State Codes and Statutes

Statutes > Illinois > Chapter70 > 983

    (70 ILCS 3610/1) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 351)
    Sec. 1. This Act shall be known and cited as the "Local Mass Transit District Act".
(Source: Laws 1959, p. 1635.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/2)(from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 352)
    Sec. 2. For the purposes of this Act:
    (a) "Mass transit facility" means any local public transportation facility, whether buses, trolley‑buses, or railway systems, utilized by a substantial number of persons for their daily transportation, and includes not only the local public transportation facility itself but ancillary and supporting facilities such as, for example, motor vehicle parking facilities, as well.
    (b) "Participating municipality and county" means the municipality or municipalities, county or counties creating the local Mass Transit District pursuant to Section 3 of this Act.
    (c) "Municipality" means a city, village, township, or incorporated town.
    (d) "Corporate authorities" means (1) the city council or similar body of a city, (2) the board of trustees or similar body of a village or incorporated town, (3) the council of a municipality under the commission form of municipal government, and (4) the board of trustees in a township.
    (e) "County board" means the governing board of a county.
    (f) "District" means a local Mass Transit District created pursuant to Section 3 of this Act.
    (g) "Board" means the Board of Trustees of a local Mass Transit District created pursuant to Section 3 of this Act.
    (h) "Interstate transportation authority" shall mean any political subdivision created by compact between this State and another state, which is a body corporate and politic and a political subdivision of both contracting states, and which operates a public mass transportation system.
    (i) "Metro East Mass Transit District" means one or more local mass transit districts created pursuant to this Act, composed only of Madison, St. Clair or Monroe Counties, or any combination thereof or any territory annexed to such district.
    (j) "Public mass transportation system" shall mean a transportation system or systems owned and operated by an interstate transportation authority, a municipality, District, or other public or private authority, employing motor busses, rails or any other means of conveyance, by whatsoever type or power, operated for public use in the conveyance of persons, mainly providing local transportation service within an interstate transportation district, municipality, or county.
(Source: P.A. 95‑331, eff. 8‑21‑07.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/3) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 353)
    Sec. 3. For the purpose of acquiring, constructing, owning, operating and maintaining mass transit facilities for public service or subsidizing the operation thereof a local Mass Transit District may be created, composed of one or more municipalities or one or more counties or any combination thereof, by ordinance approved by a majority vote of the corporate authorities or by resolution approved by a majority vote of the county board of each participating municipality and county. A Metro East Mass Transit District created by one or more counties shall include: (1) those townships which were served by regularly scheduled mass transit routes operated by an interstate transportation authority on June 1, 1980; (2) in the case of a county without townships, any municipality or unincorporated portion of a road district which was served by regularly scheduled mass transit routes operated by an interstate transportation authority on June 1, 1980; (3) any other townships or municipalities whose participation is approved by ordinance adopted by a majority vote of their Board of Trustees or corporate authorities; plus (4) in the case of a county without townships, the unincorporated portion of any road district, the participation of which is approved by an ordinance adopted by a majority vote of the Board of Commissioners of the county in which it is located. Such District shall be known as the ".... Mass Transit District", inserting all or any significant part of the name or names of the municipality or the county, or both, creating the District, or a name descriptive of the area to be served if the District is created by more than one municipality, more than one county, or any combination thereof.
    The District created pursuant to this Act shall be a municipal corporation and shall have the right of eminent domain to acquire private property which is necessary for the purposes of the District, and shall have the power to contract for public mass transportation with an Interstate Transportation Authority.
    Upon the creation of any District, the clerk of the municipality or of the county, or the clerks of the several municipalities or counties, as the case may be, shall certify a copy of the ordinance or resolution creating the District, and the names of the persons first appointed Trustees thereof, and shall file the same with the county clerk for recording as certificates of incorporation and the county clerk shall cause duplicate certified copies thereof to be filed with the Secretary of State.
(Source: P.A. 93‑590, eff. 1‑1‑04.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/3.01) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 353.01)
    Sec. 3.01. Any municipality or county may be annexed to a District, other than a Metro East Transit District, formed pursuant to Section 3 when the District has no tax levy in effect and has no bonded indebtedness if a petition for annexation is adopted by an ordinance or resolution approved by a majority vote of the corporate authorities of such municipality or the county board of such county and such ordinance or resolution is approved by a 2/3 vote of the members of the board of trustees of the District. Upon the approval of such a petition of annexation by the board of trustees of a District, a certified copy of the ordinance of annexation shall be filed by the secretary of the board in the same manner as provided for upon creation of the District.
    Any contiguous township of any county, not already participating in a Metro East Transit District, may be annexed to a Metro East Transit District formed by one county pursuant to Section 3 of this Act if a petition for annexation, which is signed by at least 10% of the registered voters in the last general election who are residents of the township to be annexed or approved by a majority vote of the township board of the township to be annexed, is adopted by resolution approved by a majority vote of the county board in which the District was formed and such resolution is approved by a 2/3 vote of the members of the board of trustees of the District. Upon the approval of such petition of annexation by the board of trustees of a District, a certified copy of the ordinance of annexation shall be filed by the secretary of the board in the same manner as provided for upon creation of the District.
(Source: P.A. 93‑590, eff. 1‑1‑04.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/3.1) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 353.1)
    Sec. 3.1. Also in the manner provided in this Act as amended, a "Local Mass Transit District" may be created with boundary to enclose a unit area of contiguous land, to be known as the "participating area". Such a "participating area" may be organized as a district under this Act without regard to boundaries of counties or other political subdivisions or municipal corporations.
    (a) Any 500 or more legal voters who are residents within such "participating area" may file a petition in the circuit court of the county where the proposed district or a major part thereof is located, asking that the question of creating such district be submitted under this Act by referendum to the voters residing within the proposed district. By their power of attorney signed by them and filed in the cause the petitioners may authorize a committee of their number named by the petitioners, to conduct and pursue the cause for them to a conclusion. Such petition shall define the boundaries of the proposed district, shall indicate distances to nearest mass transportation lines in each direction, naming them, shall have attached a fair map of the proposed district, and shall suggest a name for the proposed district.
    (b) The circuit clerk shall present to the circuit judge any petition so filed in the court. The judge shall enter an order of record to set a date, hour and place for judicial hearing on the petition. That order shall include instructions to the circuit clerk to give notice by newspaper publication to be made and completed at least 20 days before the hearing is to be held, in 2 or more newspapers published or circulating generally among the people residing within the proposed district. The circuit clerk shall prepare that notice and cause such publication notice to be given as directed.
    (c) After proof of such newspaper publication of notice has been made and filed in the cause and shown to the court in full accord with the prior order, the circuit judge shall hear all persons who attend and so request, as to location and boundary and name for the proposed district. After the hearing on such petition is completed, the circuit court by an order of record, shall determine and establish the location, name and boundary for such proposed district, and shall order the proposition submitted at an election in accordance with the general election law to the voters resident within such proposed district. The circuit clerk shall certify the proposition to the proper election officials who shall submit the proposition in accordance with the general election law.
    (d) The county clerk shall canvass the ballots and other returns from such referendum, and prepare a full certification of the result and shall file same in the cause pending in the circuit court. When the vote is in favor of the creation of such district as determined by the court order, a true map of such district shall be filed with such report in the circuit court.
    (e) When the vote is in favor of creation of such district, the circuit court by an order of record shall confirm the result of election. If the district is wholly contained within a single county the presiding officer of the county board with the advice and consent of the county board shall appoint 5 trustees, not more than 3 of whom shall be affiliated with the same political party, to govern the district and serve one each for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years respectively; upon the expiration of the term of a trustee who is in office on the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1989, the successor shall, at the time of the appointment, and thereafter at all times while serving as trustee, be a resident of the Mass Transit District for which such person is appointed as trustee. If a trustee removes his residence to a place outside of the District, a trustee shall be appointed in the same manner as herein provided to take the place of the trustee who so removed his residence. If however the district is located in more than one county, the number of trustees who are residents of a county shall be in proportion, as nearly as practicable, to the number of residents of the district who reside in that county in relation to the total population of the district.
    Upon the expiration of the term of a trustee who is in office on the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1975, the successor shall be a resident of whichever county is entitled to such representation in order to bring about the proportional representation required herein, and he shall be appointed by the county board of that county, or in the case of a home rule county as defined by Article VII, Section 6 of the Constitution of 1970, the chief executive officer of that county, with the advice and consent of the county board in accordance with the provisions previously enumerated. Successors shall serve 5 year overlapping terms.
    Thereafter, each trustee shall be succeeded by a resident of the same county who shall be appointed by the same appointing authority; however, the provisions of the preceding paragraph shall apply to the appointment of the successor to each trustee who is in office at the time of the publication of each decennial Federal census of population.
    (f) Upon the creation of such district, the circuit clerk shall prepare and certify a copy of the final court order confirming the referendum creating the district, and a duplicate of the map of such district, from the record of the circuit court, and shall file the same with the county clerk for recording in his office as "Certificate of Incorporation" for the district. The county clerk shall cause a duplicate of such "Certificate of Incorporation" to be filed in the office of the Secretary of State of Illinois.
    (g) The Board of Trustees of such "Local Mass Transit District" shall have and exercise all the powers and shall perform all the duties of any Board of Trustees of any district created under this Act, as now or hereafter amended.
    (h) The circuit court shall require the petitioners to post a surety bond for the payment of all costs and expenses of such proceeding and such referendum. When a district is created, the circuit court shall order the district to pay or reimburse others for all such costs and expenses. The surety bond shall not be released until complete receipts for all such costs and expenses have been filed in the cause and fully audited by the circuit and county clerks.
    (i) If the District is wholly contained within a single county, the County Board of such county may, by resolution, provide that, effective upon the next appointment of a Trustee, after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1989, that the Board of Trustees of such Mass Transit District shall be comprised of 7 Trustees, with no more than 4 members of the same political party. This Subsection shall not apply to any Mass Transit District in the State which receives funding in whole or in part from the Regional Transportation Authority or any of its service boards.
(Source: P.A. 86‑472.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/3.5) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 353.5)
    Sec. 3.5. If the district acquires a mass transit facility, all of the employees in such mass transit facility shall be transferred to and appointed as employees of the district, subject to all rights and benefits of this Act, and these employees shall be given seniority credit in accordance with the records and labor agreements of the mass transit facility. Employees who left the employ of such a mass transit facility to enter the military service of the United States shall have the same rights as to the district, under the provisions of the Service Member's Employment Tenure Act as they would have had thereunder as to such mass transit facility. After such acquisition the district shall be required to extend to such former employees of such mass transit facility only the rights and benefits as to pensions and retirement as are accorded other employees of the district.
