70 ILCS 507/15

(70 ILCS 507/15)

Sec. 15. Fort Sheridan Redevelopment Commission; creation; duties.

(a) By intergovernmental agreement approved by ordinance adopted by any 3 or more cities which are contiguous to or encompass all or part of Fort Sheridan, and the county within which they lie, those cities and counties may establish the Fort Sheridan Redevelopment Commission, itself a municipal corporation and a public body politic and corporate. The intergovernmental agreement shall provide the manner and terms on which any member may withdraw from membership in the Commission and on which the Commission may terminate and dissolve in whole or in part. The intergovernmental agreement may be amended by the concurrence of all the members who have approved the existing intergovernmental agreement. The intergovernmental agreement shall set forth the corporate name of the Commission as the "Fort Sheridan Redevelopment Commission" and the duration of the Commission. The Commission's duration may be perpetual. Promptly upon entering into an intergovernmental agreement establishing the Commission or upon amending any intergovernmental agreement, a copy of the intergovernmental agreement or amendment shall be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State of Illinois. The addition or withdrawal of any member or the dissolution of the Commission shall be promptly certified by an officer of the Commission to the Secretary of State of Illinois.

(b) The governing body of the Commission shall be a board of directors. The number, terms of office, and qualifications of the Board of Directors shall be set forth in the intergovernmental agreement. Each party to the intergovernmental agreement shall appoint 2 directors. The method of voting by directors shall be provided for in the intergovernmental agreement, which may authorize the corporate authorities of a member to designate an individual to cast the vote or votes of its directors at any meeting of the Board. The Board shall determine the general policy of the Commission, approve the annual budget, make all appropriations, adopt all resolutions and ordinances providing for the issuance of bonds or notes by the Commission, adopt its bylaws, rules, and regulations, and have such other powers and duties as may be prescribed in this Act and the intergovernmental agreement.

The Board shall act by a vote of a majority of its Directors or by a greater majority if required in the intergovernmental agreement. The Board may create one or more committees, define their duties, and designate the members of the committees. The members of the committee do not have to be members of the Board. The Commission shall have officers who shall be elected in a manner and for a term as prescribed by the intergovernmental agreement or determined by the Board under the intergovernmental agreement.

(c) Subject to subsection (d), alone or in conjunction with other persons, the Commission shall have authority to: (i) act as public developer in carrying out development programs in and for Fort Sheridan; (ii) make available adequate management, administrative and technical, financial, and other assistance necessary for encouraging the defined, organized, planned and scheduled, diversified, economically, technologically, and environmentally sound community environment in Fort Sheridan, and to do so through the use of management procedures and programs which will rely to the maximum extent on private enterprise; (iii) provide a conduit for the State and federal governments to make their resources available to Fort Sheridan; (iv) encourage the fullest utilization of the economic potential of supply of recreational, residential and commercial building sites at reasonable costs; (v) utilize improved technology in producing well-designed housing needed to accommodate the people of the area; (vi) create or aid the creation of neighborhoods where people live and find recreation; (vii) assist, plan, develop, build and construct, or finance any facility or project to enhance the community environment and technological management when requested to do so by any college, municipality or other municipal corporation.

(d) The Commission shall have no power except as set forth in the intergovernmental agreement and such power shall be exercised, if at all, in accordance with the procedures and subject to the limitations, if any, provided in the intergovernmental agreement. Accordingly, the Commission shall have such powers as shall be provided in the intergovernmental agreement establishing it, which may include, but need not be limited to, the following powers:

(1) To sue or be sued in its corporate name;

(2) To apply for and accept gifts, grants, or loans of funds or property, financial, or other aid from any public agency or private entity, including but not limited to the State of Illinois and the United States of America or any agency or instrumentality of Illinois or the United States.

