This Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) weekly News and Views e-newsletter provides an update on the status of the Local CURE Program emergency rules, reports on a new emergency housing assistance program, highlights a new bill concerning small cell wireless facilities, shares information about a new ethics reform proposal, announces the release of state grants to assist businesses impacted by COVID-19, provides a link to Personal Property Replacement Tax (PPRT) distribution estimates for local governments, conveys information about Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation grants for local governments, provides information about an upcoming NACo webinar opportunity, spotlights ISACo corporate partner AT&T and invites counties to join ISACo.
COUNTIES COUNT!
|
|
JCAR Approves Local CURE Program Emergency Rules
On Tuesday, August 11, 2020, the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) approved amended emergency rules to effectuate the Local CURE Program. The program will be administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO).
The Local CURE Program was established within the SFY21 state budget to provide funding for the 97 counties and local governments located within these counties that did not receive direct allocations from the U.S. Treasury Department for use in offsetting costs associated with the COVID-19 emergency response.
DCEO will begin accepting reimbursement applications on August 26, 2020. The agency intends to reimburse eligible local governments on a rolling basis and within 5-7 days after a reimbursement is submitted.
|
|
Emergency Housing Assistance Program
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) announced that applications for rental assistance are now available for renters who have lost a job or income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERA), IHDA will allocate $150 million to help income-eligible residents across the state pay their rent during the pandemic. Following the application period for rental assistance, IHDA will open applications for Emergency Mortgage Assistance, providing $150 million to homeowners impacted by COVID-19. Taken together, these programs are expected to help approximately 40,000 households before the end of 2020.
Applications for ERA will be accepted August 10-21. Due to anticipated high volume, the application window may close early. Approximately 30,000 tenants are expected to receive funding.
|
|
Small Wireless Facility Legislation Filed
Representative Deanne Mazzochi (R-Westmont) filed HB 5818 to amend the Small Wireless Facilities Deployment Act.
Under the bill, a wireless provider may be required to provide the following additional information when seeking a permit to collocate small wireless facilities:
- A written affidavit signed by a radio frequency engineer with specified certifications.
- A written report that analyzes acoustic levels for the small wireless facility and all associated equipment.
- Information showing the small wireless facility has received any required review by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under the National Environmental Policy Act.
- A certified copy of the original easement documents and other supporting documentation demonstrating that the applicant has the right to install, mount, maintain and remove a small wireless facility and associated equipment in specified circumstances.
The bill also provides that an authority may propose that a small wireless facility be collocated on an existing utility pole or existing wireless support structure within 200 feet (rather than 100 feet) of the proposed collocation.
|
|
House and Senate Democrats Announce Ethics Reform Package
A collation of Democratic legislators from the Illinois House and Senate revealed their ethics reform package on Thursday, August 13, 2020. The group called upon the Joint Commission on Ethics Reforms to consider and approve the measures for consideration in the Fall Veto Session. The Joint Commission began their work earlier in the year, but their efforts halted due to the pandemic.
The reforms were crafted by Senators Manar, Steans, Martinez, Lightford, Fine and Feigenholtz along with Representatives Ramirez, Cassidy, Morgan, Didech, Edly-allen, Gabel, Gong-Gerschowitz and LaPointe.
The proposal includes 9 items in the areas of lobbying reform, legislative reform and leadership reform. The ethics packing includes:
- Prohibiting legislator lobbyists.
- Stopping the legislator-lobbyist revolving door.
- Better defining who is a lobbyist.
- Increasing disclosure of outside income.
- Initiating an official censure.
- Strengthening the Legislative Inspector General.
- Ending the exemption from the Human Rights Act for legislative employees.
- Enacting term-limits for legislative leaders.
- Removing leaders and committee chairs during any criminal investigation relevant to job duties.
ISACo will continue to provide updates about this legislative package.
|
|
$46 Million in Emergency Grants Awarded to Small Businesses
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced that $46 million in small business grants have been released to 2,655 small businesses located in over 400 individual cities and spread across 78 counties.
