70 ILCS 2605/5.7
The board of trustees of the district shall consider the budget estimates as submitted to it by the executive director and may add to, revise, alter, increase or decrease the items contained in the budget. However, in no event may the total aggregate proposed expenditures in the budget exceed the total estimated means of financing the budget.
The board of trustees shall, before January first of the budget year, adopt the budget which is effective on January first of the budget year. The appropriation ordinance and tax levy ordinance must be parts of the budget and must be adopted as a part thereof by single action of the board of trustees. The appropriation ordinance must be filed with and be a part of the tax levy ordinance, which tax levy ordinance need not contain any further or additional specifications of purposes, itemizations or details for which appropriations and the levy are made. The board of trustees shall appropriate such sums of money as may be necessary to defray all necessary expenses and liabilities of the district to be paid by the board of trustees or incurred during and until the time of the adoption and effective date of the next annual appropriation ordinance under this Section. The board of trustees shall appropriate such sums of money as may be necessary to pay the principal and interest on bonds. The board may not expend any money or incur any indebtedness or liability on behalf of the district in excess of the percentage and several amounts limited by law, when applied to the last known assessment. The appropriation ordinance must specify the several funds, organization units, objects, character and functions (activities) for which such appropriations are made, and the amount appropriated for each fund, organization unit, object, character, and function (activity). The receipts of the district as estimated in the budget and as provided for by the tax levy ordinances and other revenues and borrowing Acts or ordinances are applicable in the amounts and according to the funds specified in the budget for the purpose of meeting the expenditures authorized by the appropriate ordinance. The vote of the board of trustees upon the budget shall be taken by yeas and nays, and shall be entered in the proceedings of the board of trustees.
The appropriation ordinance may be amended at the next regular meeting of the board of trustees occurring before January first of the budget year and not less than 5 days after the passage thereof in like manner as other ordinances. If any items of appropriations contained therein are vetoed by the president of the board, with recommendations for alterations or changes therein, the adoption of such recommendations by a yea and nay vote is the equivalent of an amendment of such annual appropriation ordinance with like effect as if an amendatory ordinance had been passed.
Such appropriation ordinance together with other parts of the budget as the board of trustees desire must be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the district and made conveniently available for inspection by the public. Such publication must be made after the date of passage of such budget and before January 20 of the budget year, but the date of publication does not affect the legality of the appropriation ordinance or the tax levy ordinance or any other ordinances necessary to give effect to the budget. Such ordinances are effective on the first day of January of the budget year.
The Clerk shall certify that such appropriation ordinance as published is a true, accurate and complete copy of the appropriation ordinance as passed and approved by the board of trustees. The board of trustees shall also make public, by publication or otherwise, at this time, the tax rate necessary or estimated to be necessary to finance the budget as adopted.
After adoption of the appropriation ordinance, the board of trustees may not make any further or other appropriation prior to the adoption or passage of the next succeeding annual appropriation ordinance. The board has no power, either directly or indirectly, to make any contract or to take any action which adds to the total of district expenditures or liabilities in any budget year any sum over and above the amount provided for in the annual appropriation ordinance for the budget year. However, the board of trustees has the power, anything in this Act to the contrary notwithstanding, if after the adoption of the appropriation ordinance (1) federal or State grants or loans are accepted, (2) the voters approve a bond ordinance for a particular purpose or the issuance of bonds is otherwise authorized by law, or (3) duly authorized bonds of the district remaining unissued and unsold have been cancelled and any ordinance has been adopted by the board of trustees under Section 9 of this Act authorizing the issuance of bonds not exceeding in the aggregate the amount of bonds so cancelled, to pass a supplemental appropriation ordinance (in compliance with the provisions of this Act as to publication and voting thereon by the board of trustees) making appropriation, for the particular purpose only as set forth in the ordinance, of the proceeds of the grants, loans, or bond issue or any part thereof required to be expended during the fiscal year. However, nothing herein contained prevents the board of trustees, by a concurring vote of two-thirds of all the trustees (votes to be taken by yeas and nays and entered in the proceeding of the board of trustees), from making any expenditures or incurring any liability rendered necessary to meet emergencies such as epidemics, flood, fire, unforeseen damages or other catastrophes, happening after the annual appropriation ordinance has been passed or adopted, nor does anything herein deprive the board of trustees of the power to provide for and cause to be paid from the district funds any charge upon the district imposed by law without the action of the board of trustees.
70 ILCS 2605/5.7