Public Act 094-0617
 
HB0668 Enrolled LRB094 07518 AJO 37685 b

    AN ACT concerning local government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Public Officer Prohibited Activities Act is
amended by changing Section 1 as follows:
 
    (50 ILCS 105/1)  (from Ch. 102, par. 1)
    Sec. 1. County board. No member of a county board, during
the term of office for which he or she is elected, may be
appointed to, accept, or hold any office other than (i)
chairman of the county board or member of the regional planning
commission by appointment or election of the board of which he
or she is a member, or (ii) alderman of a city or member of the
board of trustees of a village or incorporated town if the
city, village, or incorporated town has fewer than 1,000
inhabitants and is located in a county having fewer than 50,000
inhabitants, or (iii) trustee of a forest preserve district
created under Section 18.5 of the Conservation District Act,
unless he or she first resigns from the office of county board
member or unless the holding of another office is authorized by
law. Any such prohibited appointment or election is void. This
Section shall not preclude a member of the county board from
being selected or from serving as a member of a County
Extension Board as provided in Section 7 of the County
Cooperative Extension Law, as a member of an Emergency
Telephone System Board as provided in Section 15.4 of the
Emergency Telephone System Act, or as appointed members of the
board of review as provided in Section 6-30 of the Property Tax
Code. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit an
elected county official from holding elected office in another
unit of local government so long as there is no contractual
relationship between the county and the other unit of local
government. This amendatory Act of 1995 is declarative of
existing law and is not a new enactment.
(Source: P.A. 91-732, eff. 1-1-01; 92-111, eff. 1-1-02.)
 
    Section 10. The Conservation District Act is amended by
changing Sections 5, 13, and 15 and by adding Section 18.5 as
follows:
 
    (70 ILCS 410/5)  (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 7105)
    Sec. 5. Board of trustees.
    (a) The affairs of a conservation district shall be managed
by a board which shall consist of 5 trustees, except as
otherwise provided in this Section. If the boundaries of the
district are coextensive with the boundaries of one county, the
trustees shall be residents of that county. If the district
embraces 2 counties, 3 trustees shall be residents of the
county with the larger population and 2 trustees shall be
residents of the other county. If the district embraces 3
counties, one trustee shall be a resident of the county with
the smallest population and each of the other counties shall
have 2 resident trustees. If the district embraces 4 counties,
2 trustees shall be residents of the county with the largest
population and each of the other counties shall have one
resident trustee. If the district embraces 5 counties, each
county shall have one resident trustee.
    (b) A district that is entirely within a county of under
750,000 300,000 inhabitants and contiguous to a county of more
than 2,000,000 inhabitants and that is authorized by referendum
as provided in subsection (d) of Section 15 to incur
indebtedness over 0.575% but not to exceed 1.725% shall have a
board consisting of 7 trustees, all of whom shall be residents
of the county. The additional 2 trustees shall be appointed by
the chairman of the county board, with the consent of the
county board, and shall hold office for terms expiring on June
30 as follows: one trustee after 4 years and one trustee after
5 years from the date of the referendum. Successor trustees
shall be appointed in the same manner no later than June 1
before the commencement of the term of the trustee.
    (c) Trustees shall be qualified voters of such district who
do not hold any other public office and are not officers of any
political party. Trustees, if nominated by the county board
chairman as hereinafter provided, shall be selected on the
basis of their demonstrated interest in the purpose of
conservation districts.
    (d) The chairman of the county board for the county of
which the trustee is a resident shall, with the consent of the
county board of that county, appoint the first trustees who
shall hold office for terms expiring on June 30 after one, 2,
3, 4, and 5 year periods respectively as determined and fixed
by lot. Thereafter, successor trustees shall be appointed in
the same manner no later than June 1 prior to the commencement
of term of the trustee.
    (e) Each successor trustee shall serve for a term of 5
years. A vacancy occurring otherwise than by expiration of term
shall be filled for the unexpired term by appointment of a
trustee by the county board chairman of the county of which the
trustee shall be a resident, with the approval of the county
board of that county. A trustee who has served a full term of 5
years is ineligible to serve as a trustee for a period of one
year following the expiration of his term. When any trustee
during his term of office shall cease to be a bona fide
resident of the district he is disqualified as a trustee and
his office becomes vacant.
    (f) Trustees shall serve without compensation, but may be
paid their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the
performance of their official duties.
    (g) A trustee may be removed for cause by the county board
chairman for the county of which the trustee is a resident,
with the approval of the county board of that county, but every
such removal shall be by a written order, which shall be filed
with the county clerk.
    (h) A conservation district with 5 trustees may determine
by majority vote of the board to increase the size of the board
to 7 trustees. With respect to a 7-member board, no more than 3
members may be residents of any township in a county under
township organization or of any congressional township in a
county not under township organization. In the case of a
7-member board representing a district that embraces 2
counties, 4 trustees shall be residents of the county with the
larger population and 3 trustees shall be residents of the
other county. If the district embraces 3 counties, 2 trustees
shall be residents of each of the 2 counties with the smallest
population and the largest county shall have 3 resident
trustees. If the district embraces 4 counties, one trustee
shall be a resident of the county with the smallest population
and each of the other counties shall have 2 resident trustees.
If the district embraces 5 counties, the 2 counties with the
largest population shall each have 2 resident trustees and each
of the other counties shall have one resident trustee. The
pertinent appointing authorities shall appoint the additional
2 trustees to initial terms as equally staggered as possible
from the terms of the trustees already appointed from that
township or county so that 2 trustees representing the same
area shall not be succeeded in the same year.
(Source: P.A. 90-195, eff. 7-24-97; 91-629, eff. 8-19-99.)
 