The grants are the first round of the Business Interruption Grant (BIG) program through which the State will award grants to a diversity of businesses, as well as business communities hit hardest by COVID-19 related closures. A substantial portion of the BIG program is dedicated to supporting childcare providers. View the list of grant recipients online here.
To ensure ongoing support for Illinois small businesses, the State of Illinois has planned future rounds of funding.
|
|
Fiscal Year 2021 Estimate for Replacement Taxes
The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) is required to provide an estimated entitlement of the amount of Personal Property Replacement Taxes (PPRT) to be distributed to eligible local governments in SFY21.
The SFY21 PPRT allocations are estimated at $1,200 million. This is a decrease of 17.4% from Fiscal Year 2020 PPRT allocations that totaled $1,453 million.
Further information on the estimated entitlement of the amount of PPRT for Fiscal Year 2021 is available via this link. The information includes a link with an estimate of how much each eligible taxing body will receive in SFY21 and how much was actually received in SFY20.
|
|
FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grants
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) posted funding notices for two hazard mitigation grant programs for more than $660 million.
The two grant programs, the Flood Mitigation Assistance grant and the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, will provide funds to states, local communities, tribes and territories for eligible mitigation activates to strengthen the nation’s ability to build a culture of preparedness. These programs allow for funding to be used on projects that will reduce future disaster losses.
The application period opens on September 30, 2020. Eligible applicants must apply for funding using the new FEMA Grants Outcome (FEMA GO), which is now the management system for FMA and BRIC.
Applications must be submitted at FEMA Go Portal no later than 2 p.m. (CST) on January 29, 2021. Applications received by FEMA after this deadline will not be considered for funding.
Registration information for all upcoming FEMA webinars can be found here.
|
|
Upcoming NACo Webinar
NACo has announced the following upcoming webinar:
How Counties are Investing CARES Act Dollars in Social Safety Net Services
(Wednesday, August 19, 2020 from 1pm – 2pm CST)
Each year, counties invest $58 billion in federal, state and local dollars on human services while serving as the frontline social safety net. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, counties are investing in critical public assistance services and programs to better support our residents and communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the authorization of the Coronavirus Relief Fund under the CARES Act, many counties are using these dollars towards child care support, nutrition assistance and services to older Americans. Join NACo for a webinar to hear from county leaders about how their CRF plans are working towards supporting individuals most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
|
|
Corporate Partner Spotlight
This week's corporate partner spotlight highlights ISACo's partnership with AT&T.
AT&T Inc. is a modern media company whose mission is to inspire human progress through the power of communication and entertainment.
The company brings together premium video content, a large base of direct-to-consumer relationships, high-speed networks optimized for video and advertising technology to lead the next revolution in technology, media and telecommunications.
AT&T has recorded 35 consecutive years of quarterly dividend growth and is a Fortune 10 company.
Click on this link to learn more about the benefits and opportunities available through ISACo's Corporate Partner Program
|
|
The Key to ISACo's Success is YOU! |
Is your county a member of ISACo? If not, why not?
ISACo is a statewide association whose mission is to empower county officials to provide excellent service to their residents.
ISACo member counties are comprised of forward-thinking public servants who recognize that the challenges confronting county governments require new and innovative ideas, collaborative solutions and collective advocacy at the state and federal levels of government.
Members of the association will benefit from education and training opportunities, peer-to-peer networking, shared resources and robust representation before policymakers at various levels of government. ISACo creates and connects county officials to these opportunities and successfully equips them to make counties ideal places to live, work and play.
If your county is interested in discussing membership in ISACo, please contact Executive Director Joe McCoy at (217) 679-3368 or jmccoy@isacoil.org. Thank you for your consideration.
|
|
 |
News and Views is a service provided by ISACo for county officials and staff. Please feel welcome to share with interested parties. You can contact ISACo Executive Director Joe McCoy at jmccoy@isacoil.org or (217) 679-3368 if we can be of service. Thank you for your support of ISACo.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
