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