(20 ILCS 605/605-410) (was 20 ILCS 605/46.19d)
Sec. 605-410.
Rural community development.
The Department
shall provide for staff for and administer a
program in which the Department shall plan and coordinate
State efforts designed to aid and stimulate the development
of rural communities as well as other communities with special needs in
order to improve their competitiveness for business retention, expansion, and
attraction. Among other duties, the Department, through the
program, may do all of the following:
(1) Provide information, technical support, and assistance to
local
officials, including, but not limited to, assistance in grant applications,
developing economic development strategies, and complying with State and
federal laws and rules and regulations affecting local governments. All
State agencies shall cooperate with the program to provide the necessary
information, materials, and assistance to enable the Department to carry out
its function in the program in an effective manner. Each agency shall designate
an individual to serve as liaison to the program to provide information and
materials and to respond to requests for assistance from communities selecting
to work through this program.
(2) Work with agencies in developing flexible regulations
through
a
regulatory review program.
(3) Evaluate and review the impact of existing economic
development
programs on the rural and special need communities selecting to work through
this program.
(4) Assist the communities in conducting self-assessments to
identify
specific industries and businesses in need of targeted assistance as well as
actions that the community might take to become more competitive for business
retention, expansion, and attraction.
(5) Assist in formulating specific and measurable economic
development
objectives for rural and special need communities selecting to work through
the program.
(6) Administer the Rural Diversification Act.
(7) Provide grants for the purposes described in this Section
with
funds as appropriated by the General Assembly.
(Source: P.A. 91-239, eff. 1-1-00.)
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