(70 ILCS 1290/0.01)

(from Ch. 105, par. 325h)

Sec. 0.01.

Short title.

This Act may be cited as the

Park District Aquarium and Museum Act.

(Source: P.A. 86‑1324.)

(70 ILCS 1290/1)

(from Ch. 105, par. 326)

Sec. 1.

The corporate authorities of cities and park districts having the control or supervision of any public park or parks, are hereby authorized to purchase, erect and maintain within any public park or parks under the control or supervision of such corporate authorities, edifices to be used as aquariums or as museums of art, industry, science or natural or other history, or to permit the directors or trustees of any corporation or society organized for the construction or maintenance and operation of an aquarium or museum as hereinabove described to erect, enlarge, ornament, build, rebuild, rehabilitate, improve, maintain and operate its aquarium or museum or museums within any public park now or hereafter under the control or supervision of any city or park district, and to contract with any such directors or trustees of any such aquarium, museum or museums relative to the erection, enlargement, ornamentation, building, rebuilding, rehabilitation, improvement, maintenance and operation thereof. Any city or park district may charge, or permit such an aquarium or museum to charge, an admission fee. Any such aquarium or museum, however, shall be open without charge, when accompanied by a teacher, to the children in actual attendance upon grades kindergarten through twelve in any of the schools in this State at all times. Any such aquarium or museum, however, must be open to the public without charge for a period equivalent to 52 days, at least 6 of which must be during the period from June through August, each year. Notwithstanding said provisions, charges may be made at any time for special services and for admission to special facilities within any aquarium or museum for the education, entertainment or convenience of visitors. The proceeds of such admission fees and charges for special services and special facilities shall be devoted exclusively to the purposes for which the tax authorized by Section 2 hereof may be used. If any owner or owners of any lands or lots abutting or fronting on any such public park, or adjacent thereto, have any private right, easement, interest or property in such public park appurtenant to their lands or lots or otherwise, which would be interfered with by the erection and maintenance of any aquarium or museum as hereinbefore provided, or any right to have such public park remain open or vacant and free from buildings, the corporate authorities of the city or park district having control of such park, may condemn the same in the manner prescribed for the exercise of the right of eminent domain under Article VII of the Code of Civil Procedure, as now or hereafter amended.

(Source: P.A. 91‑918, eff. 7‑7‑00; 92‑553, eff. 1‑1‑03.)

(70 ILCS 1290/2)

(from Ch. 105, par. 327)

Sec. 2.

Maintenance tax ‑ Limitations ‑ Levy and collection.

Each board of park commissioners, having control of a public park or parks within which there shall be maintained any aquarium or any museum or museums of art, industry, science or natural or other history under the provisions of this Act, is hereby authorized, subject to the provisions of Section 4 of this Act, to levy annually a tax not to exceed .03 per cent in park districts of less than 500,000 population and in districts of over 500,000 population not to exceed .15 percent of the full, fair cash value, as equalized or assessed by the Department of Revenue of taxable property embraced in said district, according to the valuation of the same as made for the purpose of State and county taxation by the general assessment last preceding the time when such tax hereby authorized shall be levied: Such tax to be for the purpose of establishing, acquiring, completing, erecting, enlarging, ornamenting, building, rebuilding, rehabilitating, improving, operating, maintaining and caring for such aquarium and museum or museums and the buildings and grounds thereof; and the proceeds of such additional tax shall be kept as a separate fund. Said tax shall be in addition to all other taxes which such board of park commissioners is now or hereafter may be authorized to levy on the aggregate valuation of all taxable property within the park district. Said tax shall be levied and collected in like manner as the general taxes for such parks and shall not be included within any limitation of rate for general park purposes as now or hereafter provided by law but shall be excluded therefrom and be in addition thereto and in excess thereof. Provided, further, that the foregoing limitations upon tax rates, insofar as they are applicable to park districts of less than 500,000 population, may be further increased or decreased according to the referendum provisions of the General Revenue Law of Illinois.

Whenever the board of park commissioners of a park district of less than 500,000 population adopts a resolution that it shall levy and collect a tax for the purposes specified in this Section in excess of .03 percent but not to exceed .07 percent of the value of taxable property in the district, the board shall cause the resolution to be published at least once in a newspaper of general circulation within the district. If there is no such newspaper, the resolution shall be posted in at least 3 public places within the district. The publication or posting of the resolution shall include a notice of (1) the specific number of electors required to sign a petition requesting that the question of the adoption of the resolution be submitted to the electors of the district; (2) the time within which the petition must be filed; and (3) the date of the prospective referendum.

The secretary of the park district shall provide a petition form to any individual requesting one.

Any taxpayer in such district may, within 30 days after the first publication or posting of the resolution, file with the secretary of the park district a petition signed by not less than 10 percent or 1,500, whichever is lesser, of the electors of the district requesting that the following question be submitted to the electors of the district:

"Shall the .... Park District be authorized to levy an annual tax in excess of .... but not to exceed .... as authorized in Section 2 of "An Act concerning aquariums and museums in public parks" for the purpose of establishing, acquiring, completing, erecting, enlarging, ornamenting, building, rebuilding, rehabilitating, improving, operating, maintaining and caring for such aquariums and museum or museums and the buildings and grounds thereof?" The secretary of the park district shall certify the proposition to the proper election authorities for submission to the electorate at a regular scheduled election in accordance with the general election law. If a majority of the electors voting on the proposition vote in favor thereof, such increased tax shall thereafter be authorized; if a majority of the vote is against such proposition, the previous maximum rate shall remain in effect until changed by law.

(Source: P.A. 86‑329.)