Rep. Jack D. Franks

Filed: 3/15/2013

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 439

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 439 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The Counties Code is amended by adding the
5Division 5-44 to Article 5 and Sections 5-44005, 5-44010,
65-44015, 5-44020, 5-44025, 5-44030, 5-44035, 5-44040, 5-44045,
75-44050, and 5-44055 as follows:
 
8    (55 ILCS 5/Div. 5-44 heading new)
9
Division 5-44.
10
Local Government Reduction and Efficiency

 
11    (55 ILCS 5/5-44005 new)
12    Sec. 5-44005. Findings and purpose.
13    (a) The General Assembly finds:
14        (1) Illinois has more units of local government than
15    any other state.

 

 

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1        (2) The large number of units of local government
2    results in the inefficient delivery of governmental
3    services at a higher cost to taxpayers.
4        (3) In a number of cases, units of local government
5    provide services that are duplicative in nature, as they
6    are provided by other units of local government.
7        (4) It is in the best interest of taxpayers that more
8    efficient service delivery structures be established in
9    order to replace units of local government that are not
10    financially sustainable.
11        (5) Units of local government managed by appointed
12    governing boards not directly accountable to the
13    electorate can encourage a lack of oversight and
14    complacency that is not in the best interest of taxpayers.
15        (6) Various provisions of Illinois law governing the
16    dissolution of units of local government are inconsistent
17    and outdated.
18        (7) The lack of a streamlined method to consolidate
19    government functions and to dissolve units of local
20    government results in an unfair tax burden on the citizens
21    of the State of Illinois residing in those units of local
22    government and prevents the expenditure of limited public
23    funds for critical programs and services.
24    (b) The purpose of this Act is to provide county boards
25with supplemental authority regarding the dissolution of units
26of local government and the consolidation of governmental

 

 

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1functions.
 
2    (55 ILCS 5/5-44010 new)
3    Sec. 5-44010. Powers; supplemental. The provisions of this
4Division are intended to be supplemental and in addition to all
5other powers or authorities granted to any governmental unit,
6shall be construed liberally, and shall not be construed as a
7limitation of any power or authority otherwise granted.
 
8    (55 ILCS 5/5-44015 new)
9    Sec. 5-44015. Applicability. This Division applies only to
10counties with a population of more than 900,000 and less than
113,000,000 that are contiguous to a county with a population of
12more than 3,000,000 and units of local government within these
13counties.
 
14    (55 ILCS 5/5-44020 new)
15    Sec. 5-44020. Definitions. In this Division:
16    "Governing board" means the individual or individuals who
17constitute the corporate authorities of a unit of local
18government.
19    "Unit of local government" or "unit" means any unit of
20local government located entirely within one county, to which
21the county board chairman or county executive directly appoints
22a majority of the governing board or appoints a majority of its
23governing board with the advice and consent of the county

 

 

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1board, but shall not include a fire protection district that
2directly employs more than 3 regular full-time employees.
 
3    (55 ILCS 5/5-44025 new)
4    Sec. 5-44025. Authority of a county board to dissolve units
5of local government.
6    (a) A county board may by ordinance propose the dissolution
7of any unit of local government as defined under Section
85-44020 of this Division. The ordinance shall detail the
9purpose and cost savings to be achieved by the dissolution and
10shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the
11area served by the unit of local government and on the county's
12website, if it has one.
13    (b) Upon the effective date of an ordinance enacted
14pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section, the chairman of the
15county board shall cause an audit of (1) all claims against the
16unit, (2) all receipts of the unit, (3) the inventory of all
17real and personal property owned by the unit or under its
18control or management, (4) any debts owed by the unit, and (5)
19may, in his or her discretion, undertake any other audit or
20financial review of the affairs of the unit. The person or
21entity conducting the audit shall report its findings to the
22county board and to the chairman of the county board within 30
23days.
24    (c) Following the return of the audit report required by
25subsection (b) of this Section, the county board may adopt an

 

 

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1ordinance dissolving the unit 120 days following the effective
2date of the ordinance. Upon adoption of the ordinance, but
3prior to its effective date, the chairman of the county board
4shall petition the circuit court for an order designating a
5trustee-in-dissolution for the unit, immediately terminating
6the terms of the members of the governing board of the unit of
7local government on the effective date of the ordinance, and
8providing for the compensation of the trustee, which shall be
9paid from the corporate funds of the unit.
10    (d) Upon the effective date of an ordinance enacted under
11subsection (c) of this Section, and notwithstanding any other
12provision of law, the State's attorney, or his or her designee,
13shall become the exclusive legal representative of the
14dissolved unit of local government. The county treasurer shall
15become the treasurer of the unit of local government and the
16county clerk shall become the secretary of the unit of local
17government.
 
