65 ILCS 5/ Illinois Municipal Code.

(65 ILCS 5/11-135.5-5)

Sec. 11-135.5-5. Findings. The General Assembly finds that:

(1) It is necessary and in the public interest to help assure a sufficient and economic supply of a source of water of suitable quality within those areas of this State that are dependent on ground water supply from portions of the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer as well as shallow aquifers, and where those aquifers are expected not to be able to provide a sufficient supply of water or water of suitable quality to one or more municipalities which may be located in more than a single county, and where, because of economic development and population growth and proximity to large urban centers, the health, safety, and welfare of the residents is threatened by the continuing reduction in the amount of ground water and quality of ground water that can be obtained from the aquifers.

(2) Because of a need to provide such municipalities a continuing, available, and adequate source and supply of water on an economically viable basis, it is necessary and desirable to establish a different structure for municipalities in the affected region to jointly establish a source of water supply and the necessary waterworks and other supporting facilities as needed to provide a reliable, sustainable, and high-quality source of water on a cost-effective basis.

(3) It is not the intent of the General Assembly to interfere with the structure and operation of other water commissions and county water commissions already existing around the State on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly or to interfere with the power of municipalities to provide for the retail distribution of water to its residents or the customers of its water systems.

(4) It is in the State's best interest to provide for a sufficient and economic supply of water to such areas.

(Source: P.A. 102-684, eff. 12-16-21.)

(65 ILCS 5/11-135.5-7)

Sec. 11-135.5-7. Definitions. As used in this Division:

"Design-build" means a delivery system that provides responsibility within a single contract for the furnishing of architecture, engineering, land surveying, and related services as required and the labor, materials, equipment, and other construction services for the project.

"Design-build contract" means a contract for a public project under this Division between a commission and a design-build entity to furnish: architecture, engineering, land surveying, public art or interpretive exhibits, and related services, as required; and the labor, materials, equipment, and other construction services for the project.

"Design-build entity" means any individual, sole proprietorship, firm, partnership, joint venture, corporation, professional corporation, or other entity that proposes to design and construct any public project under this Division.

"Design professional" means any individual, sole proprietorship, firm, partnership, joint venture, corporation, professional corporation, or other entity that offers services under the Illinois Architecture Practice Act of 1989, the Professional Engineering Practice Act of 1989, the Structural Engineering Practice Act of 1989, or the Illinois Professional Land Surveyor Act of 1989.

"Evaluation criteria" means the requirements for the separate phases of the selection process as defined in this Division and may include the specialized experience, technical qualifications and competence, capacity to perform, past performance, experience with similar projects, assignment of personnel to the project, and other appropriate factors.

"Proposal" means the offer to enter into a design-build contract as submitted by a design-build entity in accordance with this Division.

"Request for proposal" means the document used by the commission to solicit proposals for a design-build contract.

"Scope and performance criteria" means the requirements for the commission project, including, but not limited to, the intended usage, capacity, size, scope, quality and performance standards, life-cycle costs, and other programmatic criteria that are expressed in performance-oriented and quantifiable specifications and drawings that can be reasonably inferred and are suited to allow a design-build entity to develop a proposal.

(Source: P.A. 102-1134, eff. 2-10-23.)

(65 ILCS 5/11-135.5-10)

Sec. 11-135.5-10. Regional water commissions. Municipalities may enter into joint efforts to acquire, develop, and operate a waterworks system or a common source of supply of water, or both, through intergovernmental cooperation in a regional water commission as provided in this Division.

(Source: P.A. 102-684, eff. 12-16-21.)

(65 ILCS 5/11-135.5-15)

Sec. 11-135.5-15. Establishment of commission; members; initial costs and funding.

(a) Establishment of commission. Two or more municipalities, at least one of which is located in whole or in part in the county of Cook, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, or Will and has 140,000 or more inhabitants at the time of establishment of a regional water commission, excluding cities of 500,000 or more inhabitants, may acquire, either by purchase or construction, a waterworks system or a common source of supply of water, or both, and may operate jointly a waterworks system or a common source of supply of water, or both, and improve and extend the same, as provided in this Division. The municipality meeting the requirement to have 140,000 or more inhabitants as required by this paragraph must have attained that population as of December 16, 2021 (the effective date of Public Act 102-684).

The corporate authorities of the municipalities desiring to avail themselves of the provisions of this Division shall establish a regional water commission by adopting an ordinance determining and electing to acquire and operate jointly a waterworks system or a common source of supply of water, or both, as the case may be, and approving an intergovernmental agreement among the municipalities establishing the regional water commission. This agreement may be amended at any time upon the adoption, by the corporate authorities of all member municipalities, of ordinances approving the amendment to the agreement.

