Illinois Code § 3

§ 3.

Upon the filing of a petition in the office of the circuit clerk, the court to whom the petition is addressed shall give notice of the time and place of a hearing on the question of the necessity for the organization of an emergency services district and of the boundaries of the proposed district. The notice shall be published at least once each week for 2 successive weeks in one or more newspapers of general circulation in the proposed district. If there is no newspaper of general circulation in the proposed district, then a copy of the notice shall be posted in at least 10 of the most public places in the proposed district at least 10 days before the hearing. The court shall preside at the hearing, and all persons resident within the territory proposed to be organized as an emergency services district shall be given an opportunity to be heard touching the necessity of the organization of a district and to make suggestions regarding the boundaries of the district. After hearing the statements, evidence and suggestions, if the court determines that considerations of public health and welfare make the organization of a district necessary, it shall fix the boundaries of the proposed emergency services district and, for that purpose and to that extent, may alter and amend the petition. In case the boundaries as fixed by the court include any territory not included in the boundaries as described in the original petition, the court shall cause a notice to be inserted at least twice in some newspaper of general circulation in the additional territory, which notice shall state the time and place at which a hearing will be held to permit the owners of the land in the additional territory to appear and be heard on the question of including the additional territory. The notice shall be published at least 10 days before the hearing, and the hearing shall be held within 3 weeks after the court first fixes the boundaries. The hearing shall be held at a time that allows a referendum to create the proposed district to appear on the ballot at the next general election. (Source: P.A. 103-134, eff. 1-1-24; 104-207, eff. 8-15-25.)