This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views e-newsletter makes county officials aware of a salary transparency law that takes effect in 2025, shares that October was proclaimed "Cybersecurity Awareness Month," reports on a new dashboard offered by Cook County to track opioid, firearm and temperature deaths, includes information about millions awarded in grant money through the Get Covered Illinois Navigator Program, 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 Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP and invites counties to join ISACo.

Salary Transparency Law Going into Effect in 2025

The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) is reminding employers and those looking for a job that, starting January 1, 2025, employers with 15 or more employees must include pay scale and benefit information in job postings.

This requirement is the result of an amendment to the Equal Pay Act of 2003 that was contained in HB 3129, passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker in 2023.

The press release is available via this link. 

October Proclaimed Cybersecurity Awareness Month

On October 1, 2024, Governor JB Pritzker issued a proclamation declaring October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT) is reminding residents of available resources to stay safe online. 

The press release is available via this link.

New Cook County Dashboard Tracks Opioid, Gun and Temperature Deaths

Cook County has launched a new online dashboard providing public access to information about opioid-, gun- and temperature-related deaths. The Medical Examiner Case Archive Dashboard allows users to access a range of demographic information for Cook County residents who’ve died because of opioids, guns or temperature-related deaths, including age, gender, race and ethnicity. The dashboard allows users to filter data by municipality and cause of death. Visitors also can pinpoint which neighborhoods are experiencing higher death rates.

Additional information is available via this link.

Millions In Grants Awarded Through Get Covered Illinois Navigator Program

The Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) and the Department of Insurance (IDOI) are announcing that five healthcare organizations have been awarded a total of $6.5 million in grants through the Get Covered Illinois Navigator Program for Plan Year 2025.  

• Federación de Clubes Michoacanos en Illinois: $300,000
• Illinois Primary Healthcare Association: $3,500,000
• Rincon Family Services: $1,100,000
• Sinai Community Institute: $750,000
• Springfield Urban League, Inc.: $850,000

The press release is available via this link. 

What We're Reading

Will the Postal Service Deliver Ballots on Time? State Election Officials are Worried (Governing)

New Cook County Dashboard Tracks Opioid, Gun and Temperature Deaths (Daily Herald) 

States and Tribes Receive $1.5B to Combat Opioid Crisis as Overdose Deaths Decline (American City and County)

What Can Helene's 'Biblical' Flooding Teach Communities Outside the Southeast? (Governing)

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:

• October 10, 2024, at 2 pm CST (This week!) 
• 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 Public Surplus 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.  

Pre-Proposal Content Webinar for 2025 NACo Technology Innovation Forum

(Monday, October 7, 2024, 12:00pm-12:45pm CST)

This 45-minute webinar will provide an overview of the process for submitting content for the 2025 Legislative Conference Technology Innovation Forum (formerly CIO Forum). 
 
Proposed Theme:

• Risk Management in a Digital World
• OR Empowering Leaders: Navigating Technology Risks in County Government

Subtopics that can be covered:

• Managing risk in general - strategies including cost benefit analysis of deciding on the level of risk a county is willing/able to accept
• ADA Compliance - Websites, electronic documents, adaptive technologies, regulations, upcoming legislation, etc.
• FOIA/Public Records - Records retention, response timeliness and completeness, redaction, compliance, etc.
• Investigations - Employee primarily, policy allowing review of content created by personnel, access to personal drives and email accounts, network and web activity, etc.
• Resilience – How to respond to technology crises (cyber and other)
• Reputation - Managing organizational image and communications in times of crisis
• Human Resources – the human factor in technology risk management
• Insurance – Cyber Insurance
• Contractual Terms and conditions – general legal technology, cyber clauses
• Federal and state obligations - HIPAA, CJIS and Technology
• IoT risk – best practices around managing the risk of various devices (cameras, HVAC, etc)

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

AI in County Government: Today's Impact and Tomorrow's Potential

(Tuesday, October 8, 2024, 12:00pm-1:00pm CST)

Join NACo for a 1-hour roundtable discussion where county leaders discuss the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in county government services – both now and tomorrow. The speakers will cover strategies to overcome barriers to entry, share real county use cases, and explore the challenges of integrating AI. They'll also highlight emerging technologies and how county governments can start building a strong foundational understanding of AI before planning future investments.

