60 ILCS 1/115-35
2021 Illinois Compiled Statutes|Chapter 60 - TOWNSHIPS|60 ILCS 1/ - Township Code.|Article 115 - Township Open Space

Sec. 115-35.     Property contiguous to municipality; petition; referendum.(a) If the open space plan recommended for adoption under Section 115-20  contains property that is contiguous to the corporate boundaries of one or more  municipalities, the corporate authorities of any of those municipalities may,  within 30 days of the recommendation, vote to authorize the board of a  township in a county having a population of more than 250,000 to acquire by  condemnation property that is contiguous to the municipality's corporate  boundaries.  If the corporate authorities of a municipality fail to act within  that 30 day period, then none of the property included in the open space plan  that is contiguous to a municipality shall be acquired by the board by  condemnation.  The municipality's failure to act constitutes a denial of  authority to acquire that property by condemnation.(b) If, within 30 days of the decision of the municipality to either  authorize or deny the board the authority to acquire by condemnation that  property included in the open space plan that is contiguous to the corporate  boundaries of the municipality, a petition is filed with the township clerk,  signed by not less than 15% of the registered voters of the township (according  to the voting registration records at the time the petition is filed),  requesting that the question of whether the board shall be granted authority to  acquire property contiguous to the corporate boundaries of the municipality by  condemnation be submitted to the voters of the township, then the question  shall be submitted to those voters in the form of a proposition. The petition  shall state the public question to be submitted and contain a common  description of the territory proposed to be acquired in plain and nonlegal  language.  The description shall describe the territory by reference to  streets, natural or artificial landmarks, addresses, or any other method that  would enable a voter signing the petition to be informed of the territory  proposed to be acquired.(c) The township clerk shall certify the proposition to  the proper election officials, who shall submit the proposition to the  voters of the township.  The referendum shall appear on the ballot at the same  election as the referendum required in Section 115-20.   Except as otherwise  provided in this Section, the referendum shall be conducted and notice given in  accordance with the general election law. The question submitted to the voters  at the election shall be in substantially the following form:Shall the Township Board of (name of township in a     county having a population of more than 250,000) have the authority to acquire by condemnation open land that is contiguous to the corporate boundaries of (name of municipality) for open space purposes?    The votes shall be recorded as "Yes" or "No".(d) The election authority shall include on the ballot the description of  the territory proposed to be acquired as set forth in the petition.  If the  election authority determines that the description cannot be included within  the space limitations of the ballot, the election authority shall prepare large  printed copies of a notice of the public question that includes the  description.  The notice shall be prominently displayed in the polling place of  each precinct in which the question is to be submitted.(e) If a majority of the voters voting at the election on the question vote  in favor of the question, then the board may acquire by condemnation open land  that is contiguous to the corporate boundaries of the municipality or  municipalities and included in the open space plan recommended for adoption  under Section 115-20.(f) If the corporate authorities of a municipality deny the board the  authority to acquire by condemnation property that is contiguous to the  municipality's boundaries and the referendum does not appear on the ballot  at the election specified in this Section, or if the proposition fails  to receive the vote of a majority of the voters voting on the proposition,  then the board may not acquire the property by condemnation.(g) For purposes of this Section, "contiguous" means contiguous for  purposes of annexation under Article 7 of the Illinois Municipal Code.    (Source: P.A. 91-641, eff. 8-20-99.)