This Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) weekly
News and Views
e-
newsletter reports on an initiative to expand broadband coverage throughout Illinois, includes a link to a press release announcing the award of bike trail grants, reports on a meeting of ISACo's Large County Board Caucus (LCBC), highlights a visit to ISACo's office by State Representative Debbie Meyers-Martin, reports on ISACo's attendance at the Illinois State Fair's Local Officials Day event, provides information about a funding opportunity for local governments to assist with their 2020 census counts and invites counties to join ISACo.
2019 Spring Session Resources
ISACo's summary of the major legislative issues addressed during the 2019 Spring legislative session is
available via this link.
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Statewide Broadband Expansion Effort Announced
The Pritzker Administration announced a statewide strategic initiative to expand broadband using $420 million allocated for that purpose within the Rebuild Illinois capital infrastructure plan. The Governor appointed twenty-five members to a Broadband Advisory Council to guide the effort.
The initiative will centralize state agency resources, collaborate with private-sector experts and bipartisan legislators from around Illinois and break down government silos to expand broadband access across the entire state. Their work will be centered around three main outcomes: telehealth, education and economic development. The council will also examine best practices in other states and explore ways to maximize federal funding in addition to state investments.
By December 31, 2019, the council will deliver a report to the governor and General Assembly with recommendations for the statewide broadband expansion.
Expanding broadband into rural areas is a policy priority for the National Association of Counties (NACo). ISACo supports these effort and participated in a Department of Agriculture stakeholder meeting on March 28, 2019 (
story available via this link
), to discuss rural broadband expansion.
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Governor Pritzker Announces Bike Trail Project Grants
On Monday, August 12, Governor Pritzker announced $2.6 million in grants for 16 local projects that will help communities acquire, develop and improve bike trails in seven counties.
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ISACo Large County Board Caucus Meeting
ISACo's Large County Board Caucus (LCBC) met on Friday, August 16, 2019, in the DuPage County Administrative Building in Wheaton, Illinois.
During the meeting, the LCBC adopted the Caucus' By-Laws, received a report on actions taken by the Governor on legislation of interest to counties, discussed an upcoming August 23 meeting of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) Board of Trustees and the unwillingness of the Board to reconsider an actuarial change that would prevent increased costs to local governments and their taxpayers, approved Caucus support for already introduced legislation allowing county boards in counties with 275,000 or fewer residents to locally define the scope of county auditor duties, and offered proposals for consideration by ISACo's Legislative Committee.
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State Representative Meyers-Martin Visits ISACo
State Representative Debbie Meyers-Martin visited ISACo on Tuesday, August 13, 2019, to discuss county issues and ISACo advocacy efforts with Executive Director Joe McCoy.
The conversation included an explanation of ISACo's legislative agenda development process and the ISACo caucus system that is intended to provide counties with a stronger voice within ISACo.
As a former Mayor of Olympia Fields, Representative Meyers-Martin has a keen awareness and understanding of local issues. ISACo looks forward to working with her to advance the interests of counties and their residents.
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ISACo Attends Local Officials Day at Illinois State Fair
On Saturday, August 17, 2019, State Treasurer Michael Frerichs hosted Local Officials Day on the Director's Lawn of the Illinois State Fairgrounds. The event is an opportunity to express appreciation for the work done by Illinois local government officials.
ISACo Executive Director Joe McCoy attended the event. One of the event speakers was Kendall County Board Member Matt Prochaska (pictured at the podium). Prochaska serves on both the ISACo and United Counties Council of Illinois (UCCI) Boards of Directors. ISACo is appreciative of the constructive partnership and spirit of friendship emerging between ISACo and UCCI in support of Illinois' counties.
Additional pictures from the event are available on ISACo's Facebook page (
available via this link
). ISACo thanks Treasurer Frerichs for hosting this event that honors local officials and the work they do.
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2020 Census Funding Opportunity
The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) announced that it has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to maximize Illinois' success in the 2020 Census. IDHS will award grants to eligible community organizations and local governments to encourage a complete count in the 2020 Census. The deadline for submitted applications is September 6, 2019 at 5:00 pm CT.
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The Key to ISACo's Success is YOU!
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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 [email protected]. Thank you for your consideration.
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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 [email protected] or (217) 679-3368 if we can be of service. Thank you for your support of ISACo.
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