An attempt was made under this act to organize as a forest-preserve district all of Cook County, except a few towns in the extreme north and south ends thereof. It received a majority of the votes cast on the proposition, but not a majority of those cast at the regular election held on the same day. This has left some doubt as to the legal effect of the vote. The result was largely due to indifference and to the creation of a new taxing body with what were regarded by many as unnecessarily extensive powers. A committee of the legislature was appointed to report a revised act more consonant with the wishes of the people. Among the changes which have been suggested are that each district shall be confined to a single county; that the members of the commission shall be appointed by the president of the county board; and that taxes for the purposes contemplated by the act shall not be levied by the district authorities themselves but by the board of county commissioners. The proposed forest-preserve districts are essentially park districts, though called by a different name; and the main objects of this act might be accomplished by creating a forest-preserve commission as a department of the county government, under appropriate legislation—a method certainly less open to attack from a legal point of view than the one embodied in the Forest-Preserve Act of 1905.[40] Counties in Illinois have under existing law no general powers which would enable them to take a prominent part in plans for the development of the metropolitan district of Chicago; but it would be competent for the legislature to invest them with more extensive functions. There is in the constitution no limit upon the amount of county taxes which may be voted by the people; and county bonds, when authorized by popular vote, may be issued for any authorized county purpose up to the constitutional limit of five per cent of the assessed value of taxable property in the county.