HB4640 Engrossed LRB093 18960 RCE 44695 b

1     AN ACT concerning community revitalization.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 Community Self-Revitalization Act.
 
6     Section 5. Findings and purpose.
7     (a) The General Assembly finds that:
8         (1) There is a great need for economic revitalization
9 in many communities throughout this State.
10         (2) Each community has valuable resources at its
11 fingertips that can be tapped in the revitalization
12 process.
13         (3) With adequate support and assistance from the State
14 and other resources, each community can participate in and
15 shepherd its own economic renewal.
16         (4) Successful redevelopment plans are based on policy
17 that is responsive to the existing composition and
18 character of the economically distressed community and
19 that allows and compels the community to participate in the
20 redevelopment planning process.
21         (5) A successful redevelopment initiative creates and
22 maintains a capable and adaptable workforce, has access to
23 capital, has a sound fiscal base, has adequate
24 infrastructure, has well-managed natural resources, and
25 has an attractive quality of life.
26     (b) It is the purpose of this legislation to provide a
27 mechanism for an economically distressed community to use in
28 its efforts to revitalize the community.
 
29     Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Section:
30     "Community" means a municipality or a county with respect
31 to the unincorporated areas of a county.

 

 

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1     "Department" means the Department of Commerce and Economic
2 Opportunity.
3     "Economically distressed community" means (i) in the case
4 of a municipality with a population of 25,000 or more, a
5 municipality that is certified by the Department as being in
6 the highest 10% of all municipalities of 25,000 or more in the
7 State in its average annual total unemployment rate for the
8 last completed calendar year and its poverty rate, pursuant to
9 the most recent U.S. Census data available and (ii) in the case
10 of a municipality with a population of less than 25,000 or an
11 unincorporated area, a municipality or unincorporated area
12 that is located at least partly in a county that is certified
13 by the Department as being in the highest 10% of all counties
14 in its average annual total unemployment rate for the last
15 completed calendar year and its poverty rate, pursuant to the
16 most recent U.S. Census data available.
 
17     Section 15. Certification; Board of Economic Advisors.
18     (a) In order to receive the assistance as provided in this
19 Act, a community shall first, by ordinance passed by its
20 corporate authorities, request that the Department certify
21 that it is an economically distressed community. The community
22 must submit a certified copy of the ordinance to the
23 Department. After review of the ordinance, if the Department
24 determines that the community meets the requirements for
25 certification, the Department shall certify the community as an
26 economically distressed community.
27     (b) A community that is certified by the Department as an
28 economically distressed community may appoint a Board of
29 Economic Advisors to create and implement a revitalization plan
30 for the community. The Board shall consist of 12 members of the
31 community, appointed by the mayor or the presiding officer of
32 the county or jointly by the presiding officers of each
33 municipality and county that have joined to form a community
34 for the purposes of this Act. The Board members shall be
35 appointed from the 12 sectors vital to community redevelopment

 

 

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1 as follows:
2         (1) A member representing households and families.
3         (2) A member representing religious organizations.
4         (3) A member representing educational institutions.
5         (4) A member representing daycare centers, care
6 centers for the handicapped, and care centers for the
7 disadvantaged.
8         (5) A member representing community based
9 organizations such as neighborhood improvement
10 associations.
11         (6) A member representing federal and State employment
12 service systems, skill training centers, and placement
13 referrals.
14         (7) A member representing Masonic organizations,
15 fraternities, sororities, and social clubs.
16         (8) A member representing hospitals, nursing homes,
17 senior citizens, public health agencies, and funeral
18 homes.
19         (9) A member representing organized sports, parks,
20 parties, and games of chance.
21         (10) A member representing political parties, clubs,
22 and affiliations, and election related matters concerning
23 voter education and participation.
24         (11) A member representing the cultural aspects of the
25 community, including cultural events, lifestyles,
26 languages, music, visual and performing arts, and
27 literature.
28         (12) A member representing police and fire protection
29 agencies, prisons, weapons systems, and the military
30 industrial complex.
31     The Board shall meet initially within 30 days of its
32 appointment, shall select one member as chairperson at its
33 initial meeting, and shall thereafter meet at the call of the
34 chairperson. Members of the Board shall serve without
35 compensation but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and
36 necessary expenses from funds available for that purpose.

 

 

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1     (c) The Board shall create a 3-year to 5-year
2 revitalization plan for the community. The plan shall contain
3 distinct, measurable objectives for revitalization. The
4 objectives shall be used to guide ongoing implementation of the
5 plan and to measure progress during the 3-year to 5-year
6 period. The Board shall work in a dynamic manner defining goals
7 for the community based on the strengths and weaknesses of the
8 individual sectors of the community as presented by each member
9 of the Board. The Board shall meet periodically and revise the
10 plan in light of the input from each member of the Board
11 concerning his or her respective sector of expertise. The
12 process shall be a community driven revitalization process,
13 with community-specific data determining the direction and
14 scope of the revitalization.
 
15     Section 20. Action by the Board.
16     (a) Organize. The Board shall first assess the needs and
17 the resources of the community operating from the basic premise
18 that the family unit is the primary unit of community and that
19 the demand for goods and services from this residential sector
20 is the main source of recovery and growth for the redevelopment
21 of a community. The Board shall inventory community assets,
22 including the condition of the family with respect to the role
23 of the family as workers, consumers, and investors. The Board
24 shall inventory the type and viability of businesses and
25 industries currently in the community. In compiling the
26 inventory, the Board shall rely on the input of each Board
27 member with respect to his or her expertise in a given sector
28 of the revitalization plan.
29     (b) Revitalize. In implementing the revitalization plan,
30 the Board shall focus on and build from existing resources in
31 the community, growing existing businesses rather than luring
32 business into the community from the outside. The Board shall
33 also focus on the residents themselves rather than jobs. The
34 Board shall promote investment in training residents in areas
35 that will lead to employment and in turn will bring revenue

 

 

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1 into the community.
2     (c) Mobilize. The Board shall engage in the dynamic process
3 of community self-revitalization through a continuous
4 reassessment of the needs of the community in the
5 revitalization process. As each goal of the 3-year to 5-year
6 plan is achieved, the Board shall draw from the resources of
7 its members to establish new goals and implement new strategies
8 employing the lessons learned in the earlier stages of
9 revitalization.
10     (d) Advise. The Board shall Act as the liaison between the
11 community and the local, county, and State Government. The
12 Board shall make use of the resources of these governmental
13 entities and shall provide counsel to each of these bodies with
14 respect to economic development.
15     The Board shall also act as a liaison between private
16 business entities located in the community and the community
17 itself. The Board shall offer advice and assistance to these
18 entities when requested and provide incentives and support,
19 both economic and otherwise, to facilitate expansion and
20 further investment in the community by the businesses.
21     The Board shall annually submit a report to the General
22 Assembly and the Governor summarizing the accomplishments of
23 the community concerning revitalization and the goals of the
24 community for future revitalization.
 
25     Section 25. Funding sources. Subject to appropriation, the
26 Department may make grants to communities that are certified as
27 economically distressed communities under this Act and that
28 create a Board of Economic Advisors under this Act for the
29 operational expenses of the Board. The procedures for grant
30 application shall be established by the Department by rule.
31     
 
32     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
33 becoming law.