Article 11.2 - Working Cash Fund


      (70 ILCS 1205/Art. 11.2 heading)
ARTICLE 11.2 WORKING CASH FUND

    (70 ILCS 1205/11.2‑1) (from Ch. 105, par. 11.2‑1)
    Sec. 11.2‑1. In each park district a fund to be known as a "Working Cash Fund" may be created, set apart, maintained and administered in the manner prescribed in this Article, for the purpose of enabling the district to have in its treasury at all time sufficient money to meet demands thereon for ordinary and necessary expenditures for corporate purposes.
(Source: P.A. 79‑1379.)

    (70 ILCS 1205/11.2‑2) (from Ch. 105, par. 11.2‑2)
    Sec. 11.2‑2. For the purpose of providing monies for a working cash fund, the governing board of any park district may levy an annual tax, known as the "working cash fund tax", for any 4 years only on all the taxable property of their district at a rate not to exceed .025% of the value, as equalized or assessed by the Department of Revenue, to provide monies for the working cash fund. Prior to the levy and collection of such a tax, a park district shall adopt a resolution authorizing the levy and collection of the tax, and, within ten days after the adoption of such a resolution, it shall be published once in a newspaper published and having a general circulation in the park district, or, if there is no such newspaper, then in some newspaper having a general circulation in the county wherein such district or the greater or greatest portion in area of said district lies. The publication or posting of the resolution shall include a notice of (1) the specific number of voters required to sign a petition requesting that the question of the adoption of the resolution be submitted to the electors of the district; (2) the time in which the petition must be filed; and (3) the date of the prospective referendum. The Secretary of the governing board of the park district shall provide a petition form to any individual requesting one.
    If no valid petition is filed with the Secretary of the Board, as hereinafter provided in this Section, within 30 days after the publication of the resolution, the resolution shall be in effect. But, if within that 30 day period a petition is filed with the Secretary of the Board, signed by electors in the district numbering 10% or more of the number of registered voters in the district, asking that the question of levying and collecting such tax be submitted to the electors of the district, the board shall certify the proposition to the proper election officials for submission at the next election in accordance with the general election law. If a majority of electors voting upon the question voted in favor of the levy and collection of the tax provided for, such district shall be authorized and empowered to levy and collect such tax annually for any 4 years only, but if a majority of the electors voting upon the question are not in favor thereof, the resolution shall not take effect.
    The collection of a tax levied under this Section shall not be anticipated by the issuance of any warrants drawn against the tax. The tax shall be levied and collected, except as otherwise provided in this Section, in like manner as the general taxes of the district, shall be in addition to the maximum of all other taxes now or hereafter to be levied for park purposes, and may be levied by separate resolution by the last Tuesday in September in each year.
    No tax levied as provided under this Section shall be invalid by reason of the fact that any step required for such a levy under this Section was taken before October 1, 1976 if such required step was taken on or after August 12, 1976.
(Source: P.A. 87‑767.)

    (70 ILCS 1205/11.2‑3) (from Ch. 105, par. 11.2‑3)
    Sec. 11.2‑3. This Section shall not apply in any park district which does not operate a working cash fund.
    All monies received from any tax levied pursuant to this Article shall be set apart in the working cash fund and shall be used only for the purposes and in the manner hereinafter provided. Such fund, and the monies therein, shall not be regarded as current assets available for appropriation nor appropriated by the governing board in the annual appropriation ordinance. The governing board may appropriate monies to the working cash fund up to the maximum amount allowable in the fund, and the working cash fund may receive such appropriations and any other contributions. In order to provide monies with which to meet ordinary and necessary disbursements for salaries and other corporate purposes, such fund and the monies therein may be transferred in whole or in part to the general corporate fund of the park district and so disbursed therefrom in anticipation of the collection of taxes lawfully levied for general corporate purposes or in anticipation of such taxes, as by law now or hereafter enacted or amended, imposed by the General Assembly of the State of Illinois to replace revenue lost by units of local government and school districts as a result of the abolition of ad valorem personal property taxes, pursuant to Article IX, Section 5(c) of the Constitution of the State of Illinois. Monies so transferred shall be deemed to be transferred in anticipation of the collection of that part of the taxes so levied or to be received which is in excess of the amount thereof required to pay any warrants and the interest thereon theretofore and thereafter issued in anticipation of the collection thereof and such taxes levied for general corporate purposes when collected shall be applied first, to the payment of any such warrants and the interest thereon, to the amount estimated to be required to satisfy debt service and pension or retirement obligations, as set forth in Section 12 of "An Act in relation to State revenue sharing with local government entities", approved July 31, 1969, as amended, and then to the reimbursement of such working cash fund as hereinafter provided.
    Upon receipt by the park district of any taxes in anticipation of the collection whereof moneys of the working cash fund have been so transferred for disbursement, the fund shall immediately be reimbursed therefrom until the full amount so transferred has been retransferred to the fund. Unless the taxes so received and applied to the reimbursement of the working cash fund prior to the first day of the eighth month following the month in which due and unpaid real property taxes begin to bear interest are sufficient to effect a complete reimbursement of such fund for any moneys transferred therefrom in anticipation of the collection of such taxes, the working cash fund shall be reimbursed for the amount of the deficiency therein from any other revenues accruing to the general fund, and the governing board shall make provisions for the immediate reimbursement of the amount of any such deficiency in its next annual tax levy.
(Source: P.A. 85‑459.)

