This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views e-newsletter highlights record-breaking tourism for the state in 2024, makes county officials and staff aware of cemetery relief fund grants that are available to apply for, highlights more than $1 billion in investment earnings for the states' portfolio by Treasurer Michael Frerichs, links to articles ISACo staff is reading to stay informed, congratulates Illinois graduates of NACo's High Performance Leadership Academy, highlights ISACo corporate partner Intergovernmental Personnel Bennefit Cooperative (IPBC), links to upcoming National Assocation of Counties webinar opportunities and invites counties to join ISACo.

Record-Breaking Tourism Achievements Earned in 2024

Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s (DCEO) Office of Tourism announced that Illinois welcomed 113 million domestic and international visitors who spent a record $48.5 billion in 2024 – an increase of 500,000 visitors and $1.3 billion in spending from 2023, according to data provided by Tourism Economics. This tourism surge also led to a new all-time high in hotel tax revenue figures in FY25, totaling $367 million – a 14% increase over the previous record set in FY24.

The press release is available via this link.  

Cemetery Relief Fund Grants Available for Local Governments

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) announced on Friday, August 29, 2025, a new program that will grant funds to clean up cemeteries that have been abandoned, neglected or are otherwise in need of additional care. Units of local government and not-for-profit organizations (including, but not limited to, not-for-profit cemetery authorities) are eligible to apply for ten Cemetery Relief Fund Grants that will be issued yearly. Each grant, valued up to $20,000, is supported by funding allocated in the FY26 state budget signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker. Applicants may apply by completing and submitting the application found online here. The deadline to apply is October 24, 2025.

The press release is available via this link. 

Treasurer Frerichs Makes Record $1.57 Billion In Investment Earnings for State Portfolio

The State Treasurer’s Office made a record $1.57 billion in investment earnings from the state investment portfolio during Fiscal Year 2025, Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced today.

Also in Fiscal Year 2025, the Treasurer’s Office made $998 million in gross investment earnings for cities, villages, school districts, counties and other units of government that take part in the highly rated Illinois Funds local government investment pool the State Treasurer’s Office operates. The Illinois Funds has received the highest rating of AAA from Fitch, a national credit ratings agency.

The press release is available via this link.  

What We're Reading

Feds Send Billions to States for Highways. Locals Want a Bigger Share. (Governing)

The Grades Are Out on Legislators and the Environment (CapitolCityNow)

Illinois Transit Authority Shifts Money to Delay Service Cuts (AmericanCityandCounty)

National Association of Counties Leadership Development: Learn from the best!

ISACo would like to acknowledge and congratulate the Illinois graduates who participated in the April cohort of NACo's High Performance Leadership Academy:

• Dawn Bullock, County Board Member, Will County
• Jackie Mathias, Jail RESET Director, McLean County
• Tjuana Williams, Director of Revenue Collections and Recovery, Cook County

Join over 10,000 county leaders already benefiting from the effectiveness of the NACo Leadership Academy, the 12-week, online leadership program founded by General Colin Powell. Scholarships are still available for you and your team. 

Enroll now for September 2025!

Our September Cohorts are right around the corner. Join us in investing in the workforce – empowering them to become better leaders today and into the future.

Click here to learn more and enroll!

Developed by General Colin Powell, the Professional Development Academy and NACo, the High Performance Leadership Academy is an online 12-week program that helps your workforce develop fundamental, practical leadership skills to deliver results for counties and our residents.

Learn more about IPRIME

Founded in 2019, the Illinois Public Reserves Investment Management Trust™ (IPRIME™) referred to as “the Fund” is an investment pool for Municipal Treasurers acting on behalf of counties, townships, cities, towns, villages, libraries, park districts, water supply districts, fire protection districts, sanitary districts, housing authorities and other subdivisions of the State of Illinois.

The IPRIME Investment Shares Series is rated AAAm by Standard & Poor’s.

The Investment Shares Series is comprised of money market instruments having a maximum remaining maturity of one year (except U.S. government obligations that may have remaining maturities of up to two years).

The primary objectives of the Investment Shares Series are to offer the highest possible investment yield, protect principal, preserve liquidity and maintain Standard & Poor’s highest local government investment pool rating of AAAm. In addition, the Fund offers access to PMA Financial Network, LLC’s Fixed Income and Deposit Programs. With the experience and expertise of PMA, the Investment Shares Series grants investors access to a powerful investment management team that functions with a high standard of vision, synergy, and quality.

Click on the photo below to learn more about IPRIME!

Please contact Member Services and Communications Manager Tiffani Homer at thomer@isacoil.org if you have additional questions.

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.     

