JOLIET – The Will County Board Executive Committee began discussions about how to allocate $133 million directed to the County through the American Rescue Plan recently passed by Congress. The $1.9 trillion federal legislation directed $360 billion dollars toward state, county, tribal, and local governments for relief from the hardships brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“There is no question that we have gone through the hardest year that any of us have experienced,” said Will County Board Speaker Mimi Cowan. “The American Rescue Plan presents us with a once in a lifetime opportunity to provide assistance now to our residents, and we intend to maximize these dollars by targeting efforts that will leverage other resources and create opportunities for growth into the future.”

JOLIET—The Will County Board took another step toward providing rental assistance to county residents that have been impacted by the pandemic. The Board authorized an intergovernmental agreement at their March board meeting with the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) to coordinate Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) for individuals and families struggling to pay rent in Will County.
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As part of the pandemic relief plan, the United States Treasury granted $20.6 million to Will County for rental assistance. The County will work with IHDA, which also received a grant from the federal government, so services are not duplicated and maximum relief is provided for residents. The ERA will provide direct financial assistance for rent and utilities. 

JOLIET – The Will County Board gave the go ahead to begin the process of issuing general obligation bonds for construction of a renewable natural gas production facility at the Prairie View Landfill. The action is a first step as Will County moves to harness millions of dollars of methane gas produced by the landfill and convert it into compressed natural gas that can be widely sold on the open market. It is estimated that when fully operational the facility will generate as much as $12 million per year for the Will County’s general fund.
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“Today’s action is another step towards diversifying our revenue base in Will County which will help fund vital public programs by using our existing resources, in this case methane gas produced by the Prairie View Landfill,” said Mimi Cowan, Speaker of the Will County Board.

 JOLIET – The Will County Board is urging residents to participate in an online survey to share their input regarding land use in the region as the Board continues on their path toward finalizing the Moving Will County plan. This survey comes on the heels of the February 24th public workshop where plans for land preservation and development were shared with the public.   The survey can be found at www.MovingWillCounty.org. 
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“Transportation, distribution, and logistics centers have brought a dramatic change to Will County and we need our residents to share their ideas and concerns for preservation and development here,” said Will County Board Speaker Mimi Cowan (Naperville). “The plan we are working on will help decide the trajectory of development in our communities for decades and it is vital that those plans reflect the needs of County residents.”