SR1786 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1786 LRB100 22108 MST 40424 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Illinois is home to the fourth worst foreclosure rate in the nation with communities experiencing a significant reduction in home values while also witnessing a greater risk to public safety; and

WHEREAS, Foreclosures are a serious threat to neighborhood stability and can have a significant effect on nearby property values, with each foreclosure causing a 1.14% decline in the value of every neighboring home on that block; and

WHEREAS, The effects of vacant and blighted properties are even more pronounced, with vacant properties depressing surrounding home values by as much as 2.1%; and

WHEREAS, Homes that have been vacant for a long time tend to fall into severe disrepair, and can become a threat to public safety, fire hazards, and dumping grounds; and

WHEREAS, Local governments often bear the cost of maintaining, administering, and demolishing vacant and abandoned blighted properties, which impose direct municipal costs ranging from $430 for a vacant property sold at auction to $34,199 for a vacant property destroyed by fire; and

WHEREAS, Illinois continues to show higher levels of negative equity mortgages, with 8.9% of all homeowners in the State owing more on their mortgage than their home is worth, depressing a primary source of household wealth and discouraging additional purchases that drive a healthy housing market; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that there is created the Illinois Community Revitalization Task Force to study and make recommendations for the reduction of blighted properties in this State and the revitalization of communities throughout Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Executive Director of the Illinois Housing Development Authority shall be a member and chair the Task Force and serve as a liaison to the Governor and General Assembly; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall consist of the following members, who shall serve without compensation, appointed by the Executive Director of the Illinois Housing Development Authority:

(1) One member representing an organization that represents Illinois municipalities;

(2) One member representing an organization that represents Illinois realtors;

(3) One member representing an organization that represents Illinois home builders;

(4) One member representing an organization that represents metropolitan area mayors;

(5) One member representing an organization that represents a charity that helps build low-income housing;

(6) One member representing a land bank authority within Cook County;

(7) One member representing a land bank authority outside of Cook County;

(8) Two members representing public safety entities;

(9) One member representing a municipal or land bank legal counsel;

(10) Two members representing a county government involved in the tax sale process; and

(11) One member representing a not-for-profit organization that works to reduce blight or abandoned properties within a municipality; and be it further

RESOLVED, That all appointments to the Task Force shall be made within 60 days after the adoption of this resolution; vacancies in the task force shall be filled by their respective appointing authorities within 30 days after the vacancy occurs; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall meet on four separate occasions, once during the months of July, August, September, and October of 2018; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Housing Development Authority shall provide administrative and other support to the Task Force; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force seeks to bring together experts and qualified stakeholders to collaborate and offer solutions that will ease the barriers that units of local government face when working to reduce blighted properties within their jurisdictions; and be it further

RESOLVED, That by offering an interdisciplinary approach, the working group will seek to both identify the effects blighted properties have on local communities and best practices that will help to contribute to community revitalization throughout Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the report to the General Assembly shall be filed with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives in electronic form only, in the manner that the Secretary and Clerk shall direct; and be it further

RESOLVED, That that the Task Force shall present its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly in a report on or before January 1, 2019, and upon the filing of its report the Task Force is dissolved.