Section 70 ILCS 2805/1 - Incorporation; referendum(a) Any area of contiguous territory within the limits of a single county and without the limits of any city, village or incorporated town may be incorporated as a sanitary district under this Act in the manner provided in this Section. Any 2 areas that (i) are not contiguous to each other, but each of which is contiguous by itself, and (ii) are less than 1 mile apart from each other, and (iii) are within the limits of a single county and without the limits of any city, village, or incorporated town may also be incorporated as a sanitary district under this Act in the manner provided for in this Section.(b) Any 20% of the legal voters residing within the limits of the proposed sanitary district may petition the Circuit Court in the county in which the proposed district is situated, to cause to be submitted to the legal voters of the proposed sanitary district the question of whether the proposed territory shall be organized as a sanitary district under this Act. The petition shall be addressed to the Circuit Court and shall contain a definite description of the boundaries of the territory to be embraced in the district and the name of the proposed sanitary district.(c) Upon filing of the petition in the office of the circuit clerk in the county in which the proposed sanitary district is situated, the Circuit Court shall name 3 judges of the court who shall constitute a board of commissioners, which shall have power and authority to consider the boundaries of the proposed sanitary district and whether the boundaries shall be as described in the petition or otherwise. The decision of 2 of the commissioners shall be conclusive and shall not be subject to review in any manner, directly or indirectly.(d) Notice shall be given by the Circuit Court of the time and place where the commissioners will meet, by a publication of notice at least 20 days prior to the meeting in one or more daily or weekly newspapers published in the proposed district or, if no such newspaper is published in the proposed district, then by the posting of at least 5 copies of the notice in the proposed district at least 20 days before the hearing.(e) At the meeting all persons who reside in the proposed district shall have an opportunity to be heard and to make suggestions regarding the location and boundary of the proposed district. The commissioners, after hearing statements, evidence and suggestions, shall fix and determine the boundaries of the proposed district, and for that purpose and to that extent they may alter and amend the petition. After the determination by the commissioners, or a majority of them, their determination shall be incorporated in an order, which shall be entered of record in the Circuit Court.(f) Upon the entering of the order, the Circuit Court shall certify the question of the organization and establishment of the proposed sanitary district, with the boundaries as determined by the commissioners, to the appropriate election authorities who shall submit the question at an election in accordance with the general election law. In addition to the requirements of the general election law, notice shall specify briefly the purpose of the election, with a description of the proposed sanitary district.(g) Each legal voter resident within the proposed sanitary district shall have the right to cast a ballot at the referendum. The question shall be in substantially the following form: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For Sanitary District ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Against Sanitary District ------------------------------------------------------------------------
(h) The Circuit Court shall cause a statement of the result of the referendum to be entered of record in the Circuit Court. If a majority of the votes cast upon the question of the organization and establishment of the proposed sanitary district shall be in favor of the organization and establishment of the proposed sanitary district, the proposed sanitary district shall thenceforth be deemed to have been incorporated and to be an organized sanitary district under this Act. P.A. 90-655, eff. 7/30/1998; 91-925, eff. 7/7/2000.