(Source: P.A. 93‑590, eff. 1‑1‑04; 93‑828, eff. 7‑28‑04.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/4) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 354)
    Sec. 4. The powers of the local Mass Transit District shall repose in, and be exercised by, a Board of Trustees. If the District is created by only one municipality or only one county the corporate authorities or the county board chairman with the consent of the county board of such municipality or county shall appoint either 3 or 5 trustees to the Board; provided that in any Metro East Mass Transit District created by a single county, 5 trustees shall be appointed and the trustees so appointed shall be: (1) a mayor of a municipality within the District; (2) a township supervisor from within the District, or if in a county without township supervisors, another mayor within the District; (3) the county board chairman in which the District was formed or such other county board member as he shall designate; and (4) 2 members of the general public. If the District is created by one or more municipalities or one or more counties or any combination thereof, the corporate authorities and the county board chairman of each participating municipality or county shall determine the percentage of service that the District provides to each municipality or county. Each participating municipality and county shall appoint trustees in proportion to the percentage of service received from the District by that municipality or county. The corporate authorities or the county board chairman, with the consent of the county board, of each participating municipality or county shall appoint one trustee to the Board for each 30% or fraction thereof of service that the municipality or county receives from the District. If an even number of trustees are appointed to the Board, the corporate authorities or the county board chairman, with the consent of the county board, of the municipality or county that receives the largest percentage of service from the District shall appoint one additional trustee. The first Trustees appointed to the Board and any 2 additional trustees, initially appointed as a result of this amendatory Act of 1983 shall serve for terms of 4 years or less, the terms to be staggered to the extent possible so that they expire one year apart and so that the terms of not more than 2 trustees expire in the same year, with the Trustees to serve less than 4 years to be selected by lot. Thereafter, their successors shall serve for 4 years. Vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointment.
    Except in a Metro East Mass Transit District, no Trustee of any District may be an elected official of the municipality or municipalities or county or counties creating the District. A Trustee shall hold office until his successor has been appointed and has qualified. A certificate of the appointment or reappointment of any Trustee shall be filed with the clerk or clerks and such certificate shall be conclusive evidence of the due and proper appointment of such Trustee. A Trustee shall receive, as compensation for his services, not more than $100 for each day devoted to the business of the Board but not more than $400 per month. For the purposes of this Section, each District may determine what constitutes a business day. He shall also be entitled to the necessary expenses, including traveling expenses, incurred in the discharge of his duties. The powers of each District and the Board shall be vested in the Trustees thereof in office from time to time. A majority shall constitute a quorum of the Board for the purpose of conducting its business and exercising its powers and for all other purposes. Action may be taken by the Board upon a vote of the majority of the Trustees present, unless in any case the bylaws of the Board shall require a larger number. The Board shall select a chairman and a vice‑chairman from among the Trustees.
    No Trustee or employee of the Board shall acquire or have any interest direct or indirect in any contract or proposed contract for materials or services to be furnished or used in connection with operations of the District. For inefficiency or neglect of duty or misconduct in office, a Trustee may be removed by the person or body which made the original appointment, but a Trustee shall be removed only after he shall have been given a copy of the charges against him at least 10 days prior to the hearing thereon and has had an opportunity to be heard in person or by counsel. In the event of the removal of any Trustee, a record of the proceedings, together with the charges and findings thereon, shall be filed in the office of the clerk or clerks of the creating county or counties or municipality or municipalities.
    The Board shall employ a managing director of the District and may employ a secretary, treasurer, technical experts and such other officers, agents and employees, permanent and temporary, as it may require, and shall fix and determine their qualifications, duties and compensation and the amount of bond to be furnished for such offices and positions. For such legal services as it may require, the Board may call upon any chief law officers of the municipality, municipalities, or the county or counties as the case may be, or may employ and fix the compensation of its own counsel and legal staff. The Board may delegate to one or more of its agents or employees such powers and duties as it may deem proper. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this paragraph, employment of any person other than a managing director or secretary by any Metro East Mass Transit District created by a single county shall require the authorization of the county board of such county.
    Neither the District, the members of its Board nor its officers or employees shall be held liable for failure to provide a security or police force or, if a security or police force is provided, for failure to provide adequate police protection or security, failure to prevent the commission of crimes by fellow passengers or other third persons or for the failure to apprehend criminals.
(Source: P.A. 93‑590, eff. 1‑1‑04; 93‑792, eff. 7‑22‑04.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/5) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 355)
    Sec. 5. (a) The Board of Trustees of every District may establish or acquire any or all manner of mass transit facility. The Board may engage in the business of transportation of passengers on scheduled routes and by contract on nonscheduled routes within the territorial limits of the counties or municipalities creating the District, by whatever means it may decide. Its routes may be extended beyond such territorial limits with the consent of the governing bodies of the municipalities or counties into which such operation is extended.
    (b) The Board of Trustees of every District may for the purposes of the District, acquire by gift, purchase, lease, legacy, condemnation, or otherwise and hold, use, improve, maintain, operate, own, manage or lease, as lessor or lessee, such cars, buses, equipment, buildings, structures, real and personal property, and interests therein, and services, lands for terminal and other related facilities, improvements and services, or any interest therein, including all or any part of the plant, land, buildings, equipment, vehicles, licenses, franchises, patents, property, service contracts and agreements of every kind and nature. Real property may be so acquired if it is situated within or partially within the area served by the District or if it is outside the area if it is desirable or necessary for the purposes of the District.
    (c) The Board of Trustees of every District which establishes, provides, or acquires mass transit facilities or services may contract with any person or corporation or public or private entity for the operation or provision thereof upon such terms and conditions as the District shall determine.
    (d) The Board of Trustees of every District shall have the authority to contract for any and all purposes of the District, including with an interstate transportation authority, or with another local Mass Transit District or any other municipal, public, or private corporation entity in the transportation business including the authority to contract to lease its or otherwise provide land, buildings, and equipment, and other related facilities, improvements, and services, for the carriage of passengers beyond the territorial limits of the District or to subsidize transit operations by a public or private or municipal corporation operating entity providing mass transit facilities.
    (e) The Board of Trustees of every District shall have the authority to establish, alter and discontinue transportation routes and services and any or all ancillary or supporting facilities and services, and to establish and amend rate schedules for the transportation of persons thereon or for the public or private use thereof which rate schedules shall, together with any grants, receipts or income from other sources, be sufficient to pay the expenses of the District, the repair, maintenance and the safe and adequate operation of its mass transit facilities and public mass transportation system and to fulfill the terms of its debts, undertakings, and obligations.
    (f) The Board of Trustees of every District shall have perpetual succession and shall have the following powers in addition to any others in this Act granted:
        (1) to sue and be sued;
        (2) to adopt and use a seal;
        (3) to make and execute contracts loans, leases,
     subleases, installment purchase agreements, contracts, notes and other instruments evidencing financial obligations, and other instruments necessary or convenient in the exercise of its powers;
        (4) to make, amend and repeal bylaws, rules and
     regulations not inconsistent with this Act;
        (5) to sell, lease, sublease, license, transfer,
     convey or otherwise dispose of any of its real or personal property, or interests therein, in whole or in part, at any time upon such terms and conditions as it may determine, with public bidding if the value exceeds $1,000 at negotiated, competitive, public, or private sale;
        (6) to invest funds, not required for immediate
     disbursement, in property, agreements, or securities legal for investment of public funds controlled by savings banks under applicable law;
        (7) to mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise
     encumber all or any part of its real or personal property or other assets, or interests therein;
        (8) to apply for, accept and use grants, loans or
     other financial assistance from any private entity or municipal, county, State or Federal governmental agency or other public entity;
        (9) to borrow money from the United States
     Government or any agency thereof, or from any other public or private source, for the purposes of the District and, as evidence thereof, to issue its revenue bonds, payable solely from the revenue derived from the operation of the District. These bonds may be issued with maturities not exceeding 40 years from the date of the bonds, and in such amounts as may be necessary to provide sufficient funds, together with interest, for the purposes of the District. These bonds shall bear interest at a rate of not more than the maximum rate authorized by the Bond Authorization Act, as amended at the time of the making of the contract of sale, payable semi‑annually, may be made registerable as to principal, and may be made payable and callable as provided on any interest payment date at a price of par and accrued interest under such terms and conditions as may be fixed by the ordinance authorizing the issuance of the bonds. Bonds issued under this Section are negotiable instruments. They shall be executed by the chairman and members of the Board of Trustees, attested by the secretary, and shall be sealed with the corporate seal of the District. In case any Trustee or officer whose signature appears on the bonds or coupons ceases to hold that office before the bonds are delivered, such officer's signature, shall nevertheless be valid and sufficient for all purposes, the same as though such officer had remained in office until the bonds were delivered. The bonds shall be sold in such manner and upon such terms as the Board of Trustees shall determine, except that the selling price shall be such that the interest cost to the District of the proceeds of the bonds shall not exceed the maximum rate authorized by the Bond Authorization Act, as amended at the time of the making of the contract of sale, payable semi‑annually, computed to maturity according to the standard table of bond values.
        The ordinance shall fix the amount of revenue bonds
     proposed to be issued, the maturity or maturities, the interest rate, which shall not exceed the maximum rate authorized by the Bond Authorization Act, as amended at the time of the making of the contract of sale, and all the details in connection with the bonds. The ordinance may contain such covenants and restrictions upon the issuance of additional revenue bonds thereafter, which will share equally in the revenue of the District, as may be deemed necessary or advisable for the assurance of the payment of the bonds first issued. Any District may also provide in the ordinance authorizing the issuance of bonds under this Section that the bonds, or such ones thereof as may be specified, shall, to the extent and in the manner prescribed, be subordinated and be junior in standing, with respect to the payment of principal and interest and the security thereof, to such other bonds as are designated in the ordinance.
        The ordinance shall pledge the revenue derived from
     the operations of the District for the purpose of paying the cost of operation and maintenance of the District, and, as applicable, providing adequate depreciation funds, and paying the principal of and interest on the bonds of the District issued under this Section.

        (10) subject to Section 5.1, to levy a tax on
     property within the District at the rate of not to exceed .25% on the assessed value of such property in the manner provided in "The Illinois Municipal Budget Law", approved July 12, 1937, as amended;
        (11) to issue tax anticipation warrants;
        (12) to contract with any school district in this
     State to provide for the transportation of pupils to and from school within such district pursuant to the provisions of Section 29‑15 of the School Code;
        (13) to provide for the insurance of any property,
     directors, officers, employees or operations of the District against any risk or hazard, and to self‑insure or participate in joint self‑insurance pools or entities to insure against such risk or hazard;
        (14) to use its established funds, personnel, and
     other resources to acquire, construct, operate, and maintain bikeways and trails. Districts may cooperate with other governmental and private agencies in bikeway and trail programs; and
        (15) to acquire, own, maintain, construct,
     reconstruct, improve, repair, operate or lease any light‑rail public transportation system, terminal, terminal facility, public airport, or bridge or toll bridge across waters with any city, state, or both.
    With respect to instruments for the payment of money issued under this Section either before, on, or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1989, it is and always has been the intention of the General Assembly (i) that the Omnibus Bond Acts are and always have been supplementary grants of power to issue instruments in accordance with the Omnibus Bond Acts, regardless of any provision of this Act that may appear to be or to have been more restrictive than those Acts, (ii) that the provisions of this Section are not a limitation on the supplementary authority granted by the Omnibus Bond Acts, and (iii) that instruments issued under this Section within the supplementary authority granted by the Omnibus Bond Acts are not invalid because of any provision of this Act that may appear to be or to have been more restrictive than those Acts.
