Section 65 ILCS 5/9-2-48(1) - Pedestrian mall and parking facilities improvementIn addition to any other powers or procedures for the making of a local improvement by special tax or assessment, when a pedestrian mall and parking facilities improvement is proposed or made under Section 9-2-48, the corporate authorities may provide in the original ordinance for the improvement, or in a separate ordinance, that the costs and expenses of maintenance and operation thereof as provided in this Section shall be paid for by an annual assessment, upon the commercial or business property within the district of the improvement, which improvement district is primarily benefited by the provision for such costs and expenses which are necessary, convenient and desirable for the protection and preservation of the capital improvement so made and the operation, upkeep, repairs, replacement and/or maintenance of the said improvement and its component parts, fixtures, equipment or facilities. When an ordinance is so enacted, the annual assessment so provided for by such ordinance may be made under and in accordance with the provisions of this Section.
(a) The annual assessment hereunder shall be made each year for a period of consecutive years not exceeding the number of years over which the cost for the making of the improvement has been spread, provided, however, that by consent of the owners of 66 2/3% of the frontage of private property within the district, the annual assessment can be continued for additional periods of years. The annual assessments hereunder shall be due and payable on January 2nd next after the date of confirmation of each annual assessment.
(b) Upon the completion of the pedestrian mall or parking facility, the court in which the special assessment or tax for the making of the improvement was confirmed shall upon the application of the municipality or any assessee within the district, appoint a board of commissioners consisting of 5 members, at least 3 of whom shall be owners or lessees (or their duly authorized representatives) of property within the district. The board of commissioners shall determine and estimate the amount of the costs and expenses of the improvement for the year as provided in this Section, and shall file a report of said expenses and an assessment roll signed and certified to by the chairman of the board, spreading the total annual cost over the property of the district proportionate to the assessed valuation of said property for general real estate tax purposes. Notice of the filing of said report and assessment shall be given to the assessee of taxes for said property and a date for filing and hearing objections, if any, thereto shall be set. The court shall hear and determine objections and shall have full and complete power to revise, confirm, modify, amend or recast the said roll to comply with the provisions of this Section, including the power to revise individual assessments wherein the assessment as levied in accordance with this Section exceeds the benefit to the property or constitutes more than a proportionate share of the total annual assessment. Upon confirmation of the roll and the annual assessment, a warrant to collect the assessment shall issue by the County Clerk. The assessment hereunder shall have the same force and effect as other assessments under Article 9 Division 2 and shall be otherwise governed thereby except as provided otherwise herein. The annual assessments collected hereunder shall be paid over to the board of commissioners who shall apply same in discharge of the actual cost and expenses provided for herein as incurred during the course of said year. Any surplus in the estimated amount collected over the actual costs or expense of the year shall be credited on the next year's estimate and any deficiency shall be included as a permitted item of cost or expense to be defrayed by the assessment for the following year. In the event there is any surplus of assessments collected in the last year of collections, the same shall be rebated in proportion to the assessments for that year, and in the event there is any deficiency in collections of the last year, a final winding-up assessment to satisfy said deficit shall be made for the year following the said last year of assessment hereunder.(c) The items of cost and expense which may be included in the estimate and for which an annual assessment may be levied hereunder are as follows: 1.The cost of repairs, upkeep and maintenance of any or all fixtures, equipment or facilities which comprised the improvement as originally made or any replacements thereof.2.The costs of repairs, upkeep and maintenance of any common areas within the improvement as originally made.3.The costs of any additions to or modifications of the improvement as originally made, any new or additional fixtures, equipment, facilities or service which is or are determined to be essential to public health, safety or welfare and to the protection and preservation of the improvement and the operation thereof.4.A reserve for contingencies in the item of costs and expense estimated, not to exceed 10% of the total of such costs for the year in question.5.A reserve to defray interest on funds borrowed or vouchers issued in anticipation of collection of annual installments.6.Any deficiencies in collection over the actual costs and expense of the preceding year.7.The costs and expenses of management employees and facilities, of making and levying the assessments and letting and executing contracts, of necessary estimates, examinations, advertisements and the like, including any court costs and fees, and for reimbursement of the expenses incurred by the commissioners in performing their duties hereunder.(d) The commissioners to be appointed hereunder shall receive no compensation for services and shall serve for a term of 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 year from the date of appointment and the term shall be selected by lot at the first meeting of the board after appointment by the court. The court shall thereafter appoint commissioners for 5 year terms upon termination of each term and shall appoint successors in the event of vacancy. Any commissioner shall be eligible to succeed himself.(e) The board of commissioners shall have authority: (1) To issue vouchers in anticipation of the collections of the annual assessments, in payment for the costs and expenses of maintenance and operation provided for hereunder and such vouchers shall be payable from the annual assessments when collected and shall bear interest at a rate set by the board, not to exceed the greater of 9% or 70% of the Prime Commercial Rate in effect at the time of the passage of the ordinance referred to in Section 9-2-10 of the Illinois Municipal Code.(2) To borrow funds for working capital in anticipation of collection of annual assessments at a rate of interest not to exceed the greater of (i) 9% annually or 70% of the Prime Commercial Rate in effect at the time of the passage of the ordinance referred to in Section 9-2-10 of the Illinois Municipal Code or (ii) the maximum rate authorized by the Bond Authorization Act, as amended at the time of the making of the contract.(3) To enter into agreements with the municipality relative to the payment of that portion of the costs of maintenance and operation provided for herein, which reflects the general public benefit derived from the protection and preservation of the pedestrian mall or parking facility improvement. In such agreements, the board shall have authority to accept the fair and reasonable value of service provided by the municipality in full or partial satisfaction of the public benefit portion of said costs. With respect to instruments for the payment of money issued under this Section either before, on, or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1989, it is and always has been the intention of the General Assembly (i) that the Omnibus Bond Acts are and always have been supplementary grants of power to issue instruments in accordance with the Omnibus Bond Acts, regardless of any provision of this Act that may appear to be or to have been more restrictive than those Acts, (ii) that the provisions of this Section are not a limitation on the supplementary authority granted by the Omnibus Bond Acts, and (iii) that instruments issued under this Section within the supplementary authority granted by the Omnibus Bond Acts are not invalid because of any provision of this Act that may appear to be or to have been more restrictive than those Acts.