Effingham City/County Enterprise Zone Application One of 67 Filed in Illinois

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity said Wednesday the agency has received 67 applications for Enterprise Zones from communities throughout the state, including a joint application from Effingham and Effingham County.

The department will now review the applications. State law requires proposals for new and existing Enterprise Zones to compete for up to 49 available designations.

Enterprise Zones are designed to encourage job growth and investment in economically depressed areas. Companies within a zone, or that agree to move into one, can qualify for tax incentives that include sales tax exemptions on purchases of building materials and manufacturing equipment and an exemption for utility taxes. Each zone is administered by a local official under rules set by the state.

Illinois law provides that 49 zones can be declared this year. The remainder of the state's 97 available zones will be designated in 2016 through 2020. 

10 of the current applications call for new zones, while the rest seek renewal of existing zones.

DCEO will score each application and submit its findings to a five-member Enterprise Zone Board by June 30. The Board, to be appointed by Gov. Bruce Rauner, is expected to approve or deny the applications by September 30, and the new zones will take effect January 1, 2016.

State law gives the new zones a 15-year term, with a review by the Board after 13 years for a possible 10-year extension.

Besides Effingham and Effingham County's application, others in the region were submitted by Jasper County with Newton and Ste. Marie, Olney and Richland County, Centralia with Marion and Clinton Counties, and Mt. Vernon.