    This Section shall be liberally construed to give effect to its purposes.
(Source: P.A. 93‑590, eff. 1‑1‑04.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/5.01) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 355.01)
    Sec. 5.01. Metro East Mass Transit District; use and occupation taxes.
    (a) The Board of Trustees of any Metro East Mass Transit District may, by ordinance adopted with the concurrence of two‑thirds of the then trustees, impose throughout the District any or all of the taxes and fees provided in this Section. All taxes and fees imposed under this Section shall be used only for public mass transportation systems, and the amount used to provide mass transit service to unserved areas of the District shall be in the same proportion to the total proceeds as the number of persons residing in the unserved areas is to the total population of the District. Except as otherwise provided in this Act, taxes imposed under this Section and civil penalties imposed incident thereto shall be collected and enforced by the State Department of Revenue. The Department shall have the power to administer and enforce the taxes and to determine all rights for refunds for erroneous payments of the taxes.
    (b) The Board may impose a Metro East Mass Transit District Retailers' Occupation Tax upon all persons engaged in the business of selling tangible personal property at retail in the district at a rate of 1/4 of 1%, or as authorized under subsection (d‑5) of this Section, of the gross receipts from the sales made in the course of such business within the district. The tax imposed under this Section and all civil penalties that may be assessed as an incident thereof shall be collected and enforced by the State Department of Revenue. The Department shall have full power to administer and enforce this Section; to collect all taxes and penalties so collected in the manner hereinafter provided; and to determine all rights to credit memoranda arising on account of the erroneous payment of tax or penalty hereunder. In the administration of, and compliance with, this Section, the Department and persons who are subject to this Section shall have the same rights, remedies, privileges, immunities, powers and duties, and be subject to the same conditions, restrictions, limitations, penalties, exclusions, exemptions and definitions of terms and employ the same modes of procedure, as are prescribed in Sections 1, 1a, 1a‑1, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, 1i, 1j, 2 through 2‑65 (in respect to all provisions therein other than the State rate of tax), 2c, 3 (except as to the disposition of taxes and penalties collected), 4, 5, 5a, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 5h, 5i, 5j, 5k, 5l, 6, 6a, 6b, 6c, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act and Section 3‑7 of the Uniform Penalty and Interest Act, as fully as if those provisions were set forth herein.
    Persons subject to any tax imposed under the Section may reimburse themselves for their seller's tax liability hereunder by separately stating the tax as an additional charge, which charge may be stated in combination, in a single amount, with State taxes that sellers are required to collect under the Use Tax Act, in accordance with such bracket schedules as the Department may prescribe.
    Whenever the Department determines that a refund should be made under this Section to a claimant instead of issuing a credit memorandum, the Department shall notify the State Comptroller, who shall cause the warrant to be drawn for the amount specified, and to the person named, in the notification from the Department. The refund shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of the Metro East Mass Transit District tax fund established under paragraph (h) of this Section.
    If a tax is imposed under this subsection (b), a tax shall also be imposed under subsections (c) and (d) of this Section.
    For the purpose of determining whether a tax authorized under this Section is applicable, a retail sale, by a producer of coal or other mineral mined in Illinois, is a sale at retail at the place where the coal or other mineral mined in Illinois is extracted from the earth. This paragraph does not apply to coal or other mineral when it is delivered or shipped by the seller to the purchaser at a point outside Illinois so that the sale is exempt under the Federal Constitution as a sale in interstate or foreign commerce.
    No tax shall be imposed or collected under this subsection on the sale of a motor vehicle in this State to a resident of another state if that motor vehicle will not be titled in this State.
    Nothing in this Section shall be construed to authorize the Metro East Mass Transit District to impose a tax upon the privilege of engaging in any business which under the Constitution of the United States may not be made the subject of taxation by this State.
    (c) If a tax has been imposed under subsection (b), a Metro East Mass Transit District Service Occupation Tax shall also be imposed upon all persons engaged, in the district, in the business of making sales of service, who, as an incident to making those sales of service, transfer tangible personal property within the District, either in the form of tangible personal property or in the form of real estate as an incident to a sale of service. The tax rate shall be 1/4%, or as authorized under subsection (d‑5) of this Section, of the selling price of tangible personal property so transferred within the district. The tax imposed under this paragraph and all civil penalties that may be assessed as an incident thereof shall be collected and enforced by the State Department of Revenue. The Department shall have full power to administer and enforce this paragraph; to collect all taxes and penalties due hereunder; to dispose of taxes and penalties so collected in the manner hereinafter provided; and to determine all rights to credit memoranda arising on account of the erroneous payment of tax or penalty hereunder. In the administration of, and compliance with this paragraph, the Department and persons who are subject to this paragraph shall have the same rights, remedies, privileges, immunities, powers and duties, and be subject to the same conditions, restrictions, limitations, penalties, exclusions, exemptions and definitions of terms and employ the same modes of procedure as are prescribed in Sections 1a‑1, 2 (except that the reference to State in the definition of supplier maintaining a place of business in this State shall mean the Authority), 2a, 3 through 3‑50 (in respect to all provisions therein other than the State rate of tax), 4 (except that the reference to the State shall be to the Authority), 5, 7, 8 (except that the jurisdiction to which the tax shall be a debt to the extent indicated in that Section 8 shall be the District), 9 (except as to the disposition of taxes and penalties collected, and except that the returned merchandise credit for this tax may not be taken against any State tax), 10, 11, 12 (except the reference therein to Section 2b of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act), 13 (except that any reference to the State shall mean the District), the first paragraph of Section 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 of the Service Occupation Tax Act and Section 3‑7 of the Uniform Penalty and Interest Act, as fully as if those provisions were set forth herein.
    Persons subject to any tax imposed under the authority granted in this paragraph may reimburse themselves for their serviceman's tax liability hereunder by separately stating the tax as an additional charge, which charge may be stated in combination, in a single amount, with State tax that servicemen are authorized to collect under the Service Use Tax Act, in accordance with such bracket schedules as the Department may prescribe.
    Whenever the Department determines that a refund should be made under this paragraph to a claimant instead of issuing a credit memorandum, the Department shall notify the State Comptroller, who shall cause the warrant to be drawn for the amount specified, and to the person named, in the notification from the Department. The refund shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of the Metro East Mass Transit District tax fund established under paragraph (h) of this Section.
    Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to authorize the District to impose a tax upon the privilege of engaging in any business which under the Constitution of the United States may not be made the subject of taxation by the State.
    (d) If a tax has been imposed under subsection (b), a Metro East Mass Transit District Use Tax shall also be imposed upon the privilege of using, in the district, any item of tangible personal property that is purchased outside the district at retail from a retailer, and that is titled or registered with an agency of this State's government, at a rate of 1/4%, or as authorized under subsection (d‑5) of this Section, of the selling price of the tangible personal property within the District, as "selling price" is defined in the Use Tax Act. The tax shall be collected from persons whose Illinois address for titling or registration purposes is given as being in the District. The tax shall be collected by the Department of Revenue for the Metro East Mass Transit District. The tax must be paid to the State, or an exemption determination must be obtained from the Department of Revenue, before the title or certificate of registration for the property may be issued. The tax or proof of exemption may be transmitted to the Department by way of the State agency with which, or the State officer with whom, the tangible personal property must be titled or registered if the Department and the State agency or State officer determ

State Codes and Statutes

Statutes > Illinois > Chapter70 > 983

    (70 ILCS 3610/1) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 351)
    Sec. 1. This Act shall be known and cited as the "Local Mass Transit District Act".
(Source: Laws 1959, p. 1635.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/2)(from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 352)
    Sec. 2. For the purposes of this Act:
    (a) "Mass transit facility" means any local public transportation facility, whether buses, trolley‑buses, or railway systems, utilized by a substantial number of persons for their daily transportation, and includes not only the local public transportation facility itself but ancillary and supporting facilities such as, for example, motor vehicle parking facilities, as well.
    (b) "Participating municipality and county" means the municipality or municipalities, county or counties creating the local Mass Transit District pursuant to Section 3 of this Act.
    (c) "Municipality" means a city, village, township, or incorporated town.
    (d) "Corporate authorities" means (1) the city council or similar body of a city, (2) the board of trustees or similar body of a village or incorporated town, (3) the council of a municipality under the commission form of municipal government, and (4) the board of trustees in a township.
    (e) "County board" means the governing board of a county.
    (f) "District" means a local Mass Transit District created pursuant to Section 3 of this Act.
    (g) "Board" means the Board of Trustees of a local Mass Transit District created pursuant to Section 3 of this Act.
    (h) "Interstate transportation authority" shall mean any political subdivision created by compact between this State and another state, which is a body corporate and politic and a political subdivision of both contracting states, and which operates a public mass transportation system.
    (i) "Metro East Mass Transit District" means one or more local mass transit districts created pursuant to this Act, composed only of Madison, St. Clair or Monroe Counties, or any combination thereof or any territory annexed to such district.
    (j) "Public mass transportation system" shall mean a transportation system or systems owned and operated by an interstate transportation authority, a municipality, District, or other public or private authority, employing motor busses, rails or any other means of conveyance, by whatsoever type or power, operated for public use in the conveyance of persons, mainly providing local transportation service within an interstate transportation district, municipality, or county.
(Source: P.A. 95‑331, eff. 8‑21‑07.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/3) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 353)
    Sec. 3. For the purpose of acquiring, constructing, owning, operating and maintaining mass transit facilities for public service or subsidizing the operation thereof a local Mass Transit District may be created, composed of one or more municipalities or one or more counties or any combination thereof, by ordinance approved by a majority vote of the corporate authorities or by resolution approved by a majority vote of the county board of each participating municipality and county. A Metro East Mass Transit District created by one or more counties shall include: (1) those townships which were served by regularly scheduled mass transit routes operated by an interstate transportation authority on June 1, 1980; (2) in the case of a county without townships, any municipality or unincorporated portion of a road district which was served by regularly scheduled mass transit routes operated by an interstate transportation authority on June 1, 1980; (3) any other townships or municipalities whose participation is approved by ordinance adopted by a majority vote of their Board of Trustees or corporate authorities; plus (4) in the case of a county without townships, the unincorporated portion of any road district, the participation of which is approved by an ordinance adopted by a majority vote of the Board of Commissioners of the county in which it is located. Such District shall be known as the ".... Mass Transit District", inserting all or any significant part of the name or names of the municipality or the county, or both, creating the District, or a name descriptive of the area to be served if the District is created by more than one municipality, more than one county, or any combination thereof.
    The District created pursuant to this Act shall be a municipal corporation and shall have the right of eminent domain to acquire private property which is necessary for the purposes of the District, and shall have the power to contract for public mass transportation with an Interstate Transportation Authority.
    Upon the creation of any District, the clerk of the municipality or of the county, or the clerks of the several municipalities or counties, as the case may be, shall certify a copy of the ordinance or resolution creating the District, and the names of the persons first appointed Trustees thereof, and shall file the same with the county clerk for recording as certificates of incorporation and the county clerk shall cause duplicate certified copies thereof to be filed with the Secretary of State.
