(70 ILCS 705/14.14) (from Ch. 127 1/2, par. 34.14)

Sec. 14.14. (a) In a county having a population of between 500,000 and 750,000, territory within the boundaries of a non-home rule municipality that receives fire protection services from more than a single fire protection district may be disconnected from one fire protection district and transferred to the district that provides services to the area comprising more than 80% of the municipality's assessed valuation. To disconnect that territory, the board of trustees of one of the affected districts, the corporate authorities of the municipality, or 5% of the owners of property within the territory to be disconnected may file a petition in the court in which the district (from which disconnection is sought) was organized, setting forth the following:

(1) The description of the territory sought to be transferred.

(2) A statement that:

(A) more than 80% of the assessed valuation of the municipality lies within one district;

(B) more than 90% of the residents of the municipality reside within that same district;

(C) the territory to be transferred contains less than 10% of the total assessed valuation and total number of residents of the affected district;

(D) the territory to be transferred consists of all the territory within the municipality serviced by the district from which disconnection is sought;

(E) the district to which the territory is to be transferred agrees to the transfer, as evidenced by passage of a resolution by its board of trustees;

(F) the transfer will not impair the ability of the affected districts to render fully adequate fire protection services to their residents; and

(G) the transfer will not cause the territory within the affected districts to be noncontiguous.

(3) That a response-time study has been conducted and the study is attached to the petition. The study must, at a minimum, provide estimated response times from the current fire protection district to the territory and estimated response times of the other fire protection district to the territory.

(b) The petition praying that the territory be transferred shall be signed and sworn to by the petitioner or petitioners. Upon the filing of the petition, the court shall set the petition for hearing on a day not less than 2 weeks or more than 4 weeks from the date of filing the petition. The court shall give 2 weeks notice of the hearing in the manner provided in Section 1 of this Act. The municipality and affected districts shall be necessary parties to the proceedings and shall be served with summons in the manner prescribed for a party defendant under the Civil Practice Law.

(c) Any property owner in the municipality or the affected districts may file objections and at the hearing may appear and contest the transfer and the matters averred in the petition, and both the objectors and petitioners may offer any competent evidence in regard to the petition.

(d) If the court, upon hearing the petition, finds that the allegations contained in the petition are true, then the court shall enter an order transferring the property. Thereupon, the territory shall cease to be a part of the fire protection district in which the territory lies. The circuit clerk shall transmit a certified copy of the order to the county clerk and to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

(e) The territory to be transferred shall remain liable for its proportionate share of outstanding bonded indebtedness, if any, of the district from which it is transferred as of the date of transfer.

(Source: P.A. 102-574, eff. 1-1-22.)