(b) Addition or withdrawal of members; dissolution. The agreement may provide for additional municipalities to join the commission upon adoption of an ordinance by the corporate authorities of the joining municipality and, upon such consents, conditions, and approvals of the board of commissioners and of existing member municipalities as shall be provided in the agreement. The agreement shall provide the manner and terms on which a municipality may withdraw from membership in the commission and on which the commission may terminate and dissolve in whole or in part.

(c) Filing of agreement. Promptly upon entering into the agreement or any amendment to it, a copy of such agreement or amendment shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of State. Promptly upon the addition or withdrawal of a municipality, or, upon the dissolution of the commission, that fact shall be certified by an officer of the commission to the Secretary of State.

(d) Development costs. A municipality whose corporate authorities adopted an ordinance and approved an intergovernmental agreement to acquire and operate jointly a waterworks system or a common source of supply of water, or both, as the case may be, under the provisions of this Division, may from time to time pay, advance, or obligate itself to the commission to bear a proportionate share of the development costs, including principal and interest, of any project proposed by the commission, including plans, feasibility reports, and engineering, even if the project is never constructed or water is never supplied by the commission to such municipality.

Whenever the corporate authorities of a municipality determine that the municipality will pay, advance, or be obligated for its proportionate share of development costs as provided in this subsection, they shall adopt an ordinance declaring their intention that the municipality will do so, fix the maximum amount of the municipality's share of the cost the municipality proposes to pay or that the municipality will advance or to obligate the municipality for, and fix the period over which it is proposed to pay the obligation (not exceeding 10 years), if such obligation is to be paid in installments. The time of payment of any such installment obligation may be extended for a period not exceeding 10 years from the final maturity date of the original obligation. On and after the date such ordinance becomes effective, the municipality shall include an amount sufficient to pay the annual installments of its obligation each year in the next succeeding appropriation ordinances. The commission may require that if any such municipality whose corporate authorities determined to pay, to advance, or to obligate the municipality to the commission for development costs defaults in such payments, advances, or obligations, then the remaining municipalities whose corporate authorities have determined to pay, to advance, or to obligate the respective municipalities to the commission for development costs will be required to pay for all or a portion of the payments, advances by, or obligations of the defaulting municipality. No prior appropriation shall be required for the corporate authorities of a municipality to authorize the payments, advances, or obligations herein provided for.

Whenever the corporate authorities of a municipality have obligated the municipality for development costs as herein provided and after the effective date of the ordinance under which the municipality became obligated for a specific amount for development costs of a project and after approval of such obligation by the commission, the commission is authorized to borrow funds temporarily for payment of such development costs in advance of permanent financing. The commission may from time to time and pursuant to an appropriate ordinance or resolution borrow money and issue its interim notes to evidence borrowings for such purpose, including all necessary and incidental expenses in connection therewith.

An ordinance or resolution authorizing the issuance of such notes shall describe the project and the development costs to be undertaken and specify the principal amount, rate of interest as authorized under Section 2 of the Bond Authorization Act, and the maturity date, which shall coincide with the due date of the obligations or the installments thereof incurred by the respective municipalities pursuant to this Section not, however, to exceed 10 years from date.

Contemporaneously with the issuance of revenue bonds under Section 11-135.5-30, all outstanding interim notes issued for development costs of a project though they have not then matured shall be paid, both principal and interest to date of payment, from funds derived from the sale of revenue bonds for the permanent financing of any such project for which interim notes may have been issued and such interim notes shall be surrendered and cancelled, or, in the alternative, the commission may determine to pay such interim notes out of receipts from other sources available to the commission, including grants and loans.

Whenever a member municipality has incurred development costs for a project and has advanced funds or otherwise obligated itself for the payment of such costs, the commission is authorized to accept assignment of such debt instruments and the payment obligations thereunder and to thereafter make all necessary payments to meet such obligations out of receipts from other sources available to the commission, including grants and loans, or provide for credits against amounts otherwise due to the commission from the municipality, including interest on the amounts due.

As used in this subsection, "development costs" means the costs of development of a project, including debt incurred and principal and interest payments, whether incurred by the commission or a member municipality.

(e) Construction and operating costs. A municipality, the corporate authorities of which adopted an ordinance and approved an intergovernmental agreement to acquire and operate jointly a waterworks system or a common source of supply of water, or both, as the case may be, under the provisions of this Division, may from time to time pay, advance, or obligate itself to the commission to bear a proportionate share of the construction and operating costs of any project proposed by the commission.