(Source: P.A. 93‑590, eff. 1‑1‑04.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/3.01) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 353.01)
    Sec. 3.01. Any municipality or county may be annexed to a District, other than a Metro East Transit District, formed pursuant to Section 3 when the District has no tax levy in effect and has no bonded indebtedness if a petition for annexation is adopted by an ordinance or resolution approved by a majority vote of the corporate authorities of such municipality or the county board of such county and such ordinance or resolution is approved by a 2/3 vote of the members of the board of trustees of the District. Upon the approval of such a petition of annexation by the board of trustees of a District, a certified copy of the ordinance of annexation shall be filed by the secretary of the board in the same manner as provided for upon creation of the District.
    Any contiguous township of any county, not already participating in a Metro East Transit District, may be annexed to a Metro East Transit District formed by one county pursuant to Section 3 of this Act if a petition for annexation, which is signed by at least 10% of the registered voters in the last general election who are residents of the township to be annexed or approved by a majority vote of the township board of the township to be annexed, is adopted by resolution approved by a majority vote of the county board in which the District was formed and such resolution is approved by a 2/3 vote of the members of the board of trustees of the District. Upon the approval of such petition of annexation by the board of trustees of a District, a certified copy of the ordinance of annexation shall be filed by the secretary of the board in the same manner as provided for upon creation of the District.
(Source: P.A. 93‑590, eff. 1‑1‑04.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/3.1) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 353.1)
    Sec. 3.1. Also in the manner provided in this Act as amended, a "Local Mass Transit District" may be created with boundary to enclose a unit area of contiguous land, to be known as the "participating area". Such a "participating area" may be organized as a district under this Act without regard to boundaries of counties or other political subdivisions or municipal corporations.
    (a) Any 500 or more legal voters who are residents within such "participating area" may file a petition in the circuit court of the county where the proposed district or a major part thereof is located, asking that the question of creating such district be submitted under this Act by referendum to the voters residing within the proposed district. By their power of attorney signed by them and filed in the cause the petitioners may authorize a committee of their number named by the petitioners, to conduct and pursue the cause for them to a conclusion. Such petition shall define the boundaries of the proposed district, shall indicate distances to nearest mass transportation lines in each direction, naming them, shall have attached a fair map of the proposed district, and shall suggest a name for the proposed district.
    (b) The circuit clerk shall present to the circuit judge any petition so filed in the court. The judge shall enter an order of record to set a date, hour and place for judicial hearing on the petition. That order shall include instructions to the circuit clerk to give notice by newspaper publication to be made and completed at least 20 days before the hearing is to be held, in 2 or more newspapers published or circulating generally among the people residing within the proposed district. The circuit clerk shall prepare that notice and cause such publication notice to be given as directed.
    (c) After proof of such newspaper publication of notice has been made and filed in the cause and shown to the court in full accord with the prior order, the circuit judge shall hear all persons who attend and so request, as to location and boundary and name for the proposed district. After the hearing on such petition is completed, the circuit court by an order of record, shall determine and establish the location, name and boundary for such proposed district, and shall order the proposition submitted at an election in accordance with the general election law to the voters resident within such proposed district. The circuit clerk shall certify the proposition to the proper election officials who shall submit the proposition in accordance with the general election law.
    (d) The county clerk shall canvass the ballots and other returns from such referendum, and prepare a full certification of the result and shall file same in the cause pending in the circuit court. When the vote is in favor of the creation of such district as determined by the court order, a true map of such district shall be filed with such report in the circuit court.
    (e) When the vote is in favor of creation of such district, the circuit court by an order of record shall confirm the result of election. If the district is wholly contained within a single county the presiding officer of the county board with the advice and consent of the county board shall appoint 5 trustees, not more than 3 of whom shall be affiliated with the same political party, to govern the district and serve one each for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years respectively; upon the expiration of the term of a trustee who is in office on the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1989, the successor shall, at the time of the appointment, and thereafter at all times while serving as trustee, be a resident of the Mass Transit District for which such person is appointed as trustee. If a trustee removes his residence to a place outside of the District, a trustee shall be appointed in the same manner as herein provided to take the place of the trustee who so removed his residence. If however the district is located in more than one county, the number of trustees who are residents of a county shall be in proportion, as nearly as practicable, to the number of residents of the district who reside in that county in relation to the total population of the district.
    Upon the expiration of the term of a trustee who is in office on the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1975, the successor shall be a resident of whichever county is entitled to such representation in order to bring about the proportional representation required herein, and he shall be appointed by the county board of that county, or in the case of a home rule county as defined by Article VII, Section 6 of the Constitution of 1970, the chief executive officer of that county, with the advice and consent of the county board in accordance with the provisions previously enumerated. Successors shall serve 5 year overlapping terms.
    Thereafter, each trustee shall be succeeded by a resident of the same county who shall be appointed by the same appointing authority; however, the provisions of the preceding paragraph shall apply to the appointment of the successor to each trustee who is in office at the time of the publication of each decennial Federal census of population.
    (f) Upon the creation of such district, the circuit clerk shall prepare and certify a copy of the final court order confirming the referendum creating the district, and a duplicate of the map of such district, from the record of the circuit court, and shall file the same with the county clerk for recording in his office as "Certificate of Incorporation" for the district. The county clerk shall cause a duplicate of such "Certificate of Incorporation" to be filed in the office of the Secretary of State of Illinois.
    (g) The Board of Trustees of such "Local Mass Transit District" shall have and exercise all the powers and shall perform all the duties of any Board of Trustees of any district created under this Act, as now or hereafter amended.
    (h) The circuit court shall require the petitioners to post a surety bond for the payment of all costs and expenses of such proceeding and such referendum. When a district is created, the circuit court shall order the district to pay or reimburse others for all such costs and expenses. The surety bond shall not be released until complete receipts for all such costs and expenses have been filed in the cause and fully audited by the circuit and county clerks.
    (i) If the District is wholly contained within a single county, the County Board of such county may, by resolution, provide that, effective upon the next appointment of a Trustee, after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1989, that the Board of Trustees of such Mass Transit District shall be comprised of 7 Trustees, with no more than 4 members of the same political party. This Subsection shall not apply to any Mass Transit District in the State which receives funding in whole or in part from the Regional Transportation Authority or any of its service boards.
(Source: P.A. 86‑472.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/3.5) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 353.5)
    Sec. 3.5. If the district acquires a mass transit facility, all of the employees in such mass transit facility shall be transferred to and appointed as employees of the district, subject to all rights and benefits of this Act, and these employees shall be given seniority credit in accordance with the records and labor agreements of the mass transit facility. Employees who left the employ of such a mass transit facility to enter the military service of the United States shall have the same rights as to the district, under the provisions of the Service Member's Employment Tenure Act as they would have had thereunder as to such mass transit facility. After such acquisition the district shall be required to extend to such former employees of such mass transit facility only the rights and benefits as to pensions and retirement as are accorded other employees of the district.
(Source: P.A. 93‑590, eff. 1‑1‑04; 93‑828, eff. 7‑28‑04.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/4) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 354)
    Sec. 4. The powers of the local Mass Transit District shall repose in, and be exercised by, a Board of Trustees. If the District is created by only one municipality or only one county the corporate authorities or the county board chairman with the consent of the county board of such municipality or county shall appoint either 3 or 5 trustees to the Board; provided that in any Metro East Mass Transit District created by a single county, 5 trustees shall be appointed and the trustees so appointed shall be: (1) a mayor of a municipality within the District; (2) a township supervisor from within the District, or if in a county without township supervisors, another mayor within the District; (3) the county board chairman in which the District was formed or such other county board member as he shall designate; and (4) 2 members of the general public. If the District is created by one or more municipalities or one or more counties or any combination thereof, the corporate authorities and the county board chairman of each participating municipality or county shall determine the percentage of service that the District provides to each municipality or county. Each participating municipality and county shall appoint trustees in proportion to the percentage of service received from the District by that municipality or county. The corporate authorities or the county board chairman, with the consent of the county board, of each participating municipality or county shall appoint one trustee to the Board for each 30% or fraction thereof of service that the municipality or county receives from the District. If an even number of trustees are appointed to the Board, the corporate authorities or the county board chairman, with the consent of the county board, of the municipality or county that receives the largest percentage of service from the District shall appoint one additional trustee. The first Trustees appointed to the Board and any 2 additional trustees, initially appointed as a result of this amendatory Act of 1983 shall serve for terms of 4 years or less, the terms to be staggered to the extent possible so that they expire one year apart and so that the terms of not more than 2 trustees expire in the same year, with the Trustees to serve less than 4 years to be selected by lot. Thereafter, their successors shall serve for 4 years. Vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointment.
    Except in a Metro East Mass Transit District, no Trustee of any District may be an elected official of the municipality or municipalities or county or counties creating the District. A Trustee shall hold office until his successor has been appointed and has qualified. A certificate of the appointment or reappointment of any Trustee shall be filed with the clerk or clerks and such certificate shall be conclusive evidence of the due and proper appointment of such Trustee. A Trustee shall receive, as compensation for his services, not more than $100 for each day devoted to the business of the Board but not more than $400 per month. For the purposes of this Section, each District may determine what constitutes a business day. He shall also be entitled to the necessary expenses, including traveling expenses, incurred in the discharge of his duties. The powers of each District and the Board shall be vested in the Trustees thereof in office from time to time. A majority shall constitute a quorum of the Board for the purpose of conducting its business and exercising its powers and for all other purposes. Action may be taken by the Board upon a vote of the majority of the Trustees present, unless in any case the bylaws of the Board shall require a larger number. The Board shall select a chairman and a vice‑chairman from among the Trustees.
    No Trustee or employee of the Board shall acquire or have any interest direct or indirect in any contract or proposed contract for materials or services to be furnished or used in connection with operations of the District. For inefficiency or neglect of duty or misconduct in office, a Trustee may be removed by the person or body which made the original appointment, but a Trustee shall be removed only after he shall have been given a copy of the charges against him at least 10 days prior to the hearing thereon and has had an opportunity to be heard in person or by counsel. In the event of the removal of any Trustee, a record of the proceedings, together with the charges and findings thereon, shall be filed in the office of the clerk or clerks of the creating county or counties or municipality or municipalities.
    The Board shall employ a managing director of the District and may employ a secretary, treasurer, technical experts and such other officers, agents and employees, permanent and temporary, as it may require, and shall fix and determine their qualifications, duties and compensation and the amount of bond to be furnished for such offices and positions. For such legal services as it may require, the Board may call upon any chief law officers of the municipality, municipalities, or the county or counties as the case may be, or may employ and fix the compensation of its own counsel and legal staff. The Board may delegate to one or more of its agents or employees such powers and duties as it may deem proper. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this paragraph, employment of any person other than a managing director or secretary by any Metro East Mass Transit District created by a single county shall require the authorization of the county board of such county.
    Neither the District, the members of its Board nor its officers or employees shall be held liable for failure to provide a security or police force or, if a security or police force is provided, for failure to provide adequate police protection or security, failure to prevent the commission of crimes by fellow passengers or other third persons or for the failure to apprehend criminals.
