(A) The Development Commission shall act as an advisory board to the Village President and to the Board of Trustees and shall make such recommendations and propose such programs and projects it deems advisable in furtherance of the community and economic development of the village. It shall make such investigations and recommendations concerning any matters referred to it by the President or the Board of Trustees. It shall assist and aid any other official board or agency of the village in any matters relating to economic and community development within the village as may from time to time be presented to it. It may provide assistance and guidance to any residential association or group of homeowners, any commercial or business association or concern or any industrial or manufacturing concerns operating within or seeking to operate within the Village of Bellwood. The Development Commission shall also assess information on economic development programs and communicate its assessments to the President and Board of Trustees.
(B) The Development Commission, at the direction and discretion of the Village President, may review the request or application for industrial development bonds, special financial incentives for locating within the village and any such matters that are directed to it by the Village President pertaining to economic or community development matters.
(C) The Development Commission shall formulate applications for its programs and shall propose criteria by which to review and evaluate the applications for its programs or projects, which applications and criteria are subject to the consideration and approval of the President and Board of Trustees. It shall create and adopt, subject to the approval of the President and Board of Trustees of the village, such rules and regulations as are necessary to fulfill its duties. It may also perform the following activities, which shall be subject to approval by the President and Board of Trustees of the village:
(1) Structure sound community development programs;
(2) Prepare industrial facts and profiles to be used in presentations to industrial projects considering expansion or location in the village area;
(3) Evaluate industrial concerns in approved programs;
(4) Prepare and periodically revise short- and long-range plans for community development of the village and submit such plans for consideration by the Plan Commission for incorporation in the official Village Comprehensive Plan;
(5) Obtain information from interest groups or individuals who possess information that may assist in the development of the community and economy of the Village of Bellwood;
(6) Establish procedures so that inquiries made of the village pertaining to developmental matters can be readily answered and uniformly handled;
(7) Coordinate and review projects pertaining to industrial development bonding, commercial restoration and redevelopment and other community development programs expressly authorized to be undertaken by a municipality in the State of Illinois;
(8) Propose programs for the distribution of information and the education of the general public on community development projects and programs; and
(9) Provide for the coordinated operation between programs satisfying two or more of the purposes here listed and provide an operating framework to expand upon these purposes and objectives within the powers and authority as heretofore granted.
(Ord. 01-40, passed 11-14-01)