Sidebilder
PDF
ePub
[blocks in formation]

AN ACT to amend an Act entitled, "An Act to authorize cities having a population of less than 50,000 to establish and maintain by taxation public parks," approved May 13, 1907, in force July 1, 1907, as subsequently amended by Act approved June 26, 1913, by amending the title thereto and section one (1) thereof, and adding two sections.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That the title to an Act entitled, "An Act to authorize cities having a population of less than 50,000 to establish and maintain by taxation public parks," approved May 13, 1907, in force July 1, 1907, as amended by Act approved June 26, 1913, and said Act be and the same is hereby amended by amending said title and section one (1) thereof and adding two sections so that said title and Act when amended shall read as follows: An Act to authorize cities and villages having a population of less than 50,000 to maintain. by taxation public parks.

§ 1. That the city council of each incorporated city of this State having a population of less than 50,000 and the president and board of trustees of each village of this State having a population of less than 50,000, whether organized under the general law or a special charter, shall have power to maintain public parks for the use and benefit of the inhabitants of such city or village, and may levy a tax not to exceed three mills on the dollar annually for such purpose on all taxable property embraced in such city or village according to the valuation of the same as made for the purpose of State and county taxation by the last assessment, said tax to be levied and collected in the manner provided by law for the levy and collection of other city or village taxes in such cities and villages: Provided, that if the inhabitants of any city or village having a population of fifteen hundred. (1,500) or more shall by vote so determine, said annual tax may be levied in addition to or in excess of taxes levied as limited by section one (1) of Article VIII of "An Act for the incorporation of cities and villages," approved April 10, 1872, and the amendatory Acts thereto or by any provision of any special charter under which any city or village in this State is now organized.

§ 2. Upon petition of a number of legal voters of any city or village equal to 1 per cent of the votes cast at the last preceding city or village election but in no case fewer than one hundred (100) legal voters, it shall be the duty of the proper election officers of such city or village to submit at the next regular or any special city or village. election to be held prior to such regular election a proposition to levy additional taxes for park purposes as provided herein.

Upon the submission of such proposition the ballot shall be in substantially the following form:

For levying an annual tax of not exceeding.. mills on the dollar on all taxable property within the (city) or (village) in addition to taxes levied as limited. by section 1 of Article VIII of "An Act for the incorporation of cities and villages," approved April 10, 1872, and the amendatory Acts thereto, for the purpose of maintaining a park in the....

Against levying an annual tax of not exceeding.... mills on the dollar on all taxable property within the (city) or (village) in addition to taxes levied as limited by section 1 of Article VIII of "An Act for the incorporation of cities and villages," approved April 10, 1872, and the amendatory Acts thereto, for the purpose of maintaining a park in the.....

If a majority of the electors voting upon such proposition vote in favor thereof, then the said tax shall be levied and collected as provided herein.

§ 3. WHEREAS, An emergency exists; therefore, this Act shall be in force and effect from and after its passage and approval by the Governor.

APPROVED June 29th, 1915.

PENSION FUND-FIREMEN IN CITIES OVER 5,000-REVISION.

[blocks in formation]

(HOUSE BILL No. 118. APPROVED JUNE 29, 1915.)

AN ACT to revise the law creating a firemen's pension fund in cities, villages and incorporated towns, whose population exceeds five thousand (5,000) inhabitants.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That in all cities, villages or incorporated towns whose population exceeds five thousand (5,000),

having a paid fire department, the city council or the board of trustees, as the case may be, shall have the power to levy a tax for a period of three years, beginning with the year 1915 not to exceed three-tenths of a mill on the dollar on all taxable property of such city, village or incorporated town. Such tax to be levied and collected in like manner with the general taxes of such city, village or incorporated town, which said tax should [shall] be in addition to all other taxes which such city, village or incorporated town is now or hereafter may be authorized to levy upon the aggregate valuation of all property within such city, village or incorporated town and the county clerk in reducing tax levies under the provisions of section 2 of an Act entitled, "An Act to amend section 2 of an Act entitled, 'An Act concerning the levy and extension of taxes,' approved May 9, 1901, in force July 1st, 1901, as amended. by an Act approved March 29, 1905, in force July 1st, 1905," as amended. by an Act approved June 14, 1909, in force July 1st, 1909, as subsequently amended shall not consider the tax herein authorized as a part of the general taxes levied for such city, village or incorporated town purposes and shall not include same in the limitation of three per cent of the assessed valuation upon which taxes are required to be extended. All moneys derived from the tax so levied and one per centum of all revenues collected by such cities, villages or incorporated towns from licenses issued by said cities, villages or incorporated towns, authorizing persons or corporations to engage in any business, occupation or profession, excepting that of public utilities also all fines imposed for violations of fire ordinances, enforcement or collection of which may be charged to and be under the supervision of the chief officer or subordinate officers of such fire department in any such city, village or incorporated town, shall be set apart by the treasurer of such cities, villages or incorporated towns, to whom the same shall be paid, as a fund for the pensioning of disabled and superannuated firemen and of the widows and orphans and dependent parents of deceased firemen in such cities, villages or incorporated towns: Provided, that the word or term "fireman" or "firemen," as used in this Act, shall include all persons who, at the time that this Act shall become effective are entitled to the benefits of an Act entitled, "An Act to create a board of trustees of the firemens' pension fund; to provide and distribute such fund for the pensioning of disabled firemen and the widows and minor children of deceased firemen; to authorize the retirement from service and pensioning of members of the fire department; and for other purposes connected therewith, in cities, villages or incorporated towns, whose population exceeds fifty thousand (50,000) inhabitants, having a paid fire department," approved May 13, 1887, in force July 1, 1887, as subsequently amended, and in cities which have adopted an Act entitled, "An Act to regulate the civil service of cities," approved and in force March 20, 1895, all persons who have been or shall hereafter be appointed to any position which is classified by the civil service commission of such city in the fire service of such city and in cities, villages or incorporated towns which have not adopted said civil service act, all persons appointed to any position in the fire department, shall also be included and entitled to the benefits of this Act.

