HB0720eng 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB0720 Engrossed LRB094 08076 AJO 38260 b

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 7-1-1 as follows:

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

Sec. 7-1-1. Annexation of contiguous territory. Any territory that is not within the corporate limits of any municipality but is contiguous to a municipality may be annexed to the municipality as provided in this Article. For the purposes of this Article any territory to be annexed to a municipality shall be considered to be contiguous to the municipality notwithstanding that the territory is separated from the municipality by a railroad or public utility right-of-way or former railroad right-of-way that has been converted to a recreational trail, but upon annexation the area included within that right-of-way or former right-of-way shall not be considered to be annexed to the municipality.

Except in counties with a population of more than 500,000 but less than 3,000,000, territory which is not contiguous to a municipality but is separated therefrom only by a forest preserve district may be annexed to the municipality pursuant to Sections 7-1-7 or 7-1-8, but only if the annexing municipality can show that the forest preserve district creates an artificial barrier preventing the annexation and that the location of the forest preserve district property prevents the orderly natural growth of the annexing municipality. It shall be conclusively presumed that the forest preserve district does not create an artificial barrier if the property sought to be annexed is bounded on at least 3 sides by (i) one or more other municipalities (other than the municipality seeking annexation through the existing forest preserve district), (ii) forest preserve district property, or (iii) a combination of other municipalities and forest preserve district property. It shall also be conclusively presumed that the forest preserve district does not create an artificial barrier if the municipality seeking annexation is not the closest municipality to the property to be annexed. The territory included within such forest preserve district shall not be annexed to the municipality nor shall the territory of the forest preserve district be subject to rights-of-way for access or services between the parts of the municipality separated by the forest preserve district without the consent of the governing body of the forest preserve district. The changes made to this Section by this amendatory Act of 91st General Assembly are declaratory of existing law and shall not be construed as a new enactment.

In counties that are contiguous to the Mississippi River with populations of more than 200,000 but less than 255,000, a municipality that is partially located in territory that is wholly surrounded by the Mississippi River and a canal, connected at both ends to the Mississippi River and located on property owned by the United States of America, may annex noncontiguous territory in the surrounded territory under Sections 7-1-7, 7-1-8, or 7-1-9 if that territory is separated from the municipality by property owned by the United States of America, but that federal property shall not be annexed without the consent of the federal government.

When any land proposed to be annexed is part of any Fire Protection District or of any Public Library District and the annexing municipality provides fire protection or a public library, as the case may be, the Trustees of each District shall be notified in writing by certified or registered mail before any court hearing or other action is taken for annexation. The notice shall be served 10 days in advance. An affidavit that service of notice has been had as provided by this Section must be filed with the clerk of the court in which the annexation proceedings are pending or will be instituted or, when no court proceedings are involved, with the recorder for the county where the land is situated. No annexation of that land is effective unless service is had and the affidavit filed as provided in this Section.

The new boundary shall extend to the far side of any adjacent highway and shall include all of every highway within the area annexed. These highways shall be considered to be annexed even though not included in the legal description set forth in the petition for annexation. When any land proposed to be annexed includes any highway under the jurisdiction of any township, the Township Commissioner of Highways and the Board of Town Trustees shall be notified in writing by certified or registered mail before any court hearing or other action is taken for annexation. In the event that a municipality fails to notify the Township Commissioner of Highways and the Board of Town Trustees of the annexation of an area within the township, the municipality shall reimburse that township for any loss or liability caused by the failure to give notice. If any municipality has annexed any area before October 1, 1975, and the legal description in the petition for annexation did not include the entire adjacent highway, any such annexation shall be valid and any highway adjacent to the area annexed shall be considered to be annexed notwithstanding the failure of the petition to annex to include the description of the entire adjacent highway.

Any annexation, disconnection and annexation, or disconnection under this Article of any territory must be reported by certified or registered mail by the corporate authority initiating the action to the election authorities having jurisdiction in the territory and the post office branches serving the territory within 30 days of the annexation, disconnection and annexation, or disconnection.

Failure to give notice to the required election authorities or post office branches will not invalidate the annexation or disconnection. For purposes of this Section "election authorities" means the county clerk where the clerk acts as the clerk of elections or the clerk of the election commission having jurisdiction.

No annexation, disconnection and annexation, or disconnection under this Article of territory having electors residing therein made (1) before any primary election to be held within the municipality affected thereby and after the time for filing petitions as a candidate for nomination to any office to be chosen at the primary election or (2) within 60 days before any general election to be held within the municipality shall be effective until the day after the date of the primary or general election, as the case may be.

For the purpose of this Section, a toll highway or connection between parcels via an overpass bridge over a toll highway shall not be considered a deterrent to the definition of contiguous territory.

When territory is proposed to be annexed by court order under this Article, the corporate authorities or petitioners initiating the action shall notify each person who pays real estate taxes on property within that territory unless the person is a petitioner. The notice shall be served by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, at least 20 days before a court hearing or other court action. If the person who pays real estate taxes on the property is not the owner of record, then the payor shall notify the owner of record of the proposed annexation.

(Source: P.A. 90-14, eff. 7-1-97; 91-824, eff. 6-13-00.)