| |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | AN ACT concerning local government.
| ||||||
2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| ||||||
3 | represented in the General Assembly:
| ||||||
4 | Section 5. The Elmwood Park Grade Separation Authority Act | ||||||
5 | is amended by changing Sections 5, 15, 20, 35, 50, and 100 as | ||||||
6 | follows:
| ||||||
7 | (70 ILCS 1935/5)
| ||||||
8 | Sec. 5. Definitions. As used in this Act: | ||||||
9 | "Authority" means the Elmwood Park Grade Separation | ||||||
10 | Authority.
| ||||||
11 | "Person" includes an individual, partnership, firm, public | ||||||
12 | or private corporation, and government or unit of government. | ||||||
13 | "Railroad" or "Railroads" means the Northeast Illinois | ||||||
14 | Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation, created under | ||||||
15 | subsection (a) of Section 2.20 of the Regional Transportation | ||||||
16 | Authority Act, Canadian Pacific Railway and other railroads | ||||||
17 | operating or owning trackage or right-of-way within the area of | ||||||
18 | the Authority. | ||||||
19 | "Village" means the Village of Elmwood Park.
| ||||||
20 | (Source: P.A. 98-564, eff. 8-27-13.)
| ||||||
21 | (70 ILCS 1935/15)
| ||||||
22 | Sec. 15. Creation; duration; termination of the Authority. |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | There is created a body politic and corporate, a unit of local | ||||||
2 | government, named the Elmwood Park Grade Separation Authority | ||||||
3 | that embraces that portion of Leyden Township within the | ||||||
4 | Village of Elmwood Park, Cook County, Illinois. The Authority | ||||||
5 | shall continue in existence until the accomplishment of its | ||||||
6 | objectives or until the Authority officials resolve that it is | ||||||
7 | impossible or economically unfeasible to fulfill its | ||||||
8 | objectives. Objectives of the Authority include the grade | ||||||
9 | separation of railroad tracks from the right-of-way of Grand | ||||||
10 | Avenue in the Village of Elmwood Park, the relocation of | ||||||
11 | railroad tracks and roadway to facilitate the grade separation, | ||||||
12 | and other necessary, related improvements to the right-of-way | ||||||
13 | and at-grade crossing closure within the Village of Elmwood | ||||||
14 | Park. The Authority shall be dissolved upon its voluntary | ||||||
15 | termination or 6 months after the first use of the railway on | ||||||
16 | the grade separation structure by a Railroad . Upon termination | ||||||
17 | or dissolution of the Authority after the construction of the | ||||||
18 | grade separation project, the Department of Transportation | ||||||
19 | shall own and maintain the grade separation structure and the | ||||||
20 | Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation | ||||||
21 | Canadian Pacific Railway Company shall own and maintain the | ||||||
22 | railway along the grade separation structure.
| ||||||
23 | (Source: P.A. 98-564, eff. 8-27-13.)
| ||||||
24 | (70 ILCS 1935/20)
| ||||||
25 | Sec. 20. Procedural capacity; seal; office. The Authority |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | may sue and be sued in its corporate name, but execution shall | ||||||
2 | not in any case issue against any property of the Authority. | ||||||
3 | The grade separation project Authority shall be subject to the | ||||||
4 | jurisdiction of the Illinois Commerce Commission. It may adopt | ||||||
5 | a common seal and change the seal at pleasure. The principal | ||||||
6 | office of the Authority shall be in the Village of Elmwood | ||||||
7 | Park, Illinois. | ||||||
8 | The Authority may enter into contracts for the performance | ||||||
9 | of its objectives, including agreements with other State | ||||||
10 | entities and departments, as well as provide for the letting of | ||||||
11 | construction contracts, consultant service agreements, | ||||||
12 | professional and trade services, and other agreements | ||||||
13 | consistent with the purposes and objectives of the Authority | ||||||
14 | established by this Act. The Authority may accept | ||||||
15 | jurisdictional transfer of public right-of-way for purposes of | ||||||
16 | eliminating at-grade street and railroad crossings.
| ||||||
17 | (Source: P.A. 98-564, eff. 8-27-13.)
