HB4359 EngrossedLRB103 35352 AWJ 65416 b

1    AN ACT concerning local government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Fire Protection District Act is amended by
5changing Sections 22 and 24 as follows:
 
6    (70 ILCS 705/22)  (from Ch. 127 1/2, par. 38.5)
7    Sec. 22. The Board of Trustees of any fire protection
8district incorporated under this Act is authorized under the
9terms and conditions hereinafter set out, to provide emergency
10ambulance service to or from points within or without the
11district; to contract with providers of ambulance service; to
12combine with other units of governments for the purpose of
13providing ambulance service; to levy a tax for the provision
14of such service and to adopt rules and regulations relating to
15ambulance service within their jurisdiction.
16    (a) It is declared as a matter of public policy:
17        (1) That, in order to preserve, protect and promote
18    the public health, safety and general welfare, adequate
19    and continuing emergency ambulance service should be
20    available to every citizen of Illinois;
21        (2) That, insofar as it is economically feasible,
22    emergency ambulance service should be provided by private
23    enterprise; and

 

 

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1        (3) That, in the event adequate and continuing
2    emergency ambulance services do not exist, fire protection
3    districts should be authorized to provide, and shall cause
4    to be provided, ambulance service as a public
5    responsibility.
6    (b) Whenever the Board of Trustees of a fire protection
7district desires to levy a special tax to provide an ambulance
8service, it shall certify the question to the proper election
9officials, who shall submit that question at an election to
10the voters of the district. The result of such referendum
11shall be entered upon the records of the district. If a
12majority of the votes on the proposition are in favor of such
13proposition, the Board of Trustees may thereafter levy a
14special tax at a rate not to exceed .30% of the value of all
15taxable property within the district as equalized or assessed
16by the Department of Revenue. The proposition shall be in
17substantially the following form:
18----------------------------
19    Shall the .... Fire Protection
20 District levy  a special tax at a rate     YES
21 not to exceed .30% of the value of all
22 taxable property within the district as --------------------
23 equalized or assessed by the Department
24 of Revenue for the purpose of providing    NO
25 an ambulance service?
26-------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

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1    (b-5) On and after the effective date of this amendatory
2Act of the 98th General Assembly, whenever the Board of
3Trustees of a fire protection district desires to levy a
4special tax to provide an ambulance service, it shall certify
5the question to the proper election officials, who shall
6submit that question at an election to the voters of the
7district. The result of such referendum shall be entered upon
8the records of the district. If a majority of the votes on the
9proposition are in favor of such proposition, the Board of
10Trustees may thereafter levy a special tax at a rate not to
11exceed .40% of the value of all taxable property within the
12district as equalized or assessed by the Department of
13Revenue. The proposition shall be in substantially the
14following form:
15----------------------------------------------
16    Shall the .... Fire Protection
17District levy  a special tax at a rate     YES
18not to exceed .40% of the value of all
19taxable property within the district as ---------------------
20equalized or assessed by the Department
21of Revenue for the purpose of providing    NO
22an ambulance service?
23------------------------------------------------------------- 
24    (c) If it appears that a majority of all valid votes cast
25on the proposition are in favor of levying a special tax to pay
26for an ambulance, the Board of Trustees may levy and collect an

 

 

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1annual tax for the purpose of providing ambulance service
2under this Act to be extended at a rate not to exceed .40% of
3the full fair cash value of the taxable property within the
4governmental unit as assessed or equalized by the Department
5of Revenue. Such annual tax shall be in addition to the other
6taxes a fire protection district may levy for its corporate
7purposes.
8    (d) Any Board of trustees may:
9        1. Provide or operate an emergency ambulance service;
10        2. Contract with a private person, hospital,
11    corporation or another governmental unit for the provision
12    and operation of emergency ambulance service or subsidize
13    the service thereof;
14        3. Limit the number of ambulance services;
15        4. Within its jurisdiction, fix, charge and collect
16    fees for emergency ambulance service within or outside of
17    the fire protection district not exceeding the reasonable
18    cost of the service;
19        5. Establish necessary regulations not inconsistent
20    with the statutes or regulations of the Department of
21    Public Health relating to ambulance service;
22        6. The trustees shall have the power identified in
23    paragraphs 3 and 5 only if the district shall have passed
24    the referendum provided for herein.
25    (e) When any Board of Trustees is authorized prior to
26January 1, 1978 to levy and collect an annual tax, for the

 

 

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1purpose of providing ambulance service, at any rate not
2exceeding .25% of the full fair cash value of the taxable
3property within the governmental unit as equalized or assessed
4by the Department of Revenue, such Board of Trustees may by
5resolution increase its authority to tax for ambulance
6purposes to a rate not to exceed .30%. Such resolution shall be
7effective 30 days after its adoption. Notice of such
8resolution shall be published twice in a newspaper having a
9general circulation within the district at least 20 days and
10again at least 10 days prior to the effective date of the
11resolution. Such notice shall state that the voters of that
12fire protection district, which district shall be described in
13the notice, have until 30 days after the adoption of the
14resolution to file a petition with the Board of Trustees
15praying that the question of the adoption of the resolution be
16submitted to a vote of the electors of such territory, and
17that, if no such petition is filed, the resolution shall
18become effective 30 days after its adoption. The notice also
19shall state the specific number of voters required to sign the
20petition and the date of the prospective referendum. The
21district secretary shall provide a petition form to any
22individual requesting one. If such a petition, signed by the
23voters of the district equal to 10% or more of the registered
24voters of the district, is so filed with the Board of Trustees,
25then the question of the adoption of the resolution shall be
26certified to the proper election officials, who shall submit

