Whenever a petition signed by voters representing not less than 10% of the votes cast at the last preceding general election in each of two or more adjacent counties is presented to their respective county clerks requesting the establishment and maintenance of a multiple-county health department and the levy therefor, in excess of the statutory limit, of an additional annual tax in each county of not to exceed .1% of the value, as equalized or assessed by the Department of Revenue, of all taxable property of the county, each county clerk shall certify the proposition to the county clerk of each of the other counties mentioned in the petition. Each such county clerk in accordance with the general election law shall make certification to any board of election commissioners in his county and shall submit the proposition to the voters at an election. If the petitions are so presented in 4 or more counties, the approval of the State Department of Public Health as provided in Section 5-25001, shall be obtained prior to the giving of notice. The proposition shall be in substantially the following form:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shall .... counties levy an annual tax of not to exceed YES .1% for the purpose of providing ----------------------------------------------------- health facilities and services NO in their respective counties?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If a majority of all votes cast upon the proposition in each county is in favor thereof, the several county boards shall immediately proceed to organize a multiple-county health department and shall agree concerning the conditions governing the organization and operation of the department and for the apportionment of the cost thereof. In any county in which a multiple county health department was established and organized by a referendum prior to January 1, 1970, the county board may, by resolution and without subsequent referendum, levy a tax at a rate not to exceed the rate set forth in Section 5-25010. However, any levy in excess of .05% shall be approved by at least a three-fifths vote of the county board. The foregoing limitations upon tax rates, insofar as they are applicable to counties of less than 1,000,000 population, may be increased or decreased under the referendum provisions of the General Revenue Law of Illinois.
55 ILCS 5/5-25004