Illinois Code § 9-2-40

§ 9-2-40.

Whenever the owners of one-half of the property abutting on any street, alley, park, or public place, or portion thereof, petition for any local improvement thereon, the board of local improvements in any municipality shall take steps hereinbefore required for hearing thereon, but at that hearing shall consider only the nature of the proposed improvement and the cost thereof. The board shall determine, in the manner above provided, the nature of the improvement which it will recommend, and thereupon shall prepare and transmit to the corporate authorities a draft of an ordinance thereof, together with an estimate of the cost, as above described, and shall recommend the passage thereof. Such a recommendation shall be prima facie evidence that all the preliminary steps required by law have been taken. Thereupon it is the duty of the corporate authorities to pass an ordinance for that improvement and to take the necessary steps to have the ordinance carried into effect. Whenever an ordinance provides only for the building or renewing of any sidewalk, and the owner of any lot or piece of land fronting on that sidewalk builds or renews that sidewalk opposite to his land to conform in all respects to the requirements of that ordinance within 40 days after the ordinance takes effect, an allowance shall be made in the spreading of the assessment against that lot or piece of land of an amount equal to the estimated cost of that sidewalk, based on the cost per unit of the sidewalk as shown in the engineer's estimate. Notice of the passage of such a sidewalk ordinance shall be sent by mail within 10 days after the ordinance takes effect to the person who paid the taxes on the premises for the last preceding year, in which taxes were paid, if he can be found in that county. A like notice addressed to the occupant of the property, if the property is actually occupied at that time, and an affidavit of such service shall be filed with the official report of the assessment. Such an affidavit shall be prima facie evidence of a compliance with these requirements. (Source: Laws 1961, p. 576.)