    (70 ILCS 410/13)  (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 7114)
    Sec. 13. The fiscal year of each district shall commence
April 1 and extend through the following March 31.
    The board shall, within the first quarter of each fiscal
year, adopt a combined annual budget and appropriation
ordinance as provided in the Illinois Municipal Budget Law. In
a district located entirely within a county with a population
of less than 750,000 300,000 that is contiguous to a county
with a population of more than 2,000,000, the district's
combined annual budget and appropriation ordinance shall not be
considered to be adopted until it is also adopted by resolution
of the county board of the county in which the district is
located.
    Except as otherwise provided in this Act, a district may
annually levy taxes upon all the taxable property therein at
the value thereof, as equalized or assessed by the Department
of Revenue, to be extended at not more than the rates and for
the purposes specified hereinafter:
        (1) 0.025% for the general purposes of the district,
    including acquisition and development of real property
    which may be in excess of current requirements and allowed
    to accumulate from year to year, and for any purposes
    specified by the district; however, no tax may be extended
    at a rate that will result in accumulation of any amount
    representing more than 0.075% of the equalized assessed
    valuation of the district.
        (2) 0.075% for acquisition of real property, which may
    be in excess of current requirements and allowed to
    accumulate from year to year, and for any purposes
    specified by the district; however, no tax may be extended
    at a rate that will result in accumulation of any amount
    representing more than 0.25% of the equalized assessed
    valuation of the district.
        (3) 0.1%, in lieu of the two rates specified in (1) and
    (2) above, for the general purposes of the district,
    including the acquisition, development, operation and
    maintenance of real property which may be in excess of
    current requirements and allowed to accumulate from year to
    year, and for any purposes specified by the district;
    however, no tax may be extended at a rate that will result
    in accumulation of any amount representing more than 0.325%
    of the equalized assessed valuation of the district.
    Except as provided in some other Act, a district may not
levy annual taxes, for all its purposes in the aggregate, in
excess of 0.1% of the value, as equalized or assessed by the
Department of Revenue, of the taxable property therein.
    After the adoption of the combined budget and appropriation
ordinance and within the second quarter of each fiscal year,
the board shall ascertain the total amount of the
appropriations legally made which are to be provided for from
tax levies for the current year. Then, by an ordinance
specifying in detail the purposes for which such appropriations
have been made and the amounts appropriated for such purposes,
the board shall levy not to exceed the total amount so
ascertained upon all the property subject to taxation within
the district as the same is assessed and equalized for state
and county purposes for the current year. A certified copy of
such ordinance shall be filed on or before the first Tuesday in
October with the clerk of each county wherein the district or
any part thereof is located.
(Source: P.A. 91-629, eff. 8-19-99.)
 