Whenever the corporate authorities of a municipality determine that the municipality will pay, advance, or be obligated for its proportionate share of construction or operating costs as above provided, they shall adopt an ordinance declaring their intention to do so, fix the maximum amount of the municipality's share of the cost it proposes to pay, to advance, or to obligate itself for, and fix the period over which it is proposed to pay the obligation, if such obligation is to be paid in installments. On and after the date such ordinance becomes effective, the municipality shall include an amount sufficient to pay the annual installments of its obligation each year in the next succeeding appropriation ordinances. The commission may require that if any such municipality whose corporate authorities determined that the municipality will pay, advance, or be obligated to the commission for construction or operating costs defaults in such payments, advances, or obligations, then the remaining municipalities whose corporate authorities have determined that the municipality will pay, advance, or be obligated to the commission for construction or operating costs will be required to pay for all or a portion of the payments, advances by, or obligations of the defaulting municipality. No prior appropriation shall be required for the corporate authorities of a municipality to authorize the payments, advances, or obligations herein provided for.

Whenever a municipality, through its corporate authorities, has paid, advanced, or obligated the municipality for development, construction, or operating costs as herein provided, the commission may contract with the municipality, on such terms as may be agreed, for the repayment to the municipality by the commission of any payment or advance made by the municipality to the commission and to charge, in addition to all other charges and rates authorized under this Division, such rates and charges for water sold by the commission as shall be necessary to provide for such repayment. In addition, any payment or advance of such costs made by a municipality pursuant to this Section may be repaid by the commission to the municipality: (i) from the proceeds of revenue bonds authorized to be issued by the commission pursuant to this Division; (ii) out of receipts from other sources available to the commission, including grants and loans; or (iii) by the commission providing credits against amounts otherwise due to the commission from the municipality, including interest on the amounts due.

Whenever a member municipality has incurred construction and operating costs for a project and has advanced funds or otherwise obligated itself for the payment of such costs, the commission is authorized to accept assignment of such debt instruments and the payment obligations thereunder and to thereafter make all necessary payments to meet such obligations: (i) from the proceeds of revenue bonds authorized to be issued by the commission pursuant to this Division; (ii) out of receipts from other sources available to the commission, including grants and loans; or (iii) by the commission providing credits against amounts otherwise due to the commission from the municipality, including interest on the amounts due.

As used in this subsection, "construction and operating costs" means the costs of construction and operation of a project, including debt incurred and principal and interest payments, whether incurred by the commission or a member municipality.

(f) Commission facilities. A waterworks system or a common source of supply of water, or both, purchased or constructed by the commission: (1) may be located within or without the corporate limits of any member municipality; (2) may include, or may consist of, without limitation, facilities for receiving, storing, and transmitting water from any source for supplying water to member municipalities and other purchasers of water from the commission; and (3) may include, without limitation, facilities that are developed, acquired, constructed, extended, or improved by the commission that may at any time be owned by another unit of local government if such facilities will serve the waterworks system or provide a common source of supply of water for the commission.

(Source: P.A. 102-684, eff. 12-16-21; 102-1134, eff. 2-10-23.)

(65 ILCS 5/11-135.5-20)

Sec. 11-135.5-20. Board of commissioners.

(a) Appointment of commissioners. Upon the adoption of an ordinance and intergovernmental agreement by the corporate authorities of a municipality under this Division, the mayor or president, with the approval of the corporate authorities, shall appoint a commissioner.

(b) Commission. The commissioners so appointed by each of the municipalities shall constitute a commission and a municipal corporation and a public body politic and corporate with the powers and duties specified in this Division. The corporate name of the commission and its duration shall be provided in the agreement, and in such name the commission may contract and be contracted with and sue and be sued. The commissioners shall be collectively referred to as a board of commissioners.

(c) Term; qualifications; compensation; bonds. Each commissioner appointed by a mayor or president shall be the mayor or president or an elected member of the corporate authorities of the municipality from which the appointment is made. The agreement establishing the commission shall specify the period during which a commissioner shall hold office and may provide for the appointment of alternate commissioners from member municipalities. No commissioner may receive any compensation for serving as commissioner. Each commissioner shall furnish a bond for the faithful performance of that commissioner's official duties. This bond shall not be less than $5,000 and its costs shall be paid by the commission.

(d) Removal; prohibited interests. Each commissioner may be removed by the corporate authorities of the municipality from which the commissioner was appointed for any cause for which any municipal officer may be removed. No commissioner or employee of the commission and no mayor, president, member of the corporate authorities, or employee of any of the municipalities shall be interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract or job of work or materials, or the profits thereof, or services to be performed for or by the commission.

(e) Violations. A violation of this Section is a Class C misdemeanor. A conviction is cause for the removal of a person from office or employment.

(Source: P.A. 102-684, eff. 12-16-21.)