Sec[Section] 1 Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly, That the inhabitants of the town of Hennepin, in the County of Putnam, be and they are hereby declared a body corporate and politic by the name and style
of the “President and trustees of the Town of Hennepin” and by that name they and their Successors shall be known in law, have perpetual
Jurisdiction sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, defend and be defended, in courts
of law and equity, and in all matters and actions whatsoever; may grant, purchase,
receive and hold property real and personal, within said Town and not else where burial grounds excepted, and may sell, lease, and dispose of the
same, for the benefit of said town and may do all other acts as natural persons which shall be necessary to carry into
effect the provisions of this act, may have a common seal, and may breake and alter the same at pleasure
Sec 2 The limits of said corporation shall include the South half of fractional section
nine and the East half of the South West quarter of Section ten of Township thirty
two North of the base line of Range Two West of the third principal meridian
Sec 3 The corporate powers of said Town shall be vested in seven Trustees, to be chosen and elected as hereinafter directed,
who shall form a board for the transaction of buisness
Sec 4 The members composeing the board of trustees shall be elected by the persons resideing within the said Town and incorporated limits, who are qualified to vote for members of the General assembly, and who are also possessed of a free hold estate within said town or have resided within
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the limits of said town, for at least six months preceeding the election, The Trustees shall be at least twenty one years of age freeholders
and, inhabitants within said corporation, and citizens of the United States
Sec 5 There shall be an election held in said Town on the first Monday in May AD 1839 and on the first Monday in May in each year ever
thereafter for the election of seven trustees, one treasurer, one Constable who shall
also be collector, and two assessors for said town
Sec 6 The Trustees shall elect one of ther own number as president of the board; they shall also appoint their Clerk, they shall
be Judges of the qualifications and returns of elections, for all the officers of
the Corporation,” a majority shall constitute a quorum to do buisness but a less number may adjourn; may compell the attendance of absent members, in such manner, and under such penalties as the
board may provide; they may determine the rules of their own proceedings, punish their
members for disorderly conduct, and by the concurence of two thirds of all the members elected may expel a member
Sec 7 Every officer of said corporation shall before entering uppon the duties of his office take an oath or affirmation before some Judge or Justice
of the peace to support the Constitution of the United States and of this State, and faithfully to discharge the duties of his office
Sec 8 The board of Trustees shall have powe[r] by an ordinance, to levy and collect taxes upon all property real and personal (excepting
public property) within the town and limits of the corporation, not exceeding one half of one per
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centum per annum upon the assessed value there of; to make regulations to secure the general
health of the inhabitants[,] to prevent and remove nuisances[,] to improve the public grounds of said town[,] to erect lamps in the streets and light the same; to license, tax and regulate Merchants;
to license, tax, and regulate, Taverns Auctions and peders, theatrical and all other shows and amusements; to restrain and prohibit gameing houses, bawdy houses, and other disorderly houses[,] to establish and regulate markets; to grade and keep in repair streets, avinues, lands, alleys drains and sewers, and to keep the same cleare; to provide for preventing and extinguishing fires; to dig wells and erect pumps
for the conveniance of the inhabitants; to regulate the police of the town; to regulate the election
of town officers and fix their compensation; to erect and keep in repair School houses,
and regulate and maintain Common schools within the Corporation and from time to time,
to pass such ordinances and by laws, and appoint such officers as may be necessary to carry into effect the objects of
this act, and the powers hereby granted, and to impose and appropriate fines and forfeitures
for the breach of any ordinance, or bylaw and provide for the collection thereof;
and that in all cases ariseing under this act, or growing out of the by laws and ordinances made in pursuance of this act of incorporation, any Justice of the
peace within said Corporation, or the president of the board of trustees, who for
that purpose shall be invested with all the powers and duties of a
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Justice of the peace, shall have jurisdiction to here and determine the same, and an appeal may be taken, and writs of certiorari allowed
from any such decision, in the same manner as now is or hereafter may be provided
by law for appealing from Judgements of Justices of the peace
Sec 9 The assessors shall assess the property both real and personal, within said corporation
limits, between the first Monday in May and the first Monday in July in each and every
year, and make their return to the board of trustees, on the first Monday in the months
^July^ or at such time other time as the board of trustees shall by ordinance direct, at which time the
