(70 ILCS 705/16d)

Sec. 16d. Transfer of property between districts. When a fire protection district has another fire protection district adjoining it and the adjoining district can provide better fire protection to an area of land of no more than 60 acres, consisting of one or more tracts, that is within the corporate limits of the fire protection district, the area may be disconnected from the district and annexed to the adjacent district when each district adopts an ordinance to accomplish the disconnection and annexation.

At least 60 days before the property is disconnected from a district, the disconnecting district must send notice to the owner or owners of record of the area of land stating that the disconnecting and annexing districts intend to adopt ordinances that would disconnect and annex the area under this Section. The notice shall name the annexing district and include a description of the territory to be disconnected and annexed, the reason for doing so, a map of the territory, and shall include a response-time study that has been conducted showing, at a minimum, estimated response times from the current fire protection district to the property and estimated response times of the adjoining district to the property. The notice must also set forth the time and place of each meeting at which the ordinance will be an agenda item and must state that there will be an opportunity for public comment at each of those meetings. The notice shall be sent by certified mail return receipt requested, but if the name or address of an owner is not known, then the district must publish the notice once a week for 2 successive weeks. The notice shall be published in a newspaper published in the county where the area is located. Each district's ordinance shall designate the same date for the effective date of the disconnection and annexation.

No earlier than 60 days after the delivery of the notice to the last of the owners involved or 60 days after the date of the first publication of the notice, whichever is later, the disconnecting and annexing districts may adopt an ordinance accomplishing the disconnection and annexation.

After it adopts the ordinance, each fire protection district shall send a certified copy of the ordinance to the proper county clerk or clerks for filing and to the office of the State Fire Marshal.

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