Illinois Administrative Code › Title 14 - COMMERCE › Part 520 - ENTERPRISE ZONE AND HIGH IMPACT BUSINESS PROGRAMS › Subpart B - ENTERPRISE ZONE: APPLICATION FOR CERTIFICATION › Section 520.250 - Application Evaluation and Ranking

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 28, July 12, 2024
a) All applications submitted on or before
				the deadline established in Section
				520.230
				shall receive an initial review by the Department. This initial review shall
				determine if the application contains all the information required pursuant to
				Section
				520.220 and
				if the application meets at least three of the criteria in Section
				520.210(d).
				Upon meeting the minimum eligibility thresholds, applications will compete in a
				formalized ranking system.
b) The
				Department shall issue recommendations to the Board by assigning a score to
				each application. The scores will be determined by the Department, based on the
				extent to which an application meets the criteria under Section 520.210.
1)
Up to 50 points for the extent to
				which the applicant meets or exceeds the criteria in
Section
				520.210(d)(1)
with points awarded according to the severity of the
				unemployment
as indicated by the percentage that the unemployment rate
				in the local labor market area exceeds 120% of the State's annual average
				unemployment rate for the most recent calendar year or the most recent fiscal
				year as reported by the Department of Employment Security. [20 ILCS
				655/4.1(a)(1) ]
2)
Up to 50 points for the extent to
				which the applicant meets or exceeds the criteria in
Section
				520.210(d)(2),
with points awarded in accordance with the number of jobs
				created
and retained
and the aggregate amount of investment
				promised
in the Enterprise Zone as well as the alleviation of
the effects of poverty and unemployment within the local labor market
				area.
[20 ILCS
				655/4.1(a)(2) ] More points are
				awarded for specific commitments.
3)
Up to 40 points for the extent to
				which the applicant meets or exceeds the criteria in
Section
				520.210(d)(3).
				[20 ILCS
				655/4.1(a)(3) ] Applicants will
				receive:
A) up to 10 points for the poverty
				rate in the local labor market area, according to the latest data from the
				Census Bureau;
B) up to 10 points
				for the percentage of children in participating schools and institutions in the
				local labor market area are eligible for free and reduced-price meals under the
				National School Lunch Program according to the most recent data available from
				the Illinois State Board of Education;
C) up to 10 points for the percentage of
				households in the local labor market area that receive SNAP benefits, according
				to the latest data from the Census Bureau; and
D) up to 10 points for the severity of the
				situations described in subsections (b)(3)(A) through (C).
4)
Up to 30 points for the extent to
				which the applicant meets or exceeds the criteria in
Section
				520.210(d)(4),
with points awarded in accordance with the severity of the
				environmental impact of the abandoned coal mine, brownfield, or federal
				disaster area.
[20 ILCS
				655/4.1(a)(4) ] More points will be
				awarded for abandoned coal mines in the proposed Enterprise Zone that are a
				priority 1 or 2 site, as determined by the Illinois Department of Natural
				Resources, Office of Mines and Minerals, Division of Abandoned Mined Lands
				Reclamation or Federal Office of Surface Mines. More points will be awarded for
				brownfields in the proposed Enterprise Zone that are listed on the U.S.
				Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List. Points will be
				awarded for major disaster declarations when a county or counties in the
				proposed Enterprise Zone are included in the Federal Emergency Management
				Agency (FEMA)individual assistance program, the FEMA public assistance program,
				or both programs. More points will be awarded for multiple major disaster
				declarations.
5)
Up to 50
				points for the extent to which the applicant meets or exceeds the criteria
				in
Section
				520.210(d)(5),
with points awarded in accordance with the severity of the applicable
				facility closures or downsizing
. [20 ILCS
				655/4.1(a)(5) ] Severity of the
				applicable facility closures or downsizing will be measured by the number of
				workers affected as shown by notices filed pursuant to the Illinois Worker
				Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act [820 ILCS 65 ] in the 10 years prior
				to the date of application, notices filed pursuant to the State Facilities
				Closure Act [30 ILCS 608 ] in the 5 years prior to the date of application, or
				reliable evidence of the number of workers affected by federal facility
				closures in the 5 years prior to the date of application.
