State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HB2358

 
                                               LRB9206860TAtm

 1        AN ACT to create the Local Legacy Act.

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

 4        Section  1.   Short  title.  This Act may be cited as the
 5    Local Legacy Act.

 6        Section 5.  Policy.
 7        (a)  Illinois has a rich natural and  cultural  heritage.
 8    Whether  historic  sites,  natural  areas,  rich farmland, or
 9    other prized resources,  every  county  has  treasures  worth
10    preserving for future generations.
11        (b)  As  counties  and municipalities grow, they often do
12    not have the opportunity to consider which resources are most
13    important  to  them.  Consequently,  they  may  inadvertently
14    imperil a  historic  structure,  sever  a  potential  natural
15    corridor,  or  fragment farmland into small and unsustainable
16    remnants.
17        (c)  It is necessary and desirable to  provide  technical
18    assistance  and  funding  in  the form of grants to encourage
19    partnerships between  counties  and  municipalities  for  the
20    creation  of  an  inventory of their natural areas, farmland,
21    and cultural assets and to develop a Resource Protection Plan
22    for protecting those areas.
23        (d)  It is also necessary to provide funding in the  form
24    of  grants  to counties and municipalities for the protection
25    of their cultural  resources,  natural  areas,  and  farmland
26    through fee simple acquisition and conservation easements.
27        (e)  It  is  the purpose of this Act to promote voluntary
28    county-municipal partnerships in every  county  by  the  year
29    2020   that   will   inventory  resources,  develop  Resource
30    Protection Plans, and implement their respective plans.
 
                            -2-                LRB9206860TAtm
 1        Section 10.  Definitions.  In this Act:
 2        "Board" means the Local Legacy Board created  under  this
 3    Act.
 4        "Committee"  means a Local Steering Committee established
 5    under this Act.
 6        "Cultural  resource"   means   a   structure,   building,
 7    district,   or   site   that  has  aesthetic,  architectural,
 8    cultural, archeological, or historical  significance  at  the
 9    local, state, or national level.
10        "Farmland"   means   land   devoted   to  agriculture  or
11    horticultural uses for  the  production  of  food  (including
12    grains,  fruits,  vegetables,  dairy products, or mushrooms),
13    fiber, floriculture, or forest products, or  the  raising  of
14    farm  animals  (including  livestock,  sheep,  swine, horses,
15    ponies, poultry, bees, or fish) or wildlife.
16        "Inventory"  means  a  listing  of  a  county's  and  its
17    municipalities'  natural  areas,   farmland,   and   cultural
18    resources.
19        "Natural area" means an area of land or water that either
20    retains or has recovered to a substantial degree its original
21    natural   or  primeval  character,  though  it  need  not  be
22    completely undisturbed, or has  floral,  faunal,  ecological,
23    geological,   or   archeological   features   of  scientific,
24    educational, recreational, scenic, or aesthetic interest.
25        "Program" means the Local Legacy Program.
26        "Resource", unless otherwise specified, means farmland, a
27    natural area, or a cultural resource.
28        "Resource Protection Plan" means an  integrated  document
29    that includes goals, policies, strategies, and procedures for
30    preserving   key   farmland,   natural  areas,  and  cultural
31    resources identified in a countywide inventory and adopted as
32    provided in Section 30 of this Act.

33        Section 15.  The Local Legacy Board.   The  Local  Legacy
 
                            -3-                LRB9206860TAtm
 1    Board  is  created  to administer the Program under this Act.
 2    The membership of the Board shall be composed of the Director
 3    of Natural Resources, the Director of Historic  Preservation,
 4    and   the   Director  of  Agriculture,  or  their  respective
 5    designees.  The Board must choose a Chairperson to serve  for
 6    2 years on a rotating basis.  All members must be present for
 7    the  Board to conduct official business. The Departments must
 8    each furnish technical support to the Board.
 9        The Board has those powers necessary  to  carry  out  the
10    purposes  of  this  Act,  including,  without limitation, the
11    power to:
12             (1)  employ agents and employees necessary to  carry
13        out  the purposes of this Act and fix their compensation,
14        benefits, terms, and conditions of employment;
15             (2)  adopt, alter and use a corporate seal;
16             (3)  have an audit  made  of  the  accounts  of  any
17        grantee  or  any  person  or entity that receives funding
18        under this Act;
19             (4)  enforce the terms of any grant made under  this
20        Act,  whether  in  law  or  equity, or by any other legal
21        means;
22             (5)  prepare and submit a  budget  and  request  for
23        appropriations for the necessary and contingent operating
24        expenses of the Board; and
25             (6)  receive  and  accept,  from  any source, aid or
26        contributions of money, property, labor, or  other  items
27        of  value for furtherance of any of its purposes, subject
28        to any conditions not inconsistent with this Act or  with
29        the laws of this State pertaining to those contributions,
30        including,  but  not  limited  to,  gifts, guarantees, or
31        grants from any department, agency, or instrumentality of
32        the United States of America.
33        The Board must adopt any rules, regulations,  guidelines,
34    and  directives  necessary  to  implement  the Act, including
 
                            -4-                LRB9206860TAtm
 1    guidelines for designing inventories so  that  they  will  be
 2    compatible with each other.
 3        The  Board  must  submit a report to the General Assembly
 4    and the Governor  by  January  1,  2003  and  every  2  years
 5    thereafter  regarding progress made towards accomplishing the
 6    purposes of this Act.