| ||||||
18 | (70 ILCS 1935/35)
| ||||||
19 | Sec. 35. Acceptance of grants, loans, and appropriations. | ||||||
20 | The Authority has the power to apply for and accept grants, | ||||||
21 | loans, advances, and appropriations from the federal | ||||||
22 | government and from the State of Illinois, or any agency or | ||||||
23 | instrumentality thereof, to be used for the purposes of the | ||||||
24 | Authority, and to enter into any agreement in relation to such | ||||||
25 | grants, loans, advances, and appropriations. The Authority may |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | also accept from the State, or any State agency, department, or | ||||||
2 | commission, any county or other political subdivision, any | ||||||
3 | municipal corporation, any Railroads, school authorities, or | ||||||
4 | jointly therefrom, grants of funds or services for any of the | ||||||
5 | purposes of this Act. The Authority shall be treated as a rail | ||||||
6 | carrier , with only the grade separation project being subject | ||||||
7 | to the Illinois Commerce Commission's jurisdiction , and | ||||||
8 | eligible to receive money from the Grade Crossing Protection | ||||||
9 | Fund, any fund of the State, or other source available for | ||||||
10 | purposes of promoting safety and separation of at-grade | ||||||
11 | railroad crossings or highway improvements. | ||||||
12 | The Illinois Commerce Commission Crossing Safety | ||||||
13 | Improvement Program FY 2014-2018 Plan shall be revised to | ||||||
14 | include this Authority's grade separation project as one of the | ||||||
15 | bridge projects contemplated for FY 2015 through FY 2018, and | ||||||
16 | funds from the Grade Crossing Protection Fund shall be | ||||||
17 | allocated in the FY 2015 through FY 2018 Plan for said grade | ||||||
18 | separation project. No Order of the Illinois Commerce | ||||||
19 | Commission shall be effective or binding on the Authority to | ||||||
20 | construct the grade separation project unless the federal | ||||||
21 | government, the State of Illinois, or any agency or | ||||||
22 | instrumentality thereof has granted or appropriated sufficient | ||||||
23 | funds for the construction of the grade separation project and | ||||||
24 | the Authority is in receipt of those funds. Notwithstanding, | ||||||
25 | the Illinois Commerce Commission shall not withhold approval of | ||||||
26 | the construction of the Authority's grade separation project or |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | the issuance of any Orders that authorize the construction of | ||||||
2 | the Authority's grade separation project.
| ||||||
3 | Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the | ||||||
4 | Illinois Commerce Commission's jurisdiction under this Act | ||||||
5 | includes the authority to use funds from the Grade Crossing | ||||||
6 | Protection Fund to reimburse the Elmwood Park Grade Separation | ||||||
7 | Authority, in an amount not to exceed $12,000,000, for the | ||||||
8 | construction of a grade separation to replace the existing | ||||||
9 | Grand Avenue highway-rail grade crossing of tracks owned by the | ||||||
10 | Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation, | ||||||
11 | without regard to whether all or part of the crossing is within | ||||||
12 | the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation, the | ||||||
13 | Regional Transportation Authority or any subdivision or unit | ||||||
14 | thereof, or any other State agency or unit of local government. | ||||||
15 | The Elmwood Park Grade Separation Authority shall conduct a | ||||||
16 | preliminary engineering study for the construction of a grade | ||||||
17 | separation to replace the existing Grand Avenue highway-rail | ||||||
18 | grade crossing, which shall result in the preparation of | ||||||
19 | preliminary engineering plans and an estimate of cost. The | ||||||
20 | Elmwood Park Grade Separation Authority shall also prepare a | ||||||
21 | funding plan for the grade separation project. The Elmwood Park | ||||||
22 | Grade Separation Authority shall submit a copy of the | ||||||
23 | preliminary engineering study, estimate of cost, and funding | ||||||
24 | plan for the construction of a grade separation to replace the | ||||||
25 | existing Grand Avenue highway-rail grade crossing to the | ||||||
26 | Illinois Commerce Commission for its review. |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | Following receipt of the preliminary engineering study, | ||||||
2 | estimate of cost, and funding plan for the Grand Avenue grade | ||||||
3 | separation project, the Illinois Commerce Commission shall | ||||||
4 | consider that project as one of the bridge projects included in | ||||||
5 | the Illinois Commerce Commission's Crossing Safety Improvement | ||||||
6 | Program during the earliest 5-year programming cycle, and funds | ||||||
7 | from the Grade Crossing Protection Fund shall be programmed for | ||||||
8 | that grade separation project. | ||||||
9 | No funds from the Grade Crossing Protection Fund programmed | ||||||
10 | for the Grand Avenue grade separation project shall be provided | ||||||
11 | unless authorized by the Illinois Commerce Commission. Funds | ||||||
12 | from the Grade Crossing Protection Fund programmed for the | ||||||
13 | Grand Avenue grade separation project may not exceed | ||||||
14 | $12,000,000, and shall only be provided to the Elmwood Park | ||||||
15 | Grade Separation Authority as reimbursement for expenses | ||||||
16 | already incurred. | ||||||
17 | (Source: P.A. 98-564, eff. 8-27-13.)
