This Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) weekly News and Views e-newsletter provides an update about a grant program for businesses and communities impacted by COVID-19, announces that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) will be testing community water supplies for certain substances, provides a state budget update, reports on increased warning levels for COVID-19 in twenty-four counties, references upcoming NACo webinar opportunities, spotlights ISACo corporate partner 2im Group and invites counties to join ISACo.
ISACo welcomes Grundy County as our newest member!
COUNTIES COUNT!
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$245 Million in Grants for Businesses and Communities Impacted by COVID-19 and Civil Unrest
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced the latest in a series of grants made available for small businesses in Illinois suffering losses as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as well as communities impacted by the recent civil unrest.
Applications for the second round of the Business Interruption Grants (BIG) program will offer $220 million in funds for small businesses hit hardest by the ongoing pandemic.
The Governor also announced applications for the new Rebuild Distressed Communities (RDC) program will become available in the coming weeks. This program will provide $25 million in funding to cover the cost of civil-unrest related repairs while also supporting new investments in economically distressed communities across Illinois.
Application information for the second round of funds can be found on DCEO's website via this link.
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Illinois EPA to Begin Testing all Illinois Community Water Supplies
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Director John J. Kim announced plans to conduct a statewide investigation into the prevalence and occurrence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in finished drinking water at all 1,749 community water supplies in Illinois.
Data gathered as part of this investigation will aid in the development of future Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) regulatory standards for PFAS. The statewide investigation is expected to take 12-15 months to complete.
IEPA has directly notified each of the community water supplies undergoing testing. If PFAS chemicals are detected, IEPA will work with community water supplies to ensure residents are informed and to determine next steps to reducing exposure.
IEPA has established a comprehensive webpage (available via this link) to inform the public about IEPA's Statewide PFAS Investigation Network including background, exposures, health effects, minimum reporting levels for each of the 18 PFAS chemicals and the regulatory status of these emerging contaminants.
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State Budget Update
Governor Pritzker has asked the Illinois Congressional delegation for help to pass a federal relief bill designed to offer aid to states and local governments amid the ensuing pandemic.
Absent more federal help, the Governor warned of a “nightmare scenario” that will include budget cuts, layoffs and service reductions. The Administration asked state agencies to prepare for 5% budget reductions for the current fiscal year and 10% reductions for the next fiscal year.
ISACo has previously communicated support for another federal aid package to Illinois' Congressional Delegation. The July 16, 2020, letter (available via this link) advocates that local governments be able to use the funds to offset lost revenues.
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Two Dozen Illinois Counties at Warning Level for COVID-19
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported that twenty-four counties in Illinois are considered to be at a warning level for COVID-19. A county enters a warning level when two or more COVID-19 risk indicators that measure the amount of COVID-19 increase.
The twenty-four counties at a warning level are as follows: Bond, Bureau, Cass, Clinton, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, DeWitt, Edwards, Effingham, Greene, Jasper, Jo Daviess, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Rock Island, St. Clair, Shelby, Washington, Wayne, Williamson, Wabash and Union.
Although the reasons for counties reaching a warning level varies, some of the common factors for an increase in cases and outbreaks are associated with university and college parties as well as college sports teams, large gatherings and events, bars and clubs, weddings and funerals, long-term care facilities, correctional centers, manufacturing plants, schools and cases among the community at large. General transmission of the virus in the community is also increasing.
A map and information of each county’s status is available through the IDPH website via this link.
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Upcoming NACo Webinars
The National Association of Counties (NACo) has announced the following upcoming webinars:
Counties and the 2020 Election: Ask the Experts
(Tuesday, September 22, 2020, from 1pm – 2pm CST)
America’s counties traditionally administer and fund elections, overseeing more than 109,000 polling places and coordinating more than 694,000 poll workers every two years. Faced with new election-related challenges due to COVID-19 and concerns over cybersecurity, foreign influence and aging technology, election administrators across the country have worked tirelessly to finalize preparations to conduct a free and fair election.
Join NACo for a special virtual town hall and hear from federal and local elections officials about how they are working to ensure a safe, fair and secure election this fall. During the town hall, which will be live streamed, participants will have the unique opportunity to engage directly with elections experts during an open discussion.
Doing Business with NASA: A Virtual Event with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center
(Tuesday, September 22, 2020, from 1pm – 2pm CST)
Learn how your county's industry and academic institutions can work with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its prime contractors and the resources and guidelines for your community workforce to obtain subcontracting opportunities. Successful partnerships generate a strong economic impact in the local community and are integral to accomplishing NASA missions.
This webinar is presented by NASA's Office of Small Business Programs, whose mission is to promote and integrate small businesses into the competitive base of contractors that pioneer the future of space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research.
DDJ Virtual Panel Discussion: Lessons Learned from Pilot Projects
(Thursday, September 24, 2020, from 1 – 2pm CST)
Join Data-Driven Justice (DDJ) for an engaging virtual panel discussion on the outcomes of the two-year DDJ pilot program with three communities: Johnson County, Iowa; Long Beach, California; and Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
In 2018, Arnold Ventures selected these three communities to receive support for pilot projects to link data from local police, jail, hospital and other service providers to help identify “frequent utilizers.” Pilot counties leveraged cross-systems partnerships across justice, health and service providers to integrate data to guide frequent utilizers to the support they need, to avoid either hospitalization or incarceration.
During this discussion, Arnold Ventures will lead a conversation with the pilot sites to discuss progress and challenges with their projects and highlight lessons learned for DDJ communities doing this important work. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in Q&A with the pilot site leaders during follow-up DDJ Peer Engagement Group calls in October.
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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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