About

The Central Illinois Land Bank Authority (CILBA) was initially formed in Vermilion County to help return vacant and abandoned properties to productive use. State Representative Mike Marron, who was the County’s Board Chair at the time, was the driving force behind recruiting fifteen local government members and Vermilion County to join the land bank. In 2019, Rantoul, St. Joseph, and Champaign County all joined the land bank. In 2020, the land bank’s Board voted to accept Decatur as a member. With an expanded geographic area, the Board voted to change the organization name from the Vermilion County Land Bank Authority to the Central Illinois Land Bank Authority. CILBA was formed through an Intergovernmental Agreement and currently has twenty members. Land banks have been successful in many states over the past decade. Though relatively new in Illinois, they are quickly gaining momentum as a critical tool to efficiently fight blight. Land banks exist as regional housing and economic development tools for municipalities with limited manpower and financial resources to legally hold, manage and develop tax or bank foreclosed properties and put them back into productive use. The Illinois Housing Development Authority has awarded two rounds of grant funding to form the Central Illinois Land Bank Authority. CILBA seeks to facilitate the redevelopment of acquired properties through strategic partnerships with developers, community organizations, lenders, and local governments to improve quality of life, stabilize the tax base, and enhance economic activities that promote sustainable, healthy, and stable communities in a manner consistent with local government plans and priorities.