(3) To acquire, hold, sell, lease as lessor or lessee, deal in, lend, transfer, convey, donate, or otherwise dispose of real or personal property, or interests in the property, under procedures and for consideration, that may be less than market value, as it deems appropriate in the exercise of its powers, to provide for the use of property by any member upon the terms and conditions and with the fees or charges it determines, and to mortgage, pledge, or otherwise grant security interests in any such property;

(4) To make and execute all contracts and other instruments necessary or convenient to the exercise of its powers;

(5) With respect to its powers and functions not inconsistent with this Section, to adopt, amend, or repeal ordinances, resolutions, rules, and regulations, and to adopt all such ordinances by use of the following ordaining clause: "Be it ordained by the Board of Directors of the Fort Sheridan Redevelopment Commission, Lake County, Illinois";

(6) To develop a comprehensive plan or redevelopment plan for Fort Sheridan and to hold public hearings on the plans; and

(A) To create, develop, and implement plans for Fort Sheridan and the redevelopment of Fort Sheridan which may provide for various uses, including but not limited to, residential, recreational, and commercial uses; and

(B) To prepare, submit, and administer plans, and to participate in projects or intergovernmental agreements, or both, and to create reserves for planning, constructing, reconstructing, acquiring, owning, managing, insuring, leasing, equipping, extending, improving, operating, maintaining, and repairing land and projects that it owns or leases; and

(7) To provide for the insurance, including self insurance, of any property or operations of the Commission or its members, directors, officers and employees, against any risk or hazard, and to indemnify its members, agents, independent contractors, directors, officers, and employees against any risk or hazard;

(8) To appoint, retain, and employ offices, agents, independent contractors, and employees to carry out its powers and functions;

(9) To make and execute any contract with any agency of the State or federal government, any unit of local government, or any person, including intergovernmental contracts under Section 10 of Article VII of the Constitution of the State of Illinois or the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act and contracts that require the contracting party to pay the Commission compensation for the right to develop all or any portion of Fort Sheridan in accord with land use, building, or redevelopment plans approved by the Commission;

(10) To acquire, own, construct, lease, operate, equip, and maintain fair, exposition, arena, land, and office or municipal office buildings, and associated facilities and grounds, including sites, parking areas and facilities located within Fort Sheridan;

(11) To acquire and accept by purchase, lease, gift, or otherwise any property or rights from any persons, any municipal corporation, body politic, or agency of the State or federal government, or from the State or federal government itself, useful for its purposes, and to apply for and accept grants, matching grants, loans, or appropriations from the State of Illinois or federal government, or any agency or instrumentality of the State or federal government to be used for any of the purposes of the Commission and to enter into any agreement with the State or federal government in relation to the grants, matching grants, loans, or appropriations;

(12) To plan for grounds, centers, and auditoriums and to plan, sponsor, hold, arrange, and finance fairs, industrial, cultural, educational, theatrical, sports, trade and scientific exhibits, shows, and events and to use or allow the use of the grounds, centers, and auditoriums for the holding of fairs, exhibits, shows, and events whether conducted by the Commission or some other person or governmental body or agency; and

(A) To fix and collect just, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory charges and rents for the use of the parking areas and facilities, grounds, centers, buildings, and auditoriums and admission charges to fairs, shows, exhibits, and events sponsored or held by the Commission and to lease air space over and appurtenant to the areas, facilities, grounds, centers, buildings, and auditoriums. The charges collected may be used to defray the reasonable expenses of the Commission and to pay the principal of and the interest on any bonds issued by the Commission; and

(B) To own, lease, or otherwise acquire an interest, in whole or in part, in any public or private firm, corporation or association useful for its purposes and in conformance with its rights and powers.

(13) To exercise the right of eminent domain by condemnation proceedings in the manner provided by the Eminent Domain Act to acquire private property for the lawful purposes of the Commission or to carry out any comprehensive plan or redevelopment plan;

(14) To install, repair, construct, reconstruct, or relocate streets, roads, alleys, sidewalks, utilities, and site improvements essential to the preparation of Fort Sheridan for use in accordance with the redevelopment plan;

(15) To enter into intergovernmental agreements relating to sharing tax and other revenues and sharing, limiting, and transferring land use planning, subdivision, and zoning powers;

(16) Within the corporate limits of any member provided that member has given its consent or within Fort Sheridan, to establish Special Service Districts or Tax Increment Financing Districts and, in connection therewith, to issue bonds in accord with the procedures and for the purposes set forth in the Property Tax Code, and Section 11-74.4-1, of the Illinois Municipal Code as if the Commission were a "municipality" within the meaning of the said Acts;

