(55 ILCS 85/3) (from Ch. 34, par. 7003)

Sec. 3. Definitions. In this Act, words or terms shall have the following meanings unless the context 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 county 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 county 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 the economic development plan, (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 county to fair employment practices and an affirmative action plan with respect to any economic development program to be undertaken by the county. The economic development plan for an economic development project area authorized by subsection (a-15) of Section 4 of this Act must additionally include (1) evidence indicating that the redevelopment project area on the whole has not been subject to growth and development through investment by private enterprise and is not reasonably expected to be subject to such growth and development without the assistance provided through the implementation of the economic development plan and (2) evidence that portions of the economic development project area have incurred Illinois Environmental Protection Agency or United States Environmental Protection Agency remediation costs for, or a study conducted by an independent consultant recognized as having expertise in environmental remediation has determined a need for, the clean-up of hazardous waste, hazardous substances, or underground storage tanks required by State or federal law, provided that the remediation costs constitute a material impediment to the development or redevelopment of the project area.

(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 is located within the corporate limits of a county and which (1) is within the unincorporated area of such county, or, with the consent of any affected municipality, is located partially within the unincorporated area of such county and partially within one or more municipalities, (2) is contiguous, (3) is not less in the aggregate than 100 acres and, for an economic development project area authorized by subsection (a-15) of Section 4 of this Act, not more than 2,000 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 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 certified by the Department pursuant to this Act.

(e) "Economic development project costs" means and includes the sum total of all reasonable or necessary costs incurred by a county 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, sheriff, fire, public works or other services, provided that no charges for professional services may be based on a percentage of incremental tax revenue;

(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 non-governmental persons as reimbursement for property assembly costs incurred by such developer or other non-governmental 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; site improvement addressing ground level or below ground environmental contamination; 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 non-governmental persons as reimbursement for site preparation costs incurred by such developer or non-governmental 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 non-governmental persons as reimbursement for such costs incurred by such developer or non-governmental person;

(5) Costs of construction within an economic development project area of public improvements, including but not limited to, buildings, structures, works, improvements, utilities or fixtures;

(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 county by written agreement accepts, approves and agrees to incur or to reimburse such costs;

(8) Relocation costs to the extent that a county 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 county 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 county not adopted property tax 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 county of property tax 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 that area;

(10) Costs of rebating ad valorem taxes paid by any developer or other nongovernmental person in whose name the general taxes were paid for the last preceding year on any lot, block, tract or parcel of land in the economic development project area, provided that:

(i) such economic development project area is located in an enterprise zone created pursuant to the Illinois Enterprise Zone Act; compliance with this provision (i) is not required in Grundy County in relation to one or more contiguous parcels not exceeding a total area of 120 acres within which an electric generating facility is intended to be constructed and where the owner of such proposed electric generating facility has entered into a redevelopment agreement with Grundy County in respect thereto between July 25, 2013 and July 26, 2017;

(ii) such ad valorem taxes shall be rebated only in such amounts and for such tax year or years as the county and any one or more affected taxing districts shall have agreed by prior written agreement; beginning on July 25, 2013 and ending on July 25, 2017, compliance with this provision (ii) is not required in Grundy County in relation to one or more contiguous parcels not exceeding a total area of 120 acres within which an electric generating facility is intended to be constructed and where the owner of such proposed electric generating facility has entered into a redevelopment agreement with Grundy County in respect thereto if the county receives approval from 2/3 of the taxing districts having taxable property within such parcels and representing no less than 75% of the aggregate tax levy for those taxing districts for the levy year;

(iii) any amount of rebate of taxes shall not exceed the portion, if any, of taxes levied by the county or such taxing district or districts which is attributable to the increase in the current equalized assessed valuation of each taxable lot, block, tract or parcel of real property in the economic development project area over and above the initial equalized assessed value of each property existing at the time property tax allocation financing was adopted for said economic development project area; and

(iv) costs of rebating ad valorem taxes shall be paid by a county solely from the special tax allocation fund established pursuant to this Act and shall be paid from the proceeds of any obligations issued by a county.

(11) Costs of job training, advanced vocational education or career education programs, 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 county, they shall be set forth in a written agreement by or among the county 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 Section 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 10-22.20 and 10-23.3a of the School Code;

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

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

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

(C) private financing costs shall be paid or reimbursed by a county 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 county;

(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 private financing costs remaining to be paid or reimbursed by a county 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 county of private financing costs in its consideration of the impact on the revenues of the county and the affected taxing districts of the use of property tax allocation financing.

(f) "Obligations" means any instrument evidencing the obligation of a county 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.

(g) "Taxing districts" means municipalities, townships, counties, and school, road, park, sanitary, mosquito abatement, forest preserve, public health, fire protection, river conservancy, tuberculosis sanitarium and any other county corporations or districts with the power to levy taxes on real property.

(Source: P.A. 98-109, eff. 7-25-13; 99-513, eff. 6-30-16.)