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Public Act 095-0557
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| HB1259 Enrolled |
LRB095 10412 RCE 30627 b |
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AN ACT concerning community revitalization.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 1. Short title.
This Act may be cited as the |
Community
Self-Revitalization Act.
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Section 5. Findings and purpose.
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(a) The General Assembly finds that:
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(1) There is a great need for economic revitalization |
in many communities
throughout this State.
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(2) Each community has valuable resources at its |
fingertips that can be
tapped in the revitalization |
process.
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(3) With adequate support and assistance from the State |
and other
resources, each community can participate in and |
shepherd its
own economic renewal.
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(4) Successful redevelopment plans are based on policy |
that is responsive
to the existing composition and |
character of the economically distressed
community and |
that allows and compels the community to participate in the
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redevelopment planning process.
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(5) A successful redevelopment initiative creates and |
maintains a capable
and adaptable workforce, has access to |
capital, has a sound fiscal base, has
adequate |
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infrastructure, has well-managed natural resources, and |
has an
attractive
quality of life.
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(b) It is the purpose of this legislation to provide a |
mechanism for an
economically distressed community to use in |
its efforts to revitalize the
community.
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Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Section:
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"Community" means a municipality or a county with
respect |
to the unincorporated areas of a county.
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"Department" means the Department of Commerce and Economic |
Opportunity.
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"Economically distressed community" means (i) in the case |
of a municipality with a population of 25,000 or more, the |
municipality is certified by the Department as being in the |
highest 10% of all municipalities of 25,000 or more in the |
State in its average annual total unemployment rate for the |
last completed calendar year and its poverty rate, pursuant to |
the most recent U.S. census data available or (ii) in the case |
of a municipality with a population of less than 25,000 or an |
unincorporated area, a municipality or unincorporated area |
that is located at least partly in a county that is certified |
by the Department as being in the highest 10% of all counties |
in its average annual total unemployment rate for the last |
completed calendar year and its poverty rate, pursuant to the |
most recent U.S. census data available.
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Section 15. Certification; Board of Economic Advisors.
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(a) In order to receive the assistance as provided in this |
Act, a community
shall
first, by
ordinance passed by its |
corporate authorities, request that the Department
certify |
that it is
an economically distressed community. The community |
must submit a certified
copy of
the ordinance to the |
Department. After review of the ordinance, if the
Department
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determines that the community meets the requirements for |
certification, the
Department
may certify the community as an |
economically distressed community.
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(b) A community that is certified by the Department as
an
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economically
distressed community may appoint a Board of |
Economic Advisors
to create and implement a revitalization plan |
for the community. The Board
shall
consist of 18 members of the |
community, appointed by the
mayor or the presiding officer of |
the county or jointly by the presiding
officers of each
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municipality and county that have joined to form a community |
for the purposes of this Act. Up to 18 Board members may be |
appointed from the following vital sectors:
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(1) A member representing households and families.
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(2) A member representing religious organizations.
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(3) A member representing educational institutions.
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(4) A member representing daycare centers, care |
centers for the
handicapped, and care centers for the |
disadvantaged.
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(5) A member representing community based |
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organizations such as
neighborhood improvement |
associations.
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(6) A member representing federal and State employment |
service
systems, skill training centers, and placement |
referrals.
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(7) A member representing Masonic organizations, |
fraternities, sororities,
and social clubs.
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(8) A member representing hospitals, nursing homes, |
senior citizens,
public health agencies, and funeral |
homes.
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(9) A member representing organized sports, parks, |
parties, and games of
chance.
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(10) A member representing political parties, clubs, |
and affiliations, and
election related matters concerning |
voter education and participation.
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(11) A member representing the cultural aspects of the |
community,
including cultural events, lifestyles, |
languages, music, visual and performing
arts,
and |
literature.
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(12) A member representing police and fire protection |
agencies, prisons,
weapons systems, and the military |
industrial complex.
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(13) A member representing local businesses. |
(14) A member representing the retail industry.
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(15) A member representing the service industry.
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(16) A member representing the industrial, production, |
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and manufacturing sectors.
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(17) A member representing the advertising and |
marketing industry.
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(18) A member representing the technology services |
industry. |
The Board shall meet initially
within 30 days of its |
appointment, shall select one member as chairperson at
its |
initial meeting, and
shall
thereafter meet at the call of the |
chairperson. Members of the Board shall
serve without
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compensation.
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(c) One third of the initial appointees shall serve for 2 |
years, one third shall serve for 3 years, and one third shall |
serve for 4 years, as determined by lot. Subsequent appointees |
shall serve terms of 5 years. |
(d) The Board shall create a 3-year to 5-year |
revitalization plan for the
community.
The plan shall contain |
distinct, measurable objectives for revitalization. The
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objectives
shall be used to guide ongoing implementation of the |
plan and to measure
progress
during the 3-year to 5-year |
period. The Board shall work in a dynamic manner
defining goals
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for the community based on the strengths and weaknesses of the |
individual
sectors of the
community as presented by each member |
of the Board. The Board shall meet
periodically and revise the |
plan in light of the input from each member of
the
Board
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concerning his or her respective sector of expertise. The |
process shall be a
community
driven revitalization process, |
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with community-specific data determining the
direction and
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scope of the revitalization.
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Section 20. Action by the Board.
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(a) Organize. The Board shall first assess the needs and |
the resources of
the
community operating from the basic premise |
that the family unit is the primary
unit of
community and that |
the demand for goods and services from this residential
sector |
is the
main source of recovery and growth for the redevelopment |
of a community. The
Board
shall inventory community assets, |
including the condition of the family with
respect to
the role |
of the family as workers, consumers, and investors. The Board |
shall
inventory
the type and viability of businesses and |
industries currently in the community.
In
compiling the |
inventory, the Board shall rely on the input of each Board |
member
with
respect to his or her expertise in a given sector |
of the revitalization plan.
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(b) Revitalize. In implementing the revitalization plan, |
the Board shall
focus on
and build from existing resources in |
the community, growing existing businesses
rather
than luring |
business into the community from the outside. The Board shall |
also
focus on
the residents themselves rather than jobs. The |
Board shall promote investment
in training
residents in areas |
that will lead to employment and in turn will bring revenue
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into the
community.
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(c) Mobilize. The Board shall engage in the dynamic process |
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of community
self-revitalization through a continuous |
reassessment of the needs of the
community
in the
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revitalization process. As each goal of the 3-year to 5-year |
plan is achieved,
the
Board shall
draw from the resources of |
its members to establish new goals and implement new
strategies |
employing the lessons learned in the earlier stages of
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revitalization.
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(d) Advise. The Board shall act as the liaison between the |
community and the
local, county, and State Government. The |
Board shall make use of the resources
of these
governmental |
entities and shall provide counsel to each of these bodies with
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respect to
economic development.
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The Board shall also act as a liaison between private |
business entities
located in
the community and the community |
itself. The Board shall offer advice and
assistance to
these |
entities when requested and provide incentives and support, |
both economic
and
otherwise, to facilitate expansion and |
further investment in the community by
the
businesses.
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The Board shall annually submit a report to the General
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Assembly and the Governor summarizing the accomplishments of |
the community
concerning revitalization and the goals of the |
community for future
revitalization.
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Section 25. Funding sources.
Subject to appropriation, the |
Department may make grants to
communities
that are certified as |
economically distressed communities under this Act and
that |