State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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[ Introduced ][ Engrossed ][ House Amendment 001 ]
[ Senate Amendment 001 ]


92_SB0800enr

 
SB800 Enrolled                                 LRB9203128DHpc

 1        AN ACT concerning highways.

 2        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section 5.  The  Illinois  Highway  Code  is  amended  by
 5    changing Section 6-501 as follows:

 6        (605 ILCS 5/6-501) (from Ch. 121, par. 6-501)
 7        Sec.  6-501.  (a)   Findings  and  purpose.   The General
 8    Assembly finds:
 9             (1)  That the financial conditions of  the  Township
10        and  District  road systems of the State of Illinois have
11        suffered  adversely  as  a  result  of  changes  in   law
12        concerning   assessed   valuation  of  property  for  tax
13        purposes. That as a result of the  changes  beginning  in
14        1945,  the rates of permissible levy were first halved to
15        accommodate full fair  value,  but  never  restored  when
16        subsequent  law  change  established  the  legal assessed
17        valuation at 50% of fair market value as equalized by the
18        Department of Revenue.
19             (2)  Townships  and  district  road  systems,  as  a
20        result of the decreased financial support, have  suffered
21        a  decline  in  ability  to maintain or improve roads and
22        bridges in a safe condition  to  permit  the  normal  and
23        ordinary  use  of  its highway system.  In many instances
24        bridges have been closed and detours required because  of
25        impossible  road  conditions  resulting  in hardships for
26        school districts in transporting pupils and for farms  in
27        moving products to market.
28             (3)  Further,  cost for maintenance and improvements
29        have risen faster than the valuations  of  property,  the
30        base of financial support.
31             (4)  To solve these problems, this Act makes changes
 
SB800 Enrolled             -2-                 LRB9203128DHpc
 1        in  rates of taxation -- returning Townships and District
 2        road systems to  their  approximate  financial  viability
 3        prior to 1945.
 4        (b)  The  highway  commissioner for each road district in
 5    each county not  under  township  organization  shall  on  or
 6    before  the  third Tuesday in December of each year determine
 7    and certify to the county board the amount  necessary  to  be
 8    raised  by taxation for road purposes and for the salaries of
 9    elected road district officials in the road district.
10        Should any highway commissioner during the last  year  of
11    his term of office for any reason not file the certificate in
12    the  office of the county clerk, as required by this Section,
13    in time for presentation to the regular September meeting  of
14    the  county  board, the clerk shall present in lieu thereof a
15    certificate  equal  in  amount  to  that  presented  for  the
16    preceding year.
17        In every such county the certificate shall  be  filed  in
18    the office of the county clerk and by that official presented
19    to  the county board at the regular September meeting for the
20    consideration of the  board.   The  amount  so  certified  if
21    approved  by  the  county  board,  or the part thereof as the
22    county board does approve, shall be extended  by  the  county
23    clerk  as  road  taxes  against  the  taxable property of the
24    district.
25        (c)  The highway commissioner in each  road  district  in
26    each  county  having  adopted  township organization shall in
27    accordance with the Illinois Municipal Budget Law at least 30
28    days prior to the public meeting required by this  paragraph,
29    each  year prepare or cause to be prepared a tentative budget
30    and appropriation ordinance and file the same with the  clerk
31    of  the  township  or consolidated township road district, as
32    the case may be, who shall  make  the  tentative  budget  and
33    appropriation  ordinance conveniently available to the public
34    inspection for at least 30 days prior to final  action.   One
 
SB800 Enrolled             -3-                 LRB9203128DHpc
 1    public  hearing  shall be held.  This public hearing shall be
 2    held on or before the last day of the first  quarter  of  the
 3    fiscal  year  before  the  township  board of trustees or the
 4    highway board of trustees, as the case may be.  Notice of the
 5    hearing  shall  be  given  by  publication  in  a   newspaper
 6    published  in the road district at least 30 days prior to the
 7    time of the hearing.  If there is no newspaper  published  in
 8    the  road  district,  notice  of  the public hearing shall be
 9    given by posting notices in 5 of the most  public  places  in
10    the  district.  It shall be the duty of the clerk of the road
11    district to arrange for  the  public  hearing.  The  township
12    board  of  trustees or highway board of trustees, as the case
13    may be, at the  public  hearing  shall  adopt  the  tentative
14    budget  and appropriation ordinance, or any part as the board
15    of trustees deem necessary.
16        On or before the last Tuesday in  December  the  township
17    board  of  trustees  or  highway  board  of  trustees or road
18    district commissioner, as the case may  be,  shall  levy  and
19    certify to the county clerk the amount necessary to be raised
20    by   taxation   for  road  purposes  and  the  road  district
21    commissioner shall levy and certify to the county  clerk  the
22    amount necessary to be raised by taxation for the salaries of
23    elected  road  district  officials  in  the road district, as
24    determined by the highway commissioner.
25        The amount so certified shall be extended by  the  county
26    clerk  as  road  taxes  against  the  taxable property of the
27    district.
28        On  or  after  October  10,   1991,   a   road   district
29    commissioner  whose district is located in a county not under
30    township organization may  not  levy  separately  a  tax  for
31    salaries  of  elected  road district officials unless the tax
32    has been first approved by a majority of the electors  voting
33    on  the question at a referendum conducted in accordance with
34    the general election law.   The  question  submitted  to  the
 
