This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views e-newsletter includes information about a new state initiative to expand broadband access by mapping broadband connectivity and testing connection speeds, provides a link to the latest Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) Local Tax Allocation Division (LTAD) quarterly newsletter, shares new guidance from the U.S. Treasury Department on the recoupment and reallocation of Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Program funds, offers a link to a National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) town hall on daylight savings time, highlights corporate partner 2im Group and invites counties to join ISACo.
New Interactive Broadband Mapping and Speed Test Tools Announced
On October 7, 2021, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Office of Broadband announced a new interactive Connect Illinois Broadband Map and creation of the Illinois Broadband Lab, a collaborative effort by the State of Illinois, university partners including the University of Illinois System and Illinois Innovation Network, and key stakeholders including the Illinois-based Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.
Together, these efforts will provide Illinois residents and communities with new data on broadband connectivity in their area, as well as an online speed test to identify gaps and tailor broadband planning efforts to boost access to high-speed internet service.
A new interactive state broadband mapping tool, county-level PDF maps and other resources are now available to the public via the Illinois Broadband Lab website: http://ibl.illinois.edu - which was developed by and will be housed at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Technology Services unit.
These resources are part of a broader effort to bring 21st-century capability to every community in the state.
Click on this link for additional information.
IDOR Local Tax Allocation Division Quarterly NewsLetter
Click on this link to access the latest Local Tax Allocation Division (LTAD) quarterly newsletter to read about recent updates and news from the LTAD. The current newsletter includes an update on the 2020 Census.
US Treasury Department publishes New Guidance on the Recoupment and Reallocation of ERA Program Funds
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which established and appropriated $25 billion for the first round of the Emergency Rental Assistance program (ERA1), directed the U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury) to recapture and reallocate “excess” ERA1 funds beginning on September 30, 2021. On October 4, Treasury published new guidance outlining how it plans to recoup and redistribute these funds. Click on this link for the full update from NACo.
NCSL Policy Townhall on Daylight Savings Time
On Tuesday, October 12, 2021, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) will hold a town hall discussion about the policy debate over daylight savings time. This 30 minute event will be held from 11:15 am - 11:45 am over Facebook. Click on this link to join the event.
Corporate Sponsor Spotlight
This week's corporate partner spotlight highlights ISACo's partnership with 2im Group.
2im Group, LLC is a multi-disciplined civil engineering and environmental services firm, specializing in water resource management. Their experience includes working with transportation agencies and private sector clients. 2im Group, LLC strives to recognize their clients’ priorities to ensure project success!
The project scopes include: Phase I studies, reports, and investigations; Phase II detailed plans, specifications, and engineer’s cost estimates; and Phase III construction engineering services.
2im Group was established in July 2005 and has a combined personnel experience of over 100 years. Major clients include the Illinois Tollway and the Illinois Department of Transportation.
More information about the services provided by 2im Group, LLC 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!
Is your county a member of ISACo? If not, why not?
ISACo is a statewide association whose mission is to empower county officials to provide excellent service to their residents.
ISACo member counties are comprised of forward-thinking public servants who recognize that the challenges confronting county governments require new and innovative ideas, collaborative solutions and collective advocacy at the state and federal levels of government.
Members of the association will benefit from education and training opportunities, peer-to-peer networking, shared resources and robust representation before policymakers at various levels of government. ISACo creates and connects county officials to these opportunities and successfully equips them to make counties ideal places to live, work and play.
If your county is interested in discussing membership in ISACo, please contact Executive Director Joe McCoy at (217) 679-3368 or jmccoy@isacoil.org. ISACo member counties are listed here. Thank you for your consideration.