Key takeaways:

• Learn about the barriers to implementing AI and hear how counties have overcome obstacles.
• Discover AI use cases that are enhancing county service delivery and the challenges faced along the way.
• Get insights into emerging technologies and how to take the next steps to exploring how AI can impact your county.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

Think Outside the Box: Coal Communities Embracing New Roles to Spark Economic Development

(Thursday, October 10, 2024, 1:00pm-2:00pm CST)

Coal-impacted counties are taking on new roles to promote economic development in their communities. Join the BRECC National Network this October to learn how counties are stepping into innovative sectors and pursuing unique projects to diversify their local economy. This learning session will spotlight inspiring projects on engaging community members, growing industry clusters, and addressing housing challenges.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

Implementing the Medicaid Reentry Waiver in California Counties: Key Policy and Operational Insights

(Wednesday, October 16, 2024, 2:00pm-3:00pm CST)

Counties have access to new resources to improve community safety and reduce overdose deaths as a result of recent changes to federal Medicaid policy. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have applied for the Medicaid Reentry Demonstration waiver so far and eleven state proposals have been approved as of August 2024.

How will these changes affect your county? Join NACo to learn what is happening across the country as states and counties begin implementing these substantial systems changes. Key learnings from the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge work with 11 counties in California - the first approved waiver state - will be shared along with implications for counties across the country.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

The Importance of Funding Election Infrastructure

(Thursday, October 17, 2024, 12:00pm-1:00pm CST)

Election infrastructure is the backbone of our democracy, ensuring that every eligible vote is cast, counted, and reported securely and accurately. In recent years, however, election systems across the country have faced unprecedented challenges—ranging from cybersecurity threats to funding shortages—making it more critical than ever to invest in our election infrastructure. This webinar will bring together election experts to discuss the current state of election infrastructure and how adequate funding can strengthen election integrity, support local election officials, and protect voter confidence.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

Stage CARES (Community Abatement Resources & Economic Solutions): Patent-Pending, Evidence-Based Too

(Thursday, October 17, 2024, 1:00pm-2:00pm CST)

Join NACo for a webinar to spotlight Stage CARES – Community Abatement Resources Economic Solutions. CARES is designed to help counties and states effectively solve their opioid epidemic through innovative, evidence-based tools and strategies.

This session will share insights from national and local leaders.

• Discover how CARES patent-pending technology provides data-driven recommendations along with program cost estimates from Stage Analytics’ Co-founders and Principals, Dr. Caleb Alexander, and Dr. Bill Padula.
• Learn  how to develop evidence-based plans and budgets for your county’s opioid abatement strategy.
• Gain practical knowledge from local leaders on how CARES enables efficient collaboration and coordination among stakeholders.
• Explore the platform’s capabilities in collecting, measuring, and visualizing real-time, compliant data to meet settlement requirements.

This webinar offers a unique opportunity to see firsthand how Stage CARES can empower your community with the tools and insights needed to solve your opioid epidemic.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

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

(Thursday, October 22, 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.

Hosted by the National Association of Counties (NACo) in partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts and the MacArthur Foundation, this presentation will offer information and inspiration to support county efforts in addressing behavioral health crises using new or existing services.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT 

Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP is the largest law firm in the nation dedicated exclusively to collecting governmental debt. Last year we managed more than $10 billion in delinquencies on behalf of more than 2,400 governmental entities. Our collection programs are custom tailored using the latest technology and guided by the highest legal and ethical standards.

In addition to standard collection services, our unique data analysis technology gives us the ability to identify potential receivables such as erroneous homestead exemptions.

Linebarger’s Chicago office provides comprehensive collection services to cities across Illinois including Chicago, Waukegan, Joliet and Springfield, as well as the Illinois Department of Revenue.

Click here to learn more about Linebarger Attorneys at Law. 

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

Become an ISACo Member!