IL HB1082

Permits Boone, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties to levy an annual tax not exceeding 0.05% of equalized assessed property value for farmland preservation and green redevelopment purposes.

Tax authorization requires voter approval by referendum, which can be initiated by county board resolution or by petition signed by electors equal to at least 0.5% of votes cast in the last gubernatorial election.

Tax proceeds must be split between two funds: at least 50% to a county farmland preservation easement fund for purchasing conservation easements, and up to 50% to a green redevelopment fund for grants to local governments for stormwater management, groundwater protection, and brownfield remediation projects.

Green redevelopment funds cannot be used for projects on land planned or reserved for agricultural use or open space.

Tax can be discontinued by referendum upon petition by electors equal to at least 0.5% of votes cast in the last gubernatorial election; remaining funds revert to general county purposes and existing easement agreements remain in effect.