This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views e-newsletter announces the launch of our Counties Count! Podcast, conveys that $7.2 million in loans were awarded to local governments for the purchase of emergency vehicles, alerts county officials that the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is requesting input about its long-range transportation plan, shares the latest Illinois' unemployment and payroll data, includes an update on Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) decisions concerning natural gas rates, highlights an additional $160 million in funding to address the on-going humanitarian crisis resulting from the arrival of migrants to Illinois, makes county officials aware of $25 million in Back to Business grants available for new businesses, announces a reappointment to the Illinois Finance Authority (IFA), highlights the Illinois Power Agency American-Made 2023 Sunny Award from the U.S. Department of Energy, congratulates recent National Association of Counties (NACo) Leadership Academy graduates from Illinois, shares the University of Illinois Chicago's request for projects from public and nonprofit organizations for Capstone projects for the Spring 2024 semester, announces upcoming NACo and Public Surplus webinar opportunities, highlights ISACo corporate partner Public Surplus and invites counties to join ISACo.  

Counties Count! Podcast

ISACo is excited to announce the launch of our Counties Count! Podcast. Listen to the trailer episode by clicking on the image below.

The podcast will soon be available in the Apple App Store and Spotify. 

$7.2 Million in Loans Available for New Emergency Vehicles 

Illinois State Fire Marshal James A. Rivera and Illinois Finance Authority (IFA) Executive Director Chris Meister issued nearly $7.2 million in no-interest or low-interest loans to emergency responders across the state. The loans are made available through the Fire Truck Revolving Loan Program and Ambulance Revolving Loan Program.

The Fire Truck Revolving Loan Program (FTRL) and Ambulance Revolving Loan Program (ARLP) are designed to assist with purchasing emergency vehicles that jurisdictions may not otherwise be able to afford. Under the FTRL program, fire departments, fire protection districts and township fire departments may apply for up to $350,000 in low-interest or no-interest loans for purchase of a fire truck or brush trucks. The loans must be repaid within 20 years.

The press release and list of recipients is available via this link.

IDOT Seeks Input On 2024 Long-Range Transportation Plan
 
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is requesting feedback on its Move Illinois: 2024 Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). IDOT encourages individuals to participate in its LRTP survey (available via this link), which seeks to collect opinions about the current condition of Illinois’ transportation system, identify needs and challenges and gather preferences for future investments. The deadline to participate in the survey is Sunday, December 31. More information about LRTP can be found on IDOT’s website (available via this link).

Illinois Payroll Jobs Decrease, Unemployment Rate Up in October

On November 16, 2023, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced that the unemployment rate increased +0.2 percentage point to 4.6 percent, while non-farm payrolls decreased -15,000 in October, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The September revised unemployment rate was 4.4 percent, unchanged from the preliminary September unemployment rate. The September monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +9,500 to +11,400 jobs. The October unemployment rate and payroll jobs estimate reflect activity for the week including the 12th.

The press release is available via this link. 

ICC Renders Decisions Affecting Natural Gas Company Rates

On November 16, 2023, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) denied $36.34 million to Ameren Illinois’ rate request for its natural gas delivery services in Illinois. The decision is approximately 50.8 percent lower than Ameren’s initial request for a $71.57 million increase. Instead, the ICC allowed for a $36.4 million hike. 

The ICC issued its decision after closely scrutinizing Ameren’s rate case filings and additional materials submitted by the utility, Commission Staff and various interveners over an 11-month legal proceeding. The process aims to ensure the utility receives the necessary funds to provide safe and reliable service to customers and to maintain and replace aging infrastructure at a reasonable cost to ratepayers. In accordance with the Illinois Public Utilities Act, these costs are only recoverable if a utility demonstrates they are reasonable and prudent.

The press release is available via this link. 

The ICC also opted to disallow funding and paused the Peoples Gas System Modernization Program (a pipeline replacement program) pending a new investigation into the best approach to modernization of the outdated underground infrastructure. The ICC did approve smaller-than-requested rate increases next year for Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas and Nicor Gas.

Additional information is available via this link.

Migrant Emergency Response

On November 16, 2023, Governor JB Pritzker announced that the State will invest an additional $160 million via the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis presented by the arrival of over 24,000 migrants from the U.S. Southern Border.

This announcement builds on $478 million in state funding that has been provided or committed to the migrant response over Fiscal Years (FY) 2023 and 2024. This includes direct funding to the City of Chicago and other municipalities assisting asylum seekers as well as substantial State funding for shelter, food, medical care, rental assistance and wraparound casework and services.