§ 2. The treasurer, clerk, marshal or chief officer of the fire department and the comptroller of such city, village or incorporated town and three other persons who shall be chosen from the active firemen of such city, village or incorporated town and one other person who shall be chosen from the firemen who have been duly retired under this Act shall constitute and be a board by the name of the "Board of Trustees of the Firemen's Pension Fund." The members of this board to be chosen from the active firemen shall be elected by ballot at a biannual election, at which election all active firemen of said city, village or incorporated town, shall be entitled to vote: Provided that in any city, village or incorporated town where there is no comptroller appointed or elected, that the mayor of such city, village or incorporated town shall be a member of such board and the members of said board to be chosen from among the firemen who have been duly retired or pensioned, as aforesaid, shall be elected by ballot at a biannual election, at which last mentioned election all retired firemen shall be entitled to vote.

The election or elections in this section provided for shall be held biannually on the third Monday in April under the Australian ballot system, at such place or places, in such city, village or incorporated town, under such regulations as shall be prescribed by the members of this board: Provided, however, that no person entitled to vote under the provisions of this section shall cast more than one vote at any such election. In the event of the failure, resignation, or inability to act of any member of said board elected under the provisions of this section, the successor to such member shall be elected at a special election which shall be called by said board and shall be conducted in the same manner as the biannual election hereunder. The said board shall elect from their number a president and secretary, provided that in villages or incorporated towns, the board of trustees of the firemen's pension fund shall consist of the president of the board of trustees, the town clerk, the town or village attorney, the chief officer of the fire department and three other persons who shall be chosen biannually from among the active firemen. The three members of said board to be chosen from the active firemen of said village or incorporated town and the member of said board to be chosen from the retired firemen shall be elected in the manner provided for in this section for the election of such member in cities.

§ 3. The said board shall have exclusive control and management of the fund mentioned in the first section of this Act, and of all money donated, paid, assessed or provided by law for the relief or pensioning of disabled, superannuated and retired firemen, their widows, minor children and dependent parents, and shall assess each fireman, not to exceed one (1) per centum of the salary of such fireman, to be deducted and withheld from the monthly pay of each fireman so assessed, the same together with all interest accrued or accruing thereon, to be placed by the treasurer of such city, village or incorporated town, who shall be ex officio treasurer of such board, to the credit of such fund, subject to the order of such board. The said board shall make all needful rules and regulations for its government in the discharge of its duties, and shall hear and decide all applications for relief or

pensions under this Act, and its decisions on such applications shall be final and conclusive, and not subject to review or reversal except by the board. The board shall have the power to provide for the payment from said fund of all moneys which may be necessary for the expenses of the board. The board shall cause to be kept a record of all its meetings and proceedings.

§ 4. All rewards in moneys, fees, gifts and emoluments that may be paid or given for or on account of extraordinary services by the fire department or any member thereof (except when allowed to be retained by competitive award), shall be paid into said pension fund. The said board of trustees may take by gift, grant, devise or bequest, any money, real estate, personal property or other valuable thing; and such money, real estate, personal property, right of property or other valuable thing so obtained, also all fines and penalties imposed upon firemen, shall in like manner be paid into said pension fund and treated as a part thereof, for the uses of such pension fund. The board of trustees created under this Act shall have the power to take and may sell or dispose of in any manner that said board, in its judgment, deems proper, any or all assets of any kind which are in the possession or under the control of any board of trustees of a firemen's pension fund, existing at the time of the passage of this Act and all money or funds realized from the sale of such assets together with all other money or funds received or taken over shall become a part of the fund herein created for the purpose of the payment of pensions under the provisions of this Act.

§ 5. If any fireman of any such city, village or incorporated town shall become and be so physically or mentally disabled as to render necessary his retirement from active service, said board of trustees shall order the payment to such disabled fireman, monthly from said pension fund, a sum equal to one-half the monthly compensation paid to such fireman as salary, at the date of his retirement. If, however, after placing a fireman upon the pension roll, satisfactory proof is made to the pension board that such retired fireman has recovered from such physical or mental disability, the board shall order that his pension cease and that said fireman report back to the marshal or chief of the fire department of such city, village or incorporated town, who shall thereupon order the reinstatement of such fireman in the active service, in the same rank or grade which such fireman held at the time of his retirement.

§ 6. If any fireman shall die from any cause while in the fire service or during retirement after twenty years' service, as hereinafter provided, and shall leave a widow, minor natural child or children under sixteen years of age, or dependent natural father or mother surviving, said board of trustees shall direct the payment from such pension fund of the following sums monthly, to-wit: To such widow while unmarried, forty-five dollars ($45.00), to the guardian of any such child or children eight dollars ($8.00) for each of said children until it or they reach the age of sixteen years: Provided, however, that no pension shall be allowed to the widow of such deceased fireman or to the children of such widow who has married such fireman subsequent to the date of

« ForrigeFortsett »