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Southern Five Regional Planning District and Development Commission |
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n House and Local Revolving Loan Funds (RLFs) In House and Local Revolving Loan Funds (RLFs) Low interest, flexible term loan funds are available through Southern Five’s RLF to provide gap financing to individuals for business start-up or for the expansion of existing businesses. This RLF was established through grants from the Economic Development Administration and USDA Rural Development. Southern Five also administers local RLFs for Alexander, Pulaski, and Union counties and the cities of Cairo and Metropolis. These RLFs were established through grants from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs. Finally, Southern Five administers the Rural Development Intermediary Relending Program for Pulaski County and Johnson County. [Top of Page]
Southern Five prepares applications for assistance and administers water, sewer, and other necessary public facilities grants provided through the Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP), which is a program offered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA). Southern Five coordinates any other grant funds that may be needed to complete a project. Southern Five has administered approximately 44 public facility projects, totaling nearly $12,000,000 in funding over the past five years. [Top of Page]
Housing Rehabilitation Program Southern Five prepares applications for assistance and administers housing rehabilitation programs for its member communities. Southern Five uses a combination of funds to complete rehabilitation on low-income, owner-occupied housing in the Southern Five region. Sources of funds include; DCCA’s CDAP program, Illinois Housing Development Authority’s Housing Trust Fund and HOME programs, and USDA Rural Development’s Housing Preservation Grant and 504 Grant and loan programs. Southern Five has completed 16 housing programs throughout its region. $4.2 million has been spent in the five counties for housing rehabilitation programs administered by Southern Five over the past five years. [Top of Page]
Rural Development Loan and Grant Assistance Southern Five works with its member communities and USDA Rural Development to obtain financing for local development projects through Rural Development’s community facility loans & grants, water and wastewater loans & grants, business & industrial loans, and individual home improvement loans & grants. Southern Five has also worked closely with Rural Development in the application for and organization of the Southernmost Illinois Delta Empowerment Zone designation.
Economic Development Assistance Certain economic development activities may be eligible to receive assistance from DCCA through the CDAP Program. For member communities. Southern Five can make application for these CDAP economic development grants. Southern Five can prepare applications for economic development through the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration’s Public Works program for those areas located within Southern Five's Economic Development District. Southern Five is an EDA Economic Development District and receives funding for economic development and planning each year. As part of Southern Five’s EDD designation, the agency compiles, administers and updates an overall Economic Development Program for the five county region. [Top of Page]
Technical assistance is provided to local governments on Zoning and subdivision issues as well as other matters pertaining to land development, such as site planning and urban issues. Comprehensive planning assistance is also provided by Southern Five for those communities desiring to establish a comprehensive plan, or those that want to revise existing ones. Other technical assistance includes the capability to create maps of varying type and size for a variety of uses. [Top of Page]
Geographical Information Systems Lab Southern Five's GIS lab has the ability to produce high accuracy maps of the region. This can consist of, but is not limited to : land use/landcover, zoning areas, flood maps, building footprints, boundaries, and facility planning. Provision of an accurate analysis of the proposed economic and environmental impacts upon the region is also a task of the GIS lab. Graphics capability are available for use in projects for the region. [Top of Page]
Center for Regional Statistics General Statistical and demographic information on communities in the region will be available to member communities upon request. This includes Census data, local business statistics, location of public utilities, and general information on tourism, regional environmental concerns, and transportation. Additionally, certain special studies conducted by Southern Five will be available to members upon request. Southern Five also serves as a State Data Center. This means that Southern Five has the capacity to provide extensive statistical and demographic information to residents of the region. Data is provided to residents for a nominal fee to cover the cost of reproduction and research. [Top of Page]
Department of Natural Resources Grant Program Southern Five works with its member communities to obtain grants for the development of community parks, tree planting initiatives, land and water conservation activities, and boat access facilities. Services provided are limited to coordination of natural resources and grant application preparation. [Top of Page]
Southern Five at times will conduct special studies for member communities. Examples include; an examination of the regional economic impacts of proposed development and tourism and marketing studies. These studies may require additional funding from either the local government or state and federal sources. Southern Five will prepare funding applications for member communities for special projects outside the scope of normal operations. These include police hiring grants, police equipment grants, and tourism attraction grants among others. [Top of Page]
Southern Five provides coordination between local units of government in such areas as economic development and public service provision. Southern Five’s policies are established and directed by its Policy Board, which consists of elected representatives of all five counties, the chief elected official from each member city or village, and citizen and minority appointments from each member county. Southern Five serves as the lead entity for projects determined to be of regional significance. It is our philosophy that problems can be solved more effectively as a group than individually. If a problem can be addressed on a regional level instead of at the individual level, Southern Five will assist with coordinating the regional effort upon request. [Top of Page]
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Copyright 2002 SFRPC © . All rights reserved.
Last Updated: April 26, 2002