    (70 ILCS 410/15)  (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 7116)
    Sec. 15. (a) Whenever a district does not have sufficient
money in its treasury to meet all necessary expenses and
liabilities thereof, it may issue tax anticipation warrants.
Such issue of tax anticipation warrants shall be subject to the
provisions of Section 2 of "An Act to provide for the manner of
issuing warrants upon the treasurer of the State or of any
county, township, or other municipal corporation or quasi
municipal corporation, or of any farm drainage district, river
district, drainage and levee district, fire protection
district and jurors' certificates", approved June 27, 1913, as
now and hereafter amended.
    (b) For the purpose of acquisition of real property, or
rights thereto, a district may incur indebtedness and, as
evidence of the indebtedness thus created, may issue and sell
bonds without first obtaining the consent of the legal voters
of the district.
    (c) For the purpose of development of real property, a
district may incur indebtedness and, as evidence of the
indebtedness thus created, may issue and sell bonds only after
the proposition to issue bonds has been submitted to the legal
voters of the district at an election and has been approved by
a majority of those voting on the proposition. Such election is
subject to Section 15.1 of this Act.
    (d) No district shall become indebted in any manner or for
any purpose, to any amount including existing indebtedness in
the aggregate exceeding 0.575% of the value, as equalized or
assessed by the Department of Revenue, of the taxable property
therein; except that a district entirely within a county of
under 750,000 300,000 inhabitants and contiguous to a county of
more than 2,000,000 inhabitants may incur indebtedness,
including existing indebtedness, in the aggregate not
exceeding 1.725% of that value if the aggregate indebtedness
over 0.575% is submitted to the legal voters of the district at
an election and is approved by a majority of those voting on
the proposition as provided in Section 15.1.
    (e) Before or at the time of issuing bonds for acquisition
or development of real property, the district shall provide by
ordinance for the collection of an annual tax, in addition to
all other taxes authorized by this act, sufficient to pay such
bonds and the interest thereon as the same respectively become
due. Such bonds shall be divided into series, the first of
which shall mature not later than 5 years after the date of
issue and the last of which shall mature not later than 20
years after the date of issue; shall bear interest at a rate or
rates not exceeding the maximum rate permitted in "An Act to
authorize public corporations to issue bonds, other evidences
of indebtedness and tax anticipation warrants subject to
interest rate limitations set forth therein", approved May 26,
1970, as now or hereafter amended; shall be in such form as the
district shall by resolution provide and shall be payable as to
both principal and interest from the proceeds of the annual
levy of taxes authorized to be levied by this Section, or so
much thereof as will be sufficient to pay the principal thereof
and the interest thereon. Prior to the authorization and
issuance of such bonds the district may, with or without
notice, negotiate and enter into an agreement or agreements
with any bank, investment banker, trust company or insurance
company or group thereof whereunder the marketing of such bonds
may be assured and consummated. The proceeds of such bonds
shall be deposited in a special fund, to be kept separate and
apart from all other funds of the conservation district.
(Source: P.A. 91-629, eff. 8-19-99.)
 