Transforming County Payouts with Real-Time Innovation

(Thursday, September 4, 2025, 1:00pm-2:00pm CST)

​​​​​​Discover the technological evolution of county disbursements and how digital finance transformation can mitigate risks and enhance operational efficiency. As counties strive to modernize their legacy systems and reduce costs, staying ahead of technology trends is crucial. This session will explore how counties can leverage the latest advancements in real-time disbursements to revolutionize their payout processes. Attendees will gain insights into emerging trends and practical use cases that showcase the journey from outdated payout processes to advanced technology disbursements.

Click on this link to register for the webinar. 

Legal Considerations for Federal Funding Challenges

(Monday, September 8, 2025, 1:00pm-2:00pm CST)

​​​​​​The second Trump administration has ushered in significant shifts in policy and agency level actions relating to federal funding for local governments. This webinar will provide an overview of the most pressing federal funding challenges faced by local governments. Discussion will include agency level actions impacting local government grants, including grant terminations and conditions on grants. The presentation will provide a high-level overview of legal principles local government officials and attorneys should understand when interpreting these actions as well as a discussion of the lawsuits impacting local government grants and federal funding. 

Click on this link to register for the webinar. 

From Public Lands to Local Budgets: How Federal Revenue Sharing Flows from the Federal Government

(Wednesday, September 10, 2025, 7:00am-9:00am CST)

​​​​​​This session will explore key revenue-sharing programs that impact public lands counties and their communities. Oil & gas and timber county revenue sharing are critical for sustaining county budgets, funding essential public services and supporting infrastructure in resource-dependent communities. These revenues help counties offset the costs of maintaining roads, providing public safety and delivering community programs, especially in public lands counties where local tax bases are limited. Revenue-sharing programs strengthen local economies, promote long-term community resilience and uphold the partnership between local governments, state governments, the federal government and natural resource industries by ensuring that counties can utilize proceeds from natural resource production to offset impacts from public land development and industry within their jurisdictions.

Click on this link to register for the webinar. 

Unity in Uncertainty: Partnership-Powered Resilience

(Thursday, September 11, 2025, 12:00pm-1:00pm CST)

​​​​​​In today’s rapidly changing operating environment, local government leaders face unprecedented challenges. This training equips local government leaders with collaborative strategies and partnership frameworks to navigate uncertainty and complexity, emerging stronger and more resilient. Comprehensive partnerships and diverse perspectives can solidify and fortify operations during uncertain times.

Click on this link to register for the webinar. 

Robert's Rules 102: Advancing Your Meeting Mastery for Effective Governance

(Tuesday, September 16, 2025, 1:00pm-2:00pm CST)

​​​​​​Robert’s Rules can help you run effective meetings. Don’t forget to attend “Roberts Rules 101 – Mastering the Basics” being held at the NACo Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Pa.Whether you're a newbie or an experienced leader, Robert's Rules 102 goes beyond the basics to equip you with the skills needed to orchestrate meetings that truly make an impact. Learn to minimize disruptions, establish proper procedures and apply Robert's Rules to real-life parliamentary examples.

Click on this link to register for the webinar. 

Enhancing Child Welfare: Best Practices for Measuring and Improving Outcomes

(Tuesday, September 23, 2025, 1:00pm-2:00pm CST)

​​​​​​Join NACo for an insightful webinar focusing on child welfare specifically designed for county governments. We will delve into evidence-based practices, informed funding decisions, cost efficiencies, and effective program management. Key areas of discussion will include out-of-home placements, prevention services, and reunification services.

During the webinar, NACo panel of county leaders will share the latest methodologies for outcomes monitoring and discuss the importance of translating these outcomes into actionable practices. Attendees will gain valuable insights into identifying service gaps, leveraging data for increased service utilization, and supporting fiscal efficiencies. This session will empower county executives and department leaders with strategies to measure outcomes effectively and implement best practices for continuous quality improvement. 

Key takeaways:
1.    Understanding the importance of outcomes monitoring
2.    Measuring and reporting best practices to enhance accountability and transparency
3.    Improving preventative and early intervention services
4.    Optimizing resource allocation and enhancing collaboration
5.    Implementing standardized assessments and continuous quality improvement initiatives

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

Unity in Uncertainty: Thriving Through Turbulence

(Tuesday, October 9, 2025, 2:00pm-3:00pm CST)

​​​​​​This training will focus on the current operating environment and emphasize core partnerships to identify opportunities and strengthen infrastructure security and resilience. Comprehensive partnerships and diverse perspectives can solidify and fortify operations during uncertain times. 

Click on this link to register for the webinar.   

CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT  

IPBC is a partnership of Illinois local government entities who are committed to the philosophy of risk pooling and working together to provide cost-effective health and related benefits to their employees and their families.

Click here to learn more about IPBC.

 Become an ISACo Member! 

Is your county a member of ISACo? If not, why not?