Section 50 ILCS 605/2 - Power of transferor municipality If the territory of any municipality shall be wholly within, coextensive with, or partly within and partly without the corporate limits of any other municipality, or if the municipality is a school district and the territory of the school district is adjacent to the boundaries of any other school district, and the first mentioned municipality (herein called "transferee municipality"), shall by ordinance declare that it is necessary or convenient for it to use, occupy or improve any real estate held by the last mentioned municipality (herein called the "transferor municipality") in the making of any public improvement or for any public purpose, the corporate authorities of the transferor municipality shall have the power to transfer all of the right, title and interest held by it immediately prior to such transfer, in and to such real estate, whether located within or without either or both of said municipalities, to the transferee municipality upon such terms as may be agreed upon by the corporate authorities of both municipalities, in the manner and upon the conditions following:
(a) If such real estate shall be held by the transferor municipality without restriction, the said municipality shall have power to grant or convey such real estate or any portion thereof to the transferee municipality upon such terms as may be agreed upon by the corporate authorities of both municipalities, by an instrument of conveyance signed by the mayor, president or other chief executive of the transferor municipality, attested by its clerk or secretary and sealed with its corporate seal, all duly authorized by a resolution passed by the vote of 2/3 of the members of the legislative body of the transferor municipality then holding office, and duly recorded in the office of the recorder in the county in which said real estate is located. Provided, however, that any municipality may, in the manner above provided, convey real estate to a Public Building Commission organized and existing pursuant to "An Act to authorize the creation of Public Building Commissions and to define their rights, powers and duties", approved July 5, 1955, as amended, when duly authorized by a majority vote of the members of the legislative body of such municipality then holding office whenever provision is made in the conveyance for a reverter of the real estate to such transferor municipality. The transferee municipality shall thereafter have the right to use, occupy or improve the real estate so transferred for any municipal or public purpose and shall hold said real estate by the same right, title and interest by which the transferor municipality held said real estate immediately prior to said transfer. (b) If any such real estate shall be held by the transferor municipality subject to or limited by any restriction, and the transferee municipality shall desire the use, occupation or improvement thereof free from said restriction, the transferor municipality (or the transferee municipality, in the name of and for and on behalf of the transferor municipality, but without subjecting the transferor municipality to any expense without the consent of its corporate authorities), shall have the power to secure from its grantor, or grantors, their heirs, successors, assigns, or others, a release of any or all of such restrictions upon such terms as may be agreed upon between either of said municipalities and the person or persons entitled to the benefit of said restrictions. Upon the recording of any such release the transferor municipality shall then have the powers granted in paragraph (a) of this Section. (c) If either the transferor municipality or the transferee municipality shall be unable to secure a release of any restriction as above provided, the transferor municipality (or the transferee municipality in the name of and for and in behalf of the transferor municipality, but without subjecting the transferor municipality to any expense without the consent of its corporate authorities), shall have the power to file in any circuit court a petition for the purpose of removing or releasing said restriction and determining the compensation, if any, to be paid in consequence thereof to the owner or owners of said real estate, for any right, title or interest which they or any of them may or might have in and to any such real estate arising out of said restriction. If any compensation shall be awarded, the same shall be measured by the actual damage, if any, to the owner or owners of said real estate, resulting from the removal or release of said restriction, and shall be determined as of the date of the filing of said petition. Upon the payment of such compensation as may be awarded, if any, the transferor municipality shall have the powers granted in paragraph (a) of this Section, and said transferor municipality shall grant and convey the said real estate to the transferee municipality upon the terms and conditions theretofore agreed upon by the said municipalities and in the manner provided for in paragraph (a) of this Section. (d) If the transferor municipality shall hold an easement in any real estate for a particular purpose different from the purpose for which the transferee municipality shall desire to use, occupy or improve said real estate, the transferor municipality (or the transferee municipality in the name of and for and in behalf of the transferor municipality, but without subjecting the transferor municipality to any expense without the consent of its corporate authorities), shall have the power to file in any circuit court a petition for the purpose of terminating said easement and securing the right to use, occupy and improve any such real estate for the purpose or purposes set forth in said petition, and for determining the compensation, if any, to be paid in consequence thereof to the owner, or owners of said real estate. If any compensation shall be awarded, the same shall be measured by the actual damage, if any, to the owner or owners of said real estate, resulting from the termination of the said easement and the granting of the right sought in said petition, and shall be determined as of the date of the filing of said petition. Upon the payment of such compensation as may be awarded, if any, the easement held by the transferor municipality shall in the final order entered in such proceeding be declared terminated and the right of the transferee municipality in said real estate shall be declared. If the transferee municipality shall desire to use, occupy or improve said real estate for the same purpose authorized by the easement held by the transferor municipality, the transferor municipality shall have the power to transfer said easement to the transferee municipality by instrument of conveyance as provided for in paragraph (a). (e) If such real estate shall have been acquired or improved by the transferor municipality under the Local Improvements Act, or under the said Act in conjunction with any other Act, and the times fixed for the payment of all installments of the special assessments therefor have not elapsed at the time the transferor and transferee municipalities shall have reached an agreement for the transfer of said real estate, the transferee municipality shall deposit with the transferor municipality to be placed in the special assessment funds authorized to be collected to pay the cost of acquiring or improving said real estate, an amount sufficient to pay (1) the installments of said special assessments not due and payable at the time of the agreement for said transfer, and (2) the amounts paid in advance by any property owner on account of said special assessments, which, had such amounts not been paid in advance, would have been due and payable after the date of such agreement, and the transferor municipality shall upon the receipt of such amount cause orders to be entered in the courts in which said special assessments were confirmed, cancelling the installments becoming due and payable after the said time at which the transferor and transferee municipalities shall have reached an agreement for the transfer of said real estate, and releasing the respective lots, tracts, and parcels of real estate assessed in any such proceedings from the installments of the said assessments in this paragraph authorized to be cancelled. The transferor municipality shall after the entry of such orders of cancellation refund to any property owner who has paid the same in advance, any amounts which otherwise would have been due and payable after the said time at which the transferor and transferee municipalities shall have reached an agreement for the transfer of said real estate. Upon the entry of such orders of cancellation the transferor municipality shall then have the powers granted in paragraph (a) of this Section. (f) The procedure, for the removal of any restriction upon the real estate of the transferor municipality, for the termination of any easement of the transferor municipality in said real estate and the declaration of another or different right in the transferee municipality in said real estate, and for the ascertainment of just compensation therefor, shall be as near as may be like that provided for the exercise of the power of eminent domain under the Eminent Domain Act . (g) If any property shall be damaged by the release or removal of any restrictions upon, or the termination of any easement in, or the granting of a new right in any real estate held by the transferor municipality, the same shall be ascertained and paid as provided by law.Amended by P.A. 094-1055, § 95-10-50, eff. 1/1/2007.