(20 ILCS 620/3) (from Ch. 67 1/2, par. 1003)

Sec. 3. Definitions. In this Act, words or terms shall have the following meanings unless the context or usage clearly indicates that another meaning is intended.

(a) "Department" means the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

(b) "Economic development plan" means the written plan of a municipality which sets forth an economic development program for an economic development project area. Each economic development plan shall include but not be limited to (1) estimated economic development project costs, (2) the sources of funds to pay such costs, (3) the nature and term of any obligations to be issued by the municipality to pay such costs, (4) the most recent equalized assessed valuation of the economic development project area, (5) an estimate of the equalized assessed valuation of the economic development project area after completion of an economic development project, (6) the estimated date of completion of any economic development project proposed to be undertaken, (7) a general description of any proposed developer, user, or tenant of any property to be located or improved within the economic development project area, (8) a description of the type, structure and general character of the facilities to be developed or improved in the economic development project area, (9) a description of the general land uses to apply in the economic development project area, (10) a description of the type, class and number of employees to be employed in the operation of the facilities to be developed or improved in the economic development project area, and (11) a commitment by the municipality to fair employment practices and an affirmative action plan with respect to any economic development program to be undertaken by the municipality.

(c) "Economic development project" means any development project in furtherance of the objectives of this Act.

(d) "Economic development project area" means any improved or vacant area which (1) is located within or partially within or partially without the territorial limits of a municipality, provided that no area without the territorial limits of a municipality shall be included in an economic development project area without the express consent of the Department, acting as agent for the State, (2) is contiguous, (3) is not less in the aggregate than three hundred twenty acres, (4) is suitable for siting by any commercial, manufacturing, industrial, research or transportation enterprise of facilities to include but not be limited to commercial businesses, offices, factories, mills, processing plants, assembly plants, packing plants, fabricating plants, industrial or commercial distribution centers, warehouses, repair overhaul or service facilities, freight terminals, research facilities, test facilities or transportation facilities, whether or not such area has been used at any time for such facilities and whether or not the area has been used or is suitable for other uses, including commercial agricultural purposes, and (5) which has been approved and certified by the Department pursuant to this Act.

(e) "Economic development project costs" mean and include the sum total of all reasonable or necessary costs incurred by a municipality incidental to an economic development project, including, without limitation, the following:

(1) Costs of studies, surveys, development of plans and specifications, implementation and administration of an economic development plan, personnel and professional service costs for architectural, engineering, legal, marketing, financial, planning, police, fire, public works or other services, provided that no charges for professional services may be based on a percentage of incremental tax revenues;

(2) Property assembly costs within an economic development project area, including but not limited to acquisition of land and other real or personal property or rights or interests therein, and specifically including payments to developers or other nongovernmental persons as reimbursement for property assembly costs incurred by such developer or other nongovernmental person;

(3) Site preparation costs, including but not limited to clearance of any area within an economic development project area by demolition or removal of any existing buildings, structures, fixtures, utilities and improvements and clearing and grading; and including installation, repair, construction, reconstruction, or relocation of public streets, public utilities, and other public site improvements within or without an economic development project area which are essential to the preparation of the economic development project area for use in accordance with an economic development plan; and specifically including payments to developers or other nongovernmental persons as reimbursement for site preparation costs incurred by such developer or nongovernmental person;

(4) Costs of renovation, rehabilitation, reconstruction, relocation, repair or remodeling of any existing buildings, improvements, and fixtures within an economic development project area, and specifically including payments to developers or other nongovernmental persons as reimbursement for such costs incurred by such developer or nongovernmental person;

(5) Costs of construction, acquisition, and operation within an economic development project area of public improvements, including but not limited to, publicly owned buildings, structures, works, utilities or fixtures; provided that no allocation made to the municipality pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subsection (g) of Section 4 of this Act or subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4) of subsection (g) of Section 4 of this Act shall be used to operate a convention center or similar entertainment complex or venue;

