Economic Development Programs: City of Geneva, Illinois Economic Development

The East State Street TIF District: The City of Geneva East Side Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District was created in 2000 to revitalize properties along East State Street from School Street to Longview Drive. Successful redevelopment projects in this 34 acre TIF District include: Muchie "P's", Dairy Queen, Valley Animal Hospital, and the new Aldi's and CVS Pharmacy at East Side Drive.
Since its inception, there has been in excess of sixty thousand (60,000) square feet of new commercial construction within the district. The City stands ready to assist in the further redevelopment of this critical commercial corridor. Created in 2000 with a base value of $3,263,860, the value of the properties in the district increased to $7,347,235 in 2009. Request for redevelopment projects can be directed to City Economic Development Director, Ellen Divita at 630-232-7449 or email edivita@geneva.il.us.

City of Geneva Electric Utility

The City operates it own electric utility. Electricity is provided through a wholesale purchase agreement with Wisconsin Electric Power Company and at rates to commercial and industrial users significantly lower than those paid by similar users in surrounding communities. Further, the City has recently completed the construction of a freestanding, co-generation plant. This plant, owned and operated by the City of Geneva, will provide City electric utility users dependable and affordable electricity throughout the year.

Assistance to the Downtown Business District

The City’s Economic Development Department provides a variety of services to the downtown business community. This includes facilitating planning meetings, purchase of marketing and advertising for local events, and coordination of businesses seeking to create local events:

Regular business to business email newsletter which details upcoming programs and events for businesses to participate in and market their buildings
Business Listings on the Directional Map Tables and kiosks in the downtown and maintenance of the www.genevadowntown.org website.
Posting of important information on the “Info for Merchants” page of the www.genevadowntown.org website.

Businesses are asked to participate in these two standing meetings:

Monthly merchant meeting (4 th Wednesday of the month, 8 AM at City Hall)
Assistance to the Business Improvement and Retention Committee which meets monthly (3rd Wednesday of the month, 8 AM at Wildwood Restaurant)

To ensure listing of your business in these marketing materials and to receive Department information sent via email, complete this business datasheet and return to the Economic Development Department either via fax at (630) 232-7414, or email to edivita@geneva.il.us.

Workforce Development and Resources

Bureau of Labor Statistics Data
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is the principal fact-finding agency for the Federal Government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics. The BLS is an independent national statistical agency that collects, processes, analyzes, and disseminates essential statistical data to the American public, the U.S. Congress, other Federal agencies, State and local governments, business, and labor. The BLS also serves as a statistical resource to the Department of Labor.
http://www.bls.gov/data/home.htm

Illinois workNet Center
Offers a single convenient connection point for job seekers and employers to find each other and tap into a pool of education, training, employment opportunities and Unemployment Insurance information.
http://www.illinoisworknet.com

Kane County Department of Employment and Education
Grant funding, training options, career resource links, employment readiness services.
http://www.kcdee.org

River Valley Workforce Investment Board
Workforce Investment Board (WIB) Members ensure the integration of services to prepare individuals to meet the demands of business and industry.
http://www.rivervalleywib.org

US Department of Employment and Training Administration
Job Corps is the nation's largest and most comprehensive residential, education and job training program for at-risk youth, ages 16 through 24.
http://jobcorps.doleta.gov

Illinois Skills Match System
(ISM), Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, ISM automatically selects and matches the best qualified job seekers with the most suitable employers. ISM maintains the fastest growing pool of thousands of available, qualified job seekers, plus an extensive variety of jobs at every skill level in hundreds of industries and occupations in Illinois.
http://www.illinoisskillsmatch.com

Illinois Workforce Advantage
Illinois Workforce Advantage is a place-based community development initiative which links state agencies and local communities in order to buttress local economic, communications, and human services infrastructure.
http://www.illinois.gov/iwa/

The Illinois Onsite Safety and Health Consultation Program
The Illinois Onsite Safety and Health Consultation Program was established in 1977 to help small businesses meet federal health and safety regulations. They will help you identify potential hazards before they become dangerous problems. Many manuals and books that are ready to be downloaded are available on this site.
http://www2.illinoisbiz.biz/osha/index.htm

Occupations Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)
Information on Federal compliance assistance, cooperative programs and statistics is found at: http://www.osha.gov/

Valley Industrial Association
The Valley Industrial Association (VIA) is a membership organization exclusively for manufacturers and those businesses in Northern Illinois which serve manufacturing in the Fox Valley area, including Kane, Kendall, DeKalb and Western DuPage counties. Benefits include access to salary surveys, customized training, management seminars and networking groups. http://www.valleyindustrialassociation.org/

State and Federal Business Assistance

Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
DCEO's Bureau of Business Development administers a wide array of programs and services designed to help Illinois businesses thrive in today’s economy. They offer expansion incentives, technology support services, access to capital, global marketing expertise, or job training and education for workers. This includes a strong emphasis on programs designed to provide small businesses -- particularly minority and female entrepreneurs -- with the resources they need to succeed and grow their business opportunities. Individual bureaus within the department provide different assistance including grants, assistance with foreign trade, and information on Illinois tax structure and tax assistance.

List of Bureaus: http://illinoisbiz.biz/dceo/Bureaus/

Various facts & figures: http://www.commerce.state.il.us/dceo/Bureaus/Facts_Figures/Factsheets/

Tax assistance: http://illinoisbiz.biz/dceo/Bureaus/Business_Development/Tax+Assistance/

Department Website: http://www.commerce.state.il.us/dceo/

The Illinois Department of Employment Security
Illinois workforce services include job placement and referrals, unemployment insurance, employment and training programs, career and labor market information, payroll tax filing, and more: http://www.ides.state.il.us/default.asp

Illinois State Treasurer
The Treasurer is the State's banker, responsible for the safekeeping of taxpayers' money and investing that money to maximize the State's financial resources. The State Treasurers' office offers a comprehensive list of programs and services.
http://www.state.il.us/treas/

Illinois Finance Authority
The Illinois Finance Authority (IFA) is a self-financed, state authority principally engaged in issuing taxable and tax-exempt bonds, making loans, and investing capital for businesses, non-profit corporations, agriculture and local government units statewide. IFA approves about $3 billion in project financing each year—projects approved in 2004 are expected to generate over 3,600 new permanent jobs and another 7,700 construction jobs in Illinois when completed. IFA offers many programs.
http://www.idfa.com

Upper Illinois River Valley Development Authority (UIRVDA)
The Upper Illinois River Valley Development Authority is a general development agency serving the Counties of Bureau, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, LaSalle, Marshall, McHenry and Putnam. UIRVDA can issue bonds that can finance capital improvements and can reduce the rate of interest.
http://www.uirvda.com/bonds.htm

Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 as an independent agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation.
http://www.sba.gov/il/il_financing.html

SBDC at Waubonsee Community College
The Small Business Development Center at Waubonsee Community College serves Geneva Businesses with free business counseling to entrepreneurs and business owners, as well as a variety of small business workshops. For help starting or growing your business, and for more information call (630) 906-4143 or visit their website at http://www.waubonsee.edu/workforcedev/sbdc.php.

Past Public Meeting Audio & Video