The step-by-step plan and press release is available via this link. 

$25 Million Available in Back to Business Grants for New Businesses

On November 16, 2023, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced $25 million in available grant funding through the Back to Business (B2B) NewBiz program. Following state recovery programming for businesses totaling $1.5 billion, the latest American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)-funded opportunity is designed to provide additional support for businesses in hard-hit sectors who launched during the pandemic. Businesses that launched in 2020 or 2021 and remain in operation have faced significant impacts during the pandemic, but they have not been eligible for other federal or state relief programming since they were not operational prior to the pandemic.

Information on how to apply and the press release is available via this link. 

Illinois Finance Authority Member Reappointment 

Roxanne Nava will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois Finance Authority (IFA). Nava currently serves as the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Family Services. She also has experience working with the City of Chicago as the Chief Small Business Officer, where she oversaw the City’s Small Business Center to provide 80,000 small business with critical support, licenses, and permits. 

Illinois Power Agency Wins U.S. Department of Energy’s Grand Prize

On November 17, 2023, the Illinois Power Agency’s (IPA) income-eligible solar program, Illinois Solar for All (ILSFA), was named as one of five grand prize winners of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) American-Made 2023 Sunny Awards. Five teams were selected by the DOE’s National Community Solar Partnership to receive a $10,000 Grand Prize for their community solar projects or programs. Out of the five teams, ILSFA was the only state program winner of a Grand Prize Sunny Award this year.

The press release is available via this link. 

NACo Leadership Academy Graduates from Illinois

We would like to acknowledge and congratulate the August 2023 NACo Leadership Academy graduates from Illinois. They join over 10,000 graduates and current participants from across the country benefitting from the 12-week online program enabling existing and emerging county leaders to achieve their highest potential. The graduates are listed below:

• Camille Coates, County Board Member, Peoria County
• Dan Phelan, County Board Member, Peoria County
• Daniel J. Butler, County Board Member, Will County
• Ebonie Taylor, Executive Director, Cook County
• Kate Hedlin, Senior Communications Manager, Cook County
• Linda M. Kampe, Director of Operations, Correctional Health, Cermak Health Services - Cook County

Invest in your team with Leadership Training!

Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the High Performance Leadership Academy with us - each County can enroll 10 leaders for $15,000 in 2024. The next cohort starts January 8, 2024.

Additional information and how to enroll is available via this link. 

What We're Reading

The Coming Fight Over Municipal Financial Data (Governing)

Report: Employers Intend to Downsize Further as Questions About Office Space Utilization Linger (American City and County)

Lawmakers Decline to Extend Private School Scholarship Tax Credit Program (Capitol News Illinois)

Homelessness Is Preventable. Ending It and Saving Lives Is a Policy Choice.(Governing)

Right Turn on Red? With Pedestrian Deaths Rising, US Cities are Considering Bans (WBEZ)

How AI can Assist Cities and Counties with Cybersecurity (American City and County)

Readying an Election Administration Workforce for What Comes Next (Governing)

Lawmakers Pass Bill Aimed at Modernizing Professional Licensing in Illinois (Capitol News Illinois)

Midwest Farmers, Environmentalists Celebrate CO2 Pipeline End (Governing)

Upcoming Public Surplus Webinar Date

Public Surplus will be offering a 20-minute webinar for interested individuals to learn more about Public Surplus and its online auction site. Participants will also be guided on how to register, or re-register to create a new account.

Public Surplus is an online auction platform that offers services to local government agencies.  

ISACo has partnered with Public Surplus to provide large discounts for our county members when it comes to doing online auctions, specifically real estate sales.

Through a partnership with ISACo, Illinois counties are eligible to list items with a reduced buyer's premium, which will encourage competitive bidding on surplus items listed. With Public Surplus, buyers are responsible for all service fees, and it costs counties nothing to use the service.

Public Surplus will also provide a 10 percent rebate to ISACo on each sale so that the Association can continue to offer a high level of service at minimal cost to members.

The webinar will take place on the following date: 

• November 30, 2023, at 10am CST (Link Available Later)

University of Illinois Chicago Requesting Projects for Capstone Class

The Master of Public Administration (MPA), Master of Public Policy (MPP), and Master of Science in Civic Analytics (MSCA) programs at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) are accepting requests from public and nonprofit organizations for Capstone projects for the Spring 2024 semester. These “learning in action” projects give students in the three programs the opportunity to work on practical problems with the support of faculty in a real-world situation. Each student team works with a client organization on a particular problem or challenge. There is no cost to the client organization. The deadline for the Spring 2024 semester is November 30th.