 7        Section 20.  Local  Legacy  Program.   The  Local  Legacy
 8    Program   is   created.    The   Board  shall  determine  the
 9    eligibility  of  county-municipal  partnerships  for  funding
10    under the Program.  The purpose of the Program is to  provide
11    grants  to counties and municipalities to (i) inventory their
12    natural areas, farmland, and cultural resources; (ii) develop
13    Resource Protection Plans; and (iii) acquire in  fee  simple,
14    natural  areas, cultural resources, or farmland identified in
15    their Resource Protection  Plans.   To  be  eligible  for  an
16    acquisition  grant,  a local government must adopt a Resource
17    Protection Plan.

18        Section  25.    Local   Steering   Committee.    Counties
19    interested  in assistance under this Act must form a steering
20    committee  consisting  of  11  members  in  the  following  3
21    categories chosen according to the following requirements:
22             (1)  Three members of the county board appointed  by
23        the  county board chairperson with the advice and consent
24        of the county board.
25             (2)  Three elected municipal officials chosen by the
26        corporate    authorities    of    those    municipalities
27        participating in the county-municipal partnership.
28             (3)  Five  public  members  who  reside  within  the
29        county and are appointed by a majority vote of the county
30        board members and  elected  municipal  officials  on  the
31        Local  Steering Committee, with one each representing the
32        following categories:
 
                            -5-                LRB9206860TAtm
 1             (a)  Agriculture.
 2             (b)  Environment.
 3             (c)  Historic preservation.
 4             (d)  Construction or development.
 5             (e)  Citizen-at-large.
 6        When the Committee is first established, one-third of the
 7    members of each category shall serve  a  term  of  one  year;
 8    one-third  shall serve a term of 2 years; and one-third shall
 9    serve a term of 3 years, except for the public  members,  one
10    of  whom will serve for one year, 2 of whom shall serve for 2
11    years, and 2 of whom will serve for 3 years.  All  subsequent
12    members  shall  serve for a term of 3 years.  A vacancy shall
13    be filled in the same manner as an original appointment.
14        The Chairperson shall be chosen for a  term  of  2  years
15    from among the members of the Committee by a majority vote of
16    the  Committee;  all  members  of the Committee including the
17    Chairperson have a vote.
18        The Committee shall adopt its own rules of operation.

19        Section 30.  Duties of the Local Steering Committee.  The
20    Local Steering Committee shall have the  authority  to  apply
21    for  and receive grants to conduct an inventory and develop a
22    Resource Protection Plan and to review all grant applications
23    from units of local government before they are  submitted  to
24    the Board.
25        The Local Steering Committee shall develop a strategy for
26    conducting  an  inventory  of  natural  areas,  farmland, and
27    cultural  resources.  The  Committee  shall  determine  which
28    resources should be included in the inventory, the amount  of
29    financial  and  technical  assistance  needed from the State,
30    what information is already available, who will  conduct  the
31    inventory,   how  municipal  and  county  efforts  should  be
32    coordinated, and how to present the information so that it is
33    compatible    with    inventories    conducted    by    other
 
                            -6-                LRB9206860TAtm
 1    county-municipal partnerships.
 2        The Committee shall use the inventory as  the  basis  for
 3    developing  its  Resource  Protection  Plan.   Working with a
 4    professional  planner  or  other  resource  specialist,   the
 5    Committee  shall  develop criteria for prioritizing resources
 6    identified by the inventory.   When  prioritizing  resources,
 7    the Committee shall analyze the threat to the resources using
 8    population  projections,  land  use patterns, and development
 9    trends.  Upon the approval of two-thirds of its members, with
10    at least one member from each of the 3 categories  voting  in
11    approval, the Committee shall recommend that the county board
12    and  the  municipalities within the county adopt the Resource
13    Protection Plan.  Amendments to the Resource Protection  Plan
14    must  be approved in the same manner.  A local government may
15    object to all or part of  the  Resource  Protection  Plan  in
16    writing.  If a written objection is filed with the Committee,
17    the  portion  of  the Plan objected to shall not be effective
18    within that local government's borders.  The objecting  local
19    government may modify or withdraw its objection at any time.
20        Only  municipalities,  counties, and other units of local
21    government that have adopted the Plan are eligible for grants
22    for fee simple acquisition.  The Committee must  screen  (and
23    accept  or reject) all grant applications prior to submission
24    to the Board.

25        Section 35.  Local Legacy Fund.  The Local Legacy Fund is
26    created as a special fund in the State Treasury.  Subject  to
27    appropriation,  moneys  shall  be  transferred into the Local
28    Legacy Fund from the General Revenue Fund.  All  interest  or
29    other  earnings  that  accrue  from  investment  of the Local
30    Legacy Fund moneys shall be  credited  to  the  Local  Legacy
31    Fund.   The  Local  Legacy Fund shall be used by the Board to
32    make grants to counties and municipalities  for  inventorying
33    and  planning  and  protecting  farmland,  natural areas, and
 
                            -7-                LRB9206860TAtm
 1    cultural resources through fee simple acquisition.  Funds  to
 2    preserve farmland may not involve the use of eminent domain.
 3        In  awarding  grants  for  the implementation of Resource
 4    Protection Plans, the Board shall attempt to apportion  funds
 5    evenly  between  the preservation of farmland, natural areas,
 6    and cultural resources.

 7        Section 90.  The State Finance Act is amended  by  adding
 8    Section 5.545 as follows:

 9        (30 ILCS 105/5.545 new)
10        Sec. 5.545.  The Local Legacy Fund.

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