(17) To undertake any project and to exercise any other power or function possessed by any of its members other than zoning and taxing powers not expressly authorized under this Act; and

(18) To borrow money for the corporate purposes of the Commission and, in evidence of its obligation to repay the borrowing, issue its negotiable revenue bonds or notes for any of its corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, the following: for paying costs of planning, constructing, reconstructing, acquiring, owning, leasing, equipping, or improving any land within Fort Sheridan for any project located or to be located in Fort Sheridan; for paying other expenses incident to or incurred in connection with the land or project; for repaying advances made to or by the Commission for those purposes; for paying interest on the bonds or notes until the estimated date of completion of any such project and for a period after the estimated completion date as the Board of the Commission shall determine; for paying financial, legal, administrative, and other expenses of the authorization, issuance, sale, or delivery of bonds or notes; for paying costs of insuring payment of or other credit enhancement of the bonds or notes; for providing or increasing a debt service reserve fund with respect to any or all of the Commission's bonds or notes; for creation of reserves for the planning, constructing, reconstructing, acquiring, leasing, managing, equipping, extending, insuring, or improving of projects; and for paying, refunding, or redeeming any of the Commission's bonds or notes before, after, or at their maturity, including paying redemption premiums or interest accruing or to accrue on the bonds or notes being paid or redeemed or for paying any other costs in connection with any such payment or redemption.

(A) Any bonds or notes issued under this Section by the Commission shall be authorized by resolution or ordinance of the Board of the Commission adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Directors and in compliance with any additional requirements as may be set forth in the intergovernmental agreement establishing the Commission. The action of the Commission authorizing the issuance of the bonds may be effective immediately upon its adoption and shall describe in a general way any project contemplated to be financed by the bonds or notes, set forth the estimated cost of the project, and determine the project's period of usefulness. The authorizing resolution or ordinance shall determine the maturity or maturities of the bonds or notes, the denominations, the rate or rates at which the bonds or notes are to bear interest, and all the other terms and details of the bonds or notes. The bonds or notes may be issued as serial bonds payable in installments or as term bonds with or without sinking fund installments or a combination of the serial bonds and term bonds. All bonds or notes shall mature within the period of estimated usefulness of the project for which the bonds or notes are issued, as determined by the Board, but in any event not more than 50 years from their date of issue. The bonds and notes may bear interest at the rates the resolution or ordinance provides, notwithstanding any other provision of law, and shall be payable at the times determined in the resolution or ordinance. Bonds or notes of the Commission shall be sold in the manner that the Board of the Commission determines, either at par or at a premium, or at discount.

(B) In connection with the issuance of its bonds or notes, the Commission may enter into arrangements to provide additional security and liquidity for its obligations, including but not limited to, municipal bond insurance, letters of credit, lines of credit by which the Commission may borrow funds to pay or redeem its obligations, and purchase or remarketing arrangements for assuring the ability of owners of the obligations to sell or to have redeemed the obligations. The Commission may enter into contracts and may agree to pay fees to persons providing those arrangements, including from bond or note proceeds.

(C) The Commission's action authorizing the issuance of bonds or notes may provide that interest rates may vary depending on criteria set forth in the resolution or ordinance, including but not limited to variation of interest rates as may be necessary to cause bonds or notes to be remarketable at a price equal to their principal amount, and may provide for appointment of a national banking association, bank trust company, investment banker, or other financial institution to serve as a remarketing agent in that connection. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the resolution or ordinance of the Commission authorizing the issuance of its bonds or notes may provide that alternative interest rates or provisions will apply when the bonds or notes are held by a person providing a letter of credit or other credit enhancement arrangement for those bonds or notes.

(D) The authorization of the issuance of any bonds or notes under this subsection shall constitute a contract with the holders of the bonds and notes. The resolution or ordinance may contain such covenants and restrictions regarding the project and the contracts, the issuance of additional bonds or notes by the Commission, the security for the bonds and notes, and any other matters deemed necessary or advisable by the Board to assure the payment of the bonds or notes of the Commission.

