ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — An idea is brewing among seven counties in northern Illinois to create a regional alliance that would help the area’s economy and boost quality of life for residents.
Representatives from Winnebago, Boone, Stephenson, Ogle, Lee, DeKalb and McHenry counties met last week at Chicago Rockford International Airport to discuss the prospect. It would be modeled after the Rockford Metropolitan Agency for Planning, which incorporates Winnebago and Boone counties and the cities of Rockford, Loves Park, Machesney Park and Belvidere.
The Rockford Register Star reports that the representatives believe the proposed alliance is necessary to compete for jobs and economic development on a global scale.
It was the result of investors’ plans to create a 275-mile railroad loop, known as the Great Lakes Basin railroad line, which would bypass Chicago.