board shall proceed to levy a tax for said Corporation for the current year, and cause
a list thereof to be delivered to the Collector for Collection
Sec 10 The Constable before entering upon the duties of his office shall execute his
bond to said corporation with one or more securities to be approved by the board of
trustees conditioned for the faithful execution of the duties of his office. he shall
possess the same powers and perform the same duties as are required of Constables
by the general laws of this ^State^, in relation to all matters ariseing under this act, and shall be entitled to the same compensation for similar services1, and by virtue of his office as collector he shall collect all taxes assessed by
the authority of said corporation and pay the same over to the treasurer at such time
as shall be appointed by the board
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Sec 11 The Treasurer before entering upon the duties of his office shall execute his
bond to the Corporation with one or more securities, to be approved by the boards
of trustees, Conditioned for the faithful execution of the duties of his office. he
shall receive and preserve all moneys belonging to said Corporation, and disburse
the same upon the order of the board, and shall exhibit a statement of the financial
Condition, and of the funds of the Corporation, semiannually and at such times as
shall be directed by the board
Sec 12 All Corporation officers shall be elected or appointed to hold their offices for
one year, and untill their successors are elected or appointed and qualified
Sec 13 That upon the application of the owners of two thirds of the front of the lots
on any street or part of a street it shall be lawful, for the board of trustees to
levy and collect a special tax on the owners of the lots on said street or parts of
a Street, according to their respective fronts, for the purpose of gradeing and paveing the side walks on said street
Sec 14 Upon the failure of the owner, of any real estate within the Corporate limits
of said town, to pay the taxes which shall be assessed upon said property by virtue of this act,
it shall and may be lawful for the town Collectors to sell the same at public auction
or so much thereof as shall be necessary to pay said taxes and cost after first haveing advertised the same for four weeks in successions in some News paper printed in said
town or if no News paper should be printed in said town then in the nearest and posted up in said town at least four months previous to the time
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of said Sale and if the same shall not be redeemed at the time limited by the provisions
of this act it shall be the duty of the president of the board of trustees to give
to the purchaser or purchasers thereof, a Deed for the same which shall be countersigned
by the Clerk
Sec 15 When any real estate in said town of Hennepin shall be sold by the authority of the Corporation thereof, the same shall be subject
to redemption, in the same manner as is or shall be provided by the revinue laws of this State
Sec 16 All ordinances shall, within one month after they are passed be published in some
newspaper printed in the town, or posted up in at least six of the most public places in said town for two weeks at least before takeing efect
Sec 17 Nothing in this act contained shall be so construed as to debar the Schools established
by virtue of this act from receiveing their Just proportion of the general or Township School fund
Sec 18 That the trustees of said Corporation shall have power to levy a labour tax in said Corporation in conformity with the general Road law of the State, which is now or may hereafter be in force, and that all land holders resideing within the limits of said Corporation shall have the priviledge and they are hereby required to discharge the Road tax on their lands within the
Corporation in the same manner and under the same restrictions as are now or may hereafter
be provided by the general Road law of the State
Sec 19 That it shall be the duty of the Clerk of the County Commissioners Court to furnish the
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President of the board of Trustees with a transcript of all the lands listed with
the Treasurer of the County for taxation by residents of said Corporation with the valuation and tax thereon
assessed by the County assessor within ten days after the same shall be filed in his
office by said assessor
Sec 20 At the first election the electors shall chose Judges and clerks from among themselves, who shall be governed in all respects by
the general election laws of the State, they shall make their returns to the Clerk of the County Commissioners Court of Putnam County, who shall open and count the votes in the same manner as all other election returns
and give certificates of election to those haveing the highest number of votes. It shall also be the duty of said clerk to preserve
the pole Books, and enter of record in his office the returns of said election. That after
the first election the board of trustees shall appoint as many Judges and clerks ^of election^ as may be necessary who shall preside at all elections held for corporate purposes,
who shall make their returns to the board of Trustees, any four of which shall have
power to open and count said votes and give certificates of election
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Com Judiciary
Handwritten Document, 8 page(s), Folder 134, HB 173, GA Session 11-1, Illinois State Archives (Springfield)