More information and a guidelines document is available via this link. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Christelle Khalaf at ckhalaf@uic.edu.

Upcoming NACo Webinars

NACo has announced the following upcoming webinar opportunities. ISACo is a proud partner with NACo and encourages counties to participate in NACo membership and activities. 

TechKnow Series: November and December Sessions

(Thursday, November 20 - December 13, 2023, 12:00pm-1:00pm CST)

November 20, 2023 | 12:00pm CST - Charting Your AI Growth: Practical Generative AI - An Introduction to Use Cases

December 13, 2023 | 12:00pm CST - Charting Your AI Growth: Practical Generative AI - Steps for Productivity Improvements

The dates above are for the TechKnow Webinar Series following the Tech Xchange Overview where there will be a discussion regarding the developments of Generative AI as a tool, its use cases and the potential in productivity improvements.

Click on this link to register for the webinar. 

Strategies for Connecting County Residents with Free Tax Assistance

(Thursday, November 23, 2023, 12:00pm-1:00pm CST)

With refundable tax credits serving as the largest federal anti-poverty program, tax time is an important opportunity for county leaders to connect low-income residents with vital income supports. Join NACo and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for a webinar focused on strategies for supporting and promoting Free IRS-certified tax preparation so that county residents can keep more of their money at tax time..

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

Hiring Neurodiverse Talent in the Public Sector - Breaking Down the Barriers

(Thursday, November 30, 2023, 12:00pm-1:00pm CST)

Local governments have been impacted by the workforce crisis, yet they have not fully leveraged the potential of neurodivergent individuals. Despite having high attention to detail, pattern recognition, and many other valuable skills, there are several barriers preventing local governments from hiring neurodivergent individuals. Join NACo to learn about these barriers and solutions to overcome them.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

Fostering Healthy Dialogues and Collaborations with Community Organizations and Neighboring Counties

(Monday, December 4, 2023, 12:00pm-1:00pm CST)

Housing is a foundational element to community prosperity, contributing to health, economic mobility, safety, and resilience. Sometimes the conversation around housing can be limited to finances, but engaging with the community to reframe the conversation to one about community property can gather support for housing projects. In this session, three former housing task force members will discuss how counties engage with the community and how counties foster collaborations with organizations and neighboring counties.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

Increasing SNAP and WIC Enrollment via County-Led Systems Change

(Tuesday, December 5, 2023, 1:00pm-2:00pm CST)

Hear from Coordinating SNAP & Nutrition Supports (CSNS) cohort members on how they are transforming the delivery of human services in their counties and beyond. The CSNS program is a systems change initiative that supports key process changes related to technology, outreach and enrollment assistance, cross-departmental collaboration, and creating more equitable processes and practices embedded in the decision making process and administration of nutrition programs. CSNS is funded by Share Our Strength and administered by the American Public Human Services Association.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

Counties Supporting Veterans: Operation Green Light and Beyond

(Friday, December 8, 2023, 12:00pm-1:00pm CST)

Operation Green Light for Veterans attracted participation from many of America’s counties this year. Join this webinar to hear how county leaders advocated for veterans and learn how purchasing supplies from veteran-owned businesses can be part of your year-round smart buying strategy.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT 

This week's corporate partner spotlight highlights ISACo's newest corporate partner, Public Surplus.

Public Surplus is an online auction platform that offers services to local government agencies. Their system was created with unique capabilities specifically for public agencies, making it much more than an auction site. 

ISACo has partnered with Public Surplus to provide large discounts for our county members when it comes to doing online auctions, specifically real estate sales. 

Through a partnership with ISACo, Illinois counties are eligible to list items with a reduced buyer's premium, which will encourage competitive bidding on surplus items listed. With Public Surplus, buyers are responsible for all service fees, and it costs counties nothing to use the service. 

Public Surplus will also provide a 10 percent rebate to ISACo on each sale so that the Association can continue to offer a high level of service at minimal cost to members. 

To foster this new partnership, Public Surplus will be offering a 20-minute webinar to interested individuals to learn more about Public Surplus. Participants will be guided on how to register, or re-register a new account. 

Stay tuned for available webinar dates. 

More information about the services provided by Public Surplus is available via this link. 

Click on this link to learn more about the benefits and opportunities available through ISACo's Corporate Partner Program.

Become an ISACo Member!