Section 55 ILCS 90/60 - Powers of counties; economic development project area commissionsIn addition to powers that it may now have, a county has the following powers under this Act:
(1) To make and enter into all contracts necessary or incidental to the implementation and furtherance of an economic development plan.(2) Within an economic development project area, to acquire by purchase, donation, lease, or eminent domain and to own, convey, lease, mortgage, or dispose of land and other real or personal property or rights or interests in property and to grant or acquire licenses, easements, and options with respect to property, all in the manner and at a price the county determines is reasonably necessary to achieve the objectives of the economic development project. No conveyance, lease, mortgage, disposition of land, or agreement relating to the development of property shall be made or executed except pursuant to prior official action of the county. No conveyance, lease, mortgage, or other disposition of land, and no agreement relating to the development of property, shall be made without making public disclosure of the terms and disposition of all bids and proposals submitted to the county in connection with that action.(3) To clear any area within an economic development project area by demolition or removal of any existing buildings, structures, fixtures, utilities, or improvements and to clear and grade land.(4) To install, repair, construct, reconstruct, or relocate public streets, public utilities, and other public site improvements located outside the boundaries of an economic development project area that are essential to the preparation of an economic development project area for use in accordance with an economic development plan.(5) To renovate, rehabilitate, reconstruct, relocate, repair, or remodel any existing buildings, improvements, and fixtures within an economic development project area.(6) To install or construct any buildings, structures, works, streets, improvements, utilities, or fixtures within an economic development project area.(7) To issue obligations as provided in this Act.(8) To fix, charge, and collect fees, rents, and charges for the use of any building, facility, or property or any portion of a building, facility, or property owned or leased by the county within an economic development project area.(9) To accept grants, guarantees, donations of property or labor, or any other thing of value for use in connection with an economic development project.(10) To pay or cause to be paid economic development project costs, including, specifically, to reimburse any nongovernmental person for economic development project costs incurred by that person. Any payments to be made by a county to developers or other nongovernmental persons for economic development project costs incurred by the developer or other nongovernmental person shall be made only pursuant to the prior official action of the county evidencing an intent to pay or cause to be paid those economic development costs. A county is not required to obtain any right, title, or interest in any real or personal property in order to pay economic development project costs associated with the property. The county shall adopt accounting procedures necessary to determine that the economic development project costs are properly paid.(11) To exercise any and all other powers necessary to effectuate the purposes of this Act.(12) To create a commission of not less than 5 or more than 15 persons to be appointed by the corporate authorities of the county. Members of a commission shall be appointed for initial terms of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years, respectively, in numbers to provide that the terms of not more than one-third of all the members shall expire in any one year. Their successors shall be appointed for a term of 5 years. The commission, subject to approval of the corporate authorities, may exercise the powers enumerated in this Section. The commission also may hold the public hearings required by this Act and make recommendations to the corporate authorities concerning the approval of economic development plans, the establishment of economic development project areas, and the adoption of tax increment allocation financing for economic development project areas.