(Source: P.A. 93‑590, eff. 1‑1‑04; 93‑792, eff. 7‑22‑04.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/5) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 355)
    Sec. 5. (a) The Board of Trustees of every District may establish or acquire any or all manner of mass transit facility. The Board may engage in the business of transportation of passengers on scheduled routes and by contract on nonscheduled routes within the territorial limits of the counties or municipalities creating the District, by whatever means it may decide. Its routes may be extended beyond such territorial limits with the consent of the governing bodies of the municipalities or counties into which such operation is extended.
    (b) The Board of Trustees of every District may for the purposes of the District, acquire by gift, purchase, lease, legacy, condemnation, or otherwise and hold, use, improve, maintain, operate, own, manage or lease, as lessor or lessee, such cars, buses, equipment, buildings, structures, real and personal property, and interests therein, and services, lands for terminal and other related facilities, improvements and services, or any interest therein, including all or any part of the plant, land, buildings, equipment, vehicles, licenses, franchises, patents, property, service contracts and agreements of every kind and nature. Real property may be so acquired if it is situated within or partially within the area served by the District or if it is outside the area if it is desirable or necessary for the purposes of the District.
    (c) The Board of Trustees of every District which establishes, provides, or acquires mass transit facilities or services may contract with any person or corporation or public or private entity for the operation or provision thereof upon such terms and conditions as the District shall determine.
    (d) The Board of Trustees of every District shall have the authority to contract for any and all purposes of the District, including with an interstate transportation authority, or with another local Mass Transit District or any other municipal, public, or private corporation entity in the transportation business including the authority to contract to lease its or otherwise provide land, buildings, and equipment, and other related facilities, improvements, and services, for the carriage of passengers beyond the territorial limits of the District or to subsidize transit operations by a public or private or municipal corporation operating entity providing mass transit facilities.
    (e) The Board of Trustees of every District shall have the authority to establish, alter and discontinue transportation routes and services and any or all ancillary or supporting facilities and services, and to establish and amend rate schedules for the transportation of persons thereon or for the public or private use thereof which rate schedules shall, together with any grants, receipts or income from other sources, be sufficient to pay the expenses of the District, the repair, maintenance and the safe and adequate operation of its mass transit facilities and public mass transportation system and to fulfill the terms of its debts, undertakings, and obligations.
    (f) The Board of Trustees of every District shall have perpetual succession and shall have the following powers in addition to any others in this Act granted:
        (1) to sue and be sued;
        (2) to adopt and use a seal;
        (3) to make and execute contracts loans, leases,
     subleases, installment purchase agreements, contracts, notes and other instruments evidencing financial obligations, and other instruments necessary or convenient in the exercise of its powers;
        (4) to make, amend and repeal bylaws, rules and
     regulations not inconsistent with this Act;
        (5) to sell, lease, sublease, license, transfer,
     convey or otherwise dispose of any of its real or personal property, or interests therein, in whole or in part, at any time upon such terms and conditions as it may determine, with public bidding if the value exceeds $1,000 at negotiated, competitive, public, or private sale;
        (6) to invest funds, not required for immediate
     disbursement, in property, agreements, or securities legal for investment of public funds controlled by savings banks under applicable law;
        (7) to mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise
     encumber all or any part of its real or personal property or other assets, or interests therein;
        (8) to apply for, accept and use grants, loans or
     other financial assistance from any private entity or municipal, county, State or Federal governmental agency or other public entity;
        (9) to borrow money from the United States
     Government or any agency thereof, or from any other public or private source, for the purposes of the District and, as evidence thereof, to issue its revenue bonds, payable solely from the revenue derived from the operation of the District. These bonds may be issued with maturities not exceeding 40 years from the date of the bonds, and in such amounts as may be necessary to provide sufficient funds, together with interest, for the purposes of the District. These bonds shall bear interest at a rate of not more than the maximum rate authorized by the Bond Authorization Act, as amended at the time of the making of the contract of sale, payable semi‑annually, may be made registerable as to principal, and may be made payable and callable as provided on any interest payment date at a price of par and accrued interest under such terms and conditions as may be fixed by the ordinance authorizing the issuance of the bonds. Bonds issued under this Section are negotiable instruments. They shall be executed by the chairman and members of the Board of Trustees, attested by the secretary, and shall be sealed with the corporate seal of the District. In case any Trustee or officer whose signature appears on the bonds or coupons ceases to hold that office before the bonds are delivered, such officer's signature, shall nevertheless be valid and sufficient for all purposes, the same as though such officer had remained in office until the bonds were delivered. The bonds shall be sold in such manner and upon such terms as the Board of Trustees shall determine, except that the selling price shall be such that the interest cost to the District of the proceeds of the bonds shall not exceed the maximum rate authorized by the Bond Authorization Act, as amended at the time of the making of the contract of sale, payable semi‑annually, computed to maturity according to the standard table of bond values.
        The ordinance shall fix the amount of revenue bonds
     proposed to be issued, the maturity or maturities, the interest rate, which shall not exceed the maximum rate authorized by the Bond Authorization Act, as amended at the time of the making of the contract of sale, and all the details in connection with the bonds. The ordinance may contain such covenants and restrictions upon the issuance of additional revenue bonds thereafter, which will share equally in the revenue of the District, as may be deemed necessary or advisable for the assurance of the payment of the bonds first issued. Any District may also provide in the ordinance authorizing the issuance of bonds under this Section that the bonds, or such ones thereof as may be specified, shall, to the extent and in the manner prescribed, be subordinated and be junior in standing, with respect to the payment of principal and interest and the security thereof, to such other bonds as are designated in the ordinance.
        The ordinance shall pledge the revenue derived from
     the operations of the District for the purpose of paying the cost of operation and maintenance of the District, and, as applicable, providing adequate depreciation funds, and paying the principal of and interest on the bonds of the District issued under this Section.

        (10) subject to Section 5.1, to levy a tax on
     property within the District at the rate of not to exceed .25% on the assessed value of such property in the manner provided in "The Illinois Municipal Budget Law", approved July 12, 1937, as amended;
        (11) to issue tax anticipation warrants;
        (12) to contract with any school district in this
     State to provide for the transportation of pupils to and from school within such district pursuant to the provisions of Section 29‑15 of the School Code;
        (13) to provide for the insurance of any property,
     directors, officers, employees or operations of the District against any risk or hazard, and to self‑insure or participate in joint self‑insurance pools or entities to insure against such risk or hazard;
        (14) to use its established funds, personnel, and
     other resources to acquire, construct, operate, and maintain bikeways and trails. Districts may cooperate with other governmental and private agencies in bikeway and trail programs; and
        (15) to acquire, own, maintain, construct,
     reconstruct, improve, repair, operate or lease any light‑rail public transportation system, terminal, terminal facility, public airport, or bridge or toll bridge across waters with any city, state, or both.
    With respect to instruments for the payment of money issued under this Section either before, on, or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1989, it is and always has been the intention of the General Assembly (i) that the Omnibus Bond Acts are and always have been supplementary grants of power to issue instruments in accordance with the Omnibus Bond Acts, regardless of any provision of this Act that may appear to be or to have been more restrictive than those Acts, (ii) that the provisions of this Section are not a limitation on the supplementary authority granted by the Omnibus Bond Acts, and (iii) that instruments issued under this Section within the supplementary authority granted by the Omnibus Bond Acts are not invalid because of any provision of this Act that may appear to be or to have been more restrictive than those Acts.
    This Section shall be liberally construed to give effect to its purposes.
(Source: P.A. 93‑590, eff. 1‑1‑04.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/5.01) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 355.01)
    Sec. 5.01. Metro East Mass Transit District; use and occupation taxes.
    (a) The Board of Trustees of any Metro East Mass Transit District may, by ordinance adopted with the concurrence of two‑thirds of the then trustees, impose throughout the District any or all of the taxes and fees provided in this Section. All taxes and fees imposed under this Section shall be used only for public mass transportation systems, and the amount used to provide mass transit service to unserved areas of the District shall be in the same proportion to the total proceeds as the number of persons residing in the unserved areas is to the total population of the District. Except as otherwise provided in this Act, taxes imposed under this Section and civil penalties imposed incident thereto shall be collected and enforced by the State Department of Revenue. The Department shall have the power to administer and enforce the taxes and to determine all rights for refunds for erroneous payments of the taxes.
    (b) The Board may impose a Metro East Mass Transit District Retailers' Occupation Tax upon all persons engaged in the business of selling tangible personal property at retail in the district at a rate of 1/4 of 1%, or as authorized under subsection (d‑5) of this Section, of the gross receipts from the sales made in the course of such business within the district. The tax imposed under this Section and all civil penalties that may be assessed as an incident thereof shall be collected and enforced by the State Department of Revenue. The Department shall have full power to administer and enforce this Section; to collect all taxes and penalties so collected in the manner hereinafter provided; and to determine all rights to credit memoranda arising on account of the erroneous payment of tax or penalty hereunder. In the administration of, and compliance with, this Section, the Department and persons who are subject to this Section shall have the same rights, remedies, privileges, immunities, powers and duties, and be subject to the same conditions, restrictions, limitations, penalties, exclusions, exemptions and definitions of terms and employ the same modes of procedure, as are prescribed in Sections 1, 1a, 1a‑1, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, 1i, 1j, 2 through 2‑65 (in respect to all provisions therein other than the State rate of tax), 2c, 3 (except as to the disposition of taxes and penalties collected), 4, 5, 5a, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 5h, 5i, 5j, 5k, 5l, 6, 6a, 6b, 6c, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act and Section 3‑7 of the Uniform Penalty and Interest Act, as fully as if those provisions were set forth herein.
    Persons subject to any tax imposed under the Section may reimburse themselves for their seller's tax liability hereunder by separately stating the tax as an additional charge, which charge may be stated in combination, in a single amount, with State taxes that sellers are required to collect under the Use Tax Act, in accordance with such bracket schedules as the Department may prescribe.
    Whenever the Department determines that a refund should be made under this Section to a claimant instead of issuing a credit memorandum, the Department shall notify the State Comptroller, who shall cause the warrant to be drawn for the amount specified, and to the person named, in the notification from the Department. The refund shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of the Metro East Mass Transit District tax fund established under paragraph (h) of this Section.
    If a tax is imposed under this subsection (b), a tax shall also be imposed under subsections (c) and (d) of this Section.
    For the purpose of determining whether a tax authorized under this Section is applicable, a retail sale, by a producer of coal or other mineral mined in Illinois, is a sale at retail at the place where the coal or other mineral mined in Illinois is extracted from the earth. This paragraph does not apply to coal or other mineral when it is delivered or shipped by the seller to the purchaser at a point outside Illinois so that the sale is exempt under the Federal Constitution as a sale in interstate or foreign commerce.
    No tax shall be imposed or collected under this subsection on the sale of a motor vehicle in this State to a resident of another state if that motor vehicle will not be titled in this State.