SB800 Enrolled             -4-                 LRB9203128DHpc
 1    electors  at  the  referendum  shall  be in substantially the
 2    following form: "Shall  the  road  district  commissioner  be
 3    authorized  to levy an annual tax for the salaries of elected
 4    road district officials under Section 6-501 of  the  Illinois
 5    Highway Code?"
 6        Except  as  is  otherwise permitted by this Code and when
 7    the road district commissioner establishes the tax  rate  for
 8    the  salaries  of elected road district officials, the county
 9    clerk shall not extend taxes for road  purposes  against  the
10    taxable  property  in any road district at rates in excess of
11    the following:
12             (1)  in  a  road  district  comprised  of  a  single
13        township in a county having township organization,  at  a
14        rate  in  excess  of  .125% of the value, as equalized or
15        assessed by the Department of Revenue; unless before  the
16        last   Tuesday   in   December   annually   the   highway
17        commissioner  of  the  township  road district shall have
18        secured the consent in  writing  of  a  majority  of  the
19        members   of  the  township  board  of  trustees  to  the
20        extension of a greater rate, in which case the rate shall
21        not exceed that approved by a majority of the members  of
22        the  township  board of trustees, but in no case shall it
23        exceed .165% of the value, as equalized  or  assessed  by
24        the  Department.   Once approved by the township board of
25        trustees, the rate shall remain in effect  until  changed
26        by the township board of trustees;
27             (2)  in  a consolidated township road district, at a
28        rate in excess of .175% of the  value,  as  equalized  or
29        assessed by the Department of Revenue;
30             (3)  in  a  road  district  in  a  county not having
31        township organization, at a rate in excess  of  .165%  of
32        the  value, as equalized or assessed by the Department of
33        Revenue.
34        However,  road  districts  that  have  higher  tax   rate
 
SB800 Enrolled             -5-                 LRB9203128DHpc
 1    limitations on a permanent basis for road purposes on July 1,
 2    1967,  than  the limitations herein provided, may continue to
 3    levy the road taxes at the higher limitations, and the county
 4    clerk shall extend the taxes at  not  to  exceed  the  higher
 5    limitations.
 6        If  the  amount  of taxes levied by the township board of
 7    trustees or the highway board of trustees or approved by  the
 8    county  board in any case is in excess of the amount that may
 9    be extended the county clerk shall reduce the amount so  that
10    the rate extended shall be no greater than authorized by law.
11    However, the tax shall not be reduced or scaled in any manner
12    whatever  by  reason  of the levy and extension by the county
13    clerk of any tax to pay the principal or interest,  or  both,
14    of any bonds issued by a road district.
15        The taxes, when collected, shall be held by the treasurer
16    of the district as the regular road fund of the district.
17        Notwithstanding  any other provision of law, for a period
18    of time ending 18 8 years after the effective  date  of  this
19    amendatory  Act of 1994, a road district or consolidated road
20    district may accumulate up to 50% of the taxes collected from
21    a  subdivision  under  this  Section  for   improvements   of
22    nondedicated  roads within the subdivision from which and for
23    which the taxes were  collected.   These  nondedicated  roads
24    will  become  a part of the township and district road system
25    if the roads meet the criteria established by the counties in
26    which the roads are located.  The total  accumulations  under
27    this  provision may not exceed 10% of the total funds held by
28    the district for road purposes.   This provision applies only
29    to townships within counties adjacent  to  a  county  with  a
30    population  of  3,000,000  or  more  and only with respect to
31    subdivisions whose plats were filed or recorded  before  July
32    23, 1959.
33        Any road district may accumulate funds for the purpose of
34    acquiring,  constructing,  repairing  and improving buildings
 
SB800 Enrolled             -6-                 LRB9203128DHpc
 1    and procuring land in relation to the building  and  for  the
 2    purpose   of   procuring   road   maintenance  apparatus  and
 3    equipment,  and  for  the  construction  of  roads,  and  may
 4    annually levy taxes for the purposes in excess of its current
 5    requirements for other purposes,  subject  to  the  tax  rate
 6    limitations  provided in this Section, provided a proposition
 7    to accumulate funds for the purposes is  first  submitted  to
 8    and   approved   by   the  electors  of  the  district.   The
 9    proposition  shall  be  certified  to  the  proper   election
10    officials  by  the  district  clerk upon the direction of the
11    highway commissioner, and the election officials shall submit
12    the proposition at a regular election.  Notice and conduct of
13    the referendum  shall  be  in  accordance  with  the  general
14    election  law.  The proposition shall be in substantially the
15    following form:
16    -------------------------------------------------------------
17        Shall.......... road district
18    accumulate funds in the amount
19    of $......... for........years               YES
20    for the purpose of acquiring,
21    constructing, repairing and improving    --------------------
22    buildings and procuring land
23    therefor,  and  for procuring  road          NO
24    maintenance apparatus and equipment
25    and for the construction of roads?
26    -------------------------------------------------------------
27        If a majority of the electors voting on  the  proposition
28    vote  in  favor of it, the road district may use a portion of
29    the  funds  levied,  subject  to  the  tax  rate  limitations
30    provided  in  this  Section,  for  the  purposes  for   which
31    accumulation   was  authorized.  It  shall  not  be  a  valid
32    objection to any subsequent tax levy made under this Section,
33    that there remains unexpended money arising from the levy  of
34    a  prior  year  because  of an accumulation permitted by this
 
SB800 Enrolled             -7-                 LRB9203128DHpc
 1    Section and provided for in the budget for that prior year.
 2    (Source: P.A. 87-17; 87-738; 87-768; 87-895; 87-1189; 88-360;
 3    88-673, eff. 7-1-95.)

 4        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect  upon
 5    becoming law.

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