(E) The resolution or ordinance authorizing the issuance of bonds or notes by the Commission shall provide for the application of revenues derived from the operation of the Commission's projects, revenues received from its members including revenue from contracts for the use of the Commission's projects, and revenues from its investment earnings to the payment of the operating expenses of the projects; the provision of adequate depreciation, reserve, or replacement funds for the project, planned projects, and bonds or notes; and the payment of principal, premium, and interest on the bonds or notes of the Commission including amounts for the purchase of the bonds or notes. The resolution or ordinance may provide that revenues of the Commission so derived and other receipts of the Commission which may be applied to those purposes shall be placed in separate funds and used for those purposes and also may provide that revenues not required for those purposes may be used for any proper purpose of the Commission or may be returned to members. Any notes of the Commission may, in addition, be secured by a pledge of proceeds of bonds to be issued by the Commission, as specified in the resolution or ordinance authorizing the issuance of the notes.

(F) All bonds and notes of the Commission issued under this subsection shall be revenue bonds or notes. The bonds or notes shall have no claim for payment other than from revenues of the Commission derived from the operation of its projects, revenues received from its members including from contracts for the use of the Commission's projects, bond or note proceeds, other receipts of the Commission as the intergovernmental agreement establishing the Commission may authorize to be pledged to the payment of bonds or notes, and investment earnings on the foregoing, all as and to the extent as provided in the resolution or ordinance of the Board authorizing the issuance of the bonds or notes. Bonds or notes issued by the Commission under this subsection shall not constitute an indebtedness of the Commission or of any member within the meaning of any constitutional or statutory limitation. It shall be plainly stated on each bond and note that it does not constitute an indebtedness of the Commission or of any member within the meaning of any constitutional or statutory limitation.

(G) As long as any bonds or notes of the Commission created under this subsection are outstanding and unpaid, the Commission shall not terminate or dissolve and no member may withdraw from the Commission except as permitted by the resolution or ordinance authorizing outstanding bonds or notes. The Commission shall establish fees and charges for its operations sufficient to provide adequate revenues to meet all of the requirements under its various resolutions authorizing bonds or notes.

(H) A holder of any bond or note issued under this subsection may, in any civil action, mandamus, or other proceeding, enforce and compel performance of all duties required to be performed by the Commission as set forth in the authorizing resolution or ordinance, or any members of the Commission or other persons contracting with the Commission in connection with any of the Commission's projects, including the imposition of fees and charges, the collection of sufficient revenues and the proper application of revenues as provided in this subsection.

(I) In addition, the resolution or ordinance authorizing any bonds or notes issued under this subsection may provide for a pledge, assignment, lien, or security interest, for the benefit of the holders of any or all bonds or notes of the Commission, (i) on any and all revenues derived from any contracts for the use of the Commission's projects and investment earnings of the projects, (ii) on any and all revenues received from its members, or (iii) on funds or accounts securing the payment of the bonds or notes as provided in the authorizing resolution. In addition, the pledge, assignment, lien, or security interest may be made on any receipts of the Commission that the intergovernmental agreement authorizes the Commission to apply to the payment of bonds or notes. Any such pledge, assignment, lien, or security interest for the benefit of holders of bonds or notes shall be valid and binding from the time the bonds or notes are issued, without any physical delivery or further act, and shall be valid and binding against or before any claims of any other party having any claims of any kind against the Commission irrespective of whether the other parties have notice of the pledge, assignment, lien, or security interest.

(J) A resolution or ordinance of the Board authorizing the issuance of bonds or notes under this subsection may provide for the appointment of a corporate trustee for any or all of the bonds or notes, and in that event, shall prescribe the rights, duties, and powers of the trustee to be exercised for the benefit of the Commission and the protection of the holders of the bonds or notes. The trustee may be any trust company or state or national bank having the power of a trust company within Illinois. The resolution or ordinance may provide for the trustee to hold in trust, invest, and use amounts in funds and accounts created by the resolution or ordinance. The resolution or ordinance may also provide for the assignment and direct payment to the trustee of amounts owed by members and other persons to the Commission under contracts for the use of or access to the Commission's projects, for application by the trustee to the purposes for which the revenues are to be used as provided in this subsection and as provided in the authorizing resolution. Upon receipt of the assignment, the member or other person shall make the assigned payments directly to the trustee.

(Source: P.A. 94-1055, eff. 1-1-07.)