    (70 ILCS 410/18.5 new)
    Sec. 18.5. Dissolution of conservation district and
creation of forest preserve district.
    (a) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary,
if the boundaries of a conservation district are coextensive
with the boundaries of one county, then the county board may
adopt a resolution to submit the question of whether the
conservation district shall be dissolved and, upon the
dissolution of the conservation district, a forest preserve
district created. The question shall be submitted to the
electors of the conservation district at a regular election and
approved by a majority of the electors voting on the question.
The county board must certify the question to the proper
election authorities, which must submit the question at an
election in accordance with the Election Code.
    The election authorities must submit the question in
substantially the following form:
        Shall the (insert name of conservation district) be
    dissolved and, upon its dissolution, a forest preserve
    district created with boundaries that are coextensive with
    the boundaries of (insert name of county)?
    The election authorities must record the votes as "Yes" or
"No".
    If a majority of the electors voting on the question vote
in the affirmative, then, on the thirtieth day after the
results of the referendum are certified, the conservation
district is dissolved and the forest preserve district is
created. The terms of all trustees of the conservation district
are terminated and the county board members shall serve ex
officio as the commissioners of the forest preserve district.
The chairman of the county board shall serve as chairman of the
board of commissioners of the forest preserve district.
    (b) Each county board member shall serve ex officio as a
commissioner of the forest preserve district until the
expiration of his or her term as a county board member or until
the member's position on the county board is otherwise vacated.
Upon the expiration of the term of any county board member
serving as a commissioner or upon the occurrence of any other
vacancy on the county board, the office of commissioner shall
be filled by that county board member's successor on the county
board.
    (c) The forest preserve district shall serve as the
successor entity to the dissolved conservation district and
references to the dissolved conservation district or to its
officers or employees in any document, contract, agreement, or
law shall, in appropriate contexts, be deemed to refer to the
successor forest preserve district. Thirty days after the
dissolution of the conservation district, all of its assets,
liabilities, property (both real and personal), employees,
books, and records are transferred to the forest preserve
district by operation of law. All rules and ordinances of the
dissolved conservation district shall remain in effect as rules
and ordinances of the forest preserve district until amended or
repealed by the forest preserve district.
    (d) If there are any bonds of the conservation district
outstanding and unpaid at the time the conservation district is
dissolved, the forest preserve district shall be liable for
that bond indebtedness and the forest preserve district may
continue to levy and extend taxes upon the taxable property in
that territory for the purpose of amortizing those bonds until
such time as the bonds are retired.
    (e) The county board members may be reimbursed for their
reasonable expenses actually incurred in performing their
official duties as members of the board of commissioners of the
forest preserve district in accordance with the provisions of
Section 3a of the Downstate Forest Preserve Act. Any
reimbursement paid under this subsection shall be paid by the
forest preserve district.
    (f) A forest preserve district created under this Section
shall have the same powers, duties, and authority as a forest
preserve district created under the Downstate Forest Preserve
District Act, except that it shall have the same bonding and
taxing authority as a conservation district under the
Conservation District Act. To the extent that any provision of
this Section conflicts with any provision of the Downstate
Forest Preserve District Act, this Section controls.
 
    Section 15. The Downstate Forest Preserve District Act is
amended by changing Sections 3c, 13 and 13.1 and by adding
Section 13.1a as follows:
 
