This Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) weekly News and Views e-newsletter reports on federal SBA assistance for counties impacted by civil unrest, provides information about capital funding to further statewide broadband expansion, discusses COVID-19 resurgence mitigations and executive orders in relation to the pandemic, discusses a recent court decision concerning local government election day closure requirements, references upcoming NACo webinar opportunities, spotlights ISACo corporate partner Christoper B. Burke Engineering, and invites counties to join ISACo.
COUNTIES COUNT!
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Federal SBA Assistance for Counties Impacted by Civil Unrest
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved the state's request for federal assistance to help businesses and private non-profits in more than 60 counties recover from economic injury stemming from civil unrest that took place in Illinois from May 26-July 30, 2020. Qualifying businesses will be eligible for up to $2 million in emergency loans for working capital, which includes operational costs, PPE, payroll and more.
These Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the SBA are available for qualifying businesses in the following counties: Adams, Boone, Champaign, DuPage, Kane, Knox, LaSalle, Macon, McLean, Morgan, Peoria, Sangamon, St. Clair, Stephenson, Tazewell, Will and Winnebago. Businesses in the contiguous counties of Brown, Bureau, Carroll, Cass, Christian, Clinton, Cook, DeWitt, DeKalb, Douglas, Edgar, Ford, Fulton, Greene, Grundy, Handcock, Henry, Jo Davies, Kankakee, Kendall, Lee, Livingston, Logan, Macoupin, Madison, Marshall, Mason, McHenry, Menard, Mercer, Monroe, Montgomery, Moultrie, Ogle, Piatt, Pike, Putnam, Randolph, Schuyler, Scott, Shelby, Stark, Vermilion, Warren, Washington and Woodford may also apply for the Economic Injury Disaster Loans.
Economic Injury Disaster Loans provide economic relief to small businesses and private non-profit organizations that experienced temporary loss of revenue due to a disaster or emergency. These SBA loans can help businesses meet their financial obligations and cover operational expenses that could have been met had the disaster not occurred.
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$50 Million Second Round of Capital Funding to Further Statewide Broadband Expansion
The State of Illinois is releasing $50 million in funding for the second round of matching grants through Connect Illinois, the state’s $420 million statewide broadband expansion plan. Illinois’ Office of Broadband will support expanded connections in new communities across the state through an application process that will remain open through February 2021.
This availability of additional funding builds on the inaugural round of funding released earlier this year, which supported 28 projects collectively slated to support over 26,000 new or enhanced connections serving every corner of the state.
Eligible applicants include internet service providers, rural cooperatives, nonprofits and local governments. Up to $5 million per project will be available during the second round, and subsequent rounds will follow over the course of the next several years. The second round of Connect Illinois calls for a non-state match component requiring companies to dedicate funding that will accelerate the delivery of broadband investments.
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COVID-19 Resurgence Mitigations in Regions 7 and 8
COVID-19 resurgence mitigations were implemented in Region 7 (Will and Kankakee counties) and Region 8 (Kane and DuPage counties) beginning on Friday, October 23, 2020. Both regions experienced a 7-day rolling average test positivity rate of 8 percent or above for three consecutive days, which exceeds the threshold set for establishing mitigation measures under the state's Restore Illinois Resurgence Plan.
The Pritzker administration continues to distribute emergency relief for small businesses and communities impacted by the ongoing pandemic. In Regions 7 and 8, approximately $14 million has already been awarded for small businesses and community aid. Businesses in both regions, as well as other regions currently under additional mitigations, will receive priority consideration for the current round of Business Interruption Grants (BIG), with $220 million available to help offset costs and losses businesses have incurred as a result of the pandemic.
Number of Counties at Warning Level for COVID-19 Increases
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced that 51 Illinois counties are 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.
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Executive Orders
Executive Order 2020-59
Reissues most of the executive orders associated with the pandemic response and extends a majority of the provisions through November 14, 2020.
Executive Order 2020-60
Imposes enhanced mitigations on Region 5 comprised of Marion, Jefferson, Wayne, Edwards, Wabash, Perry, Jackson, Franklin, Williamson, Saline, Hamilton, White, Gallatin, Union, Johnson, Pope, Hardin, Alexander, Massac, and Pulaski counties for restaurants and bars, meetings and social events, gaming and casinos and for all workplaces. Effective October 22, 2020.
Executive Order 2020-61
Imposes enhanced mitigations on Region 7 (Will and Kankakee counties) and Region 8 (Kane and DuPage counties), for restaurants and bars, meetings and social events, gaming and casinos and for all workplaces, effective October 23, 2020. This executive order was discussed in earlier in this newsletter.
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Court Decision Concerning Election Day Closure Requirement
P.A. 101-0642 (linked here) includes a provision concerning the closure of local government offices on Election Day 2020. This public act enacted an omnibus election bill approved by the General Assembly in May 2020 and signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker.
