February - 2020

SOUTH SUBURBAN MAYORS & MANAGERS ASSOCIATION

Calumet City Home Depot seeks veteran and community improvement projects

Southland Reactivation Act introduced in Illinois Senate

Feb 27, 2020

Southland Reactivation Act introduced in Illinois Senate

The Act is model legislation that provides an immediate solution to high property tax burdens and the staggering number of blighted or underperforming commercial and industrial properties across the south suburbs of Chicago. The Reactivation Act is proposed as a pilot program that utilizes the existing South Suburban Land Bank and Development Authority (SSLBDA) and the Cook County Land Bank Authority (CCLBA) to attract market-driven development to property that has been desig

Employment opportunity: Metropolitan Planning Council Water Resources and Municipal Outreach Consult

Employment opportunity: Alsip Park District Business Manager

SSMMA welcomes Census 2020 Community Outreach Specialist Victoria Nicholson

Feb 26, 2020

SSMMA welcomes Census 2020 Community Outreach Specialist Victoria Nicholson

Please join SSMMA in welcoming Victoria Nicholson, who is serving as our Census 2020 Community Outreach Specialist, a position funded by the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. Victoria has been working in the nonprofit sector for 10 years. She completed her undergraduate studies in Tulsa, Oklahoma at Oral Roberts University where she obtained a Bachelor’s of Social Work and a Bachelor of Science Degree. From 2012-2013 she managed a home for homeless mothers and their children in Dal

News Flash! Metra extends comment deadline to Mar. 8 on proposed ME schedule changes

Feb 25, 2020

News Flash! Metra extends comment deadline to Mar. 8 on proposed ME schedule changes

Southland municipal leaders and officials met with Metra on Feb. 24 at the Hazel Crest Municipal Center to discuss proposed Metra Electric schedule changes. Metra is proposing revisions to the Metra Electric Line schedule in response to the implementation of the federally mandated Positive Train Control (PTC) safety system. These changes will mostly affect trains arriving or departing Millennium Station during rush hour periods from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.

Visit SSMMA’s new 2020 Census website SouthlandCounts.org

Feb 14, 2020

Visit SSMMA’s new 2020 Census website SouthlandCounts.org

Census data informs funding for things important to everyone, like neighborhood health clinics, after-school programs, college grant programs, and so much more. For more information about how SSMMA can support your community in getting everyone counted, please contact Sarah Kobetis, SSMMA Planning Director, at sarah.kobetis@ssmma.org.

SSMMA presents legislative priorities to lawmakers at annual breakfast

Feb 13, 2020

SSMMA presents legislative priorities to lawmakers at annual breakfast

“We’ve developed this year’s policy agenda on the priorities of the Southland, following input and listening to the needs of our communities,” said Richton Park Mayor Richard Reinbold, the association’s Legislative Committee chairman. “We’ve developed a consensus agenda that is simple and we can all buy into: One vision for the southern suburbs: a stronger, more economically vibrant and competitive Southland.” Reinbold presented SSMMA’s three overarching priority goals for t

Grant opportunities: Violence Prevention, Recidivism Reduction, and Restorative Practice/Restorative

Feb 12, 2020

Grant opportunities: Violence Prevention, Recidivism Reduction, and Restorative Practice/Restorative

Ten (10) 24-Month Violence Prevention Demonstration Grants in the amount of $300,000 each over the grant period ($150,000 per year); Six (6) 24-Month Recidivism Reduction Demonstration Grants in the amount of $200,000 each over the grant period ($100,000 per year), and; Six (6) 24-Month Restorative Practice/Restorative Justice Demonstration Grants in the amount of $80,000 each over the grant period ($40,000 per year). Grant periods will begin December 1, 2020 and continue thr

SPC News

Feb 11, 2020

SPC News

The SPC will work with GraybaR to fully rollout the program in detail to all SPC members and other eligible purchasers. In the meantime, we are pleased to announce a soft launch of the program so you can begin utilizing the contract immediately. GraybaR, a Fortune 500 company is a leading distributor of data/communication, networking, wireless, security, electrical and lighting products. OMNIA Partners lowers your overall project and purchasing costs while providing the quali

Funding opportunity: Southland Economic Transformation Grant Fund

Feb 11, 2020

Funding opportunity: Southland Economic Transformation Grant Fund

The deadline to submit LOIs no more than three (3) pages in length will close on March 9, 2020, and the proposed project must further SSEGI’s mission and strategies to accomplish inclusive economic growth. To learn more about the Southland Economic Transformation Grant Fund, please review the grant documents and register for the informational webinar on the SSEGI website. Please see a related media alert.

We need near-term solutions while also tackling tax reform

Feb 7, 2020

We need near-term solutions while also tackling tax reform

This makes the call to action for property tax reform in Springfield this spring even more pressing. The South Suburban Mayors & Managers Association, or SSMMA, which represents 45 municipalities in Chicago’s south suburbs with nearly 750,000 residents and over 20,000 businesses, is urging lawmakers to take up this challenge with a focus on near-term solutions that alleviate increasingly burdensome property taxes impacting homeowners and businesses alike. This includes passin

Grant opportunity: IDOT Statewide Planning and Research Program

Feb 6, 2020

Grant opportunity: IDOT Statewide Planning and Research Program

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) provided a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) on February 3, 2020. The Funding Opportunity Number is 1439-1327. This program is listed in the Catalog of State Financial Assistance (CSFA) as 494-00-1439. Program guidance can be found here: Statewide Planning and Research Program (SPR) funds are federal funds for planning and research activities. The funds are used to establish a cooperative, continuous, and comprehensive frame

Preckwinkle and south suburban mayors band together to revive Chicago’s Southland Region

Feb 6, 2020

Preckwinkle and south suburban mayors band together to revive Chicago’s Southland Region

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle addresses county, municipal and business officials at the launch of the Southland Development Authority at the Thornton Distilling Company in November 2019. There has been a great deal of talk recently about reviving interest and investment in Chicago’s South and West Sides, believed by many to receive far less attention than the city’s splendid and expanding downtown. But other portions in the metropolitan area also suffer from di

Funding opportunity: Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program

Feb 5, 2020

Funding opportunity: Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program

The Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2019 (Pub. L. No. 116-6) includes $350 million for the Assistance to Firefighter Grant (AFG) Grant Program and the Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Grant Program. The amount of $315 million will assist first-responder organizations that need support to improve their capability to respond to fires and emergencies of all types under the AFG Program, and the remaining $35 million will be allocated to fund the FY19 FP&S Pro

Homeowners expect property tax relief as state gives $26.5 million in grants to 20 south suburban sc

Feb 5, 2020

Homeowners expect property tax relief as state gives $26.5 million in grants to 20 south suburban sc

Local property owners are poised to save a collective $26.5 million this year, nearly half the $53.6 million awarded to area schools in the second year of the Illinois Property Tax Relief Grant program. Lawmakers in 2017 approved the Evidence-Based Funding for Student Success Act to address how a lack of state funding for education has made communities too reliant on real estate taxes to fund schools…Please click here to read Ted Slowik’s column in the Tribune/Daily Southtown

Employment Opportunities: Park Forest Accountant & Housing Authority Program Manager

Feb 3, 2020

Employment Opportunities: Park Forest Accountant & Housing Authority Program Manager

Housing Authority Program Manager The Village of Park Forest also seeks to hire a full-time Housing Authority Program Manager to oversee the day to day operations of the Park Forest Housing Authority. This is a professional and administrative position within the Department of Community Development that works under the general direction of the Community Development Director. The position is responsible for overseeing the financial and case management for the subsidized single