Cook County has to be more aggressive in marketing itself to businesses to stem the flow of jobs from Illinois, Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle and others said Monday afternoon in the historical Ford Hangar at Lansing Municipal Airport.
Kristi DeLaurentiis, Lansing director of planning and development, had asked about providing incentives for businesses to stay on the Illinois side of the border with Indiana.
DeLaurentiis said there are tax differential hurdles to go along with Northwest Indiana officials recruiting Illinois businesses on a daily basis. She asked how municipal governments can partner with county government to make staying in Illinois more attractive….
…Preckwinkle said she was happy to have a “sub-regional entity” like the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association to work with.
“(The SSMMA) have been a real Godsend for us in county government,” she said. “In addition to Chicago, there are 132 other municipalities in Cook County. It’s very hard to connect with 130, 132 other mayors, city managers, leaders.”
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