Chapter 60 — TOWNSHIPS

(60 ILCS 1/110-80) Sec. 110-80. Battery-charged fences. (a) As used in this Section, "battery-charged fence" means a fence energized by a battery that is not more than 12 volts of direct current that interfaces with an alarm system in a manner that enables the fence to cause the …

(60 ILCS 1/115-10) Sec. 115-10. Open space plan; petition. (a) A board desiring to enter upon an open space program may do so only after adoption of an open space plan under Section 115-15. The board shall commence preparation of an open space plan under that Section only upon th…

(60 ILCS 1/115-100) Sec. 115-100. Dedication of nature preserves. The board may dedicate open lands, held by the township under this Article, as nature preserves within the Illinois system of nature preserves as provided in Section 15 of the Illinois Natural Areas Preservation Ac…

(60 ILCS 1/115-105) Sec. 115-105. Borrowing money; bonds. The township board may borrow money and issue bonds, after referendum, for the purpose of acquiring, developing, rehabilitating and renovating open lands for open space purposes, as defined in Section 115-5, pursuant to an…

(60 ILCS 1/115-110) Sec. 115-110. Report. No later than March 31 of each calendar year, the board of any township that has established an open space program pursuant to the provisions of this Article shall file with the township clerk a report describing the actions taken by such…

(60 ILCS 1/115-115) Sec. 115-115. Property tax exemption. All property acquired by any township for open space purposes pursuant to an open space program as defined in this Article shall be exempt from real property taxation for assessment year 1988 and each assessment year there…

(60 ILCS 1/115-120) Sec. 115-120. Applicability. Only the following provisions of Sections of the Township Open Space Act as changed or added by Public Act 85-1140 shall apply to open space programs validly established prior to July 29, 1988 (the effective date of Public Act 85-1…

(60 ILCS 1/115-125) Sec. 115-125. Validation. Sections 4.06 through 8 of the Township Open Space Act were inadvertently omitted from the Township Code when that Code was enacted by Public Act 88-62. Those Sections are being added to the Township Code as Sections 115-75 through 11…

(60 ILCS 1/115-15) Sec. 115-15. Public hearing. (a) Before adopting an open space plan or an amendment to a plan, the board shall conduct a public hearing on the plan or amendment, recommend adoption of the open space plan or receive a recommendation by petition of the voters of …

(60 ILCS 1/115-20) Sec. 115-20. Referendum on recommended plan; petition. (a) If the board recommends adoption of the open space plan, or if a subsequent petition is filed by not less than 5% or 50, whichever is greater, of the registered voters of the township (according to the …

(60 ILCS 1/115-25) Sec. 115-25. Amendments or additions to plan. If the board recommends any amendments or additions to a plan that has been adopted by a township, no property that is the subject of the amendment or addition may be acquired until the revised plan is approved by t…

(60 ILCS 1/115-30) Sec. 115-30. Property within municipality; petition; referendum. (a) If the open space plan recommended for adoption under Section 115-20 contains property that is situated within the corporate boundaries of a municipality, the corporate authorities of the muni…

(60 ILCS 1/115-35) Sec. 115-35. Property contiguous to municipality; petition; referendum. (a) If the open space plan recommended for adoption under Section 115-20 contains property that is contiguous to the corporate boundaries of one or more municipalities, the corporate author…

(60 ILCS 1/115-40) Sec. 115-40. Later submission of proposition to include property. If in a township in a county having a population of more than 250,000 a parcel of land cannot be acquired by condemnation because it was not approved at an election under either Section 115-30 or…

(60 ILCS 1/115-45) Sec. 115-45. Powers of township board. In any township in which the establishment of an open space program has been authorized by the voters under this Article, the township board, to the extent necessary to carry out the purposes of this Article and in additio…

(60 ILCS 1/115-5) Sec. 115-5. Definitions. As used in this Article, unless the context otherwise requires: "Board" means the township board in counties having a population of more than 150,000. "Development of real property" means the constructing, installing, planting or creatin…

(60 ILCS 1/115-50) Sec. 115-50. Study; coordinated plan. The board may study and ascertain the open space resources and outdoor recreation facilities in the township, the need for preserving those resources and providing those facilities, and the extent to which those needs are b…

