§ 55

Issuance of obligations for economic development project costs. (a) Obligations secured by the special tax allocation fund provided for in Section 50 for the economic development project area may be issued to provide for the payment of economic development project costs. The obligations, when issued, shall be retired in the manner provided in the ordinance authorizing the issuance of the obligations by the receipts of taxes levied as specified in Section 45 against the taxable property included in the economic development project area and by other revenue designated or pledged by the municipality. A municipality may in the ordinance pledge all or any part of the moneys in and to be deposited into the special tax allocation fund created under Section 50 to the payment of the economic development project costs and obligations. Whenever a municipality pledges all of the moneys to the credit of a special tax allocation fund to secure obligations issued or to be issued to pay economic development project costs, the municipality may specifically provide that moneys remaining to the credit of the special tax allocation fund after the payment of the obligations shall be accounted for annually and shall be deemed to be "surplus" moneys, and those "surplus" moneys shall be distributed as provided in this Section. Whenever a municipality pledges less than all of the moneys to the credit of the special tax allocation fund to secure obligations issued or to be issued to pay economic development project costs, the municipality shall provide that moneys to the credit of the special tax allocation fund and not subject to the pledge or otherwise encumbered or required for payment of contractual obligations for specific economic development project costs shall be calculated annually and shall be deemed to be "surplus" moneys, and those "surplus" moneys shall be distributed as provided in this Section. All moneys to the credit of the special tax allocation fund that are deemed to be "surplus" moneys shall be distributed annually within 180 days after the close of the municipality's fiscal year by being paid by the municipal treasurer to the county collector. The county collector shall make distribution to the respective taxing districts in the same manner and proportion as the most recent distribution by the county collector to those taxing districts of real property taxes from real property in the economic development project area. (b) Without limiting the provisions of subsection (a), the municipality may, in addition to obligations secured by the special tax allocation fund, pledge (for a period not greater than the term of the obligations) towards payment of those obligations any part or any combination of the following: (i) net revenues of all or part of the economic development project; (ii) taxes levied and collected on any or all property in the municipality including, specifically, taxes levied or imposed by the municipality in a special service area under the Special Service Area Tax Act; (iii) the full faith and credit of the municipality; (iv) a mortgage on part or all of the economic development project; or (v) any other taxes or anticipated receipts that the municipality may lawfully pledge. (c) The obligations may be issued in one or more series bearing interest at rates the municipality determines by ordinance. The rates may be variable or fixed, without regard to any limitations contained in any law now in effect or later adopted. The obligations shall bear dates, mature at a time or times not exceeding 20 years from their respective dates (but not exceeding 23 years from the date of establishment of the economic development project area), be in a denomination, be in a form (whether coupon, registered, or book-entry), carry registration, conversion, and exchange privileges, be executed in a manner, be payable in a medium of payment at a place or places within or without the State of Illinois, contain covenants, terms, and conditions, be subject to redemption with or without premium, be subject to defeasance upon terms, and have rank or priority as the ordinance provides. Obligations issued under this Act may be sold at public or private sale at a price determined by the corporate authorities of the municipality. The obligations may be issued utilizing the provisions of any one or more of the Omnibus Bond Acts specified in Section 1.33 of the Statute on Statutes. No referendum approval of the electors shall be required as a condition to the issuance of obligations under this Act except as provided in this Section. (d) If the municipality authorizes the issuance of obligations under this Act secured by the full faith and credit of the municipality or pledges ad valorem taxes under clause (ii) of subsection (b) of this Section (and the obligations are other than obligations that may be issued under home rule powers provided by Article VII, Section 6 of the Illinois Constitution, or the ad valorem taxes are other than ad valorem taxes that may pledged under home rule powers provided by Article VII, Section 6 of the Illinois Constitution or that are levied in a special service area under the Special Service Area Tax Act), the ordinance authorizing the issuance of the obligations or pledging those taxes shall be published within 10 days after the ordinance has been passed in one or more newspapers having a general circulation within the municipality. The publication of the ordinance shall be accompanied by a notice of (i) the specific number of voters required to sign a petition requesting the question of the issuance of the obligations or pledging ad valorem taxes to be submitted to the electors; (ii) the time in which the petition must be filed; and (iii) the date of the prospective referendum. The municipal clerk shall provide a petition form to any individual requesting one. (e) If no petition is filed with the clerk of the municipality that adopted the ordinance within 21 days after the publication of the ordinance, the ordinance shall be in effect. If, however, within that 21-day period a petition is filed with the municipal clerk, signed by electors numbering not less than 5% of the registered voters in the municipality, asking that the question of issuing obligations using the full faith and credit of the municipality as security for the cost of paying for economic development project costs or of pledging ad valorem taxes for the payment of those obligations, or both, be submitted to the electors of the municipality, the municipality shall not be authorized to issue obligations of the municipality using the full faith and credit of the municipality as security or pledging ad valorem taxes for the payment of the obligations, or both, until the proposition has been submitted to and approved by a majority of the voters voting on the proposition at a regularly scheduled election. The municipality shall certify the proposition to the proper election authorities for submission in accordance with the general election law. (f) The ordinance authorizing the obligations may provide that the obligations shall contain a recital that they are issued under this Act, and that recital shall be conclusive evidence of their validity and of the regularity of their issuance. (g) If the municipality authorizes the issuance of obligations under this Act secured by the full faith and credit of the municipality, the ordinance authorizing the obligations may provide for the levy and collection of a direct annual tax upon all taxable property within the municipality sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the obligations as it matures. The levy may be in addition to and exclusive of the maximum of all other taxes authorized to be levied by the municipality, but shall be abated to the extent that moneys from other sources are available for payment of the obligations and the municipality certifies the amount of those moneys available to the county clerk. (h) A municipality shall file a certified copy of an ordinance authorizing the issuance of obligations under this Act with the municipal clerk. The filing shall constitute the authority for the extension and collection of the taxes to be deposited in the special tax allocation fund. (i) A municipality may also issue its obligations to refund, in whole or in part, obligations previously issued by the municipality under this Act, whether at or prior to maturity. The last maturity of the refunding obligations, however, shall not be expressed to mature later than 23 years from the date of the ordinance approving the economic development project areas. (j) If a municipality issues obligations under home rule powers or other legislative authority, the proceeds of which are pledged to pay for economic development project costs, the municipality may, if it has followed the procedures set forth in this Act, retire those obligations from moneys in the special tax allocation fund in amounts and a manner as if those obligations had been issued under this Act. (k) No obligations issued under this Act shall be regarded as an indebtedness of the municipality issuing the obligations or any other taxing district for the purpose of any limitation imposed by law. (l) Obligations issued under this Act shall not be subject to the Bond Authorization Act.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 89-176, eff. 1-1-96.)