60 ILCS 1/15-5: Township within city; organization; petition; hearing.

(a) The county board in any county under township organization, by resolution, may provide (i) that the territory embraced within any city in the county, if the territory has a population of not less than 3,000, shall be organized as a township or (ii) that the territory of any city having a population of not less than 15,000 and composed of portions of 2 or more townships may be organized into a new township under the name designated in a petition under subsection (b). The city shall be known as a coterminous city.

(b) The county board shall take no action by way of resolution as to any territory under the provisions of clause (i) or (ii) of subsection (a) unless a petition requesting that action, signed by at least 200 voters of the city, has been presented to the county board and the board has held a public hearing on the petition. Notice of the hearing shall be published at least 3 times in a newspaper published in the city or, if there is none, in a newspaper published in the county and having a general circulation in the territory described in the petition. The first notice shall be published at least 60 days before the date of the hearing.