(65 ILCS 5/11-29.3-1) (from Ch. 24, par. 11-29.3-1)

Sec. 11-29.3-1. It being considered essential to the welfare of any municipality that decent, safe and sanitary housing be provided for senior citizens; any such municipality shall have the following powers with respect to senior citizens housing:

(1) To construct, own, manage, acquire, lease, purchase, reconstruct, improve, or rehabilitate any real estate or personal property.

(2) To employ or contract with others for management.

(3) To donate land.

(4) To acquire by any means, including eminent domain, any property deemed necessary and convenient.

(5) To mortgage real and personal property.

(6) To borrow money, and secure the payment of such borrowing by a pledge of revenue.

(7) To guarantee the repayment of money borrowed to finance any purpose hereunder.

(8) To sell or convey real and personal property upon such terms as deemed necessary.

(9) To accept grants, contributions, and gifts.

(10) To charge rents and fees of residents.

(11) To enter into leases.

(12) To expend municipal funds in the exercise of its powers hereunder.

(13) To make all such contracts as may be necessary in the exercise of its powers hereunder.

Senior citizen housing shall mean housing where at least 50% of the tenants are intended to be of age 55 or older.

After the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1994, any municipality, except for municipalities with a population in excess of 10,000 located within a county having a population in excess of 2,000,000, may borrow money or guarantee the repayment of money after the question has been submitted to the electors of that municipality and has been approved by a majority of the electors voting upon that question. The clerk shall certify the proposition of the corporate authorities to the proper election authority who shall submit the question at an election in accordance with the general election law. The proposition shall be in substantially the following form:

Shall (name of municipality) be authorized to borrow $(amount) to provide senior citizen housing under Division 29.3 of the Illinois Municipal Code?

The votes shall be recorded as "Yes" or "No".

No municipality with a population in excess of 10,000 located within a county having a population in excess of 2,000,000 may borrow money or guarantee the repayment of money unless it adopts an ordinance declaring its intention to do so and directs that notice of such intention be published at least once in a newspaper having a general circulation in the municipality. The notice shall set forth (1) the intention of the municipality to borrow money or guarantee the repayment of money; (2) the specific number of voters required to sign a petition requesting that the proposition to borrow money or guarantee the repayment of money be submitted to the voters of the municipality; (3) the time within which a petition must be filed requesting the submission of the proposition; and (4) the date of the prospective referendum. At the time of publication of the notice and for 30 days thereafter, the Clerk shall provide a petition form to any person requesting one. If within 30 days after the publication a petition is filed with the Clerk, signed by not less than 10% of the voters of the municipality requesting that the proposition to borrow money or guarantee the repayment of money be submitted to the voters thereof then the municipality shall not be authorized to so act until the proposition has been certified to the proper election authorities and has been submitted to and approved by a majority of the voters voting on the proposition at any regularly scheduled election. If no such petition is so filed, or if any and all petitions filed are invalid, the municipality may proceed to borrow money or guarantee the repayment of money. In addition to the requirements of the general election law the notice of the referendum election shall set forth the intention of the municipality to borrow money or guarantee the repayment of money under this Division. The proposition shall be in substantially the following form:

Shall (name of village) be authorized to borrow $(amount) (or guarantee the repayment of $(amount)) to provide senior citizen housing under Division 29.3 of the Illinois Municipal Code?

The votes shall be recorded as "Yes" or "No".

Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section, municipalities with a population in excess of 10,000 and less than 15,000 and located within a county having a population in excess of 2,000,000 may borrow money or guarantee the repayment of money for new construction of senior citizen housing only after the question has been submitted to the electors of that municipality and has been approved by a majority of the electors voting upon that question.

(Source: P.A. 87-1153; 87-1208; 88-45; 88-646, eff. 1-1-95.)