(60 ILCS 1/115-55) Sec. 115-55. Acquisition of open land. (a) The board may acquire by gift, legacy, purchase, condemnation in the manner provided for the exercise of the right of eminent domain under the Eminent Domain Act and except as otherwise provided in this subsection, lea…

(60 ILCS 1/115-60) Sec. 115-60. Classification of areas; structures. The board may classify, designate, plan, develop, preserve, administer, and maintain all areas, places, and facilities in which it has an interest and may construct, reconstruct, alter, and renew buildings and o…

(60 ILCS 1/115-65) Sec. 115-65. Acceptance of money and personal property. The board may accept gifts, grants, bequests, contributions, and appropriations of money and other personal property for open space purposes. (Source: P.A. 79-472; 88-62.)

(60 ILCS 1/115-66) Sec. 115-66. Surplus for maintenance and operation of open spaces. A township that has adopted an open space plan may maintain and receive from year to year funds for maintenance and operation of the township's open spaces in surplus of the amount necessary for…

(60 ILCS 1/115-70) Sec. 115-70. Executive officer. The board may employ and fix the compensation of an executive officer who shall be responsible to the board for the carrying out of its policies. The executive officer shall have the power, subject to the approval of the board, t…

(60 ILCS 1/115-75) Sec. 115-75. Fees. The board may charge and collect reasonable fees for the use of such facilities, privileges and conveniences as may be provided. (Source: P.A. 88-670, eff. 12-2-94.)

(60 ILCS 1/115-80) Sec. 115-80. Police powers. The board may police its property and exercise police powers in respect thereto or in respect to the enforcement of any rule or regulation provided by the ordinances of the township and may employ and commission police officers and o…

(60 ILCS 1/115-85) Sec. 115-85. Natural resources studies. The board may undertake studies pertaining to the natural history, archaeology, history or conservation of natural resources of the township. (Source: P.A. 88-670, eff. 12-2-94.)

(60 ILCS 1/115-90) Sec. 115-90. Lease of lands. (a) Before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly, the board may lease land for a period not longer than 50 years from the date of the lease to a responsible person, firm, or corporation for construc…

(60 ILCS 1/115-95) Sec. 115-95. Lease of buildings or facilities. The board may lease to an individual, a nonprofit organization, the federal government, a state government, or a local government any building or facility constructed, reconstructed, altered, renewed, equipped, fur…

(60 ILCS 1/115-97) Sec. 115-97. Disposition of open space. (a) A township board may not sell, convey, donate, or otherwise dispose of any part of open space without referendum approval by the majority of the voters of the township voting on the question at a regular election. The…

(60 ILCS 1/120-10) Sec. 120-10. Method of acquiring land. A township desiring to procure lands for park purposes under this Article may purchase the lands from the owner or owners or, in the discretion of the township board, may acquire the lands by the exercise of the power of e…

(60 ILCS 1/120-15) Sec. 120-15. Townships in certain counties; golf courses and fees. (a) A township in a county having a population between 300,000 and 1,000,000 may, by purchase only and not by condemnation, acquire lands not exceeding 50 acres for park purposes or golf courses…

(60 ILCS 1/120-20) Sec. 120-20. Park maintenance tax. (a) To provide a fund for the maintenance of parks, the township board may levy annual taxes not exceeding 0.02% (or the rate limit in effect on July 1, 1967, whichever is greater) of the value of the property in the township …

(60 ILCS 1/120-5) Sec. 120-5. Power to acquire park land; inapplicable to church. (a) A township, acting through the township board, may acquire lands (not exceeding for any one park 25 acres in extent, unless received as a gift) to be set apart and forever held and maintained an…

(60 ILCS 1/125-10) Sec. 125-10. Petition and referendum. (a) Legal voters of a township numbering no less than 5% or 50, whichever is greater, of the registered voters of the township, may file a petition in writing in the office of the circuit clerk in the county in which the to…

