Except as otherwise allowed by the Director, to qualify for disbursements made by the Department from an appropriation made under the provisions of this Section, the land on which the fair is held must be owned by the county fair board participating in this disbursement or by a State, city, village, or county government body, or be held under a lease that is at least 20 years in duration, the terms of which require the lessee to have continuous possession of the land during every day of the lease period. No county fair shall qualify for disbursements made by the Department from an appropriation made under the provisions of this Section unless it shall have notified the Department in writing of its intent to participate prior to obligating any funds for which reimbursement will be requested. Each county fair shall be reimbursed annually for that part of the amount expended by the fair during the year for liability and casualty insurance, as provided in this Section, and the rehabilitation of its grounds, including major construction projects and minor maintenance and repair projects; as follows:
100% of the first $5,000 or any part thereof;
75% of the next $20,000 or any part thereof;
50% of the next $20,000 or any part thereof.
The lesser of either $20,000 or 50% of the amount received by a county fair pursuant to this Section may be expended for liability and casualty insurance.
The maximum amount the DeWitt County Fair may be reimbursed in each of fiscal years 2022 and 2023, subject to appropriation, is $13,250.
If a county fair expends more than is needed in any year for approved projects to maximize State reimbursement under this Section and provides itemized receipts and other evidence of expenditures for that year, any excess may be carried over to the succeeding year. The amount carried over shall constitute a claim for reimbursement for a subsequent period not to exceed 7 years as long as funds are available.
Before June 30 of each year, the president and secretary of each county fair which has participated in this program shall file with the Department a sworn statement of the amount expended during the period July 1 to June 30 of the State's fiscal year, accompanied by itemized receipted bills and other evidence of expenditures. If the Department approves the claim, the State Comptroller is authorized and directed to draw a warrant payable from the Agricultural Premium Fund on the State Treasurer for the amount of the rehabilitation claims.
If after all claims are paid, there remains any amount of the appropriation for rehabilitation, the remaining amount shall be distributed as a grant to the participating fairs qualifying for the maximum reimbursement and shall be distributed to the eligible fairs on an equal basis not to exceed each eligible fair's pro rata share granted in this paragraph. A sworn statement of the amount expended accompanied by the itemized receipted bills as evidence of expenditure must be filed with the Department by June 30 of each year.
30 ILCS 120/13