605 ILCS 5/6-134

(605 ILCS 5/6-134)

Sec. 6-134. Abolishing a road district.

(a) By resolution, the board of trustees of any township located in a county with less than 3,000,000 inhabitants may submit a proposition to abolish the road district of that township to the electors of that township at a general election or consolidated election in accordance with the general election law. The ballot shall be in substantially the following form:

In the event that a majority of the electors voting on such proposition are in favor thereof, then the road district shall be abolished by operation of law effective 90 days after vote certification by the governing election authority or on the date the term of the highway commissioner in office at the time the proposition was approved by the electors expires, whichever is later.

On that date, all the rights, powers, duties, assets, property, liabilities, obligations, and responsibilities of the road district shall by operation of law vest in and be assumed by the township. On that date, the township board of trustees shall assume all taxing authority of a road district abolished under this Section. On that date, any highway commissioner of the abolished road district shall cease to hold office, such term having been terminated. Thereafter, the township shall exercise all duties and responsibilities of the highway commissioner as provided in the Illinois Highway Code. The township board of trustees may enter into a contract with the county, a municipality, or a private contractor to administer the roads under its jurisdiction. The township board of trustees shall assume all taxing authority of a township road district abolished under this subsection. For purposes of distribution of revenue, the township shall assume the powers, duties, and obligations of the road district. Distribution of revenue by the township to the treasurer of a municipality under Section 6-507 shall be only paid from moneys levied for road purposes pursuant to Division 5 of Article 6 of this Code.

(b) If a referendum passed under subsection (a) at the November 6, 2018 election and a road district has not been abolished as provided in subsection (a) by August 23, 2019 (the effective date of Public Act 101-519):

(1) the township board shall have the sole authority relating to the following duties and powers of the road district until the date of abolition:

(A) creating and approving the budget of the road district;

(B) levying taxes (the township board of trustees assumes all taxing authority of the township road district);

(C) entering into contracts for the road district;

(D) employing and fixing the compensation of road district employees that the township board deems necessary; and

(E) setting and adopting rules concerning all benefits available to employees of the road district;

(2) the road district or the highway commissioner may not commence or maintain litigation against the township to resolve any dispute related to the road district regarding powers of the office of the highway commissioner, the powers of the supervisor, or the powers of the township board.

(c) If a township has approved a consolidated road district after a referendum under Section 6-109 and the consolidation is not yet effective and if the township subsequently approves a referendum under this Section, then the consolidation under Section 6-109 is void and shall not occur.

(Source: P.A. 101-519, eff. 8-23-19; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21.)