This Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) weekly News and Views e-newsletter reports on the cancellation of the 2020 Fall Veto Session, provides information about the awarding of Rebuild Illinois investment dollars to downstate communities, links to a report projecting significant state budget deficits over several years, offers an update about the state moving forward on a COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, announces the voluntary extension of a utility shut-off moratorium, includes a link to a new Executive Order concerning COVID-19 mitigations in certain regions of the state, references upcoming NACo webinar opportunities, spotlights ISACo corporate partner 2im Group and invites counties to join ISACo.
ISACo has moved office locations! Our new address is 427 E. Monroe Street, Suite 200, Springfield, IL 62701.
COUNTIES COUNT!
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2020 Veto Session Cancelled
Both the Illinois House and Senate have cancelled the 2020 Fall Veto Session.
In a communication with House Members, Speaker Michael Madigan's Chief of Staff indicated the House will not convene for Veto Session. The cancellations followed a survey of members evidencing concern about the risks associated with holding an in-person session during the pandemic and prior to the holiday season. The Senate cancelled the Veto Session for similar reasons.
The Fall Veto Session was scheduled for November 17-19 and December 1-3, 2020.
The prospect of make-up session dates as well as the 2021 Spring Session remains uncertain at this point. ISACo will share more information when it becomes available.
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Downstate Communities Get Rebuild Illinois Investments in Transit
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced that $112 million is being awarded to 31 downstate transit providers as part of the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program.
The grants will help to expand and improve service, providing more transportation options and promoting an enhanced quality of life in communities throughout the state.
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GOMB Report Projects Sizable State Budget Deficits
A recently released 5-year budget forecast by the Governor's Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) states that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has resulted in unexpected and dramatic revenue losses. The report also warns Illinois will continue to face significant financial challenges until it finds a long-term solution to its structural deficit.
The report projects sizeable deficits in the General Funds budget for fiscal years 2022 through 2026. Without changes to the current trajectory of the state’s finances, year-end accounts payable will continue to grow year by year.
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State Moving Forward on Vaccine Distribution Plan
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is seeking a vendor to assist with planning, logistical operations and quality improvement services for Statewide COVID-19 mass vaccination activities.
Illinois is required by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to plan for and operationalize a vaccination response to COVID-19 within Illinois in line with their COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for Jurisdiction Operations.
Pfizer recently announced a successful trial that demonstrated promise for the availability of a vaccine.
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Utility Shut-Off Moratorium Voluntarily Extended
The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) announced the moratorium on disconnections has voluntarily been extended by several utilities through the winter of 2021 for eligible low-income residential customers and those who self-report to utilities that they are experiencing financial or COVID-19 hardship.
Participating utilities are: Ameren Illinois, Aqua Illinois, Illinois American Water, Commonwealth Edison’ Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas, and Utility Services of Illinois.
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Executive Order
On November 10, 2020, Governor JB Pritzker issued Executive Order (EO) 2020-70 (linked here).
The EO imposes Tier 2 mitigations on Regions 5, 7, and 8 – covering Illinois’ far southern counties and south and western suburbs of Chicago.
Additional mitigations include a tighter gathering cap of 10 individuals rather than 25 and new table caps of six rather than 10 at restaurants and bars.
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Upcoming NACo Webinars
The National Association of Counties (NACo) has announced the following upcoming webinars:
Building a County Elder Fraud Prevention and Response Network
(Begins Thursday, November 19, 2020, from 2pm – 3pm CST)
Each year, millions of elderly Americans fall victim to some type of financial fraud or confidence scheme, with estimated losses ranging from $2.9 billion to $36.5 billion a year. Elder fraud prevention and response networks, which bring together key stakeholders and resources to prevent, detect, and respond to elder financial exploitation in the community, are an important and effective tool for local leaders to combat this significant threat to our seniors. During this Webinar, representatives from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will provide a roadmap for county leaders to build elder fraud prevention and response networks in your communities.
COVID-19 Testing Solution available through NACo/ CVS Health Partnership
(Begins Friday, November 20, 2020, from 12:30pm – 1:30pm CST)
NACo and CVS Health launch Return Ready, a new program aimed to help get our county employees back to work with a new level of safety precaution.
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Corporate Partner Spotlight
This week's corporate partner spotlight highlights ISACo's partnership with 2im Group.
2im Group, LLC is a multi-disciplined civil engineering and environmental services firm, specializing in water resource management. Their experience includes working with transportation agencies and private sector clients. 2im Group, LLC strives to recognize their clients’ priorities to ensure project success!
The project scopes include: Phase I studies, reports, and investigations; Phase II detailed plans, specifications, and engineer’s cost estimates; and Phase III construction engineering services.
2im Group was established in July 2005 and has a combined personnel experience of over 100 years. Major clients include the Illinois Tollway and Illinois Department of Transportation.
Click on this link to learn more about the benefits and opportunities available through ISACo's Corporate Partner Program.
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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.
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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 jmccoy@isacoil.org or (217) 679-3368 if we can be of service. Thank you for your support of ISACo.
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