 

 

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1the question to a vote of the electors of the district at an
2election in accordance with the general election law. If such
3a petition is filed, the resolution does not take effect
4unless a majority of the votes cast upon the question of the
5adoption of the resolution is in favor of adoption. However,
6if such a petition is determined to be invalid, the resolution
7shall take effect.
8    The result of the election shall be entered upon the
9records of the district. If a majority of the voters vote in
10favor of such resolution, the resolution shall be effective
11immediately. The proposition shall be in substantially the
12following form:
13----------------------------------------------
14    Shall the Board of Trustees of
15the .... Fire Protection District               YES
16be authorized to increase the
17special  tax for ambulance service
18to a rate  not to exceed .30% of           ------------------
19the value of all taxable property
20within the district as equalized or
21assessed by the Department of Revenue           NO
22for the purpose of providing such service?
23-------------------------------------------------------------
24    (f) The Board of Trustees may accumulate funds in its
25ambulance fund for the purposes of acquiring, building, or
26maintaining real property, procuring emergency medical service

 

 

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1vehicles or equipment, or training to provide essential
2emergency medical services to the community.
3    (g) In this Section, "ambulance service" includes, without
4limitation, pre-hospital medical services. "Pre-hospital
5medical services" includes emergency services performed by a
6paramedic or other on-board emergency personnel that are
7within the scope of the provider's license. This amendatory
8Act of the 95th General Assembly is declarative of existing
9law.
10(Source: P.A. 98-319, eff. 8-12-13.)
 
11    (70 ILCS 705/24)  (from Ch. 127 1/2, par. 38.7)
12    Sec. 24. (a) In addition to any other tax authorized by
13law, the board of trustees of a fire protection district may,
14subject to the requirements of subsections (b) and (c), by
15ordinance levy a special annual tax at a rate not exceeding
160.10% of the value, as equalized or assessed by the Department
17of Revenue, of all taxable property within the district, for
18the purpose of obtaining funds to pay for the costs of
19emergency and rescue crews and equipment.
20    (b) Whenever the board of trustees of a fire protection
21district desires to levy a special tax under this Section, it
22shall certify the question to the proper election officials,
23who shall submit that question at an election to the voters of
24the district in accordance with the general election law. The
25result of such referendum shall be entered upon the records of

 

 

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1the district. If a majority of the votes on the proposition are
2in favor of such proposition, the board of trustees may
3thereafter levy a special tax under this Section at a rate not
4to exceed 0.05% of the value of all taxable property within the
5district as equalized or assessed by the Department of
6Revenue. The proposition shall be in substantially the
7following form:
8----------------------------------------------
9    Shall the ....... Fire Protection
10District levy a special tax at a rate
11not to exceed 0.05%  of the value of           YES
12all taxable property within the
13district as equalized or assessed       ---------------------
14by the Department of Revenue for
15the purpose of providing funds               NO
16to pay for the costs of emergency
17and rescue crews and equipment?
18-------------------------------------------------------------
19    (c) Whenever the board of trustees of a fire protection
20district desires to levy a special tax under this Section at a
21rate not to exceed 0.10% of the value of all taxable property
22within the district as equalized or assessed by the Department
23of Revenue, it shall certify the question to the proper
24election officials, who shall submit that question at an
25election to the voters of the district in accordance with the
26general election law. The result of such referendum shall be

 

 

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1entered upon the records of the district. If a majority of the
2votes on the proposition are in favor of such proposition, the
3board of trustees may thereafter levy a special tax under this
4Section at a rate not to exceed 0.10% of the value of all
5taxable property within the district as equalized or assessed
6by the Department of Revenue. The proposition shall be in
7substantially the following form:
8---------------------------
9    Shall the ......... Fire
10Protection  District levy a            YES
11special tax at a rate not to
12exceed 0.10% of the value of
13all taxable property within the    --------------------------
14district as equalized or assessed
15by the Department of Revenue
16for the purpose of providing funds      NO
17to pay for the costs of emergency
18and rescue crews and equipment?
19-------------------------------------------------------------
20    (d) The board of trustees may accumulate funds in its
21emergency and rescue fund for the purposes of acquiring,
22building, or maintaining real property for emergency and
23rescue purposes, procuring emergency rescue crews and
24equipment, or training to provide essential rescue,
25specialized rescue, and technical rescue services to the
26community.

 

 

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1(Source: P.A. 99-4, eff. 5-31-15; 100-348, eff. 1-1-18.)