    Nothing in this Section shall be construed to authorize the Metro East Mass Transit District to impose a tax upon the privilege of engaging in any business which under the Constitution of the United States may not be made the subject of taxation by this State.
    (c) If a tax has been imposed under subsection (b), a Metro East Mass Transit District Service Occupation Tax shall also be imposed upon all persons engaged, in the district, in the business of making sales of service, who, as an incident to making those sales of service, transfer tangible personal property within the District, either in the form of tangible personal property or in the form of real estate as an incident to a sale of service. The tax rate shall be 1/4%, or as authorized under subsection (d‑5) of this Section, of the selling price of tangible personal property so transferred within the district. The tax imposed under this paragraph and all civil penalties that may be assessed as an incident thereof shall be collected and enforced by the State Department of Revenue. The Department shall have full power to administer and enforce this paragraph; to collect all taxes and penalties due hereunder; to dispose of taxes and penalties so collected in the manner hereinafter provided; and to determine all rights to credit memoranda arising on account of the erroneous payment of tax or penalty hereunder. In the administration of, and compliance with this paragraph, the Department and persons who are subject to this paragraph shall have the same rights, remedies, privileges, immunities, powers and duties, and be subject to the same conditions, restrictions, limitations, penalties, exclusions, exemptions and definitions of terms and employ the same modes of procedure as are prescribed in Sections 1a‑1, 2 (except that the reference to State in the definition of supplier maintaining a place of business in this State shall mean the Authority), 2a, 3 through 3‑50 (in respect to all provisions therein other than the State rate of tax), 4 (except that the reference to the State shall be to the Authority), 5, 7, 8 (except that the jurisdiction to which the tax shall be a debt to the extent indicated in that Section 8 shall be the District), 9 (except as to the disposition of taxes and penalties collected, and except that the returned merchandise credit for this tax may not be taken against any State tax), 10, 11, 12 (except the reference therein to Section 2b of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act), 13 (except that any reference to the State shall mean the District), the first paragraph of Section 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 of the Service Occupation Tax Act and Section 3‑7 of the Uniform Penalty and Interest Act, as fully as if those provisions were set forth herein.
    Persons subject to any tax imposed under the authority granted in this paragraph may reimburse themselves for their serviceman's tax liability hereunder by separately stating the tax as an additional charge, which charge may be stated in combination, in a single amount, with State tax that servicemen are authorized to collect under the Service Use Tax Act, in accordance with such bracket schedules as the Department may prescribe.
    Whenever the Department determines that a refund should be made under this paragraph to a claimant instead of issuing a credit memorandum, the Department shall notify the State Comptroller, who shall cause the warrant to be drawn for the amount specified, and to the person named, in the notification from the Department. The refund shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of the Metro East Mass Transit District tax fund established under paragraph (h) of this Section.
    Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to authorize the District to impose a tax upon the privilege of engaging in any business which under the Constitution of the United States may not be made the subject of taxation by the State.
    (d) If a tax has been imposed under subsection (b), a Metro East Mass Transit District Use Tax shall also be imposed upon the privilege of using, in the district, any item of tangible personal property that is purchased outside the district at retail from a retailer, and that is titled or registered with an agency of this State's government, at a rate of 1/4%, or as authorized under subsection (d‑5) of this Section, of the selling price of the tangible personal property within the District, as "selling price" is defined in the Use Tax Act. The tax shall be collected from persons whose Illinois address for titling or registration purposes is given as being in the District. The tax shall be collected by the Department of Revenue for the Metro East Mass Transit District. The tax must be paid to the State, or an exemption determination must be obtained from the Department of Revenue, before the title or certificate of registration for the property may be issued. The tax or proof of exemption may be transmitted to the Department by way of the State agency with which, or the State officer with whom, the tangible personal property must be titled or registered if the Department and the State agency or State officer determ

State Codes and Statutes

State Codes and Statutes

Statutes > Illinois > Chapter70 > 983

    (70 ILCS 3610/1) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 351)
    Sec. 1. This Act shall be known and cited as the "Local Mass Transit District Act".
(Source: Laws 1959, p. 1635.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/2)(from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 352)
    Sec. 2. For the purposes of this Act:
    (a) "Mass transit facility" means any local public transportation facility, whether buses, trolley‑buses, or railway systems, utilized by a substantial number of persons for their daily transportation, and includes not only the local public transportation facility itself but ancillary and supporting facilities such as, for example, motor vehicle parking facilities, as well.
    (b) "Participating municipality and county" means the municipality or municipalities, county or counties creating the local Mass Transit District pursuant to Section 3 of this Act.
    (c) "Municipality" means a city, village, township, or incorporated town.
    (d) "Corporate authorities" means (1) the city council or similar body of a city, (2) the board of trustees or similar body of a village or incorporated town, (3) the council of a municipality under the commission form of municipal government, and (4) the board of trustees in a township.
    (e) "County board" means the governing board of a county.
    (f) "District" means a local Mass Transit District created pursuant to Section 3 of this Act.
    (g) "Board" means the Board of Trustees of a local Mass Transit District created pursuant to Section 3 of this Act.
    (h) "Interstate transportation authority" shall mean any political subdivision created by compact between this State and another state, which is a body corporate and politic and a political subdivision of both contracting states, and which operates a public mass transportation system.
    (i) "Metro East Mass Transit District" means one or more local mass transit districts created pursuant to this Act, composed only of Madison, St. Clair or Monroe Counties, or any combination thereof or any territory annexed to such district.
    (j) "Public mass transportation system" shall mean a transportation system or systems owned and operated by an interstate transportation authority, a municipality, District, or other public or private authority, employing motor busses, rails or any other means of conveyance, by whatsoever type or power, operated for public use in the conveyance of persons, mainly providing local transportation service within an interstate transportation district, municipality, or county.
(Source: P.A. 95‑331, eff. 8‑21‑07.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/3) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 353)
    Sec. 3. For the purpose of acquiring, constructing, owning, operating and maintaining mass transit facilities for public service or subsidizing the operation thereof a local Mass Transit District may be created, composed of one or more municipalities or one or more counties or any combination thereof, by ordinance approved by a majority vote of the corporate authorities or by resolution approved by a majority vote of the county board of each participating municipality and county. A Metro East Mass Transit District created by one or more counties shall include: (1) those townships which were served by regularly scheduled mass transit routes operated by an interstate transportation authority on June 1, 1980; (2) in the case of a county without townships, any municipality or unincorporated portion of a road district which was served by regularly scheduled mass transit routes operated by an interstate transportation authority on June 1, 1980; (3) any other townships or municipalities whose participation is approved by ordinance adopted by a majority vote of their Board of Trustees or corporate authorities; plus (4) in the case of a county without townships, the unincorporated portion of any road district, the participation of which is approved by an ordinance adopted by a majority vote of the Board of Commissioners of the county in which it is located. Such District shall be known as the ".... Mass Transit District", inserting all or any significant part of the name or names of the municipality or the county, or both, creating the District, or a name descriptive of the area to be served if the District is created by more than one municipality, more than one county, or any combination thereof.
    The District created pursuant to this Act shall be a municipal corporation and shall have the right of eminent domain to acquire private property which is necessary for the purposes of the District, and shall have the power to contract for public mass transportation with an Interstate Transportation Authority.
    Upon the creation of any District, the clerk of the municipality or of the county, or the clerks of the several municipalities or counties, as the case may be, shall certify a copy of the ordinance or resolution creating the District, and the names of the persons first appointed Trustees thereof, and shall file the same with the county clerk for recording as certificates of incorporation and the county clerk shall cause duplicate certified copies thereof to be filed with the Secretary of State.
(Source: P.A. 93‑590, eff. 1‑1‑04.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/3.01) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 353.01)
    Sec. 3.01. Any municipality or county may be annexed to a District, other than a Metro East Transit District, formed pursuant to Section 3 when the District has no tax levy in effect and has no bonded indebtedness if a petition for annexation is adopted by an ordinance or resolution approved by a majority vote of the corporate authorities of such municipality or the county board of such county and such ordinance or resolution is approved by a 2/3 vote of the members of the board of trustees of the District. Upon the approval of such a petition of annexation by the board of trustees of a District, a certified copy of the ordinance of annexation shall be filed by the secretary of the board in the same manner as provided for upon creation of the District.
    Any contiguous township of any county, not already participating in a Metro East Transit District, may be annexed to a Metro East Transit District formed by one county pursuant to Section 3 of this Act if a petition for annexation, which is signed by at least 10% of the registered voters in the last general election who are residents of the township to be annexed or approved by a majority vote of the township board of the township to be annexed, is adopted by resolution approved by a majority vote of the county board in which the District was formed and such resolution is approved by a 2/3 vote of the members of the board of trustees of the District. Upon the approval of such petition of annexation by the board of trustees of a District, a certified copy of the ordinance of annexation shall be filed by the secretary of the board in the same manner as provided for upon creation of the District.
(Source: P.A. 93‑590, eff. 1‑1‑04.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/3.1) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 353.1)
    Sec. 3.1. Also in the manner provided in this Act as amended, a "Local Mass Transit District" may be created with boundary to enclose a unit area of contiguous land, to be known as the "participating area". Such a "participating area" may be organized as a district under this Act without regard to boundaries of counties or other political subdivisions or municipal corporations.
    (a) Any 500 or more legal voters who are residents within such "participating area" may file a petition in the circuit court of the county where the proposed district or a major part thereof is located, asking that the question of creating such district be submitted under this Act by referendum to the voters residing within the proposed district. By their power of attorney signed by them and filed in the cause the petitioners may authorize a committee of their number named by the petitioners, to conduct and pursue the cause for them to a conclusion. Such petition shall define the boundaries of the proposed district, shall indicate distances to nearest mass transportation lines in each direction, naming them, shall have attached a fair map of the proposed district, and shall suggest a name for the proposed district.
    (b) The circuit clerk shall present to the circuit judge any petition so filed in the court. The judge shall enter an order of record to set a date, hour and place for judicial hearing on the petition. That order shall include instructions to the circuit clerk to give notice by newspaper publication to be made and completed at least 20 days before the hearing is to be held, in 2 or more newspapers published or circulating generally among the people residing within the proposed district. The circuit clerk shall prepare that notice and cause such publication notice to be given as directed.
    (c) After proof of such newspaper publication of notice has been made and filed in the cause and shown to the court in full accord with the prior order, the circuit judge shall hear all persons who attend and so request, as to location and boundary and name for the proposed district. After the hearing on such petition is completed, the circuit court by an order of record, shall determine and establish the location, name and boundary for such proposed district, and shall order the proposition submitted at an election in accordance with the general election law to the voters resident within such proposed district. The circuit clerk shall certify the proposition to the proper election officials who shall submit the proposition in accordance with the general election law.
    (d) The county clerk shall canvass the ballots and other returns from such referendum, and prepare a full certification of the result and shall file same in the cause pending in the circuit court. When the vote is in favor of the creation of such district as determined by the court order, a true map of such district shall be filed with such report in the circuit court.
