Article Options

New council a pipeline to treasurer

BY BECKY MALKOVICH, The Southern

Friday, November 2, 2007 11:22 PM CDT

Southern Illinoisans will have a pipeline to State Treasurer Alexis Giannoulias through a newly formed council.

The aim of the Southern Illinois Affairs Council, comprised of area leaders, business people and community members, is to build a strong relationship between the treasurer's office and its Southern Illinois constituency "through open dialogue and to develop new programs and services designed to make a tangible difference in the everyday lives of residents," according to a press release from Giannoulias' office.

"Too often elected officials forget about Southern Illinois," Giannoulias said. "Through this council, I hope to better serve this region and its residents."

The first-ever meeting of the all-volunteer council occurred Thursday in Effingham.

"I think his goal with this council is to let us all know what his office has to offer and to see if there is any way his office could better serve the people," said Sesser Mayor Ned Mitchell, a member of the council. "He gathered a real cross-section of people - not just elected officials - so he could learn what the concerns of the communities are."

In addition, council members learned of the many services available through the Treasurer's office such as the Bright Start college savings program that enables families to invest money tax-free for their children's college tuition, as well as the Our Own Home program that helps residents who may not have the best credit purchase homes.

The office also offers low-interest loans to business owners, community service agencies, farmers, citizen soldiers and people with disabilities through the Cultivate Illinois, Employ Illinois and Opportunity Illinois programs.

"There are a lot of people who don't know about the many programs offered through his office. By learning about the programs, we can help educate people on what help is out there," said George Trammell, president and CEO of the Marion Chamber of Commerce who also sits on the council.

"And there are some programs people can't take advantage of because they don't fit exactly the program requirements. This council will allow us to offer input on ways the programs could be tweaked so that they benefit more people."

Giannoulias also hopes the council's input can help develop new programs that might better fit the needs of residents.

beckymalk@gmail.com 927-5633