Any municipality which (1) has a population exceeding 15,000 but less than 500,000, (2) is not located within any sanitary district, (3) discharges its sewage into Lake Michigan without having provided any adequate provisions for otherwise disposing of its sewage, and (4) owns and operates a waterworks and sewerage system, the cost of the construction of which waterworks and sewerage system has been provided for by special assessment, and a large portion of which cost has been assessed against the municipality for public benefits, has the power to provide by ordinance for the levy, in addition to the taxes now authorized by law, and in addition to the amount authorized to be levied for general purposes as provided by Section 8-3-1, of a direct annual tax for not exceeding 20 successive years and not exceeding .1666% of the value, as equalized or assessed by the Department of Revenue of all taxable property, in the municipality. This tax shall be levied and collected with and in like manner as the general tax in the municipality and shall be known as the public benefit tax. The fund arising therefrom shall be known as the public benefit fund, which fund shall be used solely for the purpose of paying that portion of the several amounts heretofore assessed against the municipality for such public benefits, as well as for paying any such amounts as may be hereafter so assessed for such public benefits under and in pursuance of any ordinance that may be hereafter passed. However, no such tax shall be levied in excess of .1% of the taxable property for any year until after the corporate authorities of the municipality have passed an ordinance providing for the levying of that excess. This ordinance shall not become effective until it has been submitted to the electors of the municipality in accordance with the provisions of Sections 8-4-1 and 8-4-2 and has been approved by a majority of the electors voting upon the question.
Where any such tax has been levied, warrants may be drawn against the tax in the manner and with like effect as is provided by Sections 8-1-9, 8-1-11 and 8-1-12.
This section is subject to the provisions of the General Revenue Law of Illinois.
65 ILCS 5/9-2-38