093_HB0138

                                     LRB093 03373 MKM 04177 b

 1        AN ACT in relation to counties.

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

 4        Section 5.  The Election  Code  is  amended  by  changing
 5    Section 28-1 as follows:

 6        (10 ILCS 5/28-1) (from Ch. 46, par. 28-1)
 7        Sec.  28-1.  The  initiation and submission of all public
 8    questions to be voted upon by the electors of the State or of
 9    any  political  subdivision  or  district  or   precinct   or
10    combination  of  precincts shall be subject to the provisions
11    of this Article.
12        Questions of public policy which have  any  legal  effect
13    shall  be  submitted  to  referendum  only as authorized by a
14    statute which so provides or by  the  Constitution.  Advisory
15    questions  of  public policy shall be submitted to referendum
16    pursuant to Section 28-5 or pursuant to a  statute  which  so
17    provides.
18        The  method  of  initiating  the  submission  of a public
19    question shall be as provided by the statute authorizing such
20    public question, or as provided by the Constitution.
21        All public questions shall be  initiated,  submitted  and
22    printed on the ballot in the form required by Section 16-7 of
23    this Act, except as may otherwise be specified in the statute
24    authorizing a public question.
25        Whenever  a  statute  provides  for  the  initiation of a
26    public question by a petition of electors, the provisions  of
27    such  statute  shall  govern  with  respect  to the number of
28    signatures required, the qualifications of  persons  entitled
29    to  sign  the  petition,  the  contents  of the petition, the
30    officer with whom the petition must be filed, and the form of
31    the question to  be  submitted.  If  such  statute  does  not
 
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 1    specify  any  of  the  foregoing  petition  requirements, the
 2    corresponding petition requirements  of  Section  28-6  shall
 3    govern such petition.
 4        Irrespective of the method of initiation, not more than 3
 5    public  questions  other  than  (a)  back door referenda, (b)
 6    referenda to determine whether a disconnection may take place
 7    where a city coterminous with  a  township  is  proposing  to
 8    annex  territory  from an adjacent township, or (c) referenda
 9    held under the  provisions  of  the  Property  Tax  Extension
10    Limitation  Law  in  the  Property Tax Code, or (d) referenda
11    held under  Section  2-3002  of  the  Counties  Code  may  be
12    submitted   to   referendum   with  respect  to  a  political
13    subdivision at the same election.
14        If more than  3  propositions  are  timely  initiated  or
15    certified  for  submission  at  an election with respect to a
16    political subdivision, the first 3 validly initiated, by  the
17    filing  of  a  petition or by the adoption of a resolution or
18    ordinance of a political subdivision, as  the  case  may  be,
19    shall  be  printed  on  the  ballot  and  submitted  at  that
20    election.  However, except as expressly authorized by law not
21    more than one proposition to change the form of government of
22    a municipality pursuant to Article VII  of  the  Constitution
23    may  be  submitted  at  an  election.  If  more than one such
24    proposition is timely initiated or certified  for  submission
25    at  an  election  with  respect  to a municipality, the first
26    validly initiated shall be the one printed on the ballot  and
27    submitted at that election.
28        No  public question shall be submitted to the voters of a
29    political subdivision at any regularly scheduled election  at
30    which  such  voters  are  not scheduled to cast votes for any
31    candidates for nomination for, election to  or  retention  in
32    public  office,  except  that if, in any existing or proposed
33    political subdivision in which the  submission  of  a  public
34    question  at  a  regularly scheduled election is desired, the
 
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 1    voters of  only  a  portion  of  such  existing  or  proposed
 2    political  subdivision  are  not  scheduled to cast votes for
 3    nomination for, election to or retention in public office  at
 4    such  election,  but the voters in one or more other portions
 5    of  such  existing  or  proposed  political  subdivision  are
 6    scheduled to cast votes for nomination for,  election  to  or
 7    retention  in  public  office  at  such  election, the public
 8    question shall be voted upon by all the qualified  voters  of
 9    the  entire existing or proposed political subdivision at the
10    election.
11        Not  more  than  3  advisory  public  questions  may   be
12    submitted  to  the  voters  of  the entire state at a general
13    election. If more  than  3  such  advisory  propositions  are
14    initiated,  the first 3 timely and validly initiated shall be
15    the questions printed on the ballot  and  submitted  at  that
16    election;  provided  however,  that a question for a proposed
17    amendment to Article  IV  of  the  Constitution  pursuant  to
18    Section 3, Article XIV of the Constitution, or for a question
19    submitted  under  the  Property Tax Cap Referendum Law, shall
20    not be included in the foregoing limitation.
21    (Source: P.A. 88-116; 89-510, eff. 7-11-96.)