The law has been interpreted to mandate that local government offices other than those involved in facilitating the election would be required to be closed for Election Day on November 3, 2020.
In July 2020, the Illinois Municipal League (IML) filed a lawsuit against the Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE) to determine if the unfunded mandate to close governmental offices for Election Day on November 3, 2020, applies to municipalities.
On October 16, 2020, Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene D. Grischow ruled in favor of IML and stated that ambiguity existed in the state’s enactment of a law to close “all government offices.” The declaratory judgment establishes that the mandate to close government offices on Election Day does not apply to municipalities.
The decision (available via this link) states that the closure requirement “does not apply to local governments such as municipalities” and lays out the reasons for this ruling. IML is advising it’s members that the court order provides municipalities with the independent discretion to determine if their offices should or should not be closed on Election Day, November 3, 2020.
This update is not intended to provide legal advice or guidance on this matter, only to make county officials aware of this court ruling. It remains uncertain whether the ruling will be appealed by the Attorney General’s office. As always, ISACo recommends that each county consult with their state’s attorney about the ramifications of the decision for their county.
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Upcoming NACo Webinars
The National Association of Counties (NACo) has announced the following upcoming webinars:
Early Childhood Suburban Peer Learning Network: Improving Children and Families’ Access to Services during COVID-19
(Monday, October 26, 2020, from 1pm – 2pm CST)
(Friday, October 30, 2020, from 1pm – 2pm CST)
During COVID-19, many families are struggling to meet basic needs, such as food and housing, and their children’s developmental requirements. Counties are leveraging existing resources yet applying new strategies to address these challenges. Join this interactive discussion among suburban county leaders to learn how to improve access to services through centralized intake and referral systems such as Help Me Grow.
This webinar is offered on Monday and Friday.
SLLC Supreme Court Preview
(Begins Tuesday, October 27, 2020, from 12pm – 1pm CST)
While the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has agreed to hear lots of interesting cases relevant to states and local governments in its new term beginning on October 5, 2020, many are holdovers from last term. The Court has also accepted numerous new cases of interest including another challenge to the Affordable Care Act and a challenge to Philadelphia’s refusal to work with Catholic Social Service regarding placing foster children because the organization will not place them with same-sex couples. Join Deepak Gupta of Gupta Wessler (who is counsel for Philadelphia, and who will also argue a pair of major personal-jurisdiction cases from Montana and Minnesota), Andrew Pinson, Georgia's Solicitor General (who will argue a case about whether plaintiffs can prevent a case from being dismissed as moot by seeking “nominal damages” after a government changes the challenged policy), and Kevin Daley of the Washington Free Beacon, in a discussion of the cases most interesting to states and local governments that the Court has agreed to hear so far.
COVID-19 Testing Solution Available through NACo/ CVS Health Partnership
(Begins Wednesday, October 28, 2020, from 10am – 11am CST)
NACo and CVS Health launch Return Ready, a new program aimed to help get county employees back to work with a new level of safety precaution.
Early Childhood Urban Peer Learning Network: Improving Children and Families’ Access to Services during COVID-19
(Begins Thursday, October 29, 2020, from 1pm – 2pm CST)
During COVID-19, many families are struggling to meet basic needs, such as food and housing, and their children’s developmental needs. Counties are leveraging existing resources yet applying new strategies to address these challenges. Join this interactive discussion among urban county leaders to learn how to improve access to services through centralized intake and referral systems such as Help Me Grow.
Using Evidence to Make Strategic Budget Cuts
(Begins Thursday, October 29, 2020, from 1pm – 2pm CST)
Counties across the country are facing a challenging fiscal situation: revenues are decreasing while the demand for services is on the rise. Relying on data and evidence to make spending decisions, which has proved useful in times of prosperity, is critical now. Results First, a Pew Charitable Trusts initiative born out of the Great Recession, has published a new brief on How Public Officials can use Data and Evidence to make Strategic Budget Cuts (available via this link).
On October 29, 2020, Result First will discuss those strategies, provide examples of how jurisdictions have successfully applied them and hone in on a practical first step to assessing current program expenditures. A representative from Santa Clara County will share how they have used program assessment in decision-making in times of financial certainty and how county decision-makers are using data and evidence in innovative ways in the face of budget cuts and planning for FY21.
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Corporate Partner Spotlight
This week's corporate partner spotlight highlights ISACo's partnership with Christoper B. Burke Engineering.
Started in 1986, Christopher B. Burke Engineering, LTD. is a full-service consulting engineering and surveying firm specializing in civil, transportation/highway, municipal, traffic, construction, water resources, environmental, structural and mechanical engineering. The company provides not only design services, but also planning, preliminary engineering, permitting, and construction observation. Christopher B. Burke Engineering, LTD. successfully completed the design, permitting and construction of numerous major transportation projects, flood control reservoirs, pump stations, embankments, water mains and water systems, storm sewers, and large open channels.
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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