SB1224 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB101 08078 AWJ 53141 b

101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
SB1224

Introduced 2/6/2019, by Sen. Laura M. Murphy

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

65 ILCS 5/7-1-13

from Ch. 24, par. 7-1-13

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that before a municipality may annex an area under 60 acres, the corporate authorities of the municipality must conduct at least 2 public hearings no less than 30 business days apart. Provides that during the first public hearing, the corporate authorities must provide persons interested in the annexation the opportunity to be heard. Provides that during the second or subsequent public hearing, the corporate authorities may adopt an ordinance annexing the area only if the municipality obtains consent to annex the area through a petition signed by: more than 50 percent of the registered voters of the area; and more than 50 percent of the owners of land in the area if the registered voters of the area do not own more than 50 percent of the land in the area. Provides that if the municipality cannot obtain consent it may file a petition in the circuit court in the county that the land is to be annexed requesting relief and that relief shall only be granted: (1) if no objections were filed with the municipality or circuit court; or (2) for existing public health and safety reasons that cannot be resolved without the annexation.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning local government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Municipal Code is amended by changing Section 7-1-13 as follows:

(65 ILCS 5/7-1-13) (from Ch. 24, par. 7-1-13)

Sec. 7-1-13. Annexation.

(a) Whenever any unincorporated territory containing 60 acres or less, is wholly bounded by (a) one or more municipalities, (b) one or more municipalities and a creek in a county with a population of 400,000 or more, or one or more municipalities and a river or lake in any county, (c) one or more municipalities and the Illinois State boundary, (d) except as provided in item (h) of this subsection (a), one or more municipalities and property owned by the State of Illinois, except highway right-of-way owned in fee by the State, (e) one or more municipalities and a forest preserve district or park district, (f) if the territory is a triangular parcel of less than 10 acres, one or more municipalities and an interstate highway owned in fee by the State and bounded by a frontage road, (g) one or more municipalities in a county with a population of more than 800,000 inhabitants and less than 2,000,000 inhabitants and either a railroad or operating property, as defined in the Property Tax Code (35 ILCS 200/11-70), being immediately adjacent to, but exclusive of that railroad property, (h) one or more municipalities located within a county with a population of more than 800,000 inhabitants and less than 2,000,000 inhabitants and property owned by the State, including without limitation a highway right-of-way owned in fee by the State, or (i) one or more municipalities and property on which a federally funded research facility in excess of 2,000 acres is located, that territory may be annexed by any municipality by which it is bounded in whole or in part, by the passage of an ordinance to that effect after notice is given as provided in subsection (b) of this Section. Land or property that is used for agricultural purposes or to produce agricultural goods shall not be annexed pursuant to item (g). Nothing in this Section shall subject any railroad property to the zoning or jurisdiction of any municipality annexing the property under this Section. The ordinance shall describe the territory annexed and a copy thereof together with an accurate map of the annexed territory shall be recorded in the office of the recorder of the county wherein the annexed territory is situated and a document of annexation shall be filed with the county clerk and County Election Authority. Nothing in this Section shall be construed as permitting a municipality to annex territory of a forest preserve district in a county with a population of 3,000,000 or more without obtaining the consent of the district pursuant to Section 8.3 of the Cook County Forest Preserve District Act nor shall anything in this Section be construed as permitting a municipality to annex territory owned by a park district without obtaining the consent of the district pursuant to Section 8-1.1 of the Park District Code.

(b) The corporate authorities shall cause notice, stating that annexation of the territory described in the notice is contemplated under this Section, to be published once, in a newspaper of general circulation within the territory to be annexed, not less than 10 days before the passage of the annexation ordinance, and for land annexed pursuant to item (g) of subsection (a) of this Section, notice shall be given to the impacted land owners. The corporate authorities shall also, not less than 15 days before the passage of the annexation ordinance, serve written notice, either in person or, at a minimum, by certified mail, on the taxpayer of record of the proposed annexed territory as appears from the authentic tax records of the county. When the territory to be annexed lies wholly or partially within a township other than the township where the municipality is situated, the annexing municipality shall give at least 10 days prior written notice of the time and place of the passage of the annexation ordinance to the township supervisor of the township where the territory to be annexed lies. If the territory to be annexed lies within the unincorporated area of a county, then the annexing municipality shall give at least 10 days' prior written notice of the time and place of the passage of the annexation ordinance to the corporate authorities of the county where the territory to be annexed lies.

(b-5) Notwithstanding any other provision in this Division, before a municipality may annex an area under 60 acres under this Section, the corporate authorities of the municipality must conduct at least 2 public hearings. The hearings must be conducted not less than 30 business days apart. During the first public hearing, the corporate authorities must provide persons interested in the annexation the opportunity to be heard. During the second or subsequent public hearing, the corporate authorities may adopt an ordinance annexing the area only if the municipality obtains consent to annex the area through a petition signed by:

(1) more than 50% of the registered voters of the area; and

(2) if the registered voters of the area do not own more than 50% of the land in the area, more than 50% of the owners of land in the area.

If the municipality cannot obtain consent, it may file a petition in the circuit court in the county that the land is to be annexed requesting relief. Relief shall only be granted: (1) if no objections were filed with the municipality or circuit court; or (2) for existing public health and safety reasons that cannot be resolved without the annexation.

(c) When notice is given as described in subsection (b) of this Section, no other municipality may annex the proposed territory for a period of 60 days from the date the notice is mailed or delivered to the taxpayer of record unless that other municipality has initiated annexation proceedings or a valid petition as described in Section 7-1-2, 7-1-8, 7-1-11 or 7-1-12 of this Code has been received by the municipality prior to the publication and mailing of the notices required in subsection (b).

(Source: P.A. 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10; 96-1048, eff. 7-14-10; 96-1049, eff. 7-14-10; 97-333, eff. 8-12-11; 97-446, eff. 8-19-11.)