    (70 ILCS 1205/11.2‑4) (from Ch. 105, par. 11.2‑4)
    Sec. 11.2‑4. This Section shall not apply in any park district which does not operate a working cash fund. Monies shall be transferred from the working cash fund to the general funds of the district only upon the authority of the governing board which shall from time to time by separate resolution direct the treasurer to make transfers of such sums as may be required for the purposes herein authorized.
    Every such resolution shall set forth (a) the taxes in anticipation of which such transfer is to be made and from which the working cash fund is to be reimbursed; (b) the entire amount of taxes extended or which the governing board estimates will be extended or received, for any year, in anticipation of the collection of all or part of which such transfer is to be made; (c) the aggregate amount of warrants or notes theretofore issued in anticipation of the collection of such taxes together with the amount of interest accrued or which the governing board estimates will accrue thereon, (d) the aggregate amount of receipts from taxes imposed to replace revenue lost by units of local government and school districts as a result of the abolition of ad valorem personal property taxes, pursuant to Article IX, Section 5(c) of the Constitution of the State of Illinois, which the corporate authorities estimate will be set aside for the payment of the proportionate amount of debt service and pension or retirement obligations, as required by Section 12 of "An Act in relation to State Revenue Sharing with local government entities", approved July 31, 1969, as amended, and (e) the aggregate amount of monies theretofore transferred from the working cash fund to the general corporate fund of the district in anticipation of the collection of such taxes. The amount which any such resolution shall direct the treasurer to transfer, in anticipation of the collection of taxes levied or to be received for any year, together with the aggregate amount of such anticipation tax warrants or notes theretofore drawn against such taxes and the amount of interest accrued and estimated to accrue thereon and the aggregate amount of receipts from taxes imposed to replace revenue lost by units of local government and school districts as a result of the abolition of ad valorem personal property taxes, pursuant to Article IX, Section 5(c) of the Constitution of the State of Illinois, which the corporate authorities estimate will be set aside for the payment of the proportionate amount of debt service and pension or retirement obligations, as required by Section 12 of "An Act in relation to State Revenue Sharing with local government entities", approved July 31, 1969, as amended, and the aggregate amount of such transfers to be made in anticipation of the collection of such taxes shall not exceed 75% of the actual or estimated amount of such taxes extended or to be extended or to be received as set forth in such resolution. At any time moneys are available in the working cash fund they shall be transferred to the general funds of the district and disbursed for the payment of salaries and other corporate expenses so as to avoid, whenever possible, the issuance of anticipation tax warrants or notes.
    Temporarily idle monies in the working cash fund may be invested as directed by the governing board of the park district, and the interest earnings on such investments may, at the option of the board, be either transferred permanently to the general corporate fund or be allowed to remain in the working cash fund. If such interest earnings remain in the working cash fund, they will serve to increase the balance of the working cash fund available for loans, but in no event may the balance of that fund be allowed to exceed the statutory maximum for the fund established in this Section.
(Source: P.A. 81‑1506.)

    (70 ILCS 1205/11.2‑5) (from Ch. 105, par. 11.2‑5)
    Sec. 11.2‑5. Any member of the governing board of any park district to which this Article is applicable, or any other person holding any office, trust, or employment under such park district who wilfully violates any of the provisions of this Article shall be guilty of a business offense and fined not exceeding $10,000, and shall forfeit his or her right to his or her office, trust or employment and shall be removed therefrom. Any such member or other person shall be liable for any sum that may be unlawfully diverted from the working cash fund or otherwise used, to be recovered by such park district or by any taxpayer in the name and for the benefit of such park district in an appropriate civil action; provided that the taxpayer shall file a bond for all costs and be liable for all costs taxed against the park district in such action, and judgment shall be rendered accordingly. Nothing herein shall bar any other judicial remedies.
(Source: P.A. 83‑345.)

    (70 ILCS 1205/11.2‑6) (from Ch. 105, par. 11.2‑6)
    Sec. 11.2‑6. If any park district which has created a working cash fund under this Act abates or abolishes that fund, that park district may not again create such a working cash fund until at least 10 years have elapsed after the date that fund was abated or abolished. No such working cash fund shall be abated or abolished unless the governing board of the park district has by adoption of a resolution provided and directed the transfer of any balance in such fund to the general corporate fund of the district at the close of the then current year. Any outstanding loans shall be paid to the general funds of the district at the close of the then current year. Thereafter, all outstanding taxes of such park district levied pursuant to this Article shall be collected and paid into the general funds of the district. Any obligation incurred by such park district pursuant to this Article shall be discharged as therein provided.
(Source: P.A. 79‑1379.)