Section 590.81  Application Evaluation

The Department shall screen applications to determine that all application requirements specified in this Part have been met.  The evaluation will address the following technical criteria:

a)         Application Documentation

1)         The applicant municipality or county must provide an executed contract for sale between the owner of the property on which the abandoned building is located and the business.

2)         The applicant municipality or county must provide a copy of a court order to demolish the identified abandoned building.

3)         The application shall contain documentation to support the amount of funds requested.  This shall consist of copies of three separate bids for the demolition.  The amount of funds requested shall represent the lowest of the three bids.

4)         The business which has entered into the contract to purchase the property must be an eligible large business as defined in Section 590.10 of this Part and provide a written certification that pursuant to Section 10-3(i) of the Act, it will use the property for a project which is a new plant start-up or expansion or a new venture opportunity and is not an area relocation within the state.  In addition, the business must provide the appropriate documentation that a project will be undertaken, resulting in job creation.  The documentation requirements are outlined in Section 590.25 of this Part.

b)         Job Creation – The business project must result in new employment consistent with Section 590.30(a)(2) of this Part.  The application must further provide written commitment for job creation from the company which identifies the number of jobs to be created and the types of those jobs, and the time frame for job creation.

c)         Financial Evaluation Component

1)         The Department will conduct a review consistent with Section 590.30(d) of this Part.

2)         If a municipality or county receives such a grant, it must file a lien against the owner or owners of the demolished building(s) to recover expenses incurred in the demolition of such building(s).  Municipalities and counties must comply with Section 11-31-1 of the Illinois Municipal Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 24, par. 11-31-1) or Section 25.24 of "AN ACT to revise the law in relation to counties" (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 34, par. 429.8), whichever is applicable.  A copy of the court order must be submitted to the Department with the application.  The notice of first lien to recover costs and expenses must be filed within 60 days after such demolition.  Department funds will not be released until a copy of the lien is provided to the Department.

3)         Those costs and expenses incurred in the demolition by the county or municipality which are recoverable shall be recovered by the county or municipality and paid to the Department.  These funds shall be repaid to the Department in a lump sum upon the transfer of clear title from the property owner to the business.

4)         If within 120 days after the date of completion of the demolition these funds are not repaid to the Department, the lien shall be enforced by proceedings to foreclose, pursuant to Section 11-31-1 of the Illinois Municipal Code or Section 25.24 of "AN ACT to revise the law in relation to counties".

5)         In accordance with Section 10-3(i) of the Act, priority will be given to enterprise zones or those areas with high unemployment whose tax base is adversely impacted by the closing of existing factories.

(Source:  Added at 13 Ill. Reg. 2028, effective February 6, 1989)