Our Position in Brief:
The League supports
development of a comprehensive land use policy for Illinois
that provides for orderly growth while preserving the environment,
conserving natural resources and providing needed open space.
The State should identify, plan for and have the final authority
over key and critical areas within the state. Standards and
guidelines for land use should be developed by the State with
local governments making purely local decisions. At every stage
there should be citizen input.
The State should plan for adequate supplies of low and moderate
income housing with every community providing a percentage under
some kind of fair share plan. The League favors regional planning
agencies with mandatory and continuous funding from local, regional
and state sources. The League supports state enabling legislation
for development impact fees.
Full Statement of Where We Stand on Land Use
League Activity/Outlook:
On July 11, 2008, Governor Blagojevich cut $14 million
from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) budget.
This agency has already lost nearly a quarter of its staff
from budget cuts and hiring freezes since 2001. According
to the Illinois Environmental Council, the cut could mean
the loss of 163 critical staff positions from across eight
divisions of the agency that will have a long-term negative
impact on Illinois' environment.
The cuts went into effect on Thursday, July 24, 2008. The
environmental community is asking the Governor to hold off
on the cuts until the veto session and commit to passing a
supplemental bill to refund the $14 million. We must protect
the natural heritage of our Prairie State.
Interested in working on this issue?
Please email issues@lwvil.org and cite the Issue on the subject line.
Additional Resource:
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