ISACo News and Views Newsletter for October 15, 2019

October 15, 2019

ISACo News and Views

This Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) weekly News and Views e-newsletter provides information about the Illinois Department of Revenue's (IDOR) SFY2020 Personal Property Replacement Tax (PPRT) estimates, shares an IDOR Informational Bulletin about local cannabis tax ordinances and rates, includes information about a bill that would remove local appointment authority for positions on the Metra Board of Directors, highlights an ISACo corporate partner and invites counties to join ISACo.

2019 Spring Session Resources

ISACo's summary of the major legislative issues addressed during the 2019 Spring legislative session is available via this link.

ISACo's 2019 Public Acts - 2019 report is available via this link.

Prior News and Views e-newsletters are available via this link.

Please visit our website (www.isacoil.org) for additional resources and information.

IDOR Releases SFY2020 PPRT Estimates

The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) is required by statute to provide an estimate of the amount of Personal Property Replacement Taxes (PPRT) each fiscal year. PPRT revenue is distributed to eligible local governments.

The SFY2020 replacement tax allocations are estimated at $1.537 million. This is an increase of 15.4% over SFY2019 replacement tax allocations that totaled $1.332 million.

Additional information about PPRT revenues is available via this link.

A detailed listing of taxing districts entitled to receive PPRT revenue along with the amounts actually received in SFY2019 and amounts estimated to be received in SFY2020 can be downloaded via this link.

PPRT refers to taxes imposed by the General Assembly to replace revenue lost by units of government as a result of the abolition of ad valorem personal property taxes pursuant to Article IX, Section 5(c) of the Constitution of the State of Illinois.

IDOR Bulletin Discusses Cannabis Sales Tax Ordinances and Rates

The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) published an Informational Bulletin ( available via this link ) discussing the timetable for local governments to adopt cannabis sales tax ordinances along with allowable tax rates.

With respect to the timetable for imposing the tax, the Bulletin emphasizes that an ordinance adopted and filed with IDOR on or before June 1, 2020, will result in IDOR administering and enforcing the tax beginning on September 1, 2020. Ordinances filed on or after June 2, 2020, will be implemented by IDOR on September 1 of the following year.

Counties are authorized to impose up to a 3% tax on sales that occur within municipalities and up to a 3.75% tax on sales that occur within unincorporated areas. The taxes must be imposed in quarter percent increments.

Legislation Proposed to Remove County Authority to Appoint Metra Board Members

On Tuesday, October 8, 2019, Representative Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago) filed legislation that would terminate the service of current appointees to the Metra Board of Directors and transfer the appointment authority to the Governor.

Currently, members of the Metra Board of Directors are appointed by county and other local government officials within the Metra service territory.

The bill, House Bill 3911 ( available via this link ), could be considered during the Veto Session (October 28-30 and November 12-14). It may be noteworthy, however, that the language was not drafted as an amendment to a bill previously approved by either the House or Senate. An issue anticipated to move quickly during the Veto Session typically involves amending a bill already approved by one chamber.

ISACo believes county appointment authority over positions on the Metra Board of Directors must be preserved and will advocate for continued local control.

Corporate Partner Spotlight

This week's News and Views e-newsletter 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. Our experience includes working with transportation agencies and private sector clients. 2IM Group, LLC strives to recognize our 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 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.

The Key to ISACo's Success is YOU!

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. Thank you for your consideration.

News and Views is a service provided by ISACo for county officials and staff. Please feel welcome to share with interested parties. You can contact ISACo Executive Director Joe McCoy at jmccoy@isacoil.org or (217) 679-3368 if we can be of service. Thank you for your support of ISACo.