SEARCH RESULTS

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.” Please click here to read David P. Funk’s full story in the Times

ENERGY EFFICIENCY EXPO PRESENTED BY PARTNERS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY To learn about cost-effective solutions and best practices for implementing energy-efficiency projects, join Partners for Energy Efficiency at the 2013 Energy Efficiency Expo. For more information, please visit the Expo’s web site or download the flyer: 2013_EEE_Bonus-Invite_0725-2-Final. Tuesday, September 10, 2013 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Donald E. Stephens Convention Center 9301 Bryn Mawr Avenue Rosemont, Illinois To register, click here. Attendee fee is $99. This includes access to all sessions, tradeshow, breakfast, lunch, parking and wi-fi .

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle wants to make it clear that she’s made the south suburbs a priority in her administration. Documents provided by her office show that the county has invested $54.7 million over the past two years in programs benefiting the area. Preckwinkle responded to my column Wednesday in which I wrote about Sheriff Tom Dart’s aggressive outreach program to some of the poorest communities in the Southland, such as Robbins, Dixmoor, Dolton and Ford Heights. Dart has not only offered to assist with police protection in those suburbs but has launched a unit to investigate allegations of political corruption…Please click here to read Phil Kadner’s column in the Southtown Star.

The Chicago area housing market is once more a safe place for sellers. The Illinois Association of Realtors said Wednesday that Chicago-area home sales and median prices rose in July amid a sharp decline in available properties. In the nine-county Chicago region, sales in July rose 36.1 percent from the same month last year to 11,897, the Realtors said. The total includes single-family homes and condominiums and was the highest monthly figure in seven years, since before the housing crash… A check of suburban data furnished by the Chicago Association of Realtors showed substantial increases in many larger towns for both sales totals and median prices in July. Active Cook County markets included Des Plaines, Niles, Park Ridge and Streamwood in the northern suburbs; Brookfield, Maywood and Melrose Park in western suburbs; and Calumet City, Lansing and Orland Park in southern suburbs…Please click here to read  David Roeder’s full story in the Southtown Star.

With the first anniversary of the operation of video gambling machines [2] in Illinois arriving in October, there appears to be no end in sight to monthly revenue increases. Another 2,000 applications from bars, truck stops and other establishments for video gambling licenses are pending in addition to the 1,863 licenses already granted by the Illinois Gaming Board. The list would continue to grow if legislation, Senate Bill 2371, is signed by Governor Pat Quinn allowing social clubs to be eligible for licenses. Part of a 2009 public works package, Illinois’ Video Gaming Act allows the activity only in Illinois communities that decide to permit it. “Some of the towns and cities wanted to wait and see if this was going to go smoothly before applying,” said Ed Paesel, executive director of the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMMA), which represents communities near Chicago…To read Tony Batt’s full story in Gambling Compliance, download GamblingCompliance_-_Video_Gambling_Grows_In_Illinois_-_2013-08-20 (1).

In August 2012, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) released updated guidance on compliance with Title VI for transit providers that receive federal grants. The updated Title VI Circular includes new requirements to establish major service change, disparate impact, and disproportionate burden policies. Transit providers must engage the public in development of these policies and must seek Board approval of these policies. Metra is holding a series of public meetings across its six-county service region to ensure that its customers and stakeholders are aware of the changes and have the opportunity to provide comment. Metra seeks public comment on the following draft Title VI policies: The Major Service Change policy: establishes Metra’s definition of “major service change”; The Disparate Impact policy: sets a threshold to measure whether or not a proposed fare or major service change creates a discriminatory effect on riders based on race, color or national origin; and The Disproportionate Burden policy: sets a threshold to measure whether or not a proposed fare or major service change creates a discriminatory effect on riders based on poverty status. Comments may be made in person at the public meetings, or via email at titleVIfeedback@metrarail.com. Comments must be received later than September 5. South Suburban Public Meeting Tuesday, September 3, 2013 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Homewood Village Hall, Council Chambers 2020 Chestnut Rd. Homewood, IL., 60430 For more information, click here.

Metropolitan Planning Council Workshop: Learn about new funding, tools to support the Calumet region Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2013 10 a.m. to noon Blue Island City Hall East Annex 2434 Vermont St. Blue Island, Ill. Registration is free, but seating is limited to 125 attendees so you must register. Register today! This workshop will present timely and useful information on funding programs such as the new Chi-Cal Rivers Fund, Sustain our Great Lakes and Illinois Green Infrastructure Grant, as well as GIS tools and other technical support that can help anyone, whether they represent a unit of local government, neighborhood organization, watershed planning group, paddling club, birding society, engineering firm or landscape architect execute their vision for improving ecology, hydrology and quality of life in the Calumet region. Featured speakers include: Christine Davis, Environmental Protection Specialist, Ill. Environmental Protection Agency on theIllinois Green Infrastructure Grant and Section 319 funding for watershed management John Murray, Principal Civil Engineer, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Dennis Latto, Planner, South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association on the South Suburban GIS Consortium Josh Ellis, Program Director, MPC Networking opportunities and an optional tour of the Blue Island riverfront will follow the workshop. For more information, please contact Josh Ellis at jellis@metroplanning.org or (312) 863-6045.

CNT’s CEO, Kathryn Tholin, was appointed by Illinois Governor Patrick Quinn to the Northeastern Illinois Public Transit Task Force, a panel tasked with developing recommendations to improve the function and oversight of transit agencies in the Chicago region. Tholin joins fourteen other transit, finance and good governance experts, who will begin work immediately. The panel is expected to provide initial recommendations to the governor and the Illinois General Assembly prior to the fall veto session, and issue a final report by January 31, 2014…Please click here to read the full story on CNT’s website.

Help for Homeowners Event Saturday, August 24th, 2013 from 9am – 2pm Solutions Church 4818 Southwick Drive in Matteson, Illinois 60443 (2nd light South of Rt. 30 off Cicero Ave, behind Bank of America) Free parking ARE YOU STRUGGLING TO MAKE YOUR MORTGAGE PAYMENTS? Let one of our HUD-approved housing experts help prepare your application for mortgage assistance and submit it directly to your mortgage company. To register click here, or call 773.329.4243 to schedule an appointment. For more information, visit http://www.nhschicago.org or call 773.329.4243. To download the flyer in English and Spanish click: Final_NHS Event Flyer_20130813

“There’s so many,” said Tasha McMiller, 50, a resident dismayed by the estimated 10,000 abandoned homes here. “They’re a burden.” Officials say that a third of the houses in Gary are unoccupied, hollowed dwellings spread across a city that, like other former industrial powerhouses, has lost more than half its population in the last half-century. While some of those homes will be demolished, Gary is exploring a more affordable way to lift its haggard tax base and reduce the excess of empty structures: sell them for $1. The program, announced in June, will offer Gary residents a chance to pay less for a house than for their morning coffee, as long as they meet a minimum income threshold (starting at $35,250 for one person) and demonstrate the financial ability to bring the neglected property up to code within six months. Those selected would have to live in the home for five years before receiving full ownership….Please click here to read Steven Yaccino’s full story in the New York Times.