(a) The City of Freeport, by inter-governmental agreement with the County of Stephenson, shall create a joint City-County Enterprise Zone Committee to be comprised of seven voting members and one non-voting member. The Mayor of Freeport, with City Council concurrence, the Chairperson of the Stephenson County Board, and the Chairperson of the Jo Daviess County Board, with concurrence of the respective County Boards, shall each appoint two voting members to the City-County Enterprise Zone Committee. The Mayor of the City of East Dubuque, with City Council concurrence, shall appoint an ex-officio, non-voting member to the City-County Enterprise Zone Committee. The voting members in turn shall choose a seventh voting member who shall serve as Chairperson of the City-County Enterprise Zone Committee. A majority of the City’s voting members and a majority of the County’s voting members must each concur in the choice of the seventh voting member for this appointment to take effect. The City and County members shall consider additional nominees, as necessary, until a seventh voting member is selected as set forth above.
(b) The Mayor of the City of Freeport, with City Council concurrence, and the County Board Chairpersons, with County Board Concurrence, shall each initially assign one of his or her appointees to a one-year term, and his or her second appointee to a two-year term. The Mayor of East Dubuque, with City Council concurrence, shall appoint a person to a two-year term. Thereafter, the Mayor and the County Board Chairmen, with City Council and County Board concurrence, respectively, shall make any reappointment or any new appointment to the Committee for a full two-year term only. A person appointed to fill a vacancy occurring during the term of office shall serve only for the unexpired portion of that term. Any person appointed to the Committee shall serve at the pleasure of the official appointing him or her and may be removed by the appointing official with the concurrence of the body concurring in the original appointment. Such removal may occur at any time prior to the expiration of the Committee member’s term of office with or without cause.
(c) The Chairperson of the Committee shall be appointed initially to a two-year term and shall be reappointed for two-year terms. Any appointments or reappointments to the position of Chairperson shall be conducted in the same manner and with the same vote requirements as specified above. Any person appointed Chairperson to fill a vacancy occurring during the term of office shall serve only for the unexpired portion of that term. The Chairperson may be removed by the other members of the Committee, with or without cause, only upon the same vote requirements as mandated for his or her appointment.
(d) The Committee's authority and duties shall be set forth in the inter-governmental agreement between the City and the County. That agreement, at a minimum, shall provide for:
(1) Authorization for the Committee to create and draft any and all regulations necessary to establish the cost benefit standards for extended real estate tax abatement. Prior to drafting its standards, the Committee shall conduct, or cause to be conducted, a thorough and competent study of the economic incentives offered or proposed by other enterprise zones within the State of Illinois. The Committee shall then determine eligibility for any extended tax abatements beyond five years in duration. The standard shall be based on various factors, including, but not limited to, the amount of increased assessment valuation of the industrial parcel, and these standards are to reflect the benefit to the community resulting from the construction or expansion of the industrial parcel;
(2) Committee valuation and approval, where appropriate, of all extended real estate tax abatements recommended by the Zone Administrator pursuant to the cost benefit standards for the extended real estate tax abatement formula set forth in Section 899.06(a)(3);
(3) Committee selection of a Zone Administrator who shall have the powers and duties set forth in Section 899.08; and
(4) The power to recommend organizations to the City Council and the County Board for selection as a designated zone organization to carry out certain authorized activities within the Enterprise Zone.
(Ord. 89-77. Passed 12-18-89; Ord. 2001-31. Passed 8-6-01; Ord. 2013-39. Passed 8-5-13.)
(e) Except as may otherwise be provided by ordinance, the powers and duties of the Committee are of an advisory nature only, and except as specifically provided for in the intergovernmental agreement of the participating governmental units the Committee shall not have authority to authorize the expenditure of public funds.
(Ord. 95-2. Passed 2-6-95; Ord. 2007-07. Passed 1-20-07.)