    (e) When the vote is in favor of creation of such district, the circuit court by an order of record shall confirm the result of election. If the district is wholly contained within a single county the presiding officer of the county board with the advice and consent of the county board shall appoint 5 trustees, not more than 3 of whom shall be affiliated with the same political party, to govern the district and serve one each for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years respectively; upon the expiration of the term of a trustee who is in office on the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1989, the successor shall, at the time of the appointment, and thereafter at all times while serving as trustee, be a resident of the Mass Transit District for which such person is appointed as trustee. If a trustee removes his residence to a place outside of the District, a trustee shall be appointed in the same manner as herein provided to take the place of the trustee who so removed his residence. If however the district is located in more than one county, the number of trustees who are residents of a county shall be in proportion, as nearly as practicable, to the number of residents of the district who reside in that county in relation to the total population of the district.
    Upon the expiration of the term of a trustee who is in office on the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1975, the successor shall be a resident of whichever county is entitled to such representation in order to bring about the proportional representation required herein, and he shall be appointed by the county board of that county, or in the case of a home rule county as defined by Article VII, Section 6 of the Constitution of 1970, the chief executive officer of that county, with the advice and consent of the county board in accordance with the provisions previously enumerated. Successors shall serve 5 year overlapping terms.
    Thereafter, each trustee shall be succeeded by a resident of the same county who shall be appointed by the same appointing authority; however, the provisions of the preceding paragraph shall apply to the appointment of the successor to each trustee who is in office at the time of the publication of each decennial Federal census of population.
    (f) Upon the creation of such district, the circuit clerk shall prepare and certify a copy of the final court order confirming the referendum creating the district, and a duplicate of the map of such district, from the record of the circuit court, and shall file the same with the county clerk for recording in his office as "Certificate of Incorporation" for the district. The county clerk shall cause a duplicate of such "Certificate of Incorporation" to be filed in the office of the Secretary of State of Illinois.
    (g) The Board of Trustees of such "Local Mass Transit District" shall have and exercise all the powers and shall perform all the duties of any Board of Trustees of any district created under this Act, as now or hereafter amended.
    (h) The circuit court shall require the petitioners to post a surety bond for the payment of all costs and expenses of such proceeding and such referendum. When a district is created, the circuit court shall order the district to pay or reimburse others for all such costs and expenses. The surety bond shall not be released until complete receipts for all such costs and expenses have been filed in the cause and fully audited by the circuit and county clerks.
    (i) If the District is wholly contained within a single county, the County Board of such county may, by resolution, provide that, effective upon the next appointment of a Trustee, after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1989, that the Board of Trustees of such Mass Transit District shall be comprised of 7 Trustees, with no more than 4 members of the same political party. This Subsection shall not apply to any Mass Transit District in the State which receives funding in whole or in part from the Regional Transportation Authority or any of its service boards.
(Source: P.A. 86‑472.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/3.5) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 353.5)
    Sec. 3.5. If the district acquires a mass transit facility, all of the employees in such mass transit facility shall be transferred to and appointed as employees of the district, subject to all rights and benefits of this Act, and these employees shall be given seniority credit in accordance with the records and labor agreements of the mass transit facility. Employees who left the employ of such a mass transit facility to enter the military service of the United States shall have the same rights as to the district, under the provisions of the Service Member's Employment Tenure Act as they would have had thereunder as to such mass transit facility. After such acquisition the district shall be required to extend to such former employees of such mass transit facility only the rights and benefits as to pensions and retirement as are accorded other employees of the district.
(Source: P.A. 93‑590, eff. 1‑1‑04; 93‑828, eff. 7‑28‑04.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/4) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 354)
    Sec. 4. The powers of the local Mass Transit District shall repose in, and be exercised by, a Board of Trustees. If the District is created by only one municipality or only one county the corporate authorities or the county board chairman with the consent of the county board of such municipality or county shall appoint either 3 or 5 trustees to the Board; provided that in any Metro East Mass Transit District created by a single county, 5 trustees shall be appointed and the trustees so appointed shall be: (1) a mayor of a municipality within the District; (2) a township supervisor from within the District, or if in a county without township supervisors, another mayor within the District; (3) the county board chairman in which the District was formed or such other county board member as he shall designate; and (4) 2 members of the general public. If the District is created by one or more municipalities or one or more counties or any combination thereof, the corporate authorities and the county board chairman of each participating municipality or county shall determine the percentage of service that the District provides to each municipality or county. Each participating municipality and county shall appoint trustees in proportion to the percentage of service received from the District by that municipality or county. The corporate authorities or the county board chairman, with the consent of the county board, of each participating municipality or county shall appoint one trustee to the Board for each 30% or fraction thereof of service that the municipality or county receives from the District. If an even number of trustees are appointed to the Board, the corporate authorities or the county board chairman, with the consent of the county board, of the municipality or county that receives the largest percentage of service from the District shall appoint one additional trustee. The first Trustees appointed to the Board and any 2 additional trustees, initially appointed as a result of this amendatory Act of 1983 shall serve for terms of 4 years or less, the terms to be staggered to the extent possible so that they expire one year apart and so that the terms of not more than 2 trustees expire in the same year, with the Trustees to serve less than 4 years to be selected by lot. Thereafter, their successors shall serve for 4 years. Vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointment.
    Except in a Metro East Mass Transit District, no Trustee of any District may be an elected official of the municipality or municipalities or county or counties creating the District. A Trustee shall hold office until his successor has been appointed and has qualified. A certificate of the appointment or reappointment of any Trustee shall be filed with the clerk or clerks and such certificate shall be conclusive evidence of the due and proper appointment of such Trustee. A Trustee shall receive, as compensation for his services, not more than $100 for each day devoted to the business of the Board but not more than $400 per month. For the purposes of this Section, each District may determine what constitutes a business day. He shall also be entitled to the necessary expenses, including traveling expenses, incurred in the discharge of his duties. The powers of each District and the Board shall be vested in the Trustees thereof in office from time to time. A majority shall constitute a quorum of the Board for the purpose of conducting its business and exercising its powers and for all other purposes. Action may be taken by the Board upon a vote of the majority of the Trustees present, unless in any case the bylaws of the Board shall require a larger number. The Board shall select a chairman and a vice‑chairman from among the Trustees.
    No Trustee or employee of the Board shall acquire or have any interest direct or indirect in any contract or proposed contract for materials or services to be furnished or used in connection with operations of the District. For inefficiency or neglect of duty or misconduct in office, a Trustee may be removed by the person or body which made the original appointment, but a Trustee shall be removed only after he shall have been given a copy of the charges against him at least 10 days prior to the hearing thereon and has had an opportunity to be heard in person or by counsel. In the event of the removal of any Trustee, a record of the proceedings, together with the charges and findings thereon, shall be filed in the office of the clerk or clerks of the creating county or counties or municipality or municipalities.
    The Board shall employ a managing director of the District and may employ a secretary, treasurer, technical experts and such other officers, agents and employees, permanent and temporary, as it may require, and shall fix and determine their qualifications, duties and compensation and the amount of bond to be furnished for such offices and positions. For such legal services as it may require, the Board may call upon any chief law officers of the municipality, municipalities, or the county or counties as the case may be, or may employ and fix the compensation of its own counsel and legal staff. The Board may delegate to one or more of its agents or employees such powers and duties as it may deem proper. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this paragraph, employment of any person other than a managing director or secretary by any Metro East Mass Transit District created by a single county shall require the authorization of the county board of such county.
    Neither the District, the members of its Board nor its officers or employees shall be held liable for failure to provide a security or police force or, if a security or police force is provided, for failure to provide adequate police protection or security, failure to prevent the commission of crimes by fellow passengers or other third persons or for the failure to apprehend criminals.
(Source: P.A. 93‑590, eff. 1‑1‑04; 93‑792, eff. 7‑22‑04.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/5) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 355)
    Sec. 5. (a) The Board of Trustees of every District may establish or acquire any or all manner of mass transit facility. The Board may engage in the business of transportation of passengers on scheduled routes and by contract on nonscheduled routes within the territorial limits of the counties or municipalities creating the District, by whatever means it may decide. Its routes may be extended beyond such territorial limits with the consent of the governing bodies of the municipalities or counties into which such operation is extended.
    (b) The Board of Trustees of every District may for the purposes of the District, acquire by gift, purchase, lease, legacy, condemnation, or otherwise and hold, use, improve, maintain, operate, own, manage or lease, as lessor or lessee, such cars, buses, equipment, buildings, structures, real and personal property, and interests therein, and services, lands for terminal and other related facilities, improvements and services, or any interest therein, including all or any part of the plant, land, buildings, equipment, vehicles, licenses, franchises, patents, property, service contracts and agreements of every kind and nature. Real property may be so acquired if it is situated within or partially within the area served by the District or if it is outside the area if it is desirable or necessary for the purposes of the District.
    (c) The Board of Trustees of every District which establishes, provides, or acquires mass transit facilities or services may contract with any person or corporation or public or private entity for the operation or provision thereof upon such terms and conditions as the District shall determine.
    (d) The Board of Trustees of every District shall have the authority to contract for any and all purposes of the District, including with an interstate transportation authority, or with another local Mass Transit District or any other municipal, public, or private corporation entity in the transportation business including the authority to contract to lease its or otherwise provide land, buildings, and equipment, and other related facilities, improvements, and services, for the carriage of passengers beyond the territorial limits of the District or to subsidize transit operations by a public or private or municipal corporation operating entity providing mass transit facilities.
    (e) The Board of Trustees of every District shall have the authority to establish, alter and discontinue transportation routes and services and any or all ancillary or supporting facilities and services, and to establish and amend rate schedules for the transportation of persons thereon or for the public or private use thereof which rate schedules shall, together with any grants, receipts or income from other sources, be sufficient to pay the expenses of the District, the repair, maintenance and the safe and adequate operation of its mass transit facilities and public mass transportation system and to fulfill the terms of its debts, undertakings, and obligations.
    (f) The Board of Trustees of every District shall have perpetual succession and shall have the following powers in addition to any others in this Act granted:
        (1) to sue and be sued;
        (2) to adopt and use a seal;
        (3) to make and execute contracts loans, leases,
     subleases, installment purchase agreements, contracts, notes and other instruments evidencing financial obligations, and other instruments necessary or convenient in the exercise of its powers;
        (4) to make, amend and repeal bylaws, rules and
     regulations not inconsistent with this Act;
        (5) to sell, lease, sublease, license, transfer,
     convey or otherwise dispose of any of its real or personal property, or interests therein, in whole or in part, at any time upon such terms and conditions as it may determine, with public bidding if the value exceeds $1,000 at negotiated, competitive, public, or private sale;
        (6) to invest funds, not required for immediate
     disbursement, in property, agreements, or securities legal for investment of public funds controlled by savings banks under applicable law;
        (7) to mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise
     encumber all or any part of its real or personal property or other assets, or interests therein;
        (8) to apply for, accept and use grants, loans or
     other financial assistance from any private entity or municipal, county, State or Federal governmental agency or other public entity;
        (9) to borrow money from the United States
     Government or any agency thereof, or from any other public or private source, for the purposes of the District and, as evidence thereof, to issue its revenue bonds, payable solely from the revenue derived from the operation of the District. These bonds may be issued with maturities not exceeding 40 years from the date of the bonds, and in such amounts as may be necessary to provide sufficient funds, together with interest, for the purposes of the District. These bonds shall bear interest at a rate of not more than the maximum rate authorized by the Bond Authorization Act, as amended at the time of the making of the contract of sale, payable semi‑annually, may be made registerable as to principal, and may be made payable and callable as provided on any interest payment date at a price of par and accrued interest under such terms and conditions as may be fixed by the ordinance authorizing the issuance of the bonds. Bonds issued under this Section are negotiable instruments. They shall be executed by the chairman and members of the Board of Trustees, attested by the secretary, and shall be sealed with the corporate seal of the District. In case any Trustee or officer whose signature appears on the bonds or coupons ceases to hold that office before the bonds are delivered, such officer's signature, shall nevertheless be valid and sufficient for all purposes, the same as though such officer had remained in office until the bonds were delivered. The bonds shall be sold in such manner and upon such terms as the Board of Trustees shall determine, except that the selling price shall be such that the interest cost to the District of the proceeds of the bonds shall not exceed the maximum rate authorized by the Bond Authorization Act, as amended at the time of the making of the contract of sale, payable semi‑annually, computed to maturity according to the standard table of bond values.
