Section 70 ILCS 15/5 - PowersThe Authority shall have the following powers:
(a) To acquire by purchase, lease or otherwise, for the purpose of establishing and constructing a major airport facility and any other airports declared by law to be in the public interest, any land or interests therein, including the vacation of roads under the control of any unit of local government, lying anywhere within the Kankakee River Valley Area, any public waters of the State of Illinois lying within such area or bordering thereon, any submerged land under such public waters and any artificial or reclaimed land which before the artificial making or reclamation thereof constituted a portion of such submerged land under such public waters.(b) To acquire by purchase, lease or otherwise any airport or airports located within the Kankakee River Valley Area; and to assume and pay, or guaranty the payment of, the principal and interest of any bonds secured by any such airport or the income or revenues therefrom at the time of acquisition thereof by the Authority, and to reconstruct, expand, improve and maintain any such airport, provided that: (1) the rentals payable on any lease of any such airport shall be payable only from any part or all of the income and revenues derived from such airport, any other Authority airport or airports, any related facilities of any such airport, any perimeter area of any such airport, any perimeter area facilities of any such airport, or any other property owned by the Authority or any 2 or more of such sources, and the payment of such rentals may be secured by a pledge of any part or all of any such income or revenues;(2) any such assumption or guaranty of the principal and interest of any bonds secured by any such airport, the related facilities thereof, the perimeter area thereof or the perimeter area facilities shall be payable only from a pledge of the income and revenues of such airport, its related facilities, its perimeter area, its perimeter area facilities, any other Authority airport or airports and their respective related facilities, perimeter areas, perimeter area facilities, any other Authority property, or from the proceeds derived from the sale of bonds authorized to be issued by the Authority pursuant to Section 14 of this Act which are issued for the purpose of refunding any such bonds so assumed or guaranteed, or any 2 or more of the foregoing sources; and(3) any such lease, assumption or guaranty shall state on its face that it does not constitute a debt of the Authority or of the State of Illinois within the meaning of the Constitution and the statutes of the State of Illinois.(c) To plan, establish, acquire by purchase, lease or otherwise, construct, reconstruct, expand, improve and maintain related facilities for any Authority airport.(d) To acquire by purchase, lease or otherwise as the perimeter area of any Authority airport any land lying within the Kankakee River Valley Area, any public waters of the State of Illinois or bordering thereon, any submerged land under such public waters and any artificial or reclaimed land which before the artificial making or reclamation thereof constituted a portion of such submerged land under such public waters which lie within one mile of the boundaries of any proposed or existing Authority airport, and to plan, establish, construct, reconstruct, expand, improve and maintain on any such perimeter area any perimeter area facilities which the Authority shall deem necessary or appropriate.(e) To enter into leases or agreements for the operation by the Authority of any airport or airports located in the Kankakee River Valley Area and any part or all of the related facilities, perimeter areas and perimeter area facilities thereof.(f) To require the removal or relocation of all buildings, railroads, mains, pipes, conduits, wires, poles and other structures, facilities and equipment which may interfere with the location, operation, expansion or improvement of any proposed or existing Authority airport or perimeter area or with the safe approach to any such airport or takeoff from any such airport by aircraft; provided that, whenever the Authority shall determine that it is necessary that any such facilities be relocated or removed entirely from any present or proposed Authority airport or perimeter area, the person owning or operating such facilities shall relocate or remove the same in accordance with the order of the Authority, and all costs and expenses of such relocation or removal, including the cost of installing such relocation or removal, including the cost of installing such facilities in a new location or locations, and the cost of any land or lands, or interest in land, or any other rights required to accomplish such relocation or removal shall be ascertained and paid by the Authority as a part of the cost of any such present or proposed Authority airport and further, there shall be no rent, fee or other charge of any kind imposed upon the person owning or operating any facilities ordered relocated on the properties of the Authority and the Authority shall grant to the person owning or operating the facilities and his successors and assigns the right to operate the same in the new location or locations for as long a period and upon the same terms and conditions as he had the right to maintain and operate such facilities in their former location or locations.(g) To enter upon lands, waters and premises in the State for the purpose of making surveys, soundings, drillings and examinations as may be necessary, expedient or convenient for the purposes of this Act. No such entry may be considered to be a trespass. The Authority shall make reimbursement for any actual damage resulting to such lands, waters and premises as the result of such activities.(h) To acquire property by purchase to: (1) Provide a site on which to replace or relocate any structure which must be removed or demolished by reason of airport construction, expansion or land acquisition. The Authority may replace, restore and rehabilitate such site and structure in its entirety and may sell or exchange such a structure and the site on which it is located and may insert in any instrument or deed covering such sale or exchange, such covenants and agreements as will insure compliance with this Section, which covenants and agreements shall run with the land.(2) Provide a site on which an owner may replace, relocate, restore or rebuild any structure which must be removed or demolished by reason of airport construction, expansion or land acquisition. The Authority may exchange any easement, rights, lands or other property with the owner of the structure to be removed or demolished and may insert in any instrument or deed covering such exchange, such covenants and agreements as will insure compliance with this Section, which covenants and agreements shall run with the land.(i) To police its property and to exercise police powers in respect to that property and in respect to the enforcement of any rule or regulation of the Authority, including the regulation of vehicular traffic, and to contract for, employ and establish, maintain, and equip a security force for fire and police protection of an Authority airport and provide that the personnel of the security force shall perform other tasks relating to the maintenance and operation of an Authority airport.(j) To request, receive and expend federal, State, local and private funds for the purpose of planning, development, construction and operation of any airport within the Kankakee River Valley Area.(k) To retain and set compensation of staff for the administration of planning, development, construction or maintenance of any airport within the Kankakee River Valley Area.(l) To retain and set compensation of an Executive Director, who may also be a member of the Authority.(m) To contract with any department, board, commission, officer or agency of federal or state government, its political subdivisions and municipalities, corporations or with any private person, firm or corporation in order to carry out the purposes of this Section.(n) To appoint, by and with the consent of the Attorney General, assistant attorneys for such Authority, each of which shall be under the control, direction and supervision of the Attorney General and shall serve at his pleasure.(o) To retain special counsel, subject to the approval of the Attorney General, as needed from time to time, and fix their compensation. Such special counsel shall be subject to the control, direction and supervision of the Attorney General and shall serve at his pleasure.