The Budget, Appropriation and Levy process is governed by Illinois Statutes that are subject to change. Therefore, it is advisable to seek the advice of legal counsel when preparing budget documents and fulfilling requirements for publication, hearings and filing. The Cook Memorial Public Library District (“Library”) Board of Trustees (“Board”) may, at its discretion, utilize a Committee to review budget documents prior to final Board approval.
Article I: Timeline – Budget and Appropriation.
The Library Director and appropriate Staff should prepare a tentative operating budget for all library funds in April for the following fiscal year. This tentative budget should be adopted at the regular meeting of the Board in May or June.
The Library Director and appropriate Staff must prepare a tentative Budget and Appropriation Ordinance in a timely fashion so that it may be posted in the District’s Libertyville and Vernon Hills sites not less than 30 days prior to the public hearing to be scheduled on the Budget and Appropriation Ordinance. Notice of the public hearing must be published in a newspaper published or circulated with the District at least 30 days prior to the public hearing in accordance with legal requirements. Generally, the public hearing on the Budget and Appropriation Ordinance will be held in August or September; however, must be held no later than the fourth Tuesday in September.
The Board of Trustees must review and adopt the Budget and Appropriations Ordinance no later than the Fourth Tuesday in September. The ordinance shall then be posted, published, adopted and filed in accordance with legal requirements. Subsequent changes in the appropriations can be made according to procedures outlines in Illinois Statutes. The Library Staff shall publish a certified copy of the Library’s Budget and Appropriation Ordinance within 30 days of adoption of the Ordinance. The Staff shall further file with the Lake County Clerk a certified copy of the Budget and Appropriation Ordinance along with an Estimate of Revenues certified by the Library District’s Treasurer.
Article II: Timeline – Levy.
The Library Director and appropriate Staff must prepare a tentative Levy Ordinance to be approved no later than 20 days before the adoption of the final Levy Ordinance. The Board must adopt the Levy Ordinance in compliance with the Truth in Taxation Act and in no event later than the first Tuesday in December. The Levy Ordinance must then be filed with the Lake County Clerk no later than the last Tuesday in December. Additionally, no later than the last Tuesday in December, the District’s Secretary shall file a certified copy of the Budget and Appropriation Ordinance as well as the Tax Levy Ordinance with each Library operated by the District and make such documents available for public inspection.
(Additional information can be found in relevant Illinois Statutes such as 75 ILCS 16/30-85, 75 ILCS 16/30-90, and 50 ILCS 330/1 et seq.)
Adopted: 10/19/76
Revised: 07/18/95
Revised: 02/17/98
Revised: 03/20/01
Revised: 01/20/04
Revised: 03/20/07
Revised: 05/20/08
Revised: 01/15/13
Revised: 11/15/16
Revised: 10/18/22
