(70 ILCS 2405/4.1) (from Ch. 42, par. 303.1)

Sec. 4.1. Whenever a sanitary district has 2 or more municipalities or townships within its boundaries, it may pass an ordinance expressing its desire to change the name of the sanitary district, and shall proceed as follows:

1. Proceedings. Before action is had upon such ordinance the name proposed to be given to such sanitary district shall be filed with the Secretary of State. After the proposed name has been on file for 60 days and it appears from information in his office that the proposed name has not been adopted by any sanitary district, the Secretary of State shall grant a certificate so stating. If the proposed name is the same as the name of another sanitary district in Illinois, the Secretary of State shall inform the petitioners thereof. The petitioners then may file another proposed name with the Secretary of State and they may proceed in the manner set forth in this Section. The board of trustees shall not act upon such ordinance until the Secretary of State has issued such certificate.

2. The ordinance shall request that the name of the sanitary district be changed, and also shall request that the circuit court of the specified county submit the question of the change of name to the electors of the district by a public hearing. The judge of the circuit court shall enter an order fixing the time for the hearing upon the ordinance and the day of the hearing shall be not less than 20 nor more than 30 days after the filing of the ordinance.

The board of trustees shall give notice of the ordinance not more than 30 nor less than 15 days before the date fixed for the hearing. This notice shall state that an ordinance has been filed and give the substance thereof, including the proposed name change and the date fixed for the hearing. This notice shall be given by publishing a notice thereof at least once in one or more newspapers published in the sanitary district territory, or if no newspaper is published therein, then in one or more newspapers with a general circulation within the sanitary district territory. A copy of this notice shall be filed with the clerk of the circuit court.

3. Hearing Petition and Objections. The court shall hold a hearing on such ordinance and all objections thereto, at the time fixed in such notice. If the court is satisfied that a change of name is desirable, it shall make an order changing the name and adopting the name requested in the ordinance.

4. Order Filed with Secretary of State - Judicial Notice of Change - Publishing or Posting Notice. If a change of name is made the board of trustees shall file a copy of the order making the change with the Secretary of State. The courts shall take judicial notice of the change of name. The board of trustees shall publish a notice of the change at least once in one or more newspapers published in the sanitary district territory, or if no newspaper is published therein, then in one or more newspapers with a general circulation within the sanitary district territory. In sanitary districts with less than 500 population in which no newspaper is published, publication may instead be made by posting a notice in 3 prominent places within the sanitary district.

5. No rights, duties or privileges of such sanitary district, or those of any person, existing before the change of name, shall be affected by a change of name as provided by this Act. All proceedings pending in any court in favor of or against such sanitary district may continue to final consummation under the name in which they were commenced.

6. If the name of any sanitary district is changed without complying with this Act; all proceedings instituted or acts done under the name as changed shall be valid if they would have been valid if done under the old name.

(Source: P.A. 86-129.)