The Town of Normal is helping the National League of Cities observe its centennial. A century ago, most mid-sized and small cities and towns were agriculture support centers, in essence market towns.
During a stop Monday on a nationwide tour of 100 cities to mark the anniversary, the league's communications manager Seth Barlow said in today's world, there is no single model of city. He said they all have unique characteristics and challenges and one of the league's roles is as a clearing house of policy information.
"We try to think of every decision that a local leader or mayor has to make, and we try to find as much information as we can on that," said Barlow. “So, if a city comes to us and says, 'We want to work on workforce and job creation,' great. We have a team of experts who are working in that field every day and we can help you work through those challenges.”
The National League of Cities [NLC] also is an advocacy group.
“The Town of Normal is proud to be a longtime participant and proponent of the National League of Cities,” said Mayor Chris Koos. “As a member of NLC, the town benefits from networking with other government leaders who offer an array of perspectives. Through connections and available resources, the town's membership has proven time and again to be a valuable resource.”
Barlow said the league was instrumental in securing passage of the American Rescue Plan Act [ARPA] during the pandemic. That's a once-in-a-generation infusion of capital to municipalities to help in a variety of ways.
Many of today's cities and towns face infrastructure replacement and water quality regulatory challenges. Among other things, the league helped cities push for an element of the bipartisan infrastructure law, Barlow said.
"We created what we call the local infrastructure hub. And that is a grant navigation program that helps cities all across the country prepare for federal grants. So that when you do apply for these, you are more likely to be successful, and you're more likely to be awarded," said Barlow.
Town connections to NLC
The town has been a member of the NLC for 50 years.
“The Town of Normal has been a strong participant in lending its voice and influence on that national level with NLC. We're here to thank them for that,” said NLC membership manager Katie Colten.
Former town council member Sonja Reece once served on the NLC board. And current council member Chemberly Harris serves on the league's Race and Equity Leadership Council.
When the NLC was founded, Barlow said 10 statewide municipal organizations were at the forefront. The Illinois Municipal League [IML] was among those founding bodies.
The Town of Normal also is a member of the IML.