6)
Up to 40 points for the extent to
				which the applicant meets or exceeds the criteria in
Section
				520.210(d)(6)
with points awarded in accordance with the severity and extent of the
				high floor vacancy or deterioration
. [20 ILCS
				655/4.1(a)(6) ] Applicants shall list
				affected commercial or industrial parcels and/or units and describe how those
				parcels or units were determined to be vacant or deteriorated. To show a
				vacancy rate or prevalence, applicants shall provide data of the total number
				or square feet of commercial and industrial parcels or units in the local labor
				market area in comparison to total number or square feet of vacant and
				demolished commercial and industrial parcels or units. Applicants shall
				describe how that data was collected or determined. (See Section
				520.210(d)(6).)
7)
Up to 30 points for the extent to
				which the applicant meets or exceeds the criteria in
Section
				520.210(d)(7)
with points awarded in accordance with the extent to which the
				application addresses a plan to improve the State and local government tax
				base
. [20 ILCS
				655/4.1(a)(7) ] Applicants shall
				address the State and local sales tax base, the State income tax base, and the
				local property tax base.
8)
Up to 50 points for the extent to which the applicant meets or exceeds
				the criteria in
Section
				520.210(d)(8)
with points awarded in accordance with the existence of significant
				public infrastructure
in addition to a plan for infrastructure
				development and improvement. [20 ILCS
				655/4.1(a)(8) ] Applicants shall
				provide an inventory of the public infrastructure that demonstrates that
				significant public infrastructure exists in the local labor market area to
				support economic development at the time of the application. Applicants shall
				provide a three-year public infrastructure improvement and development plan for
				each municipality and/or county applicant government that provides for large,
				physical improvements that are permanent in nature and that are needed for the
				functioning of the community, including transportation, utilities, etc. The
				plans shall include a listing of the capital improvement projects, the plan for
				financing the projects, a timetable for the construction or completion of the
				projects, and justification for the projects. Points will be awarded for both
				the inventory of existing public infrastructure and the public infrastructure
				improvement and development plan, with a majority of the points awarded based
				on the public infrastructure improvement and development plan.
9)
Up to 40 points for the extent to
				which the applicant meets or exceeds the criteria in
Section
				520.210(d)(9)
with points awarded in accordance with the extent to which educational
				programs exist for career preparation
. Applicants shall list all high
				schools and community colleges in the local labor market area and indicate
				which high schools and community colleges
are engaged in ACT Work Keys,
				Manufacturing Skills Standard Certification, or other industry-based
				credentials that prepare students for careers.
Applicants shall
				provide documentation that high schools and community colleges in the local
				labor market are engaged in these programs. More points will be awarded to
				applicants with a higher percentage of high schools and community colleges
engaged in ACT Work Keys, Manufacturing Skills Standard Certification,
				or other industry-based credentials that prepare students for careers
.
				[20 ILCS
				655/4.1(a)(9) ]
10)
Up to 40 points for the extent to
				which the applicant meets or exceeds the criteria in
Section
				520.210(d)(10)
with points awarded according to the severity of the change in
				equalized assessed valuation
. [20 ILCS
				655/4.1(a)(10) ]
A) If the change in statewide equalized
				assessed valuation in the State of industrial and/or commercial properties in
				the 5 years prior to the date of application is positive, the applicant should
				demonstrate that the increase in EAV of industrial and/or commercial properties
				in the 5 years prior to the date of application in the local labor market area
				is equal to or less than 50% of the State average increase in EAV for
				industrial and/or commercial properties, as applicable, for the same period of
				time as reported by the Department of Revenue.
B) If the change in statewide EAV of
				industrial and/or commercial properties in the 5 years prior to the date of
				application is negative, the applicant should demonstrate that the decrease in
				EAV of industrial and/or commercial properties in the 5 years prior to the date
				of application in the local labor market area is equal to or greater than 50%
				of the statewide average decrease in EAV for industrial and/or commercial
				properties, as applicable, for the same period of time as reported by the
				Department of Revenue.
C)
				Applicants are encouraged to use data on EAV of industrial and/or commercial
				properties in the local labor market area from the Department of Revenue or
				from the chief assessment official of the municipality, municipalities, county
				or counties in which at least a portion of the local labor market area is
				contained. Severity will be measured by the difference in the local labor
				market area's industrial and/or commercial EAV from the State average change in
				EAV for industrial and/or commercial properties beyond the threshold for this
				test.