HB1272 Engrossed LRB094 07647 AJO 37820 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, the
5 municipality is certified by the Department as being in the
6 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 or (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 13 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 18 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         (13) A member representing local businesses.
32         (14) A member representing the retail industry.
33         (15) A member representing the service industry.
34         (16) A member representing the industrial, production,
35     and manufacturing sectors.
36         (17) A member representing the advertising and

 

 

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1     marketing industry.
2         (18) A member representing the technology services
3     industry.
4     The Board shall meet initially within 30 days of its
5 appointment, shall select one member as chairperson at its
6 initial meeting, and shall thereafter meet at the call of the
7 chairperson. Members of the Board shall serve without
8 compensation.
9     (c) The Board shall create a 3-year to 5-year
10 revitalization plan for the community. The plan shall contain
11 distinct, measurable objectives for revitalization. The
12 objectives shall be used to guide ongoing implementation of the
13 plan and to measure progress during the 3-year to 5-year
14 period. The Board shall work in a dynamic manner defining goals
15 for the community based on the strengths and weaknesses of the
16 individual sectors of the community as presented by each member
17 of the Board. The Board shall meet periodically and revise the
18 plan in light of the input from each member of the Board
19 concerning his or her respective sector of expertise. The
20 process shall be a community driven revitalization process,
21 with community-specific data determining the direction and
22 scope of the revitalization.
 
23     Section 20. Action by the Board.
24     (a) Organize. The Board shall first assess the needs and
25 the resources of the community operating from the basic premise
26 that the family unit is the primary unit of community and that
27 the demand for goods and services from this residential sector
28 is the main source of recovery and growth for the redevelopment
29 of a community. The Board shall inventory community assets,
30 including the condition of the family with respect to the role
31 of the family as workers, consumers, and investors. The Board
32 shall inventory the type and viability of businesses and
33 industries currently in the community. In compiling the
34 inventory, the Board shall rely on the input of each Board
35 member with respect to his or her expertise in a given sector

 

 

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1 of the revitalization plan.
2     (b) Revitalize. In implementing the revitalization plan,
3 the Board shall focus on and build from existing resources in
4 the community, growing existing businesses rather than luring
5 business into the community from the outside. The Board shall
6 also focus on the residents themselves rather than jobs. The
7 Board shall promote investment in training residents in areas
8 that will lead to employment and in turn will bring revenue
9 into the community.
10     (c) Mobilize. The Board shall engage in the dynamic process
11 of community self-revitalization through a continuous
12 reassessment of the needs of the community in the
13 revitalization process. As each goal of the 3-year to 5-year
14 plan is achieved, the Board shall draw from the resources of
15 its members to establish new goals and implement new strategies
16 employing the lessons learned in the earlier stages of
17 revitalization.
18     (d) Advise. The Board shall Act as the liaison between the
19 community and the local, county, and State Government. The
20 Board shall make use of the resources of these governmental
21 entities and shall provide counsel to each of these bodies with
22 respect to economic development.
23     The Board shall also act as a liaison between private
24 business entities located in the community and the community
25 itself. The Board shall offer advice and assistance to these
26 entities when requested and provide incentives and support,
27 both economic and otherwise, to facilitate expansion and
28 further investment in the community by the businesses.
29     The Board shall annually submit a report to the General
30 Assembly and the Governor summarizing the accomplishments of
31 the community concerning revitalization and the goals of the
32 community for future revitalization.
 
33     Section 25. Funding sources. Subject to appropriation, the
34 Department may make grants to communities that are certified as
35 economically distressed communities under this Act and that

 

 

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1 create a Board of Economic Advisors under this Act for the
2 operational expenses of the Board. The procedures for grant
3 application shall be established by the Department by rule.
 
4     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
5 becoming law.