70 ILCS 705/1 — Illinois Code / Chapter 70 / Act 705 / Section 1
Section 1
Status: in_force

(70 ILCS 705/1) (from Ch. 127 1/2, par. 21) Sec. 1. It is hereby declared as a matter of legislative determination that in order to promote and protect the health, safety, welfare and convenience of the public, it is necessary in the public interest to provide for the creation of municipal corporations known as fire protection districts and to confer upon and vest in the fire protection districts all powers necessary or appropriate in order that they may engage in the acquisition, establishment, maintenance and operation of fire stations, facilities, vehicles, apparatus and equipment for the prevention and control of fire therein and the underwater recovery of drowning victims, and provide as nearly adequate protection from fire for lives and property within the districts as possible and regulate the prevention and control of fire therein; and that the powers herein conferred upon such fire protection districts are public objects and governmental functions in the public interest. Whenever any territory is (1) an area of contiguous territory in a county, or in more than one but in not more than 5 counties; (2) so situated that the destruction by fire of the buildings and other property therein is hazardous to the lives and property of the public; (3) so situated that the acquisition, establishment, maintenance and operation of a fire station or stations, facilities, vehicles, apparatus and equipment for the prevention and control of fire therein will conduce to the promotion and protection of the health, safety, welfare and convenience of the public; (4) so situated that it does not divide any city, village or incorporated town, but, in the case of a city, village or incorporated town situated partly within and partly without one or more existing fire protection districts, such territory shall not be considered as dividing the city, village or incorporated town if it includes all of the city, village or incorporated town situated outside of any existing fire protection district; (5) so situated that such territory contains no territory included in any other fire protection district, or if any territory is disconnected in the manner provided in Section 16c of this Act, the same may be incorporated as a fire protection district. For the purpose of meeting the requirement of item (1) that the territory be contiguous, territory shall be considered to be contiguous if the only separation between parts of such territory is land owned by the United States, the State of Illinois, or any agency or instrumentality of either. In the case of territory disconnected from an existing district pursuant to Section 16c of this Act, such territory may be incorporated as provided in that Section; otherwise such districts may be incorporated under this Act in the manner following: Fifty or more of the legal voters resident within the limits of the proposed district, or a majority thereof if less than 100, may petition the circuit court for the county which contains all or the largest portion of the proposed district to cause the question to be submitted to the legal voters of the proposed district, whether the proposed territory shall be organized as a fire protection district under this Act; the petition shall be addressed to the court and shall contain a definite description of the boundaries of the territory to be embraced in the proposed district, and the name of the proposed district and shall allege facts in support of the organization and incorporation. Upon filing a petition in the office of the circuit clerk of the county in which the petition is made, the court shall fix a time and place for a hearing upon the subject of the petition. Notice shall be given by the court to which the petition is addressed, or by the circuit clerk or sheriff of the county in which the petition is made at the order and direction of the court, of the time and place of the hearing upon the subject of the petition at least 20 days prior thereto by one publication thereof in one or more daily or weekly papers published within the proposed fire protection district (or if no daily or weekly newspaper is published within such proposed fire protection district, then either by one publication thereof in any newspaper of general circulation within that territory or by posting at least 10 copies of the notice in the district at least 20 days before the hearing in conspicuous places as far separated from each other as consistently possible), and by mailing a copy of the notice to the mayor or president of the board of trustees of all cities, villages and incorporated towns in whole or in part within the proposed fire protection district. At the hearing all persons residing in or owning property situated in the proposed fire protection district shall have an opportunity to be heard; and if the court finds that the petition does not comply with the provisions of this Act or that the allegations of the petition are not true, the court shall dismiss the petition; but if the court finds that the petition complies with the provisions of this Act and that the allegations of the petition are true, the same shall be incorporated in an order which shall be filed of record in the court. Upon the entering of such order the court shall order the submission to the legal voters of the proposed fire protection district the question of organization and establishment of the proposed fire protection district at an election. The circuit clerk shall certify the question and the order to the proper election officials who shall submit the question at an election in accordance with the general election law. The notice of the referendum shall specify the purpose of such election with a description of the proposed district. The question shall be in substantially the following form: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For Fire Protection District. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Against Fire Protection District. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The court shall cause a written statement of the results of such election to be filed of record in the court. If no city or village or incorporated town nor any part thereof is included in the territory proposed as a district and the majority of the votes cast at such election upon the question shall be in favor of the incorporation of the proposed fire protection district, or if a city or village or incorporated town or any part thereof is included in the territory proposed as a district and a majority of the votes cast at such election upon the question, within the limits of each city or village or incorporated town and also a majority of those cast outside the limits of each such city or village or incorporated town shall be in favor of the proposed fire protection district, or if a city or village or incorporated town is included in the territory proposed as a district and a majority of the votes cast at such election upon the question within the limits of such city or village or incorporated town or in any other city or village or incorporated town which is included in the proposed territory shall be in favor of the proposed fire protection district, and even if a majority of the votes cast outside the limits of such city or cities or village or villages or incorporated town or towns, are not in favor of the proposed fire protection district, in each city or village or incorporated town which casts a majority of votes in favor of the proposed district, the proposed district or portion of the proposed district in which a majority of the votes cast at the election are in favor of the proposition as provided in this amendatory Act of 1986 shall thenceforth be deemed an organized fire protection district under this Act, and the court shall enter an order accordingly and cause the same to be filed of record in the court and shall also cause to be sent to the county clerk of any and all other counties in which any portion of the district lies and the Office of the State Fire Marshal a certified copy of the order organizing the district and a plat of the same indicating what lands of the district lie in such other county or counties. The circuit clerk shall also file with the Office of the State Fire Marshal a certified copy of any other order organizing any other fire protection district which may have been theretofore organized in the county. (Source: P.A. 85-1434.)