| ||||||
18 | (70 ILCS 1935/50)
| ||||||
19 | Sec. 50. Board; composition; qualification; compensation | ||||||
20 | and expenses. The Authority shall be governed by a 7 member | ||||||
21 | 9-member board consisting of members appointed by the Governor | ||||||
22 | with the advice and consent of the Senate. Five members shall | ||||||
23 | be voting members and 2 4 members shall be non-voting members. | ||||||
24 | The voting members shall consist of the following: | ||||||
25 | (1) two former public officials who served within the |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | Township of Leyden or the Village of Elmwood Park and are | ||||||
2 | recommended to the Governor by the Village President of the | ||||||
3 | Village of Elmwood Park; | ||||||
4 | (2) one current employee two prior employees of the | ||||||
5 | Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation | ||||||
6 | Canadian Pacific Railway with management experience; and | ||||||
7 | (3) one current employee of Canadian Pacific Railway; | ||||||
8 | and | ||||||
9 | (4) (3) one resident of the Township of Leyden or the | ||||||
10 | Village of Elmwood Park. | ||||||
11 | The non-voting members shall consist of the following: | ||||||
12 | (1) the Village President of the Village of Elmwood | ||||||
13 | Park; and | ||||||
14 | (2) one current employee of Canadian Pacific Railway | ||||||
15 | with management experience; | ||||||
16 | (3) one current employee of Northeast Illinois | ||||||
17 | Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation with management | ||||||
18 | experience; and | ||||||
19 | (2) (4) one current employee of the Department of | ||||||
20 | Transportation with management experience. | ||||||
21 | The members of the board shall serve without compensation, | ||||||
22 | but may be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred by them in | ||||||
23 | the performance of their duties prescribed by the Authority. | ||||||
24 | However, any member of the board who serves as secretary or | ||||||
25 | treasurer may receive compensation for services as that | ||||||
26 | officer.
|
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | (Source: P.A. 98-564, eff. 8-27-13; 98-756, eff. 7-16-14.)
| ||||||
2 | (70 ILCS 1935/100)
| ||||||
3 | Sec. 100. Construction. Nothing in this Act shall be | ||||||
4 | construed to confer upon the Authority the right, power, or | ||||||
5 | duty to order or enforce the abandonment of any present | ||||||
6 | property of the railroads or the use in substitution therefor | ||||||
7 | of any property acquired for the railroads in the absence of a | ||||||
8 | contract duly executed by the railroads and the Authority | ||||||
9 | setting forth the terms and conditions upon which relocation of | ||||||
10 | the right-of-way and physical facilities of the railroads is to | ||||||
11 | be accomplished. No such contract shall be or become | ||||||
12 | enforceable until the provisions of the contract have been | ||||||
13 | approved or authorized by the Illinois Commerce Commission. | ||||||
14 | Any construction improvements to signaling or any other | ||||||
15 | aspect of the grade separation project dictated by the Railroad | ||||||
16 | or the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad | ||||||
17 | Corporation shall be paid for respectively by the Railroad or | ||||||
18 | the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation. | ||||||
19 | The Railroad or the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter | ||||||
20 | Railroad Corporation , or both, shall specifically pay any and | ||||||
21 | all costs associated with any upgrades to the railway.
| ||||||
22 | (Source: P.A. 98-564, eff. 8-27-13.)
| ||||||
23 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
24 | becoming law.
|