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Morris Mayor Dick Kopczick signs a joint letter with the Three Rivers Association of REALTORS® calling on the USDA to preserve the city’s eligibility for rural development programs. Illinois REALTORS® and local REALTOR® associations are working with communities statewide which could lose access to funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Photo: Gideon Blustein, Illinois REALTORS®.
Census data can play a big role in how federal money is awarded to rural communities.
That’s why a policy used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture which is used to determine eligibility for Rural Development Loan Programs is so important. If the criteria for the programs change, there are eight Illinois communities which could lose access to the funds.
The USDA uses population data from the Census and the American Communities Survey in drawing up criteria for the programs, which can provide much-needed federal funding for projects. All communities that were eligible under the 2000 census, were legislatively grandfathered for ten years after the most recent census in 2010.
The American Community Survey is used to review other qualifying factors such as the community maintaining a rural character, the economic need, and the availability of other local financing options further restrict eligibility.
Currently, eight Illinois communities are under review. For one community (Danville) access to the program could be expanded.
For the remaining seven communities (Carbondale, Chatham, Marion, Morris, Plano, Rantoul, and Shiloh) eligibility could be reduced or eliminated.
In all affected communities, Illinois REALTORS® Local Governmental Affairs Directors are working with local REALTOR® associations and municipal leaders to preserve access to this vital financing option. Illinois REALTORS® Governmental Affairs staff are also working with the National Association of REALTORS® and with key Members of Congress to highlight the importance of maintaining this program for their constituents.
— By Neil Malone, Illinois REALTORS®