    (70 ILCS 805/3c)
    Sec. 3c. Elected board of commissioners in certain
counties. If the boundaries of a district are co-extensive with
the boundaries of a county having a population of more than
800,000 but less than 3,000,000, all commissioners of the
forest preserve district shall be elected from the same
districts as members of the county board beginning with the
general election held in 2002 and each succeeding general
election. One commissioner shall be elected from each district.
At their first meeting after their election in 2002 and
following each subsequent decennial reapportionment of the
county under Division 2-3 of the Counties Code, the elected
commissioners shall publicly by lot divide themselves into 2
groups, as equal in size as possible. Commissioners from the
first group shall serve for terms of 2, 4, and 4 years; and
commissioners from the second group shall serve terms of 4, 4,
and 2 years. Beginning with the general election in 2002, the
president of the board of commissioners of the forest preserve
district shall be elected by the voters of the county, rather
than by the commissioners. The president shall be a resident of
the county and shall be elected throughout the county for a
4-year term without having been first elected as commissioner
of the forest preserve district. Each commissioner shall be a
resident of the county board district from which he or she was
elected not later than the date of the commencement of the term
of office. The term of office for the president and
commissioners elected under this Section shall commence on the
first Monday of the month following the month of election.
Neither a commissioner nor the president of the board of
commissioners of that forest preserve district shall serve
simultaneously as member or chairman of the county board. No
person shall seek election to both the forest preserve
commission and the county board at the same election. The
compensation for the president shall be an amount equal to 85%
of the annual salary of the county board chairman. The
president, with the advice and consent of the board of
commissioners shall appoint a secretary, treasurer, and such
other officers as deemed necessary by the board of
commissioners, which officers need not be members of the board
of commissioners. The president shall have the powers and
duties as specified in Section 12 of this Act.
    Candidates for president and commissioner shall be
candidates of established political parties.
    If a vacancy in the office of president or commissioner
occurs, other than by expiration of the president's or
commissioner's term, the forest preserve district board of
commissioners shall declare that a vacancy exists and
notification of the vacancy shall be given to the county
central committee of each established political party within 3
business days after the occurrence of the vacancy. If the
vacancy occurs in the office of forest preserve district
commissioner, the president of the board of commissioners
shall, within 60 days after the date of the vacancy, with the
advice and consent of other commissioners then serving, appoint
a person to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term. The
appointee shall be affiliated with the same political party as
the commissioner in whose office the vacancy occurred and be a
resident of such district. If a vacancy in the office of
president occurs, other than by expiration of the president's
term, the remaining members of the board of commissioners
shall, within 60 days after the vacancy, appoint one of the
commissioners to serve as president for the remainder of the
unexpired term. In that case, the office of the commissioner
who is appointed to serve as president shall be deemed vacant
and shall be filled within 60 days by appointment of the
president with the advice and consent of the other forest
preserve district commissioners. The commissioner who is
appointed to fill a vacancy in the office of president shall be
affiliated with the same political party as the person who
occupied the office of president prior to the vacancy. A person
appointed to fill a vacancy in the office of president or
commissioner shall establish his or her party affiliation by
his or her record of voting in primary elections or by holding
or having held an office in an established political party
organization before the appointment. If the appointee has not
voted in a party primary election or is not holding or has not
held an office in an established political party organization
before the appointment, the appointee shall establish his or
her political party affiliation by his or her record of
participating in an established political party's nomination
or election caucus. If, however, more than 28 months remain in
the unexpired term of a commissioner or the president, the
appointment shall be until the next general election, at which
time the vacated office of commissioner or president shall be
filled by election for the remainder of the term.
Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, if a vacancy occurs
after the last day provided in Section 7-12 of the Election
Code for filing nomination papers for the office of president
of a forest preserve district where that office is elected as
provided for in this Section, or as set forth in Section 7-61
of the Election Code, a vacancy in nomination shall be filled
by the passage of a resolution by the nominating committee of
the affected political party within the time periods specified
in the Election Code. The nominating committee shall consist of
the chairman of the county central committee and the township
chairmen of the affected political party. All other vacancies
in nomination shall be filled in accordance with the provisions
of the Election Code.
    The president and commissioners elected under this Section
may be reimbursed for their reasonable expenses actually
incurred in performing their official duties under this Act in
accordance with the provisions of Section 3a. The reimbursement
paid under this Section shall be paid by the forest preserve
district.
    Compensation for forest preserve commissioners elected
under this Section shall be the same as that of county board
members of the county with which the forest preserve district's
boundaries are co-extensive.
    This Section does not apply to a forest preserve district
created under Section 18.5 of the Conservation District Act.
(Source: P.A. 91-933, eff. 12-30-00; 92-583, eff. 6-26-02.)
 
    (70 ILCS 805/13)  (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 6323)
    Sec. 13. Bonds; limitation on indebtedness. The board of
any forest preserve district organized hereunder may, for any
of the purposes enumerated in this Act, borrow money upon the
faith and credit of such district, and may issue bonds
therefor. However, a district with a population of less than
3,000,000 may not become indebted in any manner or for any
purpose to an amount including existing indebtedness in the
aggregate exceeding 2.3% of the assessed value of the taxable
property therein, as ascertained by the last equalized
assessment for State and county purposes. No district may incur
(i) indebtedness in excess of .3% of the assessed value of
taxable property in the district, as ascertained by the last
equalized assessment for State and county purposes, for the
development of forest preserve lands held by the district, or
(ii) indebtedness for any other purpose except the acquisition
of land including acquiring lands in fee simple along or
enclosing water courses, drainage ways, lakes, ponds, planned
impoundments or elsewhere which are required to store flood
waters or control other drainage and water conditions necessary
for the preservation and management of the water resources of
the District, unless the proposition to issue bonds or
otherwise incur indebtedness is certified by the board to the
proper election officials who shall submit the proposition at
an election in accordance with the general election law, and
approved by a majority of those voting upon the proposition. No
district containing fewer than 3,000,000 inhabitants may incur
indebtedness for the acquisition of land or lands for any
purpose in excess of 55,000 acres, including all lands
theretofore acquired, unless the proposition to issue bonds or
otherwise incur indebtedness is first submitted to the voters
of the district at a referendum in accordance with the general
election law and approved by a majority of those voting upon
the proposition. Before or at the time of issuing bonds, the
board shall provide by ordinance for the collection of an
annual tax sufficient to pay the interest on the bonds as it
falls due, and to pay the bonds as they mature. All bonds
issued by any forest preserve district must be divided into
series, the first of which matures not later than 5 years after
the date of issue and the last of which matures not later than
20 years after the date of issue.
    This Section does not apply to a forest preserve district
created under Section 18.5 of the Conservation District Act.
(Source: P.A. 83-927.)
 