(60 ILCS 1/125-12) Sec. 125-12. Public hearing following referendum approval. (a) Before the bonds shall be sold, the township board shall hold at least one public hearing on the subject of how the bond proceeds may be spent. In addition to providing no less than 15 days' advance…

(60 ILCS 1/125-15) Sec. 125-15. Supervisor's and clerk's certificate; tax; board of park commissioners. (a) The bonds shall be sold, and the proceeds shall be used, solely for the purpose of procuring and improving one or more parks in the township; specifically, the bond proceed…

(60 ILCS 1/125-20) Sec. 125-20. Use of bond proceeds. The proceeds of the bonds shall be received and held by the township supervisor but shall be expended under the direction and upon the warrant of a majority of the members of the board of trustees of the township. However, a m…

(60 ILCS 1/125-25) Sec. 125-25. Supplementary power. This Article does not repeal any prior Acts passed by the General Assembly regarding the issuance of bonds for park purposes but grants additional and supplementary power in relation to the issuance of bonds for park purposes. …

(60 ILCS 1/125-5) Sec. 125-5. Power to issue park bonds; park size. (a) For the purpose of promoting the health and welfare of its citizens, a township may issue bonds for the purpose of procuring and improving lands to be set apart and forever held as one or more public parks to…

(60 ILCS 1/130-10) Sec. 130-10. Cemetery board of managers; appointment; powers; organization. (a) If a township owns or controls a cemetery lying within or without, or partly within and partly without, the territory of the township, the township collector or, if the township has…

(60 ILCS 1/130-15) Sec. 130-15. Treasurer of board of managers. The treasurer of the board of managers shall have the custody of all money and property received in trust by the board of managers and shall pay out that money or property only upon the written order of the board, si…

(60 ILCS 1/130-20) Sec. 130-20. Clerk of board of managers. The clerk of the board of managers shall keep, in a book provided for that purpose, a permanent record of the proceedings of the board, signed by the president and attested by the clerk. The clerk shall also keep a perma…

(60 ILCS 1/130-25) Sec. 130-25. Removal of officers; accounting. The township collector may remove from office any member of the board of managers or the treasurer for non-performance of duties or for misappropriation or wrongful use of the funds or property and may require a jus…

(60 ILCS 1/130-30) Sec. 130-30. Joint cemeteries. Any 2 or more cities, villages, or townships may jointly unite in establishing and maintaining cemeteries within and without the corporate limits or territory of either or any of them, may acquire lands for those cemeteries in com…

(60 ILCS 1/130-35) Sec. 130-35. Corporate trustee. Whenever any money or other property has been given or bequeathed to the board of managers of a cemetery owned or controlled by a township for the purpose of maintaining a lot in the cemetery or maintaining the cemetery as provid…

(60 ILCS 1/130-40) Sec. 130-40. Minimum amount of gift or legacy. The board of managers may from time to time establish the minimum amount that will be received by gift or legacy for the use and maintenance of any lot in the cemetery, subject to approval by the township collector…

(60 ILCS 1/130-45) Sec. 130-45. Transfer of funds. When a township cemetery district takes over a cemetery or cemetery authority, the care fund of the cemetery or cemetery authority shall be transferred into the cemetery district fund of the township cemetery district. (Source: P…

(60 ILCS 1/130-5) Sec. 130-5. Cemeteries; permitted activities. (a) A township may establish and maintain cemeteries within and without its territory, may acquire lands for cemeteries by condemnation or otherwise, may lay out lots of convenient size for families, and may sell lot…

(60 ILCS 1/133-5) Sec. 133-5. Control of public graveyards. The township board may exercise control over public graveyards in the township as provided in the Public Graveyards Act. (Source: P.A. 88-62.)

(60 ILCS 1/135-10) Sec. 135-10. Joint agreement; referendum; board of managers. (a) The supervisors of any townships or the highway commissioners of any road districts desiring to unite to establish and maintain cemeteries under this Article may provide by agreement for the joint…

(60 ILCS 1/135-15) Sec. 135-15. Vacancies in board of managers. Vacancies in the board of managers occasioned by death, resignation, removal, or otherwise shall be reported by the board to the township supervisors or highway commissioners and shall be filled, in the same manner a…