(75 ILCS 16/Art. 5 heading)

(75 ILCS 16/5-5) Sec. 5-5. Authorization. All or any portion of the territory within one or more counties may, under this Act, be organized and formed into a district for the purpose of levying a tax or taxes to pay for establishing, equipping, maintaining, and supporting library services. (Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/5-10) Sec. 5-10. Petition to establish district. (a) The organization of a district library in a territory without a local tax supported library or in such a territory and contiguous territory of a municipality, township, or county operating a local tax supported library may be initiated as described in paragraph (1) or (2) of this subsection. (1) One hundred or more of the voters of a territory

without a local tax supported library may petition the circuit court of the county that contains all of the territory (or a larger portion of the territory than any other county containing a portion of the territory) to cause to be submitted to the voters of the proposed district the question of whether the proposed territory shall be organized as a public library district. The petition shall contain the provisions set forth in this Section and, in addition, shall allege that the territory of the proposed district does not include, in whole or in part, any existing tax supported public library.

(2) The library board of a local tax supported

library established by a municipality, township, or county, or 100 or more of the voters of the municipality, township, or county, may petition to cause to be submitted to the voters of the entire territory the question of whether a public library district shall be organized to include the municipality, township, or county and contiguous territory that is without a local tax supported library.

(b) The petition specified in this Section shall contain a legal description of the boundaries of the territory to be embraced within the proposed district, shall specify the name of the district and the proposed tax rate limit for the district if it is in excess of 0.15%, and shall petition the circuit court to set the date of a hearing on the petition before a judge of the circuit court. If the territory of the proposed district encompasses the same territory as an existing school district, municipality, township, or county, the description of the proposed district may be by reference to that entity. (Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/5-15) Sec. 5-15. Order for hearing; notice. (a) Upon the submission of the petition to the circuit court as provided in Section 5-10, the circuit court shall enter an order setting the date of the hearing on the petition and naming the judge who will preside at the hearing. (b) The petitioners shall publish notice of the time, date, and place of the hearing, including the name of the judge who will preside at the hearing. The notice shall be published in accordance with Section 1-30. The petitioners shall also, concurrently with the publication of the notice of the hearing, send notice of the hearing and a copy of the petition to the board of trustees of each public library serving an area contiguous to or within the proposed library district boundaries. (Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/5-20) Sec. 5-20. Hearing. At the hearing ordered under Section 5-15, the petitioners shall present proof of the notice of the hearing and of the matters alleged in the petition to the presiding judge. All persons residing within the proposed district shall have a reasonable opportunity to be heard regarding the location of the boundaries of the proposed district and to make suggestions regarding the boundaries. (Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/5-25) Sec. 5-25. Order for election; notice. (a) The judge, after hearing the statements, evidence, and suggestions of the petitioners and other persons appearing before the court, shall enter an order calling an election. The order shall do the following: (1) Fix the boundaries of the proposed district. For

that purpose and only to that extent, and only upon a showing of good cause, the judge may alter and amend the petition.

(2) Require a map to be prepared depicting (i) the

boundaries of the proposed district, (ii) the boundaries of any municipality or township that lies wholly or partially within the proposed district, and (iii) the county lines of all counties affected.

(3) Designate the regular election when the election

to establish a district will be held. The judge shall certify the order and the question of organization and establishment of the proposed public library district to the proper election authority, who shall submit the question to the voters of the proposed district in accordance with the Election Code.

(b) In addition to the requirements of the Election Code, notice of the election shall specify the purpose of the election and contain a map and legal description of the proposed district. (Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/5-30) Sec. 5-30. Election; form of proposition. (a) The proposition at the election shall be in substantially the following form: Shall a public library district be established in all

or part of (name of county)?

(b) If no tax rate limit is specified in the ballot, the tax rate limit of the newly organized district shall be as set forth in Section 35-5. If, however, the petitioners, under Section 5-10, specify a rate higher than the rate set forth in Section 35-5, the proposition shall be in substantially the following form: Shall a public library district be established in all

or part of (name of county) with a maximum annual public library tax rate established at (rate)% of the value of all taxable property in the district as equalized and assessed by the Department of Revenue?

In no event shall the tax rate exceed the maximum tax rate set forth in Section 35-10. (c) A proposition for the establishment of a public library district shall not be submitted to the voters in the proposed district more often than once in a 12-month period. (Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/5-35) Sec. 5-35. Election results. (a) The election authority shall, within 10 days after the election, file with the circuit court ordering the election its certificate setting forth the results of the election in each precinct. (b) The judge assigned to hear the case shall enter a final judgment setting forth the results of the election based upon the certificate filed in the court by the election authority, and the order shall become a part of the records of the court. (c) The question of establishment of a district shall be based upon the majority of votes cast on the question by the voters of the proposed territory determined as follows: (1) Where the proposed territory does not include a

municipality or any portion of a municipality, then the majority of all the votes cast upon the question shall determine establishment.

(2) Where the proposed territory does include a

municipality or any portion of a municipality, then the votes cast shall be divided into 2 lots. The votes cast within the municipalities shall be counted together, and the votes cast outside of the municipalities shall be counted together, and the question must carry in each group in order to establish the district. If there are 2 or more municipalities within the proposed territory, and the question of establishment carries in both groups as provided in this paragraph but the votes cast in one municipality having its own tax supported library are against establishment of the district, then the district shall be deemed established, but the dissenting municipality with its own tax supported library shall be excluded from the territory of the district.

(3) Where the proposed territory includes a township

having its own tax supported library and the question of establishment carries in all areas as provided in paragraph (2), the township votes on the question shall also be counted separately, and if the votes cast within the township with its own tax supported library are against establishment, then the dissenting township shall be excluded from the territory of the district.

(Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/5-40) Sec. 5-40. Transfer and sharing of assets. (a) Any assets, including real and personal property and tax and other monies, received or due for the purposes of the library and held by the corporate authority of a municipal, township, or county library included in the library district, shall be transferred to the library district. "Property" includes any building or buildings permanently occupied by and publicly designated as the library building or buildings and used solely for library purposes. (b) Nothing in Section 5-35 or 5-45 or this Section shall preclude a municipality, township, or county, by written agreement, from sharing a library building or buildings with a district library when the establishment of a library district has been approved and the district includes wholly within its territory a municipal, township, or county library. (Source: P.A. 87-1277.)

(75 ILCS 16/5-45) Sec. 5-45. Authorization to levy tax. When the establishment of a library district has been approved and the district includes wholly within its territory a municipal, township, or county library, only the library district shall levy the annual public library tax. (Source: P.A. 87-1277.)