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January 3rd , 2017
The Regional Link
Winter 2017 Edition

Clay, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper and Marion Counties
Illinois & Local Government Consolidation
In 2016 the topic of local government consolidation became a widespread conversation topic throughout the State of Illinois. While discussions about consolidating units of local government in Illinois was by no means unique to 2016, as rumblings of local government consolidation have been around for decades, but 2016 was different in that the Illinois House passed  bi-partisan House Bill 4501, giving authority to consolidate local services and dissolve certain kinds of unnecessary government entities to all Illinois counties.

While this bill is now currently awaiting further debate and discussion in the Illinois Senate, there is strong push from numerous government activist groups throughout the state to see this bill through to passage in both congressional houses. 

Salem, Illinois Economic Development Website
A few short months ago the City of Salem, Illinois unveiled their new Economic Development website. This website took multiple months of development, but the long-awaited launch has now been finalized.

This Economic Development website provides users with numerous types of data to sieve through. This information includes an overview of the City of Salem and it's current largest employers, and an illustration of valuable demographic data and statistics about the City of Salem. Additionally the website includes currently available properties ready for development, and provides users with an interactive economic development map to view the City's current Enterprise Zone Boundaries and TIF Redevelopment Areas . The interactive economic development map was developed in partnership with SCIRPDC staff and the GIS spatial technology the regional planning commission has available.

This newly established website will provide the City with valuable marketing and advertising for continued economic development growth and business retention, expansion and recruitment. To view Salem, Illinois' new economic development website and/or the interactive economic development map development by SCIRPDC, please follow the links below.

SCIRPDC 2017-2019 CEDS Development
Along with the end of 2016, comes the end of the SCIRPDC Economic Development District's 2014-2016 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy. Throughout 2016, SCIRPDC staff have been preparing the next three-year, 2017-2019, regional economic development strategy. This new 2017-2019 CEDS will be publicly available on SCIRPDC's website following final final approval of the regional CEDS committee and SCIRPDC's commission governing board. This three-year planning document will provide up-to-date demographic and employment data for the five-county district of Clay, Effingham, Fayette, Marion and Jasper county. It will also illustrate and discuss the three-year economic development action plan which includes the overall economic development goals and objectives of the region, as determined by the regional CEDS committee. 

It will also include new Industry Cluster data from the ongoing development of the region's 2016 Industry Cluster Analysis examining the top performing employment clusters in the five-county area over the past decade (2007-2016). This regional CEDS, along with the 2016 Industry Cluster Analysis which is expected to be unveiled in early-mid 2017 also, should aid regional stakeholders in setting investment priorities and making more informed, data-based, decisions.

It is expected that this new CEDS will be available for public review and download from our website in early February, 2017 following final completion and submittal.
State Still Deadlocked on Budget
Illinois will ring in the new year with a familiar tune: Deadlock in the Capitol and no state budget.

The only spending agreement reached in two years between bickering Republicans and Democrats, a six-month temporary fix, expires Sunday.  Not only is there no arrangement to fill the void, Gov. Bruce Rauner and his Democratic opponents controlling the General Assembly have hardly talked about it.  Funding for elementary and secondary education was provided through June. But colleges and universities will see state spending dry up. And even though billions of dollars for Medicaid health care is assured, the backlog of bills is so great that hospitals are having an increasingly tougher time staying ahead.

South Central Illinois Regional Planning & Development Commission
  
P: (618) 548-4234 /   F: (618) 548-4236   

120 S. Delmar Avenue  /  Suite A /  Salem, Illinois /  62881-2000


South Central Illinois Regional Planning & Development Commission is an Equal Opportunity Lender and Provider