Worried that they might lose an important incentive for economic development, the Illinois Quad Cities plans to re-apply to the state for an enterprise zone. Rock Island County and five cities have had one of these zones for nearly 30 years, and it's due to expire next year.
Denise Bulat, executive director of the Bi-State Regional Commission which helps administer the zone, says the key benefit is reducing the sales tax on building materials and abatement of utility taxes. But the Illinois Quad Cities' application for an enterprise zone was rejected by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
"The Enterprise Zone board made the decision to award the first 6 ranked, and were the 10th ranked. And so we did not get an enterprise zone."
And that's why members of the current zone want to hire a consultant to write the new application.
"Because it is a very technical process, there's a lot of nuances, so to employ someone who's very familiar with this, who's had great success in getting enterprise zones, is a great idea, so that's what they're doing."
The new application is due by the end of the year, with a decision expected by next fall.
The partners are Rock Island, Moline, East Moline, Silvis, Milan, and Rock Island County.