August
20, 2018
To
the Honorable Members of
The
Illinois House of Representatives,
100th
General Assembly:
Today,
I return House Bill 3418 with specific recommendations for change.
This
legislation establishes Urban Agricultural Zones, empowering local governments
to encourage the expansion of urban farming and livestock activities. This
legislation allows local governments to establish Urban Agricultural Zones to offer
some protections from particularly onerous regulations while allowing entities
that supply services like water and power to offer farmers and partner
organizations in these zones discounted rates and fees. This legislation will
spur new types of business growth while encouraging local control over granting
incentives to urban farmers, local growers and agricultural producers.
This
legislation also utilizes property tax abatements as a tool to incentivize
growing activity, which would continue a problematic pattern of shifting
property taxes to other taxpayers who may or may not directly benefit from the creation
of these Urban Agricultural Zones. Abatements like this simply redistribute
property taxes, when homeowners are already struggling under the immense weight
of their own tax burdens.
Therefore,
pursuant to Section 9(e) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I
hereby return House Bill 3418, entitled “AN ACT concerning local government,”
with the following recommendations for change:
By deleting page 1, line 21 through page 10,
line 15; and
On page 16, by deleting lines 6 through 23;
and
On page 16, by replacing line 24 with: “A
municipality may authorize an entity providing water,”.
With
these changes, House Bill 3418 will have my approval. I respectfully request
your concurrence.
Sincerely,
Bruce
Rauner
GOVERNOR