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TO: Mayor John Laesch
FROM: Alison Lindburg, Director of Sustainability
DATE: October 13, 2025
SUBJECT:
Requesting authorization of acceptance of a grant award of $200,000.00 from the Illinois Finance Authority to the City of Aurora to support stretch code adoption and implementation.
PURPOSE:
To obtain approval for the City to receive $200,000.00 in Climate Pollution Reduction Grants: Stretch Code Adoption Grant funding to adopt and implement the Illinois Stretch Code.
BACKGROUND:
The City applied for and was awarded $200,000.00 from the Illinois Finance Authority to support the adoption and implementation of the Illinois Stretch Code. Grant agreement language was finalized with the Legal department October 3, 2025.
The City of Aurora is considering adoption and implementation of the Illinois Stretch Code to lower energy costs for Aurora citizens, ensure that new buildings are healthy, comfortable, and resilient, and effectively meet goals outlined in the Aurora 2019 Sustainability Plan.
The grant funding will enable the City to adopt and implement the stretch code more effectively through increasing internal and external capacity, enhancing resources, expanding knowledge, and improving our ability to collect and communicate data to measure the long-term impacts of this initiative. The funding also allows staff to identify and create solutions for potential impacts of stretch code adoption and implementation.
DISCUSSION:
Staff capacity has been the most significant barrier to stretch code adoption, and this funding would allow the city to overcome capacity constraints and demonstrate the benefits of stretch code adoption. Concerns about potential increased costs are also present - This funding also would allow staff to identify and create solutions for potential additional costs and other impacts of stretch code adoption, such as technical assistance, training, financing resources, incentives alignment, and streamlined permitting.
The Illinois ...
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