        The ordinance shall fix the amount of revenue bonds
     proposed to be issued, the maturity or maturities, the interest rate, which shall not exceed the maximum rate authorized by the Bond Authorization Act, as amended at the time of the making of the contract of sale, and all the details in connection with the bonds. The ordinance may contain such covenants and restrictions upon the issuance of additional revenue bonds thereafter, which will share equally in the revenue of the District, as may be deemed necessary or advisable for the assurance of the payment of the bonds first issued. Any District may also provide in the ordinance authorizing the issuance of bonds under this Section that the bonds, or such ones thereof as may be specified, shall, to the extent and in the manner prescribed, be subordinated and be junior in standing, with respect to the payment of principal and interest and the security thereof, to such other bonds as are designated in the ordinance.
        The ordinance shall pledge the revenue derived from
     the operations of the District for the purpose of paying the cost of operation and maintenance of the District, and, as applicable, providing adequate depreciation funds, and paying the principal of and interest on the bonds of the District issued under this Section.

        (10) subject to Section 5.1, to levy a tax on
     property within the District at the rate of not to exceed .25% on the assessed value of such property in the manner provided in "The Illinois Municipal Budget Law", approved July 12, 1937, as amended;
        (11) to issue tax anticipation warrants;
        (12) to contract with any school district in this
     State to provide for the transportation of pupils to and from school within such district pursuant to the provisions of Section 29‑15 of the School Code;
        (13) to provide for the insurance of any property,
     directors, officers, employees or operations of the District against any risk or hazard, and to self‑insure or participate in joint self‑insurance pools or entities to insure against such risk or hazard;
        (14) to use its established funds, personnel, and
     other resources to acquire, construct, operate, and maintain bikeways and trails. Districts may cooperate with other governmental and private agencies in bikeway and trail programs; and
        (15) to acquire, own, maintain, construct,
     reconstruct, improve, repair, operate or lease any light‑rail public transportation system, terminal, terminal facility, public airport, or bridge or toll bridge across waters with any city, state, or both.
    With respect to instruments for the payment of money issued under this Section either before, on, or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1989, it is and always has been the intention of the General Assembly (i) that the Omnibus Bond Acts are and always have been supplementary grants of power to issue instruments in accordance with the Omnibus Bond Acts, regardless of any provision of this Act that may appear to be or to have been more restrictive than those Acts, (ii) that the provisions of this Section are not a limitation on the supplementary authority granted by the Omnibus Bond Acts, and (iii) that instruments issued under this Section within the supplementary authority granted by the Omnibus Bond Acts are not invalid because of any provision of this Act that may appear to be or to have been more restrictive than those Acts.
    This Section shall be liberally construed to give effect to its purposes.
(Source: P.A. 93‑590, eff. 1‑1‑04.)

    (70 ILCS 3610/5.01) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 355.01)
    Sec. 5.01. Metro East Mass Transit District; use and occupation taxes.
    (a) The Board of Trustees of any Metro East Mass Transit District may, by ordinance adopted with the concurrence of two‑thirds of the then trustees, impose throughout the District any or all of the taxes and fees provided in this Section. All taxes and fees imposed under this Section shall be used only for public mass transportation systems, and the amount used to provide mass transit service to unserved areas of the District shall be in the same proportion to the total proceeds as the number of persons residing in the unserved areas is to the total population of the District. Except as otherwise provided in this Act, taxes imposed under this Section and civil penalties imposed incident thereto shall be collected and enforced by the State Department of Revenue. The Department shall have the power to administer and enforce the taxes and to determine all rights for refunds for erroneous payments of the taxes.
    (b) The Board may impose a Metro East Mass Transit District Retailers' Occupation Tax upon all persons engaged in the business of selling tangible personal property at retail in the district at a rate of 1/4 of 1%, or as authorized under subsection (d‑5) of this Section, of the gross receipts from the sales made in the course of such business within the district. The tax imposed under this Section and all civil penalties that may be assessed as an incident thereof shall be collected and enforced by the State Department of Revenue. The Department shall have full power to administer and enforce this Section; to collect all taxes and penalties so collected in the manner hereinafter provided; and to determine all rights to credit memoranda arising on account of the erroneous payment of tax or penalty hereunder. In the administration of, and compliance with, this Section, the Department and persons who are subject to this Section shall have the same rights, remedies, privileges, immunities, powers and duties, and be subject to the same conditions, restrictions, limitations, penalties, exclusions, exemptions and definitions of terms and employ the same modes of procedure, as are prescribed in Sections 1, 1a, 1a‑1, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, 1i, 1j, 2 through 2‑65 (in respect to all provisions therein other than the State rate of tax), 2c, 3 (except as to the disposition of taxes and penalties collected), 4, 5, 5a, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 5h, 5i, 5j, 5k, 5l, 6, 6a, 6b, 6c, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act and Section 3‑7 of the Uniform Penalty and Interest Act, as fully as if those provisions were set forth herein.
    Persons subject to any tax imposed under the Section may reimburse themselves for their seller's tax liability hereunder by separately stating the tax as an additional charge, which charge may be stated in combination, in a single amount, with State taxes that sellers are required to collect under the Use Tax Act, in accordance with such bracket schedules as the Department may prescribe.
    Whenever the Department determines that a refund should be made under this Section to a claimant instead of issuing a credit memorandum, the Department shall notify the State Comptroller, who shall cause the warrant to be drawn for the amount specified, and to the person named, in the notification from the Department. The refund shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of the Metro East Mass Transit District tax fund established under paragraph (h) of this Section.
    If a tax is imposed under this subsection (b), a tax shall also be imposed under subsections (c) and (d) of this Section.
    For the purpose of determining whether a tax authorized under this Section is applicable, a retail sale, by a producer of coal or other mineral mined in Illinois, is a sale at retail at the place where the coal or other mineral mined in Illinois is extracted from the earth. This paragraph does not apply to coal or other mineral when it is delivered or shipped by the seller to the purchaser at a point outside Illinois so that the sale is exempt under the Federal Constitution as a sale in interstate or foreign commerce.
    No tax shall be imposed or collected under this subsection on the sale of a motor vehicle in this State to a resident of another state if that motor vehicle will not be titled in this State.
    Nothing in this Section shall be construed to authorize the Metro East Mass Transit District to impose a tax upon the privilege of engaging in any business which under the Constitution of the United States may not be made the subject of taxation by this State.
    (c) If a tax has been imposed under subsection (b), a Metro East Mass Transit District Service Occupation Tax shall also be imposed upon all persons engaged, in the district, in the business of making sales of service, who, as an incident to making those sales of service, transfer tangible personal property within the District, either in the form of tangible personal property or in the form of real estate as an incident to a sale of service. The tax rate shall be 1/4%, or as authorized under subsection (d‑5) of this Section, of the selling price of tangible personal property so transferred within the district. The tax imposed under this paragraph and all civil penalties that may be assessed as an incident thereof shall be collected and enforced by the State Department of Revenue. The Department shall have full power to administer and enforce this paragraph; to collect all taxes and penalties due hereunder; to dispose of taxes and penalties so collected in the manner hereinafter provided; and to determine all rights to credit memoranda arising on account of the erroneous payment of tax or penalty hereunder. In the administration of, and compliance with this paragraph, the Department and persons who are subject to this paragraph shall have the same rights, remedies, privileges, immunities, powers and duties, and be subject to the same conditions, restrictions, limitations, penalties, exclusions, exemptions and definitions of terms and employ the same modes of procedure as are prescribed in Sections 1a‑1, 2 (except that the reference to State in the definition of supplier maintaining a place of business in this State shall mean the Authority), 2a, 3 through 3‑50 (in respect to all provisions therein other than the State rate of tax), 4 (except that the reference to the State shall be to the Authority), 5, 7, 8 (except that the jurisdiction to which the tax shall be a debt to the extent indicated in that Section 8 shall be the District), 9 (except as to the disposition of taxes and penalties collected, and except that the returned merchandise credit for this tax may not be taken against any State tax), 10, 11, 12 (except the reference therein to Section 2b of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act), 13 (except that any reference to the State shall mean the District), the first paragraph of Section 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 of the Service Occupation Tax Act and Section 3‑7 of the Uniform Penalty and Interest Act, as fully as if those provisions were set forth herein.
    Persons subject to any tax imposed under the authority granted in this paragraph may reimburse themselves for their serviceman's tax liability hereunder by separately stating the tax as an additional charge, which charge may be stated in combination, in a single amount, with State tax that servicemen are authorized to collect under the Service Use Tax Act, in accordance with such bracket schedules as the Department may prescribe.
    Whenever the Department determines that a refund should be made under this paragraph to a claimant instead of issuing a credit memorandum, the Department shall notify the State Comptroller, who shall cause the warrant to be drawn for the amount specified, and to the person named, in the notification from the Department. The refund shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of the Metro East Mass Transit District tax fund established under paragraph (h) of this Section.
    Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to authorize the District to impose a tax upon the privilege of engaging in any business which under the Constitution of the United States may not be made the subject of taxation by the State.
    (d) If a tax has been imposed under subsection (b), a Metro East Mass Transit District Use Tax shall also be imposed upon the privilege of using, in the district, any item of tangible personal property that is purchased outside the district at retail from a retailer, and that is titled or registered with an agency of this State's government, at a rate of 1/4%, or as authorized under subsection (d‑5) of this Section, of the selling price of the tangible personal property within the District, as "selling price" is defined in the Use Tax Act. The tax shall be collected from persons whose Illinois address for titling or registration purposes is given as being in the District. The tax shall be collected by the Department of Revenue for the Metro East Mass Transit District. The tax must be paid to the State, or an exemption determination must be obtained from the Department of Revenue, before the title or certificate of registration for the property may be issued. The tax or proof of exemption may be transmitted to the Department by way of the State agency with which, or the State officer with whom, the tangible personal property must be titled or registered if the Department and the State agency or State officer determ