HBAI Board Meeting and Installation of Officers
Veto Session Ends on a Good Note
Bill Ward, Executive Vice President, HBAI
Dean Mon, Second Vice Chairman of the Board for the National Association of Home Builders will be attending the HBAI Board of Directors Meeting and Installation Ceremony on Thursday, December 6, 2018 in O’Fallon, Illinois.
Dean is a New Jersey-based builder and developer with more than 30 years’ experience in the home building industry. He is President of D.R. Mon Group, Inc., which specializes in development and construction of green urban living projects throughout New Jersey.
HBAI Board Members and attendees will have the opportunity to discuss association and industry issues with Dean throughout the day. The HBAI Board Meeting will begin at 1 pm at the Hop House Restaurant in O’Fallon where the 2019 budget will be approved and the 2019 HBAI Senior Officers will be elected during the “Annual Meeting of the Members.”
Upon adjournment, HBAI will join with members of the HBA of Greater Southwest Illinois to celebrate the Holidays while strolling through an incredible inventory of beautiful automobiles on display at Classic Cars.
The big day will climax with the installation of Mark Vogt as our 2019 President of HBAI; Dean Mon will perform the installation. It will be an eventful day and enjoyable evening, to be certain.
Veto Session Update
SB1226 – Green Building Standards Mandate
Legislation subjecting commercial construction to the ICC Green Standards Code stalled on the House Floor during the final week of Veto Session in Springfield. The bill did manage to come out of the House Committee on Construction Industry & Code Enforcement, on a tight 6-5 vote.
HBAI opposed the measure even though there is a defacto exemption for residential construction. The Green Building Standards Code affects construction of building over 4 stories in height. But that exemption can change with a meeting and a vote by the Board of the ICC.
HBAI testified in committee and requested that the bill contain an expressed, written exemption for residential construction. Proponents of the bill, the Laborers International Union, is taking our request under consideration at this time.
In the meantime, trade unions are split on the passage of SB1226, and it is unlikely that House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) will call the bill until all trade union matters are resolved. This issue will most likely bleed over into the 101st General Assembly which begins in January.
HB4637 – Dissolution of Townships
Score a victory here for tax payers who want fewer government bodies in the State of Illinois. The House and Senate have passed on to the Governor for his consideration, legislation allowing voters in McHenry County to more easily vote to dissolve township form of government.
HB4637 lowers the petition threshold from 10% to 5% of the voters in the township and narrows the voting block to just those voters residing in the township being dissolved.
HBAI supported this bill that was initiated by the Illinois Association of Realtors. Proponents are calling this a good first-step for smaller government in Illinois.
SB241 – Air Pollution Permit Notifications
Legislation requiring more public notification for Illinois EPA Air Pollution Permits stalled in the Illinois Senate last week. SB241 would have required I-EPA to notify state legislators of any permit applications filed for construction in their legislative districts. It also required all applications to be posted on the I-EPA website for public review. HBAI initially took opposition to the bill as there were concerns that SB241 could expand to Water Permits. The bill has an agreed amendment pending, but the issue will most likely wait until the new session in January.