    (70 ILCS 805/13.1)  (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 6324)
    Sec. 13.1. Tax levies. After the first Monday in October
and by the first Monday in December in each year, the board
shall levy the general taxes for the district by general
categories for the next fiscal year. A certified copy of the
levy ordinance shall be filed with the county clerk by the last
Tuesday in December each year.
    In forest preserve districts with a population of less than
3,000,000, the amount of taxes levied for general corporate
purposes for a fiscal year may not exceed the rate of .06% of
the value, as equalized or assessed by the Department of
Revenue, of the taxable property therein. In addition, in
forest preserve districts having a population of 100,000 or
more but less than 3,000,000, the board may levy taxes for
constructing, restoring reconditioning, reconstructing and
acquiring improvements and for the development of the forests
and lands of such district, the amount of which tax each fiscal
year shall be extended at a rate not to exceed .025% of the
assessed value of all taxable property as equalized by the
Department of Revenue.
    All such taxes and rates are exclusive of the taxes
required for the payment of the principal of and interest on
bonds, and exclusive of taxes levied for employees' annuity and
benefit purposes.
    The rate of tax levied for general corporate purposes in a
forest preserve district may not be increased by virtue of this
amendatory Act of 1977 unless the board first adopts a
resolution authorizing such increase and publishes notice
thereof in a newspaper having general circulation in the
district at least once not less than 45 days prior to the
effective date of the increase. The notice shall include a
statement of (1) the specific number of voters required to sign
a petition requesting that the question of the adoption of the
resolution be submitted to the electors of the district; (2)
the time in which the petition must be filed; and (3) the date
of the prospective referendum. The Secretary of the district
shall provide a petition form to any individual requesting one.
If, no later than 30 days after the publication of such notice,
petitions signed by voters of the district equal to 10% or more
of the registered voters of the district, as determined by
reference to the number of voters registered at the next
preceding general election, and residing in the district are
presented to the board expressing opposition to the increase,
the proposition must first be certified by the board to the
proper election officials, who shall submit the proposition to
the legal voters of the district at an election in accordance
with the general election law and approved by a majority of
those voting on the proposition.
    The rate of the tax levied for general corporate purposes
in a forest preserve district may be increased, up to the
maximum rate identified in this Section, by the Board by a
resolution calling for the submission of the question of
increasing the rate to the voters of the district in accordance
with the general election law. The question must be in
substantially the following form:
        "Shall (name of district) be authorized to establish
    its general corporate tax rate at (insert rate) on the
    equalized assessed value on taxable property located
    within the district for its general purposes, including
    education, outdoor recreation, maintenance, operations,
    public safety at the forest preserves, trails, and other
    properties of the district (and, optionally, insert any
    other lawful purposes or programs determined by the Board).
    The ballot must have printed on it, but not as part of the
proposition submitted, the following: "The approximate impact
of the proposed increase on the owner of a single-family home
having a market value of (insert value) would be (insert
amount) in the first year of the increase if the increase is
fully implemented." The ballot may have printed on it, but not
as part of the proposition, one or both of the following: "The
last tax rate extended for the purposes of the district was
(insert rate). The last rate increase approved for the purposes
of the district was in (insert year)." No other information
needs to be included on the ballot.
    The votes must be recorded as "Yes" or "No".
    If a majority of the electors voting on the question vote
in the affirmative, the district may thereafter levy the tax.
    This Section does not apply to a forest preserve district
established under Section 18.5 of the Conservation District
Act.
(Source: P.A. 92-103, eff. 7-20-01.)
 
    (70 ILCS 805/13.1a new)
    Sec. 13.1a. Forest preserve districts created under
Conservation District Act. Notwithstanding any other provision
of law to the contrary, a forest preserve district created
under Section 18.5 of the Conservation District Act shall have
the same powers, duties, and authority as a forest preserve
district created under this Act, except that it shall have the
same bonding and taxing authority as a conservation district
under the Conservation District Act.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.