18    (55 ILCS 5/5-44030 new)
19    Sec. 5-44030. Powers and duties of the
20trustee-in-dissolution. The trustee-in-dissolution shall have
21the following powers and duties:
22    (a) execute all of the powers and duties of the previous
23board;
24    (b) levy and rebate taxes, subject to the approval of the
25county board, for the purpose of paying the debts, obligations,

 

 

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1and liabilities of the unit that are outstanding on the date of
2the dissolution and the necessary expenses of closing up the
3affairs of the district if these funds are not available from
4the unit of local government's general fund;
5    (c) present, within 14 days of his or her appointment, a
6plan for the consolidation and dissolution of the unit of local
7government to the county board for its approval. The plan shall
8identify what functions, if any, of the unit of local
9government shall be undertaken by the county upon dissolution
10and whether any taxes previously levied for the provision of
11these functions shall be maintained;
12    (d) enter into an intergovernmental agreement with one or
13more governmental entities to utilize existing resources
14including, but not limited to, labor, materials, and property,
15as may be needed to carry out the foregoing duties;
16    (e) enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the
17county to combine or transfer any of the powers, privileges,
18functions, or authority of the unit of local government to the
19county as may be required to facilitate the transition; and
20    (f) sell the property of the unit and, in case any excess
21remains after all liabilities of the unit are paid, the excess
22shall be transferred to a special fund created and maintained
23by the county treasurer to be expended solely to defer the
24costs incurred by the county in performing the duties of the
25unit, subject to the requirements of Section 5-44035 of this
26Division. Nothing in this Section shall prohibit the county

 

 

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1from acquiring any or all real or personal property of the
2district.
 
3    (55 ILCS 5/5-44035 new)
4    Sec. 5-44035. Outstanding indebtedness.
5    (a) In case any unit dissolved pursuant to this Division
6has bonds or notes outstanding that are a lien on funds on hand
7in the treasury at the time of consolidation, the lien shall be
8unimpaired by the dissolution and shall continue in favor of
9the bond or note holders. The funds on hand subject to a lien
10shall be set apart and held for the purpose of retiring the
11secured debt, and no such funds shall be transferred into the
12general funds of the county.
13    (b) In case any unit dissolved pursuant to this Division
14has unsecured debts outstanding at the time of dissolution, any
15funds in the treasury of the unit or otherwise available and
16not committed shall, to the extent necessary, be applied to the
17payment of these debts.
18    (c) All property in the territory served by the dissolved
19unit of government shall be subject to taxation to pay the
20debts, bonds, and obligations of the dissolved unit. The county
21board shall abate this taxation upon the discharge of all
22outstanding obligations.
 
23    (55 ILCS 5/5-44040 new)
24    Sec. 5-44040. Effect of dissolution. Immediately upon the

 

 

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1dissolution of a unit of local government pursuant to this
2Division:
3    (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of the Special Service
4Area Tax Law that pertain the establishment of special service
5areas, all or part of the territory formerly served by the unit
6of local government may be established as a special service
7area or areas of the county if the county board determines that
8this designation is necessary for it to provide services. If
9the boundaries of a special service area created under Section
105-44035 of this Division include territory within a
11municipality, the corporate authorities of that municipality
12may, with the consent of the county, assume responsibility for
13the special service area and become its governing body.
14    (b) In addition to any other powers provided by law, the
15governing body of a special service area created pursuant to
16Section 5-44035 of this Division shall assume and is authorized
17to exercise all the powers and duties of the dissolved unit
18with respect to the special service area. The governing body is
19also authorized to continue to levy any tax previously imposed
20by the unit of local government within the special service
21area.
22    (c) Subsequent increases of the current tax levy within the
23special service area or areas shall be made in accordance with
24the provisions of the Special Service Area Tax Law.
 
25    (55 ILCS 5/5-44045 new)

 

 

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1    Sec. 5-44045. Abatement of levy. Whenever a county has
2dissolved a unit of local government pursuant to this Division,
3it shall, within 6 months of the effective date of the
4dissolution and every year thereafter, evaluate the need to
5continue any existing tax levy until the county board abates
6the levy in the manner proscribed by the Special Service Area
7Law.
 
8    (55 ILCS 5/5-44050 new)
9    Sec. 5-44050. Tax collection. The dissolution of a unit of
10government pursuant to this Division shall not adversely affect
11proceedings for the collection or enforcement of any tax and
12shall proceed to finality as though no dissolution had taken
13place. The proceeds thereof shall be paid over to the treasurer
14of the county to be used for the purpose for which the tax was
15levied or assessed. Proceedings to collect and enforce these
16taxes may be instituted and carried on in the name of the unit.
 
17    (55 ILCS 5/5-44055 new)
18    Sec. 5-44055. Litigation. All suits pending in any court on
19behalf of or against any unit dissolved pursuant to this
20Division may be prosecuted or defended in the name of the
21county by the State's attorney. All judgments obtained for any
22unit dissolved shall be collected and enforced by the county
23for its benefit.
 

 

 

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1    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
2becoming law.".