​JOLIET – The Will County Board is seeking public input on the proposed county board district maps which must be redrawn every ten years following the federal census. Two draft maps are available for public review ahead of the October 21st County Board meeting where a final map will be approved.  One map was recommended by the Board reapportionment committee and the other was presented by County Executive Bertino-Tarrant.

“A strong democracy requires active participation by the public and we want Will County residents to offer comments on our two proposed County Board district maps,” said Will County Board Speaker Mimi Cowan (Naperville). “Residents can review maps at various physical locations throughout the county, or online, and submit written comments via email or provide comments at the October 4th public hearing.” 

JOLIET – Will County Board Member Denise Winfrey (Joliet) will moderate a panel on Friday that will examine best practices for counties across the United States that are administering Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) for individuals who face housing insecurity because of the Coronavirus pandemic. The panel is hosted by the National Association of Counties (NACo) of which Winfrey is the First Vice President.

​“I’m very proud of the way that Will County has administered our rental assistance program and I’m honored to be asked to moderate this panel on ERA best practices,” said Winfrey. “Our dedication to our residents is why Will County government is a role model for counties throughout the United States. 

JOLIET – Will County was highlighted by the White House for rapidly delivering rental assistance to tenants in the county, staving off evictions as the pandemic upended the economy and threatened housing stability for many renters. The county was one of 22 state and local governments that were highlighted by the Biden Administration for delivering 85% or more of their rental assistance funds by the end of July.
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“The population of Will County has grown substantially over the last couple of decades, so the County Board was talking about housing before the pandemic shot a hole through the economy,” said Will County Board Speaker Mimi Cowan (Naperville). “When the layoffs started and businesses shut down, we knew we needed to act swiftly to stabilize the rental market both for tenants and landlords.”