70 ILCS 2905/5-1

(70 ILCS 2905/5-1) (from Ch. 42, par. 505-1)

Sec. 5-1. Taxes; levy.

(a) The board may levy and collect taxes for corporate purposes on taxable property within the corporate boundaries of the district including property annexed pursuant to Section 2-11. Such taxes shall be levied by ordinance specifying the purposes for which the same are required, and a certified copy of such ordinance shall be filed with the county clerk of the county in which the predecessor district was organized, on or before the second Tuesday in August, as provided in Section 122 of the Revenue Act of 1939 (superseded by Section 14-10 of the Property Tax Code). Any excess funds accumulated prior to January 1, 2008 by the sanitary district that are collected by levying taxes pursuant to 745 ILCS 10/9-107 may be expended by the sanitary district to maintain, repair, improve, or construct levees or any part of the levee system and to provide capital moneys for levee or river-related scientific studies, including the construction of facilities for such purposes. For the purposes of this subsection (a), the excess funds withdrawn from the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Fund may not be more than 90% of the balance of that fund on December 31, 2007. After the assessment for the current year has been equalized by the Department of Revenue, the board shall, as soon as may be, ascertain and certify to such county clerk the total value of all taxable property lying within the corporate limits of such districts in each of the counties in which the district is situated, as the same is assessed and equalized for tax purposes for the current year. The county clerk shall ascertain the rate per cent which, upon the total valuation of all such property, ascertained as above stated, would produce a net amount not less than the amount so directed to be levied; and the clerk shall, without delay, certify under his signature and seal of office to the county clerk of such other county, in which a portion of the district is situated such rate per cent; and it shall be the duty of each of the county clerks to extend such tax in a separate column upon the books of the collector or collectors of the county taxes for the counties, against all property in their respective counties, within the limits of the district. All taxes so levied and certified shall be collected and enforced in the same manner, and by the same officers as county taxes, and shall be paid over by the officers collecting the same, to the treasurer of the sanitary district, in the manner and at the time provided by the Property Tax Code. The aggregate amount of taxes levied for any one year, exclusive of the amount levied for the payment of bonded indebtedness and interest thereon, shall not exceed the rate of .20%, or the rate limitation of the predecessor district in effect on July 1, 1967, or the rate limitation set by subsection (b) whichever is greater, of value, as equalized or assessed by the Department of Revenue. The foregoing limitations upon tax rates may be increased or decreased under the referendum provisions of the Property Tax Code.

(b) The tax rate limit of the district may be changed to .478% of the value of property as equalized or assessed by the Department of Revenue for a period of 5 years and to .312% of such value thereafter upon the approval of the electors of the district of such a proposition submitted at any regular election pursuant to a resolution of the board of commissioners or submitted at an election for officers of the counties of St. Clair and Madison in accordance with the general election law upon a petition signed by not fewer than 10% of the legal voters in the district, which percentage shall be determined on the basis of the number of votes cast at the last general election preceding the filing of such petition specifying the tax rate to be submitted. Such petition shall be filed with the executive director of the district not more than 10 months nor less than 5 months prior to the election at which the question is to be submitted to the voters of the district, and its validity shall be determined as provided by the general election law. The executive director shall certify the question to the proper election officials, who shall submit the question to the voters.

Notice shall be given in the manner provided by the general election law.

Referenda initiated under this subsection shall be subject to the provisions and limitations of the general election law.

The question shall be in substantially the following form:

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Shall the maximum tax rate

for the Metro-East Sanitary

District be established at YES

.478% of the equalized assessed

value for 5 years and then at .312% ------------------------

of the equalized assessed value

thereafter, instead of .2168%, the NO

maximum rate otherwise applicable

to the next taxes to be extended?

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The ballot shall have printed thereon, but not as a part of the proposition submitted, an estimate of the approximate amount extendable under the proposed rate and of the approximate amount extendable under the rate otherwise applicable to the next taxes to be extended, such amounts being computed upon the last known equalized assessed value; provided, that any error, miscalculation or inaccuracy in computing such amounts shall not invalidate or affect the validity of any tax rate limit so adopted.

If a majority of all ballots cast on such proposition shall be in favor of the proposition, the tax rate limit so established shall become effective with the levy next following the referendum; provided that nothing in this subsection shall be construed as precluding the extension of taxes at rates less than that authorized by such referendum.

Except as herein otherwise provided, the referenda authorized by the terms of this subsection shall be conducted in all respects in the manner provided by the general election law.

(Source: P.A. 95-723, eff. 6-23-08; 96-1070, eff. 1-1-11.)