093_HB3045
LRB093 04441 SJM 04493 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
9 revitalization 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
14 State and other resources, each community can participate
15 in and shepherd its own economic renewal.
16 (4) Successful redevelopment plans are based on
17 policy 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
20 the redevelopment planning process.
21 (5) A successful redevelopment initiative creates
22 and maintains a capable and adaptable workforce, has
23 access to 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, a county with respect
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1 to the unincorporated areas of a county, and any combination
2 of municipalities and counties acting jointly.
3 "Department" means the Department of Commerce and
4 Community Affairs.
5 "Economically distressed community" means any community
6 that is certified by the Department as being in the highest
7 10% of all communities in the State in its rate of
8 unemployment, its poverty rate, and the rate of bankruptcy
9 petitions filed.
10 Section 15. Certification; Board of Economic Advisors.
11 (a) In order to receive the assistance as provided in
12 this Act, a community shall first, by ordinance passed by its
13 corporate authorities, request that the Department certify
14 that it is an economically distressed community. The
15 community must submit a certified copy of the ordinance to
16 the Department. After review of the ordinance, if the
17 Department determines that the community meets the
18 requirements for certification, the Department shall certify
19 the community as an economically distressed community.
20 (b) A community that is certified by the Department as
21 an economically distressed community may appoint a Board of
22 Economic Advisors to create and implement a revitalization
23 plan for the community. The Board shall consist of 12 members
24 of the community, appointed by the mayor or the presiding
25 officer of the county or jointly by the presiding officers of
26 each municipality and county that have joined to form a
27 community for the purposes of this Act. The Board members
28 shall be appointed from the 12 sectors vital to community
29 redevelopment as follows:
30 (1) A member representing households and families.
31 (2) A member representing religious organizations.
32 (3) A member representing educational institutions.
33 (4) A member representing daycare centers, care
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1 centers for the handicapped, and care centers for the
2 disadvantaged.
3 (5) A member representing community based
4 organizations such as neighborhood improvement
5 associations.
6 (6) A member representing federal and State
7 employment service systems, skill training centers, and
8 placement referrals.
9 (7) A member representing Masonic organizations,
10 fraternities, sororities, and social clubs.
11 (8) A member representing hospitals, nursing homes,
12 senior citizens, public health agencies, and funeral
13 homes.
14 (9) A member representing organized sports, parks,
15 parties, and games of chance.
16 (10) A member representing political parties,
17 clubs, and affiliations, and election related matters
18 concerning voter education and participation.
19 (11) A member representing the cultural aspects of
20 the community, including cultural events, lifestyles,
21 languages, music, visual and performing arts, and
22 literature.
23 (12) A member representing police and fire
24 protection agencies, prisons, weapons systems, and the
25 military industrial complex.
26 The Board shall meet initially within 30 days of its
27 appointment, shall select one member as chairperson at its
28 initial meeting, and shall thereafter meet at the call of the
29 chairperson. Members of the Board shall serve without
30 compensation but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and
31 necessary expenses from funds available for that purpose.
32 (b) The Board shall create a 3-year to 5-year
33 revitalization plan for the community. The plan shall contain
34 distinct, measurable objectives for revitalization. The
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1 objectives shall be used to guide ongoing implementation of
2 the plan and to measure progress during the 3-year to 5-year
3 period. The Board shall work in a dynamic manner defining
4 goals for the community based on the strengths and weaknesses
5 of the individual sectors of the community as presented by
6 each member of the Board. The Board shall meet periodically
7 and revise the plan in light of the input from each member of
8 the Board concerning his or her respective sector of
9 expertise. The process shall be a community driven
10 revitalization process, with community-specific data
11 determining the direction and scope of the revitalization.
12 Section 20. Action by the Board.
13 (a) Organize. The Board shall first assess the needs and
14 the resources of the community operating from the basic
15 premise that the family unit is the primary unit of community
16 and that the demand for goods and services from this
17 residential sector is the main source of recovery and growth
18 for the redevelopment of a community. The Board shall
19 inventory community assets, including the condition of the
20 family with respect to the role of the family as workers,
21 consumers, and investors. The Board shall inventory the type
22 and viability of businesses and industries currently in the
23 community. In compiling the inventory, the Board shall rely
24 on the input of each Board member with respect to his or her
25 expertise in a given sector of the revitalization plan.
26 (b) Revitalize. In implementing the revitalization plan,
27 the Board shall focus on and build from existing resources in
28 the community, growing existing businesses rather than luring
29 business into the community from the outside. The Board shall
30 also focus on the residents themselves rather than jobs. The
31 Board shall promote investment in training residents in areas
32 that will lead to employment and in turn will bring revenue
33 into the community.
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1 (c) Mobilize. The Board shall engage in the dynamic
2 process of community self-revitalization through a continuous
3 reassessment of the needs of the community in the
4 revitalization process. As each goal of the 3-year to 5-year
5 plan is achieved, the Board shall draw from the resources of
6 its members to establish new goals and implement new
7 strategies employing the lessons learned in the earlier
8 stages of revitalization.
9 (d) Advise. The Board shall Act as the liaison between
10 the community and the local, county, and State Government.
11 The Board shall make use of the resources of these
12 governmental entities and shall provide counsel to each of
13 these bodies with respect to economic development.
14 The Board shall also act as a liaison between private
15 business entities located in the community and the community
16 itself. The Board shall offer advice and assistance to these
17 entities when requested and provide incentives and support,
18 both economic and otherwise, to facilitate expansion and
19 further investment in the community by the businesses.
20 The Board shall annually submit a report to the General
21 Assembly and the Governor summarizing the accomplishments of
22 the community concerning revitalization and the goals of the
23 community for future revitalization.
24 Section 25. Funding sources.
25 (a) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall make
26 grants to communities that are certified as economically
27 distressed communities under this Act and that create a Board
28 of Economic Advisors under this Act for the operational
29 expenses of the Board. The procedures for grant application
30 shall be established by the Department by rule.
31 (b) The Board, as a vital part of its function, shall
32 seek funding sources to enhance economic development. The
33 Board shall seek funding from the local, State, and federal
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1 government as well as from private funding sources, whether
2 in the form of grants, loans, or otherwise. The Department
3 shall advise the Boards of Economic Advisors created under
4 this Act of all available sources of funding for economic
5 development that it is aware of and shall assist the Boards
6 in securing this funding.
7 (c) To the extent that there is a gap in funding for
8 economic development, the Board shall recommend possible
9 solutions to be undertaken by the State in addressing this
10 issue to fill the funding gap.
11 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
12 becoming law.