22        Section 10.  The Counties Code  is  amended  by  changing
23    Sections 2-3002 and 2-3003 as follows:

24        (55 ILCS 5/2-3002) (from Ch. 34, par. 2-3002)
25        Sec.  2-3002.  Counties  with  population  of  less  than
26    3,000,000 and with township form of government.
27        (a)  Reapportionment  required. By July 1, 1971, and each
28    10 years thereafter, the county board of each county having a
29    population  of  less  than  3,000,000  inhabitants  and   the
30    township  form  of government shall reapportion its county so
31    that each member of the  county  board  represents  the  same
32    number  of  inhabitants.  In  reapportioning  its county, the
 
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 1    county board shall first determine the  size  of  the  county
 2    board to be elected, which may consist of not less than 5 nor
 3    more  than  29  members  and  may  not exceed the size of the
 4    county board in that county on October  2,  1969.  Except  as
 5    provided  in  subsection  (c),  the  county  board shall also
 6    determine whether board members shall  be  elected  at  large
 7    from the county or by county board districts.
 8        If  the  chairman of the county board is to be elected by
 9    the voters in a county of less  than  450,000  population  as
10    provided  in  Section  2-3007,  such  chairman  shall  not be
11    counted as a member of the county board for  the  purpose  of
12    the  limitations  on  the  size of a county board provided in
13    this Section.
14        (b)  Advisory referenda.  The  voters  of  a  county  may
15    advise  the  county board, through an advisory referendum, on
16    questions concerning (i) the number of members of the  county
17    board to be elected, (ii) whether the board members should be
18    elected from single-member districts, multi-member districts,
19    or at-large, (iii) whether voters will have cumulative voting
20    rights  in  the election of county board members, or (IV) any
21    combination of the  preceding  3  questions.    The  advisory
22    referendum   may  be  initiated  either  by  petition  or  by
23    ordinance of the county board.  A  written  petition  for  an
24    advisory  referendum  authorized by this Section must contain
25    the signatures of at least 1% of the registered voters of the
26    county and  must  be  filed  with  the  appropriate  election
27    authority.   An  ordinance  initiating an advisory referendum
28    authorized by this Section must be approved by a majority  of
29    the  members  of  the county board and must be filed with the
30    appropriate  election  authority.   An  advisory   referendum
31    initiated under this Section shall be placed on the ballot at
32    the general election designated in the petition or ordinance.
33        (c)  Method  of  election of county board. Members of the
34    county board may be  elected  from  single-member  districts,
 
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 1    multi-member   districts,   or   at-large.  Voters  may  have
 2    cumulative voting rights in  the  election  of  county  board
 3    members in multi-member districts or at-large elections.  The
 4    method  of  election  of  the county board, including whether
 5    voters have cumulative voting rights, may  be  determined  by
 6    county-wide  referendum, initiated either by a petition or by
 7    ordinance of the county board.  A  written  petition  for  an
 8    advisory   referendum  authorized  by  this  subsection  must
 9    contain the signatures of  at  least  3%  of  the  registered
10    voters  of  the county and must be filed with the appropriate
11    election authority.  An  ordinance  initiating  a  referendum
12    under  this  subsection must be approved by a majority of the
13    county board and must be filed with the appropriate  election
14    authority. A referendum initiated under this subsection shall
15    be placed on the ballot at the general election designated in
16    the  petition or ordinance. If the voters of the county alter
17    the method of election for county board member by  referendum
18    from  an  at-large  election to an election by districts, the
19    county board shall, no  later  that  April  1  following  the
20    general election at which the referendum was held, develop an
21    apportionment  plan  under  Section 2-3003.  If the method of
22    electing county board members is  determined  by  referendum,
23    then  the county board may not alter that method by ordinance
24    for a period of 12 years after the date of the referendum.
25    (Source: P.A. 86-962.)

26        (55 ILCS 5/2-3003) (from Ch. 34, par. 2-3003)
27        Sec. 2-3003.  Apportionment plan. (1) If the county board
28    determines that members shall be  elected  by  districts,  it
29    shall develop an apportionment plan and specify the number of
30    districts  and  the  number  of  county  board  members to be
31    elected from each  district  and  whether  voters  will  have
32    cumulative voting rights in multi-member districts. Each such
33    district:
 
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 1        a.  Shall be equal in population to each other district;
 2        b.  Shall be comprised of contiguous territory, as nearly
 3    compact as practicable; and
 4        c.  May  divide  townships  or  municipalities  only when
 5    necessary  to  conform  to  the  population  requirement   of
 6    paragraph a. of this Section.
 7        d.  Shall be created in such a manner so that no precinct
 8    shall  be  divided between 2 or more districts, insofar as is
 9    practicable.
10        (2)  The county board of each county having a  population
11    of  less  than  3,000,000  inhabitants  may,  if it should so
12    decide,  provide  within  that  county  for   single   member
13    districts  outside  the  corporate  limits  and  multi-member
14    districts  within  the  corporate  limits of any municipality
15    with a population in excess of 75,000.  Paragraphs  a,  b,  c
16    and  d  of  subsection (1) of this Section shall apply to the
17    apportionment  of  both  single  and  multi-member  districts
18    within a county to the extent that compliance with paragraphs
19    a, b,  c  and  d  still  permit  the  establishment  of  such
20    districts,  except  that  the  population of any multi-member
21    district shall be equal  to  the  population  of  any  single
22    member  district,  times  the  number of members found within
23    that multi-member district.
24    (Source: P.A. 86-962.)

25        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect  upon
26    becoming law.