--  Reps Bennett & Parkhurst team to gain approval --

State Representative Tom Bennett and State Representative Lindsay Parkhurst have teamed up to sponsor legislation on behalf of Iroquois and Kankakee area leaders to allow for the expansion of the Kankakee River Conservancy District.

The expansion would help address the area’s destructive flooding issues. The Kankakee District already exists but contains only a small territory along the river, and does not cover a large enough portion of the flood basin to effectively mitigate flooding.

There are possibilities of expanding the current district to encompass all of Kankakee County and perhaps portions of other counties, including Iroquois and also in Indiana. The current language of the statute seems to allow for territory expansions, but the bill will make clear you can add large territories such as a county or multiple counties.

HB2583 amends the River Conservancy Districts Act to clarify that Conservancy Districts may expand to encompass areas as large as counties. Any expansion would require approval of the voters in a referendum and this measure would get that process started.

The House gave unanimous approval 112-0. It heads to the Senate for consideration.

94.1 WGFA