This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views e-newsletter includes information about an OSLAD grant opportunity, announces funding for the 2024 USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant program, highlights that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is accepting sealed bids for agricultural lease contracts for crop years 2025-2029, shares that Kendall County Planning, Building and Zoning Director Matthew Asselmeier has been appointed to represent counties on a state task force, shares what ISACo staff is reading to stay informed, announces upcoming  Public Surplus and National Association of Counties (NACo) webinar opportunities, highlights ISACo corporate partner Comcast and invites counties to join ISACo.

Open Space Land Acquisition and Development Grants
 
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is accepting applications for the next round of Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grants. OSLAD is a matching grant program that provides state-financed funding assistance to local government agencies for the acquisition and development of land for public parks and outdoor recreation areas. A total of $54 million is available statewide for this round of OSLAD grants.
 
IDNR will provide funding to cover 100% of eligible projects located in qualified economically distressed communities. IDNR has released a list of communities (available via this link) that are considered economically distressed. Ten counties are included on the list.
 
Applications must be submitted to IDNR through the AmpliFund Grant Management System (available via this link). The deadline to apply is Friday, September 13, 2024, by 5:00 p.m. CT. More information about the OSLAD grant program can be found on IDNR’s website (available via this link).

Federal Funding Distributed to Fortify Illinois' Specialty Crop Industry

In an effort to support the state's specialty crop industry, the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) will distribute nearly $525,000 over a three-year period through the 2024 USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant program. Funding for this program was authorized by the 2018 Federal Farm Bill.

Projects were selected after a competitive review process with IDOA and an external review committee composed of representatives from the specialty crop industry, research and economic development and producers.

The press release is available via this link. 

Agriculture Lease Application Open for 2025-2029

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) will accept sealed bids this fall for about 30 agricultural lease contracts for crop years 2025-2029.

IDNR utilizes agricultural leases as a tool to support wildlife populations and recreational opportunities at sites owned or managed by the agency. The leases developed under this program will promote ecologically sound agricultural practices to improve soil health, minimize soil erosion, improve water quality and reduce chemical impacts to benefit wildlife populations and their habitats.

The press release is available via this link. 

County Representative Appointed to Interjurisdictional Industrial Zoning Impacts Task Force

ISACo is pleased to announce that Kendall County Planning, Building and Zoning Director Matthew Asselmeier has been appointed by Illinois House Speaker Emanuel 'Chris' Welch to represent counties on the newly created Task Force on Interjurisdictional Industrial Zoning Impacts. The Task Force will study State and local zoning laws and policies related to large industrial developments.

The Task Force was created by the enactment of SB 692 (P.A. 103-0882). ISACo supported the legislation. 

What We're Reading

Illinois Doesn’t Have Parole. A Group of Incarcerated Men is Working to Change That (WTTW)

Illinois to Soon Ban Mini Shampoo Bottles in Hotel Rooms (Fox2Now) 

Doctors Scramble for Solutions Amid Mental Health Worker Shortage (WICS)

Cities and Counties Can Take Key Steps to Avoid Costly Ransomware Attacks (American City and County)

State Law Banning Concealed Carry on Public Transit Ruled Unconstitutional (Capitol News Illinois) 

Upcoming Public Surplus Webinar Dates

Public Surplus will be offering 20-minute webinar sessions to 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 dates:

• September 11, 2024, at 11 am CST
• October 10, 2024, at 2 pm CST
• October 22, 2024, at 3 pm CST

Please contact Member Services and Communications Manager Tiffani Homer at thomer@isacoil.org to sign up for the webinar.  

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.  

Serve Your Constituents Through Better Cybersecurity

(Tuesday, September 17, 2024, 12:00pm-1:00pm CST)

In today’s world, cybersecurity is a critical component of effective governance and risk management. Join NACo and Celerium on September 17 at 1 PM ET for an informative webinar tailored for county governments on how they can serve their constituents through better cybersecurity.

This session will provide an overview of strategies and best practices to enhance your county’s cybersecurity and risk management posture. Learn how to proactively address the unique challenges faced by local government entities, including protecting citizen information and mitigating emerging threats.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Help Employees Protect Their Retirement Income when It Matters Most

(Wednesday, September 18, 2024, 12:00pm-1:00pm CST)

When it comes to retirement investments, your employees may need help choosing the right thing at the right time. Join Nationwide and NACo EDGE for this September 18 webinar to learn how you can help savers stay on track for retirement by offering automatic features that deliver in-plan lifetime income.

Can’t wait for the webinar? Learn more at our resource hub at nrsforu.com. You can also enjoy this quick read and watch a 2-minute video in Nationwide's nrsforu.com newsroom to learn more about helping employees be more confident in their retirement planning.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

State Funding for County Behavioral Health Crisis Services: Examples and Opportunities

(Thursday, September 26, 2024, 1:00pm-2:00pm CST)

State support can be pivotal for counties pursuing the sustainability and expansion of their local behavioral health crisis services and infrastructures. In this webinar, speakers will explore examples of state-funded initiatives that bolster county-level behavioral health crisis services. This session will share lessons learned from two different counties that have successfully navigated state funding opportunities to enhance their crisis response systems. Participants will gain insights into the potential avenues for securing and utilizing state funds, learn about the challenges and triumphs experienced by county programs, and discover new opportunities to strengthen their local behavioral health services.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

NACo Cyberattack Simulation: Financial Access

(Monday, Sept. 23 - Friday, September 27, 2024, 12:00pm-1:00pm CST)

Financial transaction systems are prime targets for cyber threats due to the value and sensitivity of the data. This cyber simulation assesses risks and fortifies safeguards within financial access systems. The simulation involves breaches from unauthorized access to financial systems, often obtained through what seem to be legitimate contacts, but in reality, are not. The simulation seeks to foster a comprehensive understanding of the complexities inherent in securing financial access to systems, enabling the development and testing of proactive strategies to mitigate cyber risks effectively. Insights derived from this simulation will empower institutions to fortify their cybersecurity posture, implement stringent controls, bolster incident response capabilities, and proactively defend against evolving cyber threats targeting financial infrastructure.

Click on this link to register for the webinar. 

CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

Comcast Corporation is a global media and technology company with three primary businesses: Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, and Sky. Comcast Cable is one of the United States’ largest video, high-speed internet, and phone providers to residential customers under the Xfinity brand, and also provides these services to businesses. It also provides wireless and security and automation services to residential customers under the Xfinity brand. NBCUniversal is global and operates news, entertainment, and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures, and Universal Parks and Resorts. Sky is one of Europe’s leading media and entertainment companies, connecting customers to a broad range of video content through its pay television services. It also provides communications services, including residential high-speed internet, phone, and wireless services. Sky operates the Sky News broadcast network and sports and entertainment networks, produces original content and has exclusive content rights.

With more than 6,000 local employees, Comcast’s Greater Chicago Region (https://chicago.comcast.com) serves customers in central and northern Illinois, including the Chicago area, northwest Indiana and southwest Michigan.

​Click here to learn more about Comcast.