This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views e-newsletter includes Illinois election and Veto Session updates, makes county officials aware of an Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) Paid Leave for All Workers Act webinar opportunity, highlights additional funding available for the Residential Sharps Collection Program, shares information about funding available for groups with health disparities, provides information about the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Certified Local Government Grants Program, announces a notice of funding opportunity for the Illinois Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program, informs county officials about the State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2024 Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Swift Current grant program, shares what ISACo staff is reading to stay informed, announces upcoming National Association of Counties (NACo) webinar opportunities, highlights ISACo's corporate partnership with Public Surplus and invites counties to join ISACo.

Illinois Election Update

ISACo prepared a summary (available via this link) of Illinois's 2024 election results. Incumbents prevailed in federal races for Congress, Democrats retained their supermajorities in the General Assembly, voters approved three advisory ballot referenda, and several counties cast symbolic votes to secede from the State. 

Veto Session Update

The Fall Veto Session commenced this week as legislators arrived in Springfield on Tuesday, November 12. The General Assembly is scheduled to remain in session through Thursday and return from November 19-21. No specific issues have been identified for consideration at the moment. ISACo will provide updates as developments emerge. 

Paid Leave for All Workers Act Webinar
 
The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) is hosting a webinar about the Paid Leave for All Workers Act (PLAWA). The webinar will be held on Thursday, November 21, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. CST. More information and a link to register are available via this link. 

Additional Funding Available for Residential Sharps Collection Program

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Acting Director James Jennings announced on Thursday, November 7, 2024,  an additional $400,000 in funding available to units of local government to conduct collection and disposal of household sharps for their residents. With this funding, Illinois EPA has made $1 million available to units of local government for this program in calendar year 2024. Sharps, including needles, syringes and lancets, collected from private citizens are a household waste. Through the grant program, Illinois EPA provides funding for grantees to operate a sharps collection station, as defined in Section 3.458 of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act, and disposal of the collected sharps as Potentially Infectious Medical Waste (PIMW) rather than comingled with other household items. 

The press release is available via this link. 

Grant Funding Made Available to Help in Eliminating Health Disparities

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced it is seeking proposals from local health departments and community-based organizations for a Health Equity Zone (HEZ) pilot project that will work to eliminate health disparities using innovative practices in specified geographic areas. The notice of funding opportunities gives interested groups until Tuesday, December 3, 2024, to file an application for up to $500,000 in grant funding.

The HEZ program is funded through a $1 million appropriation from the General Assembly and is an outgrowth of the department’s Healthy Illinois 2028 State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) and State Health Assessment (SHA), which include addressing racism as a public health crisis as a key priority. The effort is led by IDPH in partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health.

The press release is available via this link. 

IDNR Certified Local Government Grants Program
 
The State Historic Preservation Office of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (available via this link) for the Illinois Certified Local Government Grants Program for State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2025. The matching grants program serves as a resource for municipal and county governments to develop and sustain effective local preservation programs and projects critical to preserving local historic resources. There are currently 81 Certified Local Governments in Illinois (available via this link). Individual awards of up to $30,000 are available and approximately $110,000 to $150,000 in total funding will be available for this round of grants statewide. The deadline to apply is Friday, November 15, 2024. More information can be found on IDNR’s website (available via this link).

IEPA Green Infrastructure Projects
 
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (available via this link) for the Green Infrastructure Grant Opportunities Program. The program seeks proposals for projects containing green infrastructure best management practices that prevent, eliminate or reduce storm water runoff, reducing localized or riverine flooding in Illinois’ rivers, streams and lakes. A total of $5 million is available statewide. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, November 20, 2024, by 12:00 p.m. CST. More information is available on IEPA’s website (available via this link).

Illinois Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program
 
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (available via this link) for the Illinois Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program. The program will establish a network of at least 13 Clean Jobs Program delivery hubs across Illinois, focused on recruiting and providing clean energy and related workforce training to job seekers. These hubs will collaborate with employers, community-based organizations, educational institutions and labor-based training providers to ensure that eligible individuals statewide receive ongoing support for entering in clean energy careers. A total of $10 million is available statewide. The deadline to apply is Monday, December 2, 2024, by 5:00 p.m. CST. More information is available on DCEO’s website (available via this link).
 
Flood Mitigation Assistance Swift Current Grant Program
 
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has determined that the State of Illinois is eligible for the SFY 2024 Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Swift Current grant program. FMA Swift Current provides grants for Individual Flood Mitigation Projects for Repetitive Loss, Severe Repetitive Loss or properties deemed Substantially Damaged after the applicant’s disaster declaration. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security will begin accepting sub-applications on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. A total of up to $10 million is available statewide. Eligible entities include state, local, territorial and Tribal governments. The deadline to apply is Friday, February 14, 2025. More information can be found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (available via this link).

What We're Reading

Ransomware Presents a Growing Threat to Vulnerable Local Governments (American City and County) 

Illinois Investing Over $2 Million to Improve Tourism (WCIA)

Federal Judge Strikes Down Illinois Assault Weapons Ban, Setting Up Likely Appeal (Capitol News Illinois) 

When They Search for New Staffers, Cities and Counties Should Cast a Wide Net and Recruit Globally (American City and County)

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.    

Maximizing Efficiency in County Finance

(Thursday, November 14, 2024, 1:00pm-2:00pm CST)

During this webinar NACo will discuss the benefits of digitizing accounts payable (AP) and expense management processes and demonstrate how technology and automation can help county finance leaders alleviate staffing challenges, increase efficiency, and ensure financial accuracy and compliance.

The goal of this webinar is to provide county finance leaders with actionable insights and practical guidance on how automation can benefit their departments, addressing both the challenges they face and the opportunities available through technology.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.  

ADA Compliance for Government Websites: A Practical Conversation

(Thursday, November 21, 2024, 12:00pm-1:00pm CST)

Join NACo for a practical discussion on ADA website compliance and how to implement effective strategies to ensure your government website is inclusive for all residents.

Key Topics:

• Developing a Strategy: Learn how to create a roadmap for your website's accessibility journey.
• Practical Tips for Implementation: Discover actionable steps to enhance your website's accessibility.
• The Role of Vendors and Third-Party Tools: How to collaborate with vendors and leverage technology to streamline the process.
• Overcoming Common Challenges: Address pain points and find effective solutions.

Don't Miss This Opportunity to: 

• Gain valuable insights from industry experts.
• Network with other compliance professionals.
• Access a curated list of free tools and assessments to help you get started.

Click on this link to register for the webinar. 

How to Champion Your Coal Communities’ Natural Resources

(Thursday, November 21, 2024, 1:00pm-2:00pm CST)

Join the BRECC National Network this November to learn how coal communities are balancing resource conservation and economic development. This session will highlight how coal-impacted communities can leverage public lands, natural resources and federal partnerships to successfully champion the needs of their community. This BRECC National Network Session will feature the Conservation Fund’s “Activation Program” and community leaders embracing a multi-point approach to natural resource economies.  

Click on this link to register for the webinar.   

CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT 

This week's corporate partner spotlight highlights 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. 

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

*Please note, if you already use a Public Surplus account, you must re-register in order for ISACo to receive a portion of the sale. ISACo thanks you for your support!

Sign up or re-register your Public Surplus Account 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!