70 ILCS 1837/170
If there is territory contiguous to the District that has no legal voters residing therein, a petition to annex the territory, signed by all the owners of record of the territory, may be filed with the circuit court for the county in which the major part of the District is situated. A time and place for a hearing on the subject of the petition shall be fixed and notice shall be given in the manner provided in Section 165. At the hearing, any owner of land in the territory proposed to be annexed, the District, and any resident of the District may appear and be heard touching on the sufficiency of the petition. If the court finds that the petition satisfies the requirements of this Section, it shall enter an order stating that thenceforth the territory shall be an integral part of the Ottawa Port District and subject to all of the benefits of service and responsibilities, including the assumption of a proportionate share of the general obligation bonded indebtedness, if any, of the District. The circuit clerk shall transmit a certified copy of the order of the court to the circuit clerk of any other county in which the annexed territory is situated.
70 ILCS 1837/170