Kane County Awarded $150,000 to Spur Economic Recovery/Development

Kane County applied for and received a grant from the state to develop a county-wide strategic plan and organization to help guide it and its municipalities, schools, colleges and businesses in promoting a strong and resilient economy following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Currently Kane County is the only large collar county without a county-wide economic development organization to guide long-term economic development.

The funding will assist in a study to better understand and address the specific impacts the pandemic has had on local industry, workforce, housing, mental health and technology.

The goal is to improve quality of life in Kane County through an approach that includes all of Kane County.

"A county-wide Economic Development Plan will create a collaboration of networking of county municipalities to draw exclusive businesses and community activities awareness," said Kane County Board Member and Jobs Committte Chair, Ron Ford. "Bringing in better paying jobs and increasing revenue opportunities. Revenue that can give the County long term financial stability."

In its application for the grant, the County highlighted a variety of areas in need of support in crafting a plan for economic development including access to the internet. There are three rural western townships in Kane County where residents, businesses and farms in the unincorporated area rely primarily on satellite or cellular Wi-Fi for internet access.

The funding will also be used to analyze data on tourism, jobs, population, education, transportation, health and land uses including agriculture.

The County will include in its review a first of its kind study to identify Kane County’s economic strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.