Intergovernmental Agreement Passed between Cook County and Village of Robbins

The Cook County Board of Commissioners has passed an Intergovernmental Agreement between Cook County and the Village of Robbins to participate in the County’s Vacant Building Ordinance. The Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) passed on May 8, 2013. The agreement is the result of the efforts undertaken by the Bureau of Economic Development, the Department of Building and Zoning, the Department of Administrative Hearings and representatives of the Village of Robbins. Under the agreement, the Cook County Department of Building and Zoning will work with Village of Robbins employees to determine if buildings within the village are vacant and have not been registered with the County. Building and Zoning will then institute the administrative hearing process where necessary. The stakeholders will also work closely together to register vacant buildings with the County. The Vacant Building Ordinance will work alongside the Village of Robbin’s municipal property maintenance ordinances. The Vacant Building Ordinance, which came into effect last year was co-sponsored by President Preckwinkle and Commissioner Bridget Gainer (D-10th). It seeks to eliminate blight in communities hit hard by the foreclosure crisis. The Ordinance requires owners and mortgagees to register their properties with the County and maintain the interior and exterior of the buildings to certain standards. Additionally, it expedites the adjudication process that continues to clog up the County’s court system.