Industrial projects consisting of one or more buildings and other structures, improvements, machinery and equipment suitable for use by any manufacturing, industrial, research or commercial enterprise and any other improvements necessary or convenient thereto. Any such facilities, when acquired, may be leased for operation for a period not longer than 20 years after the date of the commencement of the lease, or the board may lease, for a period not longer than 50 years after the date of the commencement of the lease, land to a responsible person, firm or corporation for development of any of the foregoing industrial projects and may grant to such person, firm or corporation the right, at the option of the person, firm or corporation, to extend the lease for a period not longer than 50 years from the date of expiration of the original lease. If the board decides to operate any such industrial projects, it shall establish for the revenue producing facilities rates and charges which will at least defray all fixed, maintenance, and operating expenses. However, nothing in this amendatory Act of 1983 shall permit the Rend Lake Conservancy District to acquire, purchase, lease, construct, develop, operate or extend a facility for the purpose of mining coal.
Further, for such purposes, the authorized board shall have the express power to execute a note or notes and to execute a mortgage or trust deed to secure the payment of such notes; such trust deed or mortgage shall cover real estate, or some part thereof, or personal property owned by the District and the lien of the mortgage shall apply to the real estate or personal property so mortgaged by the District, and the proceeds of the note or notes may be used for the purposes set forth in this Section.
For purposes of this Section, the authorized board shall not execute notes bearing a rate of interest that exceeds the rate permitted in "An Act to authorize public corporations to issue bonds, other evidences of indebtedness and tax anticipation warrants subject to interest rate limitations set forth therein", approved May 26, 1970, as now or hereafter amended.
70 ILCS 2105/11