(6) Financing costs, including but not limited to all necessary and incidental expenses related to the issuance of obligations, payment of any interest on any obligations issued hereunder which accrues during the estimated period of construction of any economic development project for which such obligations are issued and for not exceeding 36 months thereafter, and any reasonable reserves related to the issuance of such obligations;

(7) All or a portion of a taxing district's capital costs resulting from an economic development project necessarily incurred or estimated to be incurred by a taxing district in the furtherance of the objectives of an economic development project, to the extent that the municipality by written agreement accepts and approves such costs;

(8) Relocation costs to the extent that a municipality determines that relocation costs shall be paid or is required to make payment of relocation costs by federal or State law;

(9) The estimated tax revenues from real property in an economic development project area acquired by a municipality which, according to the economic development plan, is to be used for a private use and which any taxing district would have received had the municipality not adopted tax increment allocation financing for an economic development project area and which would result from such taxing district's levies made after the time of the adoption by the municipality of tax increment allocation financing to the time the current equalized assessed value of real property in the economic development project area exceeds the total initial equalized value of real property in said area;

(10) Costs of job training, advanced vocational or career education, including but not limited to courses in occupational, semi-technical or technical fields leading directly to employment, incurred by one or more taxing districts, provided that such costs are related to the establishment and maintenance of additional job training, advanced vocational education or career education programs for persons employed or to be employed by employers located in an economic development project area, and further provided that when such costs are incurred by a taxing district or taxing districts other than the municipality they shall be set forth in a written agreement by or among the municipality and the taxing district or taxing districts, which agreement describes the program to be undertaken, including but not limited to the number of employees to be trained, a description of the training and services to be provided, the number and type of positions available or to be available, itemized costs of the program and sources of funds to pay the same, and the term of the agreement. Such costs include, specifically, the payment by community college districts of costs pursuant to Sections 3-37, 3-38, 3-40 and 3-40.1 of the Public Community College Act and by school districts of costs pursuant to Sections 10-22.20a and 10-23.3a of the School Code;

(11) Private financing costs incurred by developers or other nongovernmental persons in connection with an economic development project, and specifically including payments to developers or other nongovernmental persons as reimbursement for such costs incurred by such developer or other nongovernmental person, provided that:

(A) private financing costs shall be paid or reimbursed by a municipality only pursuant to the prior official action of the municipality evidencing an intent to pay or reimburse such private financing costs;

(B) except as provided in subparagraph (D), the aggregate amount of such costs paid or reimbursed by a municipality in any one year shall not exceed 30% of such costs paid or incurred by the developer or other nongovernmental person in that year;

(C) private financing costs shall be paid or reimbursed by a municipality solely from the special tax allocation fund established pursuant to this Act and shall not be paid or reimbursed from the proceeds of any obligations issued by a municipality;

(D) if there are not sufficient funds available in the special tax allocation fund in any year to make such payment or reimbursement in full, any amount of such interest cost remaining to be paid or reimbursed by a municipality shall accrue and be payable when funds are available in the special tax allocation fund to make such payment; and

(E) in connection with its approval and certification of an economic development project pursuant to Section 5 of this Act, the Department shall review any agreement authorizing the payment or reimbursement by a municipality of private financing costs in its consideration of the impact on the revenues of the municipality and the affected taxing districts of the use of tax increment allocation financing.

(f) "Municipality" means a city, village or incorporated town.

(g) "Obligations" means any instrument evidencing the obligation of a municipality to pay money, including without limitation, bonds, notes, installment or financing contracts, certificates, tax anticipation warrants or notes, vouchers, and any other evidence of indebtedness.

(h) "Taxing districts" means counties, townships, municipalities, and school, road, park, sanitary, mosquito abatement, forest preserve, public health, fire protection, river conservancy, tuberculosis sanitarium and any other municipal corporations or districts with the power to levy taxes upon property located within the economic development project area.

(Source: P.A. 97-636, eff. 6-1-12.)