
5amended by changing Section 15-85 as follows:
 
6    (75 ILCS 16/15-85)
7    Sec. 15-85. Automatic disconnection from district.
8    (a) Any territory within a public library district that
9that is or has been annexed to a municipality (where that
10municipality maintains a public library) is, by operation of
11law, disconnected from the public library district as of the
12January first next after the territory is annexed.
13    (a-5) If at anytime prior to, on, or after the effective
14date of this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly, the
15City of Springfield, Illinois, annexes territory within the
16Chatham Area Public Library District, or any successor thereto,
17for the development and construction of the proposed Hunter
18Lake to serve as an additional water supply for the City of
19Springfield and under subsection (a) that territory is
20disconnected from the Chatham Area Public Library District,
21then all remaining territory of the Chatham Area Public Library
22District is nevertheless deemed contiguous for the purposes of
23this Act. The remaining territory continues to be a part of the

 

 

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1Chatham Area Public Library District or any successor thereto.
2    (b) A disconnection by operation of law under this Section
3does not occur if, within 60 days after the annexation, the
4public library district files with the appropriate circuit
5court a petition alleging that the disconnection will cause the
6territory remaining in the district to be noncontiguous or that
7the loss of assessed valuation by reason of the disconnection
8will impair the ability of the district to render fully
9adequate library service to the territory remaining in the
10district.
11    (c) When a petition is filed under subsection (b), the
12court shall set it for hearing. At the hearing, the district
13has the burden of proving the truth of the allegations in its
14petition. In determining whether to grant the petition, the
15court may consider at least the following factors:
16        (i) whether disconnection will cause the territory
17    remaining in the district to be noncontiguous;
18        (ii) whether the loss of assessed valuation by reason
19    of the disconnection will impair the ability of the
20    district to render fully adequate library service to the
21    territory remaining in the district;
22        (iii) the convenience of the residents of the annexed
23    territory and whether a plan exists enabling the residents
24    of the annexed territory to use either the public library
25    district facilities or the library facilities of the city,
26    village, or incorporated town to which the territory has

 

 

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1    been annexed; and
2        (iv) whether the city, village, or incorporated town
3    has annexed any other territory within the district within
4    the preceding 2 years and the cumulative effect of those
5    annexations on the financial viability of the district.
6    The Court may consider comments by the Illinois State
7Library, the annexing municipality and its public library, and
8the library system or systems to which the affected libraries
9belong. This does not create a right of intervention in these
10parties.
11    (d) After the hearing, the Court may grant the relief it
12deems appropriate, including, but not limited to, any of the
13following: (i) denial of the disconnection; (ii) disconnection
14of the territory from the public library district; (iii)
15disconnection of the territory from the public library district
16in parts over a specific period of time not to exceed 5 years;
17(iv) court approval of a voluntary agreement between the
18parties that provides for the sharing of real estate tax
19revenues from the annexed territory for a limited period of
20time not to exceed 5 years unless extended by mutual agreement
21of the parties; or (v) submission of the question of
22disconnection of the territory to the electors of the annexed
23territory at a referendum to be held at the next general
24election in accordance with the general election law. The
25proposition at such a referendum shall be in substantially the
26following form:

 

 

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1        Shall (describe annexed territory) be disconnected
2    from (name of public library district)?
3    If a referendum is held, the result of the election shall
4be entered of record in the Court. If a majority of votes cast
5upon the question in the annexed territory are for
6disconnection of the annexed territory from the public library
7district, the territory shall be disconnected from the public
8library district.
9    (e) If there are any general obligation bonds of the public
10library district outstanding and unpaid at the time the
11territory is disconnected from the public library district by
12operation of this Section, the disconnected territory shall
13remain liable for its proportionate share of that bonded
14indebtedness, and the public library district may continue to
15levy and extend taxes upon the taxable property in the
16territory for the purpose of amortizing the bonds until
17sufficient funds to retire the bonds have been collected.
18    (f) The county clerk must extend taxes to pay the principal
19of and interest on any general obligation bonds issued to
20refund any bond described in subsection (e), as provided in the
21bond ordinances on file in the office of the county clerk,
22against all taxable property in the district, including taxable
23property that was in the district on the date that the bonds
24being refunded were issued; provided, however, that (i) the net
25interest rate on the refunding bonds may not exceed the net
26interest rate on the refunded bonds, (ii) the final maturity

 

 

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1date of the refunding bonds may not extend beyond the final
2maturity date of the refunded bonds, and (iii) the debt service
3payable on the refunding bonds in any year may not exceed the
4debt service that would have been payable on the refunded bonds
5in that year. This subsection is inoperative after June 30,
62002.
7